Sky Sports has today announced an extension of its rights to show the Masters Tournament exclusively live in the UK and – starting with this week’s Tournament – Ireland.
The multi-year deal, made in partnership with Augusta National Golf Club, was first announced live on air on Thursday evening. The deal gives Sky the exclusive rights to the first, second, third and final rounds and play-offs (if applicable) at the iconic course.
The extension of the deal means Sky Sports remains the home of the Masters in the UK, and now Ireland too – giving golf fans access to the spectacular holes and sparkling greens of Augusta National. Customers will be able to tune into coverage from Amen Corner as well as Featured Groups and much more, including full highlights from each day’s play.
Sky EVP and CEO UK and Europe Stephen van Rooyen said: “We’re thrilled to be able to extend our partnership with Augusta National to continue to show this iconic Major Championship, meaning that Sky Sports continues to be the home of golf in the UK & Ireland.”
Sky will provide expansive coverage of this year’s Masters Tournament, including Amen Corner on YouTube as well as five other digital feeds available. Golf fans will have the best analysis on offer, including Sky Scope, Virtual Holes, Touchscreen, Zen Green and Shot Centre for Masters Breakfast – each giving expert insight into every piece of action on the course.
Sky Sports Golf is the home of golf in the UK and in 2022 will show all four men’s Majors, all five women’s Majors and both men’s and women’s tours – well over 100 tournaments in total. In addition, golf fans can tune in for round-the-clock coverage on Sky Sports News and Sky Sports’ social and digital platforms.
The LEGO Group and Epic Games today announced they are entering a long-term partnership to shape the future of the metaverse to make it safe and fun for children and families. The two companies will team up to build an immersive, creatively inspiring and engaging digital experience for kids of all ages to enjoy together.
The family-friendly digital experience will give kids access to tools that will empower them to become confident creators and deliver amazing play opportunities in a safe and positive space.
Niels B Christiansen, CEO of The LEGO Group said:
“Kids enjoy playing in digital and physical worlds and move seamlessly between the two. We believe there is huge potential for them to develop life-long skills such as creativity, collaboration and communication through digital experiences. But we have a responsibility to make them safe, inspiring and beneficial for all. Just as we’ve protected children’s rights to safe physical play for generations, we are committed to doing the same for digital play. We look forward to working with Epic Games to shape this exciting and playful future.”
Tim Sweeney, CEO & Founder, Epic Games said:
“The LEGO Group has captivated the imagination of children and adults through creative play for nearly a century, and we are excited to come together to build a space in the metaverse that’s fun, entertaining, and made for kids and families.”
As the metaverse evolves, it is reshaping how people meet, play, work, learn and interact in a virtual, 3D world. The LEGO Group and Epic Games will combine their extensive experience to ensure that this next iteration of the internet is designed from the outset with the wellbeing of kids in mind.
Epic Games has expertise in building creative tools and immersive worlds that are open and accessible to players and developers everywhere. It is at the forefront of popular culture, creating experiences that connect people through gaming, music and creative collaboration. Epic is also committed to enabling developers to create age-appropriate experiences online and in 2020 acquired SuperAwesome, a company that has pioneered technology designed to deliver safe digital engagement with children under 16.
For 90 years the LEGO Group has inspired generations of children through play through the endless creative possibilities of the LEGO brick, which remains the core of its business. The company is a leader in defining safe digital play experiences for children including the development of an industry-standard Digital Child Safety Policy with UNICEF and the 2016 launch of the first fully live moderated social app for children.
The LEGO Group and Epic Games have agreed to three principles which will ensure the digital spaces they develop deliver engaging play opportunities safely:
Protect children’s right to play by making safety and wellbeing a priority.
Safeguard children’s privacy by putting their best interests first.
Empower children and adults with tools that give them control over their digital experience.
Formula 1 and Canal+ have announced an extension of their partnership until 2029 for the exclusive broadcast rights of the sport in France.
Since Canal+ became an official broadcast partner of F1 in 2013 it has seen a huge audience tune in for every Grand Prix weekend, with significant increases season after season. The first two Grands Prix of the 2022 season already rank among the top five ratings of all time for Formula 1 events on CANAL+, with 1.42 million viewers tuning into the FORMULA 1 STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX and 1.31 million viewers watching the season-opening FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX 2022. This builds upon strong numbers in 2021, where CANAL+ saw an average 1.14million viewers for each Grand Prix – an 18% increase on a record-breaking 2020 season, and a 50% increase compared to 2019.
