NFL’s surprise package, Seattle Seahawks have announced today a partnership with SportStream, a leading social second-screen experience for sports fans that will deliver a customized Seahawks social feed during all games.

On Seahawks game days, the second-screen experience can be found at Seahawks.com and at shwks.com/sportstream. Seahawks fans will be able to utilize the feed during the Seahawks versus Falcons game on Sunday, January 13. Kickoff is set for 10 a.m. PT. 

“Our partnership with SportStream provides Seahawks fans one location to view all team related news and information from respected sources,” said Seahawks president Peter McLoughlin. 

The Seahawks’ custom social stream, powered by SportStream, will deliver the most relevant Facebook, Twitter and news content as it relates to the team and players. Seahawks fans will receive a comprehensive view of the game that allows them to share their thoughts with other fans. Additional specialized content includes full game stats, play-by-plays and a live game tracker. Fans can access the live feed not just during games, but all week to remain the most informed fans in the NFL. 

“Partnering with the Seahawks to help their fans find the best content and enjoy live games in a new way is the evolution of the entire sports-watching experience,” said Bob Morgan, CEO and founder of SportStream. “The Seahawks are at the forefront of fan engagement. From the stadium design to their prominent social media presence to the second-screen platform we are providing, it’s a great time to be a fan.”

Now the NHL season will finally get going, Florida Panthers have announced Incapital, a leading underwriter and distributor of fixed income will become an official sponsor of the team.

“This sponsorship will serve as an opportunity to support the Florida Panthers and allow us to create greater awareness for several important charities throughout South Florida,” said John Radtke , CEO of Incapital. “Incapital has always made it a priority to collaborate with organizations outside of the financial arena, such as the Panthers. Through this partnership, we can engage with charitable organizations such as the Forgotten Soldiers and help spread awareness of their efforts in the local community.”

The distribution of leading financial products is the foundation of Incapital’s business model; as such, Incapital will recognize the Panther’s player who ‘distributes’ the best assist each game. Incapital is also known for creating a pipeline of financial products that stretches from Wall Street to Main Street. The ‘Incapital Pipeline Player of the Night’ will honor an up and coming future star from the Panthers farm system.

The sponsorship also includes in-game signage over the course of the Panther’s season.

“Our support for the Florida Panthers and Forgotten Soldiers further strengthens our ties to the South Florida region that many of Incapital’s employees call home,” said Chris Clews , Executive Director of Marketing at Incapital. “Additionally, it gives us the opportunity to build upon our brand awareness campaign both locally and nationally with a well-established sports franchise.”

This sponsorship follows several other sports marketing agreements with Incapital, including the Herbalife World Football Challenge this past summer, the 2012 BIG East men’s basketball tournament, the Chicago Cubs and the sponsorship of several UFC athletes.

Chain Reaction Cycles have announce they will be the title sponsor of the An Post-Chain Reaction Cycles-Sean Kelly team in 2013.

The Irish sponsored Belgian registered team is a UCI Continental outfit and races all over the world.

CRC’s primary aim in getting on board is to promote Vitus Bikes – a brand which they revived three years ago. It’s an obvious partnership as team co-sponsor Sean Kelly made Vitus famous in the 1980s and is now involved in their promotion.

Chain Reaction aren’t new to the world of pro sponsorship as they’ve sponsored the CRC/Nukeproof downhill team for the past five years. “We began our professional downhill programme back in 2008, and ever since then we’ve had ambitions to continue our mountain bike success on the road,” marketing manager Damien Duggan told BikeRadar. “Sean Kelly joined Vitus as brand ambassador shortly after we took on the brand, and with his input we’ve created a very popular range of entry-level and race ready bikes.”

The riders will race on the Vitus Vitesse road frame, as used in the Sean Kelly LTD Edition, and Chrono time trial machine with components supplied by FSA, Vision, Continental and Prologo. More details of the bikes will be available after the team launch in February.

FourQuest Energy, an international oilfield services company, announced today that they’re the gold sponsor of Team Gushue, one of the top teams in Canadian curling and 2014 Canadian Olympic team hopefuls.

“We are extremely proud to support Team Gushue and the Canadian sporting tradition of curling,” said Executive Vice-President Karl Gannon. “With an operational base in Newfoundland, we’re excited to be a part of such a great community and to work with such an accomplished team.”

“We are very excited to have FourQuest Energy join our team,” said Skip Brad Gushue. “Their support will allow us to properly prepare for the run towards the 2014 Olympics and a Brier title. We look forward to a lot of success together.”

Team Gushue will compete next in the Canadian Open in Port Hawksbury, Nova Scotia from January 23 – 27.

English Premier League champions, Manchester City have announced Fabulous Fan Fare as the new catering partner at the Etihad Stadium.

