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Coverage of the inaugural eSkootr Championship™ (eSC) will be shown live in 34 countries on beIN SPORTS in the Middle East and North Africa and parts of Asia.
One of the world’s biggest sports broadcasters, beIN MEDIA GROUP will show the first season of the eSkootr Championship in 24 countries in the MENA region including the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The deal will also see the broadcaster offer coverage from all six 2022 races in 10 Asian countries including Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as in Turkey.
The season begins on 13/14 May at Printworks London, with a further five rounds for the 2022 season confirmed in the Swiss city of Sion, and in France, Spain, Italy and the US. eSC is using new, creative camera angles and industry leading production techniques to provide viewers with a unique sports broadcast, and fans in the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and Turkey will be able to see live coverage of the races and the 90-minute highlight show on beIN SPORTS.
beIN SPORTS will show eSC’s own programme, created by Canadian production company Boombox, which includes pre-race build-up, live race commentary and post-race interviews, highlights and analysis.
Sharon Fuller, Chief Content Officer at eSC, commented:
“Our vision for eSC is to be as accessible as possible for all, and by partnering with beIN SPORTS we are working with one of the biggest sports broadcasters in the world who will make the series available in 34 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
“Motorsport is growing in popularity in the regions and we are excited to introduce our new form of racing to the sporting calendar with our industry leading, innovative broadcasting production.”
Following the agreement with BKT, the Indian multinational specialized in Off Highway tires, as globalsponsor of LaLiga from 2019 to 2022, both organisations have agreed to renew the deal for the next three seasons.
This agreement, which will run until the end of the 2024/2025 season, is based on BKT’s objective to strengthen its brand awareness and builds on the commitment to LaLiga and the Indian multinational’s affinity with sport, as it has other sponsorship agreements across a range of sports such as basketball, cricket and rugby.
Óscar Mayo, Executive Director of LaLiga, details: “The partnership between LaLiga and BKT over the past three years has allowed us to help them increase their global exposure through our fans and audience. We both strive for excellence in what we do, and this is certainly a relationship that we are delighted to renew for a new cycle.”
LaLiga and BKT share a number of unique sporting values, such as competitiveness and strategic thinking. This ensures that the Indian company has a significant boost, not only in brand visibility, but also from a commercial perspective.
Lucía Salmaso, CEO of BKT Europe, said: “We are thrilled and proud of pursuing our journey alongside LaLiga. I like the idea that we are two important entities, each in its respective market, that are able to see beyond a simple marketing operation, rendering instead joint and mutual inspiration. The market now is the world. In order to act globally, a common language is needed to reach increasingly larger communities. That being said, what can be more viral than sport?”
On a national level, Spain is a strategic market for BKT, one of the most important in Europe, especially in the agricultural sector. BKT offers tires which operate in different specialist fields, but it is particularly in agriculture where it started its journey and where it has literally taken to the field.
“This cooperation gives us again the opportunity to strengthen both our presence and brand awareness in Spain, a country we consider strategic and highly important in terms of business.” Lucia concludes. Through sports, we can reach our users by means of a channel that makes hearts leap, because sport is a simple and direct language that everyone can understand – and it is hence universal.”
Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and mid-sized businesses, has today become the Official Insights Partner of The Hundred and, from 2023 onwards, The Hundred Draft will be powered by Sage.
The Hundred launched last summer to packed out crowds across England and Wales, exciting cricket fans new and old with its innovative mix of high energy sporting action and epic entertainment.
The partnership is a key symbol of change as part of Sage’s new brand refresh, aligning with The Hundred’s aims to engage new audiences and put gender parity at its heart. The competition sees men and women playing side-by-side on the same stage, with equal prize money on offer.
Through the activation, Sage will bring fans closer to The Hundred’s big decisions, powering the Decision Review System (DRS) in broadcast and big screens inside the grounds, together with branding appearing on the umpires’ kit during the tournament.
Sage will also be Presenting Partner for The Hundred Draft, highlighting the importance of using in-depth analysis to drive effective player selection. To support this, the partnership will launch a content series this summer, focusing on the use of data and insight behind cricket’s newest competition. The content will feature the key decision makers from this year’s draft, reviewing the big signings and demonstrating how insights determined the teams’ key selections.
The inaugural year of The Hundred saw more than 510,000 people attend games, with a TV audience of over 16 million, and record-breaking crowds for the women’s competition.
