Channel 4 Wins Rights To FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021

Chelsea’s bid to become FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021 Champions will be live on Channel 4 – if they make the final.

Chelsea will be aiming to join Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester United and lift the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time in their history.

Channel 4 has won the exclusive, terrestrial television rights to show the match live and is the latest in a number of outstanding sports deals* to have been secured by the broadcaster’s sports team.

The FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021 final will be live on Channel 4 from 4pm on Saturday, 12th February if Chelsea win their semi-final. Their semi-final, against opponents yet to be decided, on Wednesday, 9th February will be shown live on E4 with coverage starting at 4pm.

Channel 4’s Head of Sport Pete Andrews said: “This is one of the few major honours to have eluded Chelsea so it’d be great if they can make history live on Channel 4. We’re delighted to be bringing top-flight football live on free to air terrestrial television, let’s just hope The Blues can go all the way.”

And for anyone who misses the final, a highlights programme will be shown in the evening on Channel 4 on Saturday, 12th February.

The Jockey Club Announces Record Ticket Sales, Including Fastest-Ever General Admissions Sell-Out For Cheltenham Gold Cup Day

Record ticket sales have resulted in all general admission enclosures for Gold Cup Day at the Cheltenham Festival selling out before the end of January for the first time ever, organisers The Jockey Club announced today.

There has also been a surge in private individuals buying hospitality packages, with some remaining on sale for the most prestigious raceday in the Jump racing calendar – taking place this year on Friday 18th March.

Tickets for the other three days of The Festival are still available but also selling quickly, with the number of general admission tickets already sold for the four days up 37% compared to the same period in 2019.

There has also been unprecedented demand for tickets for Randox Grand National Day at Aintree, with only tickets for The Embankment – the area beyond the Melling Road – and hospitality packages now available for the world’s greatest steeplechase on Saturday 9th April. General admission, including grandstand badges, and hospitality packages are also still available for the first two days of the Randox Grand National Festival (April 7th and 8th).

Overall general admission ticket sales for the three days of the Randox Grand National Festival are up 19% on those sold by the end of January in 2019, the last time the event was staged with a crowd.

The sales figures are a further boost to The Jockey Club, which has also announced that general admission ticket sales at its fixtures between August 1st and December 31st in 2021 increased by 7% when compared with like-for-like figures in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

The Cheltenham Festival took place behind closed doors last year due to COVID-19 protocols put in place at the time, while only slightly relaxed measures for the 2021 Randox Grand National Festival less than a month later resulted in a restricted number of racehorse owners being allowed to attend but racegoers missing out.

With the 2020 Randox Grand National Festival being cancelled completely due to the pandemic, this April will be the first time the three day Aintree spectacular has been staged in front of a crowd since 2019.

Nevin Truesdale, Chief Executive of The Jockey Club – the largest commercial organisation in British horseracing – said the latest ticket sales figures demonstrate both the sport’s popularity and the public’s eagerness to attend live events again.

He explained: “The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Randox Grand National are two of the biggest sporting events in the calendar, so we’re delighted that they will once again take place in front of proper crowds.

“As an organisation which reinvests all its profits back into the sport under our Royal Charter commitment, this news is not only a huge boost to The Jockey Club – it’s massive for horseracing as an industry.

“We know that the past two years have been a time of real uncertainty for everyone, so it’s fantastic to see people’s eagerness to get back to our racecourses and their confidence to book tickets for our events months in advance returning.

“We do still have tickets available for the first three days of the Cheltenham Festival and for all three days of the Randox Grand National Festival, but I can’t stress enough how popular they are proving.”

Due to the pandemic all sport in the UK was suspended from March 17th 2020 but horseracing became one of the first to return behind closed doors two and a half months later, on June 1st. It was not until December 2020 and after successful pilot events had taken place that spectators were allowed back on British racecourses and even then only in limited numbers.

However, a surge in COVID-19 cases quickly resulted in racing, like all other sports, being forced to go ahead behind closed doors and only in May 2021 were racegoers allowed to attend, again in restricted numbers.

