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Thrill One And A SHOC Announce Largest Partnership In Action Sports History

Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, the world’s largest independent action sports entertainment company, and A SHOC, a modern-day energy drink backed by Keurig Dr Pepper, today announced the largest partnership in action sports history. The eight-figure, multi-year agreement encompasses Thrill One’s family of best-in-class brands, including Nitro Circus, Street League Skateboarding and Nitro Rallycross. As Official Energy Drink Partner, A SHOC will be featured across Thrill One’s asset portfolio, including premier competitions and live events worldwide, as well as its robust slate of linear, digital and social content. The partnership is highlighted by signature elements such as the presenting sponsorship of Nitro Circus’ 2022 North American tour, Nitro RX’s #GoNitro star car and bespoke content such as the SLS Games digital series.

A SHOC‘s performance-boosting energy beverages, inspired by the active California lifestyle, are a healthier way to energize with thoughtfully sourced ingredients. It is backed by beverage industry maven Lance Collins and Keurig Dr Pepper, as well as a recent round of celebrity and athlete investors. A SHOC meets the progression of action sports athletes’ commitment to training and competition with products that elevate their performance and focus in a more natural way.

A SHOC‘s growing roster of top-tier ambassadors further reflects this commitment to peak performance, and includes SLS champion and street culture icon Paul “P-Rod” Rodriguez and NASCAR Cup Series winner Chase Elliott, who raced in Nitro RX’s elite Supercar class last year as a special guest driver. More partnerships with leading action sports athletes will be announced soon to continue raising awareness on the importance of functional training and inspiring more people to live healthy, active lifestyles.

Joe Carr, CEO of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, said, “We’re very excited to announce this transformative, multi-year agreement. Both Thrill One and A SHOC are driven by a passion for progression and challenging the status quo. As athletes continue to push the envelope, they increasingly look for new ways to maximize their performance in a healthy manner. A SHOC shares our vision for the advancement of action sports from the grassroots to the professional ranks, and has committed to investing in our athletes, events and content through this landmark partnership.”

Scot De Lorme, president and co-founder of A SHOC, said, “Our partnership with Thrill One is a direct indicator of A SHOC’s authentic commitment to the progression of today’s action sports athletes. A SHOC is a more natural energy drink with zero sugar and functional ingredients that athletes feel good about putting in their body not to mention help them perform at their peak. Thrill One provides us access to the largest audience in action sports. I couldn’t imagine a more ideal partner as we both capture this exciting evolution of sports and energy. We hope to inspire a new generation of energy consumers to live active healthy lifestyles.”

Rodriguez said, “I’m so pumped to see Thrill One and A SHOC team up. Both look for innovative ways to put athletes in the best position to succeed and reach their goals. Joining forces to elevate the fan and athlete experience will take action sports to the next level.”

Since its 2020 founding, Thrill One Sports & Entertainment has become the category leader in action sports with the largest social audience in the space – more than 40 million aggregate followers, the majority being digitally native, Gen Z and Millennial fans. As part of the partnership, Thrill One will collaborate with A SHOC to create original content for both its own channels and its linear television partners.

A SHOC will also be integrated into Thrill One’s extensive 2022 calendar of more than 80 worldwide events. Nitro Circus kicks off its global touring cycle in March with a month-long Australian run then will launch a North American trek starting in the spring. SLS, skateboarding’s premier global league featuring 50 of the world’s best skaters and more than 20 Tokyo Olympians, will return for its 12^th Championship Tour. Nitro RX builds on the success of its inaugural 2021 U.S. series with the addition of multiple international stops to create a 10-race global circuit this season.

CS.MONEY And BLAST Premier Extend Partnership For Fourth Year

ding esports tournament organiser BLAST Premier and skin trading platform CS.MONEY, part of the EX CORP. holding, have announced an extension of their partnership – taking the deal into a fourth year.

The partnership will be centred around engaging esports and Counter-Strike fans on the wide spectrum of skins available to trade and purchase online.