Canal+ continues to bring fans extensive and immersive programming featuring a host of experts, including former F1 drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Romain Grosjean, as well as experimenting with programming on new platforms, such as Twitch, helping to engage the next generation of fans in France.
As part of the extended partnership, for the first time ever, CANAL+ subscribers will be able to get access to F1TV Pro through myCANAL, in addition to the broadcaster’s array of programming and digital content.
Ian Holmes, Director of Media Rights and Content Creation at Formula 1, said:
“We’re delighted to announce the extension of our partnership with Canal+, who will continue to bring F1 action to fans in France as we enter an exciting new era for the sport, and beyond. The increase that we see year-on-year is a testament to the programming that they provide to their audience, as they continue to look for new and innovative ways to engage with fans.”
Maxime Saada, President of Canal+ Group, said:
“We are proud and happy to continue to broadcast the Formula 1 Championship exclusively until 2029. We sincerely thank F1, and in particular Stefano Domenicali, for their renewed trust, allowing us to bring to our subscribers a thrilling competition which keeps increasingly seducing the fans and attracting a wider audience.
For nearly 10 years, we have been bringing an immersive experience, along with world-renowned expertise, endlessly improved by our editorial team, led by Thomas Senecal. F1 has undoubtedly become a must-watch sport for our audience, as evidenced by the 50% increase in viewership over the past two years.”
As a Worldwide Olympic Partner, Deloitte will apply its deep expertise in management and business consulting to help enhance and secure the IOC’s digital ecosystem supporting the Olympic Movement.
Deloitte and the IOC have formed a “partnership with purpose” that leverages Deloitte’s considerable business acumen to help the IOC realise the possibilities of its strategic roadmap for the future, Olympic Agenda 2020+5, and its vision to build a better world through sport. In partnership with the IOC, Deloitte will provide a global team with wide-ranging management and business consulting capabilities to deliver meaningful impact to the National Olympic Committees, billions of fans, and the thousands of athletes who make the Olympic Games possible.
Deloitte will utilise its environmental, social and governance services expertise to assist the Olympic Movement in driving progress on critical challenges identified in Olympic Agenda 2020+5 related to corporate governance, strategy, sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, and athlete support and well-being.IOC / Christophe Moratal – Punit Renjen, Deloitte Global CEO and Thomas Bach, IOC President
“We are living through one of the most consequential moments in history. The Olympic Movement plays a vital role in uniting the world through friendship, solidarity and fair play, and never has this been more important than now. Together, Deloitte and the IOC aspire to make an impact that matters – to strengthen, enhance and create a long-lasting and positive impact on society through the Olympic Movement,” said Punit Renjen, Deloitte Global CEO.
“We are delighted to be working with Deloitte and excited by the opportunity this partnership presents for the entire Olympic Movement. Deloitte’s initiatives to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals align with the IOC’s philosophy of further change and transformation as expressed in the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5 strategic roadmap for the future,” said IOC President Thomas Bach.
“Having worked with Deloitte for several years now, the IPC is enthusiastic to explore with Deloitte how its expertise and wide range of services can benefit the wider Paralympic Movement as we aim to use sport as a tool to drive social inclusion,” said International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons.
Enabling the transformation of the Olympic Movement
Deloitte will support the IOC with its digital transformation strategy. It will utilise its digital expertise to help advise in such areas as personalising the fan experience and enhancing digital services, connecting fans around the world and extending the appeal of the Olympic Games between editions.
Advancing the IOC’s purpose and efforts to address global challenges
As a leader in purpose-led organisational initiatives, Deloitte will bring that expertise to support and advise the IOC in the development of strategies that will help it achieve its vision of building a better world through sport.
Deloitte will work with the IOC on the development of programmes, legacy projects and playbooks on initiatives such as athlete support and mental health, diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability and the reduction of the Games’ carbon footprint.
In recognition of the importance of good governance and transparency, as expressed in Olympic Agenda 2020+5, a “Centre of Excellence” will be developed through this partnership relating to best practices in administration and management operations for participating National Olympic Committees.
Michele Parmelee, Deloitte Global Chief People and Purpose Officer, said: “This partnership brings together two iconic global brands who share a passion for driving positive societal impact. We see this spirit embodied in the Olympians and Paralympians who work for Deloitte and inspire us to see the possibility of what Deloitte and the IOC can accomplish together.”
Jiri Kejval, IOC Marketing Commission Chair, stated: “Deloitte’s relationship with the Olympic Movement is a clear example of how the Worldwide Olympic Partner Programme continues to attract the most renowned names in business. Deloitte’s commitment to providing world-class expertise to the Olympic Movement demonstrates the unique opportunity that the TOP Programme provides.”