These limits were only lifted completely on July 19th last year and Truesdale added: “The British public have shown incredible patience and resilience over the past two years, especially while ever-changing restrictions have impacted our daily lives and determined what we can and can’t do.

“As restrictions have continued to ease and people look to spend their leisure time doing things they were prevented from doing during lockdown, we’ve seen a really positive increase in attendances on our racedays. This isn’t just at one or two of our bigger fixtures towards the end of 2021 but at so many of our racedays, with general admission ticket sales up 7% in the last five months of last year compared with the same period in 2019.

“As the second most attended sport in the UK we provide millions of people with fantastic, thrilling and unique days out and my own personal hope is that we can now encourage even more people to join us to see for themselves how much our sport has to offer.”

As well as the Cheltenham Festival in March and the Randox Grand National Festival in April, The Jockey Club is scheduled to stage more than 330 fixtures in 2022 at its 15 racecourses, including a three-day QIPCO Guineas Festival at Newmarket between April 29th and May 1st and the Cazoo Derby Festival on June 3rd and 4th, which is part of Her Majesty The Queen’s official Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

In December last year it was announced that prize money at The Jockey Club’s 15 racecourses is set to exceed £58 million for the first time ever in 2022, representing an increase of more than £12 million on forecast levels for 2021 and nearly £5 million more than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

For more information regarding tickets for the Cheltenham Festival visit thejockeyclub.co.uk/Cheltenham and for the Randox Grand National Festival visit thejockeyclub.co.uk/Aintree. Details regarding other fixtures at Jockey Club racecourses can be found at thejockeyclub.co.uk.

McLaren Racing Announces Extension To Long-Standing Partnership With Hilton

McLaren Racing and Hilton are today announcing a multi-year extension to their long-standing partnership, which has been in place since 2005.

The relationship enables Hilton to provide unique experiences for its Hilton Honors members, and offers the McLaren F1 team a home away from home in its hotels at race locations around the world. 

By once again committing to a multi-year extension, McLaren Racing and Hilton are also able to continue developing and innovating their joint activation programme of unique content. Most recently this included the popular “Ride to School with Lando” feature, which became one of McLaren’s top five most viewed Instagram grid videos with two million views. The film featured a boy being chauffeured into school by McLaren F1 driver, Lando Norris after his dad won the trip via his Hilton Honors membership.

Hilton branding will continue to be carried across the McLaren F1 race cars from 2022 onwards.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Hilton, a long-standing and supportive partner of the McLaren Formula 1 team. Hilton is a global brand which excels in providing the best experiences across travel and adventure for its customers. As part of the partnership, we will continue to produce collaborative campaigns that bring together our aligned approach to travel and experience for customers and fans around the world.”

Chris Silcock, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer, Hilton, said:

“Our partnership with McLaren allows us to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences to our Hilton Honors members and to create authentic and engaging content. As brands, our aims align on innovation, culture and performance, so it’s exciting to be extending our long and successful partnership. We also take pride in showing our commitment to offering the warmest Hilton welcome, by providing a home away from home for the McLaren race team when they’re travelling around the globe.”

Mediapro Acquires International Broadcasting Rights To World Padel Tour

Mediapro has acquired the international audiovisual broadcasting rights to World Padel Tour, the most prominent and high-profile padel competition in the world.

The agreement gives the audiovisual rights for World Padel Tour to Mediapro for the upcoming seasons.

World Padel Tour has chosen Mediapro to help with the roll-out of international expansion of the competition, trusting in the group’s vast experience in handling and distribution of sports rights.

With this coming together, World Padel Tour has made another step in the globalisation of a sport that is witnessing exponential growth in both interest as well as padel being played as a sport worldwide.

The 2022 season will start on February 22 in Miami with the Blockchain.com Miami Padel Open, the first of 24 Opens and Masters in the campaign. It will stretch across 13 countries; the United States, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, the Middle East, Italy, Portugal and France. This makes it the most international season in World Padel Tour history.

“We are very thankful to World Padel Tour for trusting in us to work together with them on the global expansion of the fastest-growing sport in the world,” said Oliver Seibert, Mediapro Group’s director of sporting rights, “and that they take our experience on board so the spectacle of the television broadcasts seen in the competition will reach a more global audience, with participation from the best male and female players in the world.”