Rob Calder, Commercial Director, The Hundred said: “As a global leader in supporting small and mid-sized businesses with data-driven decision making, Sage is the perfect partner to power our Decision Review System this summer, and The Draft from next year. We look forward to working with Sage as we get ready for another huge summer for The Hundred.”
Cath Keers, CMO, Sage, said: “The Hundred is a tournament with rich data at the heart of its decision-making, from drafting players to in-game analysis. Fast accurate decision making powered by deep insights is how we help business flow for our customers. The partnership is an exciting opportunity to share the power of data with a global audience of cricket fans and communities around the UK.
“We’ll bring this partnership to life over the coming months and years making sure our colleagues, customers and communities all benefit with access to tickets and experiences, content and promotional opportunities.”
Europe’s leading smartwatch company for kids is teaming up with The Hundred to get children active this summer.
Xplora today announce a multi-year deal to become the Official Children’s Smartwatch Supplier of The Hundred.
The technology company was founded in 2017 to help children enter safely into the digital world and having a better balance between screen time with physical activity.
The Xplora watches are ideal as a first phone allowing children to make and receive calls to a list of approved contacts, send messages and emojis and even take photos. The innovative Goplay platform encourages children to be more active by rewarding steps taken with Xplora coins (every 1,000 steps is equal to 1 Xplora coin) which can be redeemed on the platform for physical prizes and also can take part in competitions.
Xplora will launch a new The Hundred themed Goplay campaign in the lead-up to the tournament, throughout which kids across the UK can compete both individually and as part of a favourite team.
The Hundred launched last summer to packed crowds across England and Wales, exciting cricket fans new and old with its innovative mix of high energy sporting action and epic entertainment.
In addition, The Hundred and Xplora will give away 100s of Xplora smartwatches to children across England and Wales through competitions and promotions this summer.
Inspiring more children to pick up a bat and ball is a key objective of cricket’s newest competition. Over 105,000 children played All Stars and Dynamos Cricket in 2021 during a record-breaking summer of participation. Dynamos Cricket, linked directly to The Hundred, introduced kids to the game and gave participants experiences such as a coaching session on Lord’s Nursery Ground.
The Hundred is committed to opening cricket’s doors to all those that want to play the sport, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, background or ability and last summer’s All Stars and Dynamos programmes saw 27,000 girls, 13,000 children from ethnically diverse backgrounds, and over 3,000 disabled children pick up a bat and ball.
James Brown, Senior Commercial Manager of The Hundred said: “Xplora and The Hundred are perfectly placed to help children across the country to get active this summer.
“Last year saw more kids playing the game than ever before, and we look forward to working with Xplora to build on this momentum, using The Hundred to inspire even more young people to pick up a bat and ball in 2022.”
Sten Kirkbak, Founder and CEO of Xplora: “We are proud to partner with a competition that promotes healthier lifestyles and social engagement among children. Our mission drives us to keep finding new ways to keep kids active and create healthy habits in this changing, digital world. Establishing a partnership with such a great tournament such as The Hundred is an important step towards our vision of enabling children to experience how their everyday activities can make a positive change in the world.“
UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions for all people, and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) today announced a historic, multi-year partnership, making UKG the first-ever title sponsor of the NWSL Challenge Cup, increasing the Cup bonus pool tenfold in 2022, and the total pool will more than double again in 2023. The 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup will be the first-ever women’s professional soccer tournament to achieve pay equity with its U.S. peers in the men’s game.
“We refuse to accept that one organization cannot make a difference in the fight for pay equity — just look at what these remarkable women have done with their collective voice to raise awareness on a national stage about a problem that has plagued our workforce for decades,” said Brian K. Reaves, chief belonging, diversity, and equity officer at UKG. “These worthy athletes are also champions on the field of equality. We are so proud to stand beside the NWSL and work toward bringing pay equity to a sport that, for too long unfortunately, reflected the working reality of many women. This partnership is just one of the many actions UKG is taking to raise awareness and encourage action on pay equity across all workplaces and industries.”
The multimillion-dollar, multi-year UKG sponsorship will close the wage gap for the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup, with the prize money directly benefiting the women on the winning team, runner-up team, and semifinalist teams. This is in addition to the recently ratified collective bargaining agreement reached by the NWSL and the National Women’s Soccer League Players Association that includes a substantial investment from ownership that significantly increases compensation packages and benefits, enhances training and playing environments, and provides the standards essential to securing the NWSL’s position as the best women’s soccer league in the world.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have a partner like UKG, a brand with whom we have shared values,” said Jessica Berman, NWSL commissioner. “Our partnership is purpose-driven, and we believe that will eventually lead to broader impactful change, not only for women in professional sports but for women and underrepresented groups worldwide who have advocated tirelessly for the equity they deserve.”