The newly-formed company is a joint venture between Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts and Legends Hospitality and will be partnered with the Club for next five years. 

The agreement, beginning in August 2013, will cover all hospitality and catering services including all public concessions, hospitality areas and the City Square fan zone as well as non-match event catering.

“It is our ambition to create a world class customer experience for everybody who visits the Etihad Stadium. We are looking forward to working with these two leading brands as we continue to develop our stadium to achieve this aim,” said Tom Glick, Chief Commercial and Operating Officer for MCFC.

Nigel Harris, MD of Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts continued: “Fabulous Feasts has proven over the last couple of years that we can deliver world class food on a grand scale.”

“Our passion for providing tasty food to the public is second to none and so we’re enormously excited to be working with Manchester City and Legends to offer what we believe will be the best stadium catering in the Premier League.

“We’ve been in discussions with the club for many months and we now have a dedicated team in place to ensure that the hospitality at the Etihad Stadium is truly something special.”

“This is obviously an exciting and important partnership for us,” saidDave Checketts, Chairman and CEO, Legends.

“We have long sought out to expand our footprint internationally and think Manchester City and Etihad Stadium are the perfect start and fit quite well with our stable of iconic venues.

“Our experience providing exceptional food and beverage to millions of fans and passion for delivering premium customer service at these venues combined with Jamie Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts’ credibility, brand recognition and market knowledge provides an offering that we feel Manchester City supporters will truly enjoy.”

Sports nutrition brand Ultimate Sports Nutrition (USN) have announced a new three-year sponsorship agreement with Welsh Cycling.

Commercial sports marketing agency 100AND10% facilitated the deal.

The six figure agreement is the largest commercial deal in Welsh Cycling’s history and will see USN secure naming rights to the Welsh Cycling managed UCI Track Cycling World Cup team, anabolics as well as becoming official supplier of nutritional products to the national governing body. As official nutrition partner of Welsh Cycling, USN will also be providing nutritional supplements, support and expert advice for Welsh Cycling riders at all levels.  

100AND10% began working with Welsh Cycling mid-2012, when the company was chosen to design a suite of rights to help attract external investment; the USN deal is the first in a series of announcements set to be made as 100AND10% supports Welsh Cycling to attract new sponsors.

The new partnership with USN was debuted at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in November, which hosted the British leg of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup series. Team USN riders have had a fantastic start to their inaugural season on the World Cup circuit, already picking up a series of medals, as well as success from Jon Mould and George Atkins who won the National Madison Championships in Manchester earlier this month.

Matt Cosgrove, performance director for Welsh Cycling, said: “We engaged 100AND10% early in 2012 to design and implement a new sponsorship strategy for Welsh Cycling. This is a new era for us as a National Governing Body; we chose 100AND10% after a competitive tender process and we have been delighted with the results achieved to date which have without doubt exceeded our original expectations.

“The audit that created the rights packages and sales strategy has proved to be very effective and with our new headline sponsor in USN alongside a number of new partnerships at various stages of negotiation, we are creating a very bright future for Welsh Cycling and a positive long term partnership with 100AND10%.”

Jonathan Wilson, managing director for 100AND10%, said: “Working closely with the team at Welsh Cycling, we have developed a sponsorship strategy that not only meets their commercial requirements but has already proven to be an attractive and exciting opportunity for prospective sponsors.

“With a number of ongoing discussions taking place and new prospects in the pipeline, we are starting 2013 in a fantastic position and look forward to furthering our partnership with Welsh Cycling and delivering long term value for all parties.”

Focused on delivering a fresh approach to creative, commercial and marketing challenges faced by its clients, 100AND10% offers a range of expertise including the design and delivery of marketing strategies, creative, PR and communications, event management and sponsorship sales.

Its clients include The FA & St. George’s Park, Tickets.com, CYBEX International, Powerleague, Rugby Expo and the Professional Players’ Federation.

T-Mobile USA, stuff Inc. has announced a major new partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB) becoming the Official Wireless Sponsor of MLB.

As part of the multi-year, pharm multimillion-dollar partnership, site T-Mobile will work with MLB and its industry-leading digital media and technology company, MLB Advanced Media L.P. (MLBAM), to enhance America’s national pastime on and off the field with game-changing wireless capabilities. This marks the first time in more than a decade that MLB has partnered with a major wireless provider.

Under the agreement, T-Mobile will provide MLB with a new On-Field Communication System, powered by T-Mobile’s powerful nationwide 4G network technology. The first use of this technology will be in a wireless voice system connecting managers in select Major League dugouts to coaches in bullpens. This dugout-to-bullpen system will start to roll out in 2013 and the new On-Field Communication System solution will offer greater mobility as well as options for future innovation within the game.