The deal is the first in a number of commercial deals that BLAST will be renewing for 2022, as the company continues to increase the value of its global partnership portfolio in line with its renewed commercial development and future growth plans.

The partnership will see BLAST and CS.MONEY collaborate on a series of premium, player-led content pieces throughout the year along with owning the broadcast segment ‘Play of the Day’. CS.MONEY will have access to a number of physical and digital branding assets across BLAST Premier’s seven events in 2022, which typically reaches a global audience of over 150 territories in 18 different languages.

Over the last few years the partnership has become famous for its much-loved CS:GO skin content that features the world’s best players taking part in a number of challenges and games that highlight their knowledge and love for skins.

Oliver Clarke, Head of Brand Partnerships for BLAST, said: “Extending the sponsorship into a fourth year is testament to the belief and satisfaction CS.MONEY have shown in this partnership, that we’ve built up from 2019. The result of this hard work is shown by their skin trading platform becoming synonymous with our Counter-Strike tournament and we hope to build on this further in 2022. Four years is a long time in esports and we’re really proud of the content and activations we’ve delivered during this period.”

Artsiom Rabtsau, Chief Marketing Officer at CS.Money, said: “Skins have been for a long time a natural part of the Counter-Strike ecosystem along with esports. This is why it is so important for us to support the CS:GO community by allowing them to trade skins safely and comfortably and by supporting events like BLAST Premier as well. We want Counter-Strike fans to have more emotions not only from having a new skin in their favourite game but from watching spectacular games. And I am sure that our partnership with BLAST will play a major role in that.”

Since their launch in 2013, tradable skins have become a central part of Counter-Strike and form a popular element of the game, giving players an opportunity to own and play with a unique design for their in-game weapons when competing.

BLAST Premier is the world’s leading Counter-Strike tournament series, hosting the best players and teams, offering opportunities to regions across the globe and crowning the world champions of CS:GO. Up to 32 of the world’s best teams take part in the seven BLAST Premier events across the year with a combined prize pool of $2,475,000 on the line.

slice Signs Up As The Principal Sponsor For IPL’s Mumbai Indians

slice, India’s leading credit card challenger, today announced a three-year partnership with Mumbai Indians, the most successful & followed team in the Indian Premier League. As part of the deal, slice’s logo will appear on the front of all Mumbai Indians’ official jerseys. Making its debut in sports sponsorship with this partnership, slice will have the opportunity to connect with millions of passionate cricket fans across the globe.

Rajan Bajaj, Founder-CEO, slice said, “There is definitely zero correlation between a financial product and a cricket team. However, there are a lot of similarities between two teams who are relentlessly seeking for championship. Being the most successful teams in the IPL with 5 titles to its name, Mumbai Indians inspires not only millions of its fans, but also entrepreneurs like me with the team’s passion, focus, and persistent spirit. It’s the shared hunger for winning and excellence that bring us together. With cricket being at the heart of Indian culture, we will together bring more excitement to this vibrant culture as well as take it to all the cricket lovers around the world.”

Mumbai Indians Spokesperson said, “We wanted to partner with a brand with whom we shared common values. Innovation, technology and a fan-centric approach are core values for Mumbai Indians as well as slice. We both share the vision of offering our fans a world-class experience with the drive and enthusiasm to be the best.”

“This deal is testament to how a millennial brand like slice trusts us as their preferred partner to connect with their young customers. It is truly about making a difference in the way cricket and financial products are perceived by our millennial and Gen Z fanbase.”

The deal with a young and exuberant brand like slice re-iterates the massive appeal that Mumbai Indians commands amongst the millennials. Over the years, the five-time IPL Champion has built a strong global fan base as the most successful & followed T20 franchise globally and its playing kit is one of the most powerful marketing real estate in the country. Time and again, brands have chosen MI to launch and tell their stories to the world.