In addition to its sponsorship with the NWSL, UKG will also partner with individual NWSL athletes Christen Press and Sydney Leroux to further advocate for closing the pay gap in every field.
“I can’t say how much it means to us that UKG is taking a stand on behalf of pay equity for our players,” said Christen Press. “We have fought long and hard for pay equal to that of our male counterparts, and we need more people to take a stand on closing the pay gap and fighting for fair and consistent pay for everyone, regardless of gender, race, background, or profession.”
“Every player in this league has worked their whole life to play professional soccer and have the means to support themselves and their families,” added Sydney Leroux. “Pay equity goes beyond the average 18 cents less that women are paid for every dollar that a man is paid — it is about people wanting to live the same quality of life, have the same opportunities, and live the same dreams as others doing the same work.”
The NWSL Challenge Cup sponsorship is part of the UKG Close the Gap Initiative, a multimillion-dollar pay equity initiative announced in December 2021, to drive awareness and action to resolve pay disparities among men, women, and underrepresented groups that continue to significantly impact today’s workforce. As part of that commitment, UKG is contributing $0.18 — the current gender wage gap1 — for every single employee paid each year via a UKG payroll solution toward programs and organizations fighting for equal pay. UKG payroll solutions are used to pay over 15 million employees per year, meaning UKG is making a $3 million investment in the critical programs and initiatives that support the fight for pay equity, including:
“At the heart of being a great place to work is providing equal opportunity for all,” said Reaves. “To be truly supportive, employers must recognize a person’s value; compensate them equitably based on their skills, experience, and the work they perform, no matter their gender; and they must also create equal opportunities for advancement for all people in their organizations. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but we believe that, by partnering with the NWSL and calling attention to the persistent issue of pay inequity in this world, we are taking meaningful action to support the livelihoods and aspirations of women and underrepresented groups in the workplace, and to help end the decades-long fight for equity for all.”
Supporting Resources
Elevate Sports Ventures negotiated the landmark agreement between UKG and the NWSL and will assist in managing strategy and activation for the cause-driven brand and league partnership.
W Series will include ten races at eight Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends in 2022, and ESPN will broadcast live coverage of all qualifying and race sessions across their portfolio of channels, including ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU and ESPNEWS.
W Series’ 2022 season began with a double-header in Miami, Florida, this weekend (6-8 May). They were the first of three W Series races in the USA this year, as the Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas, will stage the penultimate race of season three in October. That follows W Series’ highly-acclaimed debut in the USA last October when Jamie Chadwick became a two-time W Series champion in front of a record 400,000 fans across the weekend.
ESPN, Inc. is the leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment brand featuring the broadest portfolio of multimedia sports assets. Formula 1 races have aired in the USA on ESPN and its affiliated networks since 2018.
Catherine Bond Muir (Chief Executive Officer, W Series) said:
“W Series is building great momentum in the USA following the incredible finish to last season at COTA where our women drivers showcased their skills in front of a record crowd. As a result of that, we will stage three races in the USA this year, starting with a double-header in Miami this weekend.
“W Series Miami presented by Hard Rock will be the biggest event we’ve ever staged, and I am delighted that ESPN – with its reputation as the leader in sports broadcasting in the US, and who has done such a good job of promoting motorsport, and particularly Formula 1, in North America – will broadcast live coverage of all W Series races this year. I hope that the USA will become our largest market, and ESPN is a great step towards making that happen by helping us reach new audiences.”
Williams Racing today announces Terra Virtua as its Official Metaverse Partner. The multi-year partnership begins this weekend as the Formula One racing team takes to the track in Florida for the first ever Miami Grand Prix.
The collaboration will celebrate one of British motorsport’s most innovative and successful racing teams to date. With an absolute focus on engagement, the partnership will look to add greater depth to the fan experience on race weekends and beyond. Williams and Terra Virtua will also explore opportunities to develop digital collectible and generative art projects, to take Williams Racing fans into the metaverse through interactive experiences in virtual environments.