World Padel Tour General Director Mario Hernando added that “it is another step forward for the Circuit for it to be associated with the leading company in commercializing television rights on a global scale. Mediapro has first-hand experience with our product and is at the fore-front regarding the different audiovisual markets in the world. I am confident we will see the fruit of this alliance very soon.”

Cazoo Named As New Title Partner Of The Open De France

  • Cazoo Open de France to be played on 2018 Ryder Cup course with €3m prize fund
  • Continental Europe’s oldest national Open to be played from Sept 22-25, 2022
  • Cazoo extends its partnership to three DP World Tour events in 2022

Cazoo, Europe’s leading online car retailer, which makes buying and selling a car as simple and seamless as ordering any other product online, has today been named as the new Title Partner of the Open de France on the DP World Tour and follows Cazoo’s launch in France at the end of last year.

The tournament will now be known as the Cazoo Open de France and the deal includes significant on-course and off-course branding to include tee boxes and markers, greenside boards, par and yardage boards as well as caddy bibs and branding. The new agreement is an extension of the current partnership between Cazoo and the DP World Tour which already includes the Cazoo Open in Wales and the Cazoo Classic in England.

The 104th edition of the Open de France will return to Le Golf National, venue of the 2018 Ryder Cup, which first played host to France’s national Open in 1991, when Argentinian Eduardo Romero overcame Sam Torrance and José María Olazábal by two strokes. Nicolas Colsaerts is the most recent winner of the tournament, after the former Ryder Cup winner claimed an emotional triumph in 2019, the Belgian’s first title in seven years.

The 2022 Cazoo Open de France will have a prize fund of €3million – double the amount played for in the last edition of the tournament in 2019. The tournament will take place on 22-25 September 2022, the same week in the golfing calendar as the 2018 Ryder Cup, where Thomas Bjørn’s Team Europe defeated the United States 17½ – 10½ in France’s first ever hosting of golf’s greatest team event.

Cazoo was founded in 2018 by British entrepreneur Alex Chesterman and is one of the fastest growing businesses in Europe, pioneering the shift to online car buying. It listed on the NYSE last year and launched in France at the end of last year. Cazoo has sold over 50,000 cars online in the UK since its launch just over two years ago, as consumers have embraced the selection, value, transparency and convenience of buying used cars fully online.

Alex Chesterman OBE, Founder & CEO of Cazoo said: “We’re delighted to be extending our partnership with the European Tour and adding Europe’s oldest national Open golf tournament to our portfolio of sports sponsorships. Following our recent launch in France, this deal gives us exposure to a great new audience and we look forward to engaging with the fans as we continue to deliver the best car buying experience across Europe.”

Guy Kinnings, Deputy CEO of the European Tour group, said: “We are delighted to have Cazoo on board as the Title Partner of one of golf’s most historic tournaments, the Open de France. Since joining the DP World Tour commercial family earlier this year, Cazoo have been a pleasure to work with and continue to show a strong commitment to growing the game of golf in new markets. Together with the Fédération Française de Golf, we look forward to working with Cazoo on an exciting new chapter for this prestigious tournament.”

Pascal Grizot, President of the French Golf Federation, said: “I am glad and proud that such an important company as Cazoo has chosen to support our national open. I wish to thank the European Tour group and their staff, who have worked tirelessly to make it happen. This partnership proves that our historical tournament remains highly attractive and will continue to serve as an astounding showcase event for French golf. I am delighted with this dynamic announcement.”

London Marathon Events Announces Enthuse As New Online Fundraising Partner

London Marathon Events (LME) today announced a new three-year partnership with Enthuse, a leading fundraising, donations and events registration technology provider.

The partnership means Enthuse will become the official online fundraising partner across LME’s full portfolio, including the TCS London Marathon, RideLondon, the Vitality Westminster Mile, Vitality London 10,000, The Big Half and Swim Serpentine. Enthuse will support each event with an official branded fundraising platform that provides the best experience for charities, event participants and donors.

The agreement follows an extensive consultation process with all the major online fundraising platforms following the closure of Virgin Money Giving, LME’s longstanding online fundraising partner, last year.