This is Deloitte’s first global partnership with the IOC and is the culmination of Deloitte’s many years of support for various parties in the Olympic Movement. The new global partnership complements Deloitte’s ongoing agreement with the Olympic and Paralympic Games Los Angeles 2028, as well as with the Canadian Olympic Committee, German Olympic and Paralympic Committees, Irish Olympic Committee, Polish Olympic Committee, and United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, where Deloitte’s member firms provide support to thousands of Olympians and Paralympians.
Peacock will become the exclusive home to a new Major League Baseball game of the week on Sunday mornings, it was announced today. Beginning on May 8, Peacock will live stream an NBC Sports-produced baseball game for 18 consecutive weeks, with start times for the first six Sunday games at 11:30 a.m. ET and the following 12 Sunday games beginning at Noon ET. Each game will feature NBC Sports-produced pregame and post-game shows on Peacock.
The first game (Chicago White Sox vs. Boston Red Sox from Fenway Park on May 8 at 11:30 a.m. ET) will be simulcast on the NBC broadcast network, with the remaining 17 games available exclusively on Peacock’s premium service (full schedule below). In addition, Peacock will be the exclusive home of the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game – featuring top minor league prospects – which will be played during All-Star Week in July at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
On each of the 18 Sundays that Peacock presents a game, it will be scheduled as the exclusive home of live MLB action until 1:30 p.m. ET that day, when the remainder of the day’s schedule will begin.
Peacock will also feature classic MLB games, award-winning documentaries from the MLB Film & Video Archive, and highlight packages available on-demand in a new MLB hub.
“We are excited to announce this multi-year partnership with Major League Baseball, which will exclusively offer Peacock subscribers a premium property in a unique time slot for the sport, while continuing NBC Sports’ rich baseball history,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports.
“Expanding Peacock’s premium live sports offering for customers remains a top priority and we are very excited to partner with MLB to bring a new, exclusive package of games to Peacock on Sunday mornings for baseball fans,” said Rick Cordella, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer, Peacock. “We look forward to building upon NBC Sports’ long-standing relationship with Major League Baseball and providing streaming customers exclusive access to games on Peacock.”
“As consumption habits continue to evolve, it is important for us to provide new ways for fans who are outside the cable bundle to watch MLB games,” said Noah Garden, Major League Baseball Chief Revenue Officer. “This agreement marks an exciting new chapter to the extensive history of innovation between MLB and NBC Sports in delivering exciting baseball action to our fans.”
The first Major League Baseball television broadcast was a 1939 Cincinnati Reds-Brooklyn Dodgers doubleheader on W2XBS (the precursor to WNBC-TV) in New York. NBC Sports was a home to the first World Series broadcast in 1947, the first All-Star Game nationally broadcast in 1952, and has televised 39 World Series – more than any other network. Additionally, from 1957-2000, NBC Sports was home to a wealth of baseball programming, including Game of the Week and Monday Night Baseball telecasts, more than 30 All-Star Games, and countless Postseason moments.
Peacock’s expansive programming features live sports coverage including Sunday Night Football, Olympic Games, Premier League, Notre Dame Football, NTT IndyCar Series, and much more. Peacock Originals streaming now include Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure, Meddling, Picabo, and American Rockstars. Peacock also offers daily sports programming on the NBC Sports channel which streams Peacock Original Brother from Another and staples like The Dan Patrick Show, Pro Football Talk Live, and The Rich Eisen Show.
Peacock is currently available on the Roku platform; Amazon FireTV and Fire tablets; Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD; Google platforms and devices including Android™, Android TV™ devices, Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices; Microsoft’s Xbox One family of devices, including Xbox One S and Xbox One X; Sony PlayStation4 and PlayStation 4 Pro; Samsung Smart TVs; VIZIO SmartCast™ TVs; LG Smart TVs; Comcast’s entertainment platforms including Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex, and XClass TV; and Cox’s Contour and Contour Stream Player devices. To learn more about Peacock and how to sign up, visit PeacockTV.com.
Russell Stopford, former digital lead at Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona and Manchester City, has joined top digital sports agency Stadion as Chief Executive Officer.
Highly-respected in the digital world, Stopford will play a key role in leading the strategic growth and development of Stadion who already have an impressive portfolio of clients across top tier football, rugby union and sports governing bodies.