Leeds Rhinos Announce Major New Partnership With Bartercard

Leeds Rhinos have announced a major new partnership with Bartercard that will see the brand appear across both the Rhinos men’s and women’s teams and the principal partner for the Leeds Rhinos Netball franchise for the new Vitality Superleague season.

The Bartercard brand will appear on the back of the mens and womens playing shirts and will be seen for the first time when the Rhinos kick off the new Betfred Super League live on Channel 4 on Saturday 12th February, the first ever Super League game to be broadcast on free-to-air television.

The One Team – Team Rhinos approach is a new initiative from the Rhinos commercial department for 2022 with partners able to support not just the mens Super League squad but also get involved in the success womens and wheelchair Rugby League sides as well as the Vitality Superleague netball squad and the innovative LDRL and PDRL initiatives.

Leeds Rhinos Commercial Director Rob Oates, “We are delighted to welcome Bartercard as a partner for the Rhinos across our mens and womens teams as well as the Rhinos netball side. Bartercard have a proven track record of success and I am sure this will be a tremendously beneficial partnership for all concerned. We are proud to be able to offer opportunities across mens, womens and disability sport for our partners and this is the first of a number of initiatives that we will be revealing in the coming weeks. I would like to thank Ben Turnbull, our Business Development Manager, for all his hard work to ensure this deal has come to fruition.”

Chris Kirby, Managing Director at Bartercard UK, added, “With great pride and honour, we are proud to sponsor all three sports teams of Leeds Rhinos men and women’s rugby team and Leeds Rhinos Netball team, and this is a huge step forward for our brand. The club’s vision, especially Rob and Ben, was prominent when initial discussions occurred.

“We are looking forward to getting involved in the action this coming season, working alongside the players, fans and a brand new innovative Leeds Rhinos business club exchange.

“We have invested our closed-loop digital currency as well as traditional monies into the club, which allows the Rhinos to purchase products and services from Bartercard Merchants without using cash; this helps free up the club’s cash flow; for other projects.

“We are keen to speak with businesses in the local area who could do with some extra business to fill up their downtime or who may be interested in running a Bartercard Franchise.

“A big thank you to one of our Bartercard members Martin James at Sports 360, for brokering the deal.”

PGA TOUR Announces Spaces As Part Of 2022 Twitter Extension, American Express Extends Tournament Sponsorship

The PGA TOUR and Twitter announced a renewal of their content agreement that supports the TOUR’s creation of exclusive content for Twitter’s new live audio feature, Spaces. As part of the agreement, the PGA TOUR will continue to publish real-time highlights each day of every official PGA TOUR tournament. Additionally, the PGA TOUR will make branded and player-specific highlights and weekly Twitter Moments recapping tournament play available for sponsorship with Twitter Amplify.

The PGA TOUR plans to create Spaces throughout the season in 2022 with exclusive coverage featuring current players and industry experts that will discuss all the action on the PGA TOUR and the race for the FedExCup.

“The PGA TOUR and Twitter have been committed to creating innovative ways for fans to interact with our sport,” said Chris Wandell, Vice President Media Business Development, PGA TOUR. “Spaces is a great platform for the TOUR to deliver exclusive content to its fans in what promises to be an exciting year in golf.”

TOUR Spaces will debut at The Honda Classic at PGA National Resort & Spa, February 21-27. The coverage will be available globally on Twitter and can be found via @PGATOUR.

“We’re so happy to see our partnership with PGA TOUR expanding to bring even more of golf’s best moments and hottest topics to the Twitter timeline,” said TJ Adeshola, Head of US Sports Partnerships at Twitter. “The golf community on Twitter has seen tremendous growth over the course of our partnership and this year, weekly Spaces will bring them closer than ever to the tournaments and experts.”

The PGA TOUR has participated in the Twitter Amplify program since 2015 enabling advertisers to sponsor @PGATOUR video content. The PGA TOUR and Twitter initially teamed up to live stream tournament coverage during the opening rounds of the first two events of the 2016 FedExCup Playoffs. The two companies formalized their live stream relationship in January 2017 when they agreed to stream PGA TOUR LIVE coverage from select events during the 2016-2017 PGA TOUR Season. In 2020, Twitter and the TOUR teamed up on “Twitter Multicast,” a global live content execution that was a first-of-its kind for the social media platform.