Hugh Brasher, Event Director of London Marathon Events, said: “We were looking for a new online fundraising partner that would provide the best possible service for our charities, our participants and their donors.

“Enthuse has put together an innovative fundraising platform and, with their commitment to technology, service, value and transparency, we are confident that over time Enthuse will become the market leader. 

“We are very excited about this new partnership and impressed with the Enthuse management team’s commitment to use technology to improve the experience for all users, as well as the company’s growth plans. We look forward to working with Enthuse to raise many millions more for good causes through our world-leading events.”

The partnership will start with the ballot results announcements for RideLondon and the TCS London Marathon this month. From then on, fundraising page creation will be integrated with the event registration process for all LME events. Fundraising pages will be fully branded with the logo and colours of the charity the participant has chosen to support. The creation of the fundraising page will feel a seamless part of the registration process for participants, with no need to create a separate account. 

For charities, the partnership means they will have full access to real-time fundraising and donations data, insights and analytics for their supporters participating in any LME event via a centralised account for all events. Charities will also be able to capture any custom data they require, as well as showing the availability of match giving funds to donors, as the start of a series of innovative new features coming later in the year.   

For participants, fundraising pages will provide a home for all training and fundraising activity pre-event, on the day, and post-event. Fundraisers can showcase their training efforts, as well as post updates, images and videos to their fundraising page to demonstrate their fundraising activities. They can even livestream their efforts on the day of the event to allow supporters to follow their progress. There will also be the opportunity for friendly competition with other participants through leaderboards for the amount fundraised, activity levels and finishing times.

At the TCS London Marathon, a participant’s fundraising page will also be integrated with the Official App, powered by TCS, so that supporters tracking a participant can easily donate and see the participant’s finish time automatically posted to the fundraising page.

Speaking about the announcement, Chester Mojay-Sinclare, Enthuse Founder and CEO, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that London Marathon Events has entrusted us to take the baton from Virgin Money Giving as its official online fundraising partner. It’s a real honour to be powering some of the largest and most prestigious fundraising events in the world and we can’t wait to get to work with the brilliant London Marathon Events team.

 “At Enthuse, our approach is different to other fundraising platforms. We believe in putting the charity’s branding first and creating innovative solutions that help them to maximise their fundraising and that’s exactly what we’ll deliver. We’re excited to be supporting even more great causes to raise as much as possible through this partnership. We will continue to invest in our product to provide charities with innovative fundraising solutions that are transformative for the sector, but simple to use.”

All LME partner charities with places in any LME events will be featured on the official fundraising platform for RideLondon ballot results announcements later this month. This will be expanded to include all charities registered with Enthuse in time for the TCS London Marathon ballot results. 

Any additional charities wanting to be included for free on the platform for the TCS London Marathon ballot results announcements should visit enthuse.com/london-marathon-events/ to register.

Participants will still be able to choose to use the fundraising page provided with the official fundraising platform or create one on a platform of their own choice. 

DAZN Group Appoints Aviv Giladi As President, Broadcast Partnerships

DAZN Group, the leading global sports entertainment company, has announced today that Aviv Giladi has been appointed as President of Broadcast Partnerships, to oversee all joint venture partnerships.

Aviv will oversee DAZN Group’s strategy to drive commercialization of the business, including WTA Media, FIBA Media, and the European Handball Federation (EHF). As part of this growth strategy, he will look to expand existing joint ventures and audiences worldwide and identify new global partnership opportunities.

Aviv joins having served as Chairman and CEO of global film production companies AI Film Ltd. and British Icon Group. With AI Film, he executive produced a number of acclaimed titles, including the Oscar-nominated film “I, Tonya.”  Previously, he established R.G.E Group Ltd, which controlled major broadcast media companies in Israel, including Channel 10 and Channel 10 News Corporation, The Sport Channel and Noga Communications. With this background, Aviv brings to DAZN a wealth of global entertainment experience.