Lee Cook, Founder of Stadion, said: “When you have worked in sport for as long as I have, you get to know some amazing people and occasionally an opportunity to work with them. I’ve been lucky enough to work with Russell over the last eleven years since we met while he was at Manchester City. With his experience at some of the top clubs and digital businesses in the world I knew we had a rare opportunity to bring someone with a wealth of knowledge and expertise into Stadion. I’m delighted he has joined the team and can’t wait to grow the company together.”
Stopford said: “Stadion has an outstanding reputation for creating bespoke high performance digital experiences for some of the most respected brands in sport. The business continues to go from strength to strength and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to evolve the offering and to lead and work alongside a very talented team of innovative and creative individuals.”
He added: “Stadion has developed a suite of purpose-built products which ensure clients achieve maximum engagement with their customers across all aspects of digital and social in an extremely user-friendly way. This is an exciting time for Stadion.”
Most recently, Stopford was Chief Digital Officer at PSG leading the digital transformation of the club for nearly four years. He was responsible for strategy, execution and commercial for the French giants’ products connecting their global fan-base through consumer digital technologies. Previously he was Director of Digital for FC Barcelona, which included the largest social media audience of any sports club in the world.
Prior to that he was Product Development Director at Perform Group (including Goal.com – the largest global football site) and before that was at Manchester City where he was responsible for all digital channels including City TV.
Stadion was founded in 2014 by Cook. Clients include four of the top ten football clubs in the world as well as several other EPL, SPL and championship clubs, Team GB, the Union Cycliste International (UCI), Harlequins and Munster from the world of rugby union and the Australian Olympic Committee.
Stadion has created products that power everything from websites to apps and voice interactions. These are built around a central publishing hub which allows the client to deliver the latest content to its audience in a fully customisable, modular and responsive way.
beIN SPORTS has announced an exclusive broadcast deal with World Rugby covering the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for the remainder of the 2022 Series and the full 2023 Series. The agreement also includes rights to Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022.
The deal means that beIN will be the only place to watch World Rugby’s sevens action in Australia and all 24 territories of the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region until the end of the 2023 Series.
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 will take place from 9th to 11th September 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. The event is expected to attract well over 100,000 fans to one of the best live sporting events in the global calendar and is the premier stand-alone international rugby sevens competition outside of the Olympic Games.
In the run up to Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022, beIN SPORTS will broadcast a packed schedule of events kicking off with the HSBC Rugby Sevens in Singapore on 9TH & 10TH April. This will be followed by action in Vancouver, Langford, Toulouse, London and Los Angeles through to the end of August this year.
Mike Kerr, Managing Director, beIN Asia Pacific said:
“We are incredibly proud to partner with World Rugby. The Sevens has a loyal fan base in MENA and Australia, and we’re delighted to offer fans extensive coverage of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 and the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series on beIN SPORTS. This latest acquisition demonstrates beIN’s ongoing commitment to bringing compelling sports offering to our viewers.
Alan Gilpin,Chief Executive, World Rugby said:
“We are delighted to welcome beIN SPORTS to the global rugby sevens family. They join us at a very exciting time for the sport following a hugely successful second Olympic competition in Tokyo and with Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 in Cape Town set to thrill fans around the world later this year.
“Through this partnership with beIN SPORTS the fast paced, high octane nature of rugby sevens will have the opportunity to reach and inspire new fans and participants as rugby sevens continues to grow and expand around the globe.”
This weekend will kick-start the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series action in Singapore’s National Stadium (09-10 April 2022), which will be available to watch exclusively on beIN SPORTS.
We are delighted to be able to announce that Fayre have come on board as a partner for our iSportConnect Web3 Summit.
iSportConnect’s Web3 Summit will be the sport, media, entertainment & gaming industry’s global annual gathering to understand, explore and share knowledge and information in order to ensure the industry develops from understanding the impact web3 can have.
The Summit will be taking place on the 28th and 29th of June 2022 at Emirates Stadium in London.
About Fayre
Fayre is a global multi-chain marketplace and dashboard for brands and fans. They are passionate about bringing NFTs to a wider audience. They are on a mission to change the way brands and creators interact with their fans.
Part NFT marketplace, part fan activation hub. They make tools that allow creators and brands to establish and manage fan clubs, which gives NFTs unlimited function & purpose in real life, online and in virtual worlds.
Fayre recently partnered with LaLiga club RCD Espanyol to create unprecedented NFTs that bridge the digital world and real life experiences for the Espanyol fans. The NFTs will provide fans with exclusive access to certain elements in the stadium, the team and many other perks to be announced in the weeks ahead.