As the Official Metaverse Partner, Terra Virtua branding will appear on the car barge boards, driver race suits and mechanic overalls. The Terra Virtua logo will be placed on a variety of digital and physical team assets.
Terra Virtua CEO Jawad Ashraf said: “It’s a privilege to work with a British racing team with such an incredible legacy in motorsport. As progressive innovators in the space, we feel Terra Virtua has an affinity with the team. We can’t wait to get started and continue to explore further opportunities to collaborate.”
Williams Racing Commercial Director James Bower added: “Collaborating with Terra Virtua presents an opportunity to engage with the race fans of the future in an entirely new way. With Terra Virtua using Polygon blockchain, which has strong sustainability credentials, it also aligns with the team’s sustainability values.”
Netflix and Formula 1 can today confirm that the highly popular series, Formula 1: Drive To Survive has been renewed for a fifth and sixth season on Netflix.
The series has grown in popularity over time, with Season 4 attracting the biggest audience to date and breaking into the weekly Top 10 in 56 countries.
Offering unprecedented access, the new season will once again take fans behind the scenes, to witness first-hand how the drivers and teams prepare to battle it out for the 2022 and 2023 championships. The series will offer never-before-seen footage and interviews from the sport’s biggest names.
Formula 1 has been drastically boosted in recent years by the Netflix show, which has been one of the most popular on the streaming service and given the sport an entirely new fanbase.
Other sports are now looking at replicating this, with tennis, golf and cycling all signing deals with Netflix to create their own docu-series in the hope that they will also be able to spark a new generation of fans.
The Asian Games has been postponed from its current date in September following China’s ongoing issues with the Covid-19 pandemic.
A statement released today by the Olympic Council of Asia confirmed the postponement of the Games.
Following detailed discussions with the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC), the OCA Executive Board (EB) today decided to postpone the 19th Asian Games, which were scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, China, from 10 to 25 September 2022. The new dates of the 19th Asian Games will be agreed between the OCA, the COC and the HAGOC and announced in the near future.
HAGOC has been very well prepared to deliver the Games on time despite global challenges. However, the above decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the Games.
The name and the emblem of the 19th Asian Games will remain unchanged, and the OCA believes that the Games will achieve complete success through the joint efforts of all parties.
Additionally, the OCA EB also studied the situation of the 3rd Asian Youth Games, which was scheduled on 20-28 December this year in Shantou, China. After discussion with the COC and the Organising Committee, the OCA EB decided that as the Asian Youth Games had already been postponed once, the Asian Youth Games Shantou 2021 will be cancelled. The next Asian Youth Games will therefore be held in 2025 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The OCA thanks Shantou Organising Committee for its great work during the preparation phase. We strongly believe that this effort will be beneficial to many different aspects of the development of the city, especially in the field of sport as well as for the promotion of Olympic spirit in Asia.
OLYMPIC COUNCIL OF ASIA
Infront has signed a multi-year partnership with Epulze, the global full-service esports company, to operate and establish the Masters of Gaming (MOG) Esports Tournament Series, starting with top title Dota2.
The partnership will focus on the commercialisation of MOG through local and regional tournaments and broadcasting, providing new opportunities for potential sponsors and partners to be part of the largest and most significant esports series in Southeast Asia.
Featuring a USD 100,000 prize pool, MOG starts at the end of July 2022, firstly as an online tournament, and will welcome the best teams from Southeast Asia and China. The dates for the open qualifiers will be announced in May 2022. The event will be livestreamed across several global and regional platforms in close collaboration with local esports and traditional broadcasters
Mattias Lövgren, CEO of Epulze, said: “We have been working hard on setting up this partnership, and we are excited about it. With such a strong and amazing partner like Infront, we are, together, able to create this fantastic event.”
André Fläckel, Infront’s Head of Gaming & Esports, said: “Dota2 has been a leading esports title for more than a decade. Our newly formed partnership with Epulze for the Masters of Gaming provides brands, media as well as betting partners a highly attractive platform to engage with gamers and esports fans in the Southeast Asia Region.”
David Nivelle, Managing Director of Infront Pan-Asia, added: “Esports is growing fast in Southeast Asia, and we believe the partnership with Epulze enables us to build a steady foundation in the esports ecosystem in this region. The newly launched Master of Gaming (MOG) series gives us the opportunity to offer an attractive platform to brands connecting them to esports and gaming fans.”
More information about the MOG Series will be announced in the upcoming weeks.