“We look forward to working with Major League Baseball and are excited they have chosen T-Mobile’s technology to power a new, in-game communication system at ballparks across the country,” said Mike Sievert, chief marketing officer, T-Mobile USA. “Unlike a typical sponsorship, we’re approaching this partnership as a collaboration in which T-Mobile, MLB and MLBAM will work together to evolve the game with exciting new technology innovation, enhancing the experience for customers and fans.”

“T-Mobile has made a significant commitment to Major League Baseball across our game and business, and its innovative drive and expertise in wireless technology will be an outstanding addition to the baseball industry,” said Tim Brosnan, MLB executive vice president, business. “T-Mobile has been an impact player in the wireless industry, and we look forward to its innovative spirit positively influencing the game and the way fans enjoy it.”

In collaboration with MLBAM, T-Mobile also will tap the power of its nationwide 4G network, currently available in 229 metro areas, reaching more than 220 million people, to further enhance and broaden network coverage and connectivity for fans in MLB ballparks. This past season, MLB recorded its fifth-best attendance year in its long and storied history by attracting more than 74.8 million fans to regular-season games.

In addition, MLBAM, which develops, deploys and distributes the top-ranked sports mobile application of all-time — MLB.com At Bat — will work with T-Mobile to enrich the digital experience on T-Mobile’s smartphones and tablets; create custom, compelling content exclusively for its customers; and develop promotional opportunities and unique offers for MLB.com content.

“Baseball is America’s No. 1 digitally consumed sport, and today’s baseball fan is technologically savvy and data hungry, which makes this partnership a great opportunity for not only baseball enthusiasts, but also millions of T-Mobile customers,” Sievert said.

“The underpinning of a partnership with a key provider such as T-Mobile mirrors baseball’s long-held belief in leveraging and implementing wireless technology to deliver first-rate products and services to the industry and our fans,” said Bob Bowman, president and CEO, MLBAM. “T-Mobile will play an important role as we continue that focus on bringing top-notch content, connectivity and customizable experiences to consumers wherever they are.”

The T-Mobile investment in baseball is a comprehensive, multifaceted marketing approach that will include partnerships with national broadcast partners FOX, Turner, MLB Network, and ESPN. T-Mobile will be the presenting sponsor of ESPN’s Wednesday Night Baseball, including on-air, digital and mobile sponsorship initiatives, in addition to features on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight.

T-Mobile and MLB also will develop marquee media opportunities and marketing extensions at events throughout the year, as well as local sponsorships with select MLB Clubs. Currently, T-Mobile is a sponsor of the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Seattle Mariners.

Swiss DIY chain JUMBO is a new Official Co-Sponsor of the Tour de Suisse.

Tour de Suisse organiser and marketing agency, cough IMG (Schweiz) AG, and the specialist retailer have agreed to work together to promote the event.

A fully owned company of Geneva-based MAUS FRÈRES HOLDING SA, Jumbo operates 41 independent DIY stores run as stand-alone businesses in Switzerland and aims to become a regional market leader across the whole country.

Sponsoring the Tour de Suisse, which passes through all the country’s language regions and is very much embedded in regional activities, brings JUMBO one step closer to this aim.

Official Co-Sponsor is a third-level sponsorship package and covers advertising along the route and at the start and finish lines with a wide range of promotional opportunities and a hospitality allocation.

The ATP and Rolex, shop the luxury Swiss watch brand, have agreed a new multi-year partnership which will see Rolex become the Official Timekeeper of the ATP World Tour starting from 1 January 2013. 

The agreement has also led to an extension of the existing Rolex sponsorship of the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London. 

Brad Drewett, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Rolex, such a prestigious brand with an exceptional sporting heritage. This new partnership underlines the global appeal of our game to both fans and sponsors alike – it’s a very exciting time to be involved in men’s professional tennis.” 

Rolex has an association with tennis dating back to 1978, when the brand became the Official Timekeeper of The Wimbledon Championships. They now sponsor several tournaments around the world and a number of leading players, including Roger Federer.

South Korean automobile manufacturer, bronchi Kia has extended its sponsorship of the Australian Open through 2018, lifting the South Korean automaker’s backing of the tennis Grand Slam tournament to an unprecedented 17 straight years.

Kia, which replaced Ford Motor Co. as the main sponsor of the season-opening major in Melbourne in 2002, committed to a “multi-million dollar” extension and the sponsorship rights of the renewed agreement will remain largely the same, Tennis Australia said today in a statement.

“To our knowledge, Kia will now be the longest and biggest Asian-based sponsor of sport in Australian history,” Steve Wood, the governing body’s chief executive officer, told reporters at Melbourne Park.

As part of its sponsorship, Kia supplies the two-week tournament with a fleet of more than 100 vehicles that transport tennis players, officials and VIPs around Melbourne.