Sandy Case, CEO, Web3 Summit commented:
“We’ve had some fun chatting with Luis Carranza (CEO) and Silvia Mogas (CMO) and love the way they have the ability to create NFT experiences that are simple to understand from a fan perspective. A key ingredient when it comes to being part of our upcoming Web3 Summit and educating us all on the use cases and benefits. They also have a very cool logo.”
Silvia Mogas, Head of Marketing, Fayre said:
“We want to help the sports industry as we recognise the NFT space needs to be carefully explained and thought through so that rights holders can see the long term commercial benefits and create improved engagement with their fan bases.”
Tickets for iSportConnect’s Web3 Summit are currently available at the Early Bird Offer price of £549pp, follow this link to get your tickets for the event now – https://www.web3summit.sport/events/
AC Milan and Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. are pleased to announce a long-term partnership that will see KONAMI become the first Official Training Wear Partner in the Club’s history, and one of the Rossoneri’s Principal Partners from 1 July 2022.
From the beginning of next season, KONAMI’s eFootball™ logo will feature on the front of the men’s team’s official Training Kit, which will be worn by the players during their training sessions at the Milanello Sports Centre, as well as before every fixture in domestic and international competitions. It is an agreement that underlines the global appeal of AC Milan, which continues to grow both on and off the pitch. Furthermore, this partnership unites two brands that have always fuelled the passions of millions of people around the world: they are global icons of innovation, sport and entertainment that are capable of appealing to increasingly wider audiences and have consistently set new trends.
The new Training Kit will be unveiled in the coming months, as will further details on a partnership that looks to combine the physical and digital universes. During the course of this partnership, AC Milan and KONAMI will strengthen their common status as entertainment powerhouses, generating an innovative ecosystem of initiatives that will unite players and fans both on and off the pitch.
Casper Stylsvig, AC Milan’s Chief Revenue Officer, said:
“We are thrilled to welcome KONAMI back into the AC Milan family as one of our Principal Partners and our very first Training Wear Partner for the men’s team. We are very excited about the potential that this partnership offers us both as a Club and a brand to break new ground together. “
Naoki Morita, KONAMI Digital Entertainment B.V.’s European President, commented:
“KONAMI are very excited to be working with AC Milan once again. Becoming a Principal Partner of one of the biggest football clubs in Europe and also putting our brand on their training kit is an incredible opportunity. We are looking forward to working with the Club and creating an innovative partnership together.”
DAZN Group, the leading global sports entertainment company, today announces that Alice Mascia has been appointed to lead its operations in DACH. She joins DAZN on 1 May.
Mascia’s appointment comes amid significant global momentum for the business and as DAZN continues to cement itself as the ‘home of sports fans’ in DACH, following the landmark acquisition of Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League rights, along with other major football rights like Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s LaLiga.
Mascia joins a growing and revitalised global leadership team, including Bosco Aranguren in Spain and, in Italy, Franco Bernabè and Stefano Azzi.
Mascia has 20 years’ valuable experience in the media and telco industries. She has a proven record of launching new business, products, and brands. A recognised international executive, she has led on M&As, business transformation and business strategy and execution. Previously, she held senior roles at Foxtel Group and at Sky Deutschland. Mascia’s huge experience in the industry will help further accelerate DAZN Group’s ambitious growth aspirations in DACH as it becomes the leading sports entertainment platform.
Shay Segev, CEO, DAZN Group said: “This move exemplifies the importance of and our upmost commitment to the DACH market as we bring decision making closer to our fans. It is an honour to have recruited someone of Alice’s calibre and someone with such a wealth of experience to lead the market and continue to expand our platform and drive our ambitious growth plan. Her experience and knowledge of the market will drive the business forward. She joins at an exciting time as we begin to diversify into the true global destination for sports fans.”
Alice Mascia said: “Having worked in the media and consumer industry in DACH for over a decade, I can’t wait to join DAZN’s team at such an exciting time for the business and in a region so close to my heart. I am looking forward to driving DAZN’s ambitious growth strategy and continuing to deliver an incredible entertainment experience for DAZN’s members and all sport fans in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.”
DAZN first launched in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland in 2016 and currently holds football rights including the German Bundesliga, UEFA Champions League, Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga. DAZN continues to be the leading global sports entertainment company and was named Apple TV App of the Year for 2021 and has reached a record-breaking number of fans across the world with its live sport and original programming. As 2022 continues, fans can expect an even deeper, more interactive experience with DAZN as the Group moves forward with recreational betting, gaming, e-commerce, NFTs and tech advances in the viewing experience.