DAZN’s Global Rights Partnerships team works with leading rights holders to help commercialize their brand, expand their audience, and grow the popularity of their sport through enhanced broadcast strategies. The team works in partnership to drive media rights sales, production, and digital marketing to improve the capabilities and broadcast quality of sport around the world and create new commercial opportunities.  For example, in 2014, DAZN formed WTA Media, a 10-year media strategy rights partnership with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) which was the largest live media rights and production venture in the history of women’s sport.

Shay Segev, CEO of DAZN Group, said: “Aviv joins us at a time of great global growth at DAZN, as we broaden and strengthen our strategic partnerships, and transition our platform into a more expansive sports destination,  benefitting our stakeholders, fans, leagues and the athletes themselves. Our goal is to make sports broadcasting more fun, interactive, social and accessible to everyone on any device, and our partnerships with rights holders, athletes and leagues are key to this. Aviv is a great addition to our leadership and will be fundamental in driving this strategy.“

Aviv Giladi added: “DAZN Group has a brilliant portfolio of strategic partnerships and I look forward to further enhancing the commercial opportunities and helping grow new audiences for sports around the world. DAZN is gaining huge global momentum and I look forward to overseeing and identifying new partnerships and supporting our existing joint venture partners.”

Former DFL MD Christian Seifert Creates Joint Venture With Axel Springer

Launch of joint venture between Christian Seifert and Axel Springer planned for fall 2023

Long-standing managing director of the German Soccer League (DFL), Christian Seifert, is working with Axel Springer on the joint development of a streaming platform tailored to the German market for sports league competitions and outstanding sports events. The launch has been set for fall 2023.

The goal of the joint venture is to attract millions of German fans who are interested in sports and leagues other than soccer, and to offer them a new media platform that caters to their enthusiasm. To achieve this, the audiovisual rights of attractive sports leagues and sports events are to be bundled within one media offering. By working to high-quality production standards and with intense marketing support, the new streaming portal aims to increase the awareness and interest in sports such as handball, basketball and ice-hockey. The offering is targeted directly at the end customers but shall also be available via other platforms already on the market.

Founder of the start-up is Christian Seifert, and Axel Springer has a majority holding in the new company. Seifert also maintains a significant holding and will act as managing partner. The top management team will also have a CEO and COO. The brand name of the planned OTT services is to be announced later in the year.

Christian Seifert, founder and managing partner of the new company, says, “Germany is a nation of sports fans, millions of whom are enthusiastic about types of sports beyond soccer. We want to offer this large sports community a new home, as it were, in our new streaming portal. To this end, we will be offering attractive cooperation opportunities to numerous sports leagues and associations. Axel Springer has always had a keen interest in the German sporting world and, thanks to its experience in the implementation of complex digital projects as well as its great strength in the marketing and distribution of digital offerings, is the ideal partner for this ambitious undertaking.”

Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer SE says, “Sport belongs to Axel Springer, and is an area we have committed to invest in more and achieve more growth in. We are now bringing together the strengths of Axel Springer as a media and tech company with the outstanding experience and proven capabilities of Christian Seifert. Our joint media enterprise offers our future partners a unique platform.”

Apex Group Extends Partnership With Cricket West Indies To Become Title Partner Of Upcoming Test Series Vs England

Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Apex Group today announced an extended partnership which will see Apex Group (Apex) become the title sponsor of the three-match Apex Test Series between West Indies and England in March 2022.

Apex Group, a global provider of financial, sustainability and environmental services, will feature prominently on the global television broadcast, as well as prime pitch and wicket branding placements, and the Apex logo will also appear on the breast of the West Indies Test kit for the duration of the Apex Test Series. Apex will be granted access to the West Indies team for marketing activation and content and will deliver several sustainability initiatives involving the participation of West Indies players.

CWI’s and Apex Sustainability Partnership commenced in October 2021, ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with the Apex brand appearing on the West Indies’ ICC T20 World Cup shirt. Apex is providing sustainability and environmental advisory services over a three-year period as CWI’s Exclusive Sustainability Partner. By providing CWI with annual carbon footprint assessments, Apex will help lead the way in driving sustainability in cricket across the region by supporting CWI in creating an action plan to reduce and offset climate altering outputs, including international travel.

The Apex Test Series will be played for the newly-minted Richards-Botham Trophy, named in honor of legends Sir Vivian Richards and Lord Ian Botham. The Apex Test Series opens appropriately at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua from March 8-12, followed by the second Apex Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados from March 16-20. The third and final contest will be at the idyllic Grenada National Stadium from March 24-28. All three Apex Test matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship with both West Indies and England vying for points to challenge for qualification for the World Test Championship final in 2023.

Johnny Grave, CWI’s CEO said:

“We’re delighted to build on our growing relationship with Apex for the upcoming Apex Test Series, which continues to be the most anticipated and highest profile international sports event in the Caribbean. With the West Indies versus England Test rivalry dating back nearly one hundred years, this deeper partnership with Apex enables CWI to make cricket more sustainable as we move towards a second century of West Indies cricket and build the next generation of cricketers across the Caribbean.”

Peter Hughes, Founder and CEO of Apex Group said:

“Following a challenging two years for sport, we are pleased to be a part of the return of International Test Cricket hosted in the West Indies. This is an important partnership for us, as we look forward to further leveraging the combined global platform Apex Group and the West Indies represent, to raise awareness for driving greater environmental sustainability in the sport; for fans, players and future generations.”

MATCH SCHEDULE

Apex Test Series, West Indies v England (10am local time/9am Jamaica Time)

  • March 8-12: 1st Apex Test at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
  • March 16-20: 2nd Apex Test at Kensington Oval, Barbados
  • March 24-28: 3rd Apex Test at Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

LeBron James And The LeBron James Family Foundation Announce Multi-Year Partnership With Crypto.com

Crypto.com, the world’s fastest growing cryptocurrency platform, is partnering with LeBron James and the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) to support educational and workforce development opportunities focused on Web3. Building on a strong basis of educational empowerment, the partnership will give students and families connected to the I PROMISE program access to the tools and educational resources needed to participate and succeed in building Web3, the future of the internet.

Web3 promises to deliver a more fair and equitable internet, owned by the builders, creators and users. That promise can only be realized through the active engagement of diverse participants. Through this partnership, I PROMISE students and families will get a strong foundation in Web3 and the innovations behind blockchain-based decentralized applications powering the future of many sectors from finance to media to art. In bringing Web 3 educational resources and workforce development through his Foundation, James continues to build his community from the ground up and create a model for supporting the underserved. 

“Blockchain technology is revolutionizing our economy, sports and entertainment, the art world, and how we engage with one another. I want to ensure that communities like the one I come from are not left behind,” said James. “Crypto.com and I are aligned on the need to educate and support my community with the information and tools they need for inclusion. I’m looking forward to working with them to bring these opportunities to my community.”

“LeBron James and his foundation have been pioneers in truly transforming the lives of those in his community through education and our partnership is based on a true alignment of values,” said Kris Marszalek, Co-Founder and CEO of Crypto.com. “We couldn’t be more proud to join LJFF in providing opportunities to increase educational and workforce development while delivering the tools and access that will empower the next generation to build a better and more inclusive future.”

Opening doors and creating opportunities across various sectors is central to the work the LJFF does with the students and families served through the I PROMISE program. From hands-on experiences at major companies to behind-the-scenes tours in different industries, James strives to expose students to job opportunities and career paths they may have never known existed. As part of the Foundation’s commitment to workforce development, they are currently building out plans for House Three Thirty – an innovative, multi-use space for I PROMISE families and the entire community to gather and engage in immediately impactful programming. House Three Thirty will convene critical community resources under one roof including family financial health programming that is easily accessible and tailored to help families take control of their financial futures as well as job training opportunities in various sectors. Through partnerships like this with Crypto.com, James is able to expand the scope of what is offered at House Three Thirty, giving his students and their families knowledge and understanding of different sectors as they explore their passions and think beyond their horizons to consider what is possible for their future.

Crypto.com is committed to building the future of the internet where the power of cryptocurrency is fair and equitable and the potential rewards of the technology are owned by builders, creators and users alike. Through partnerships with the LJFF, Water.org and Angel City Football Club, among others, Crypto.com is joining forces with like-minded businesses, nonprofit organizations, individuals and institutions equally committed to helping people achieve financial independence and self-determination.