American Express Extends Sponsorship of The American Express through 2028

The PGA TOUR today announced American Express will continue its role as title sponsor of The American Express in La Quinta, California, through 2028. The annual tournament, which features a unique pro-am format, takes place January 20-23 at PGA WEST Stadium, PGA WEST Nicklaus and La Quinta Country Club.

“Giving back to the community while celebrating the passions of our customers is at the center of what we do at American Express,” said Stephen J. Squeri, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express. “We’ve seen the positive impact this tournament has on golf fans and the local community in the Coachella Valley. We’re honored to continue this legacy by extending our role as title sponsor and growing the total charitable funds raised to support so many outstanding local organizations focused on helping small businesses, the health and wellness of the community, youth sports, education and more.”

Since its introduction in 1960, the tournament has generated approximately $63 million for numerous non-profit organizations in the Coachella Valley that enrich the lives of Valley residents. In just two short years, The American Express has since donated $2.1 million to Coachella Valley-based charity organizations and looks forward to continuing to make a significant impact within the local community for years to come.

“Extending our partnership with American Express secures the future of PGA TOUR golf and its impact in the Coachella Valley for years to come,” said Jay Monahan, PGA TOUR Commissioner. “In the past two years alone, American Express has helped produce tremendous growth and awareness for this historic event, offering up a great field and a first-rate tournament experience. All this while generating significant charitable impact in the region.”

World No. 1 ranked player Jon Rahm, FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay and Phil Mickelson, a 45-time PGA TOUR winner and World Golf Hall of Fame member headline The American Express field. Si Woo Kim of South Korea, winner of The American Express last year by one stroke over eventual FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay, returns in 2022 to defend his title. All four rounds throughout the weekend will be carried live on Golf Channel and streamed on ESPN+.

Harlequins Announce First-Of-Its-Kind Partnership With MyoMaster

Harlequins announce a first-of-its-kind recovery partnership in Premiership Rugby as they partner with sports recovery experts MyoMaster – a company co-founded by Quins hooker Joe Gray

A first-of-its-kind in Premiership Rugby, Harlequins is delighted to announce its partnership with the fast-growing specialist sports recovery brand MyoMaster. Created by and for professional athletes, Harlequins hooker Joe Gray is a co-founder of the company. The partnership also extends to the women’s teams at Harlequins with MyoMaster supporting their mission to become one of the best teams in Europe. This partnership also further cements MyoMaster’s position as the sports recovery brand of choice for athletes in the UK.

Alongside Gray, Harlequins and England legends Chris Robshaw, Danny Care, Joe Marler were amongst some of the first athletes to try the original product and begin using it to treat injury.

As the new Official Recovery Partner of Harlequins, Harlequins have incorporated MyoMaster recovery technology into training and rehabilitation for three years. MyoMaster’s products give players the tools to take care of their bodies both at training and at home, improving recovery time between games and training sessions. The MyoMaster percussive, compression, occlusion and EMS products are used for warm-up, injury prevention and maximising performance and will be used pre and post-training, and pitch-side during games.

One of the key factors in Harlequins’ success as the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions has been the Club’s relentless commitment to optimum performance through player load and recovery management, with MyoMaster technology a key tool in the medical team’s efforts in player recovery and rehabilitation.

Mike Lancaster, Head of Medical Services at Harlequins, said: “MyoMaster’s products have become a mainstay in our medical team’s tools for aiding player recovery over the last few years.

“Whether treating injury or ensuring our players are physically prepared to go back out on the pitch again week-to-week, optimum recovery is key to ensuring that our athletes are ready to perform as elite sportspeople every time they step out onto the field.

“MyoMaster’s products have become a key part of how we help our players recover each week and it’s great to partner with them going forward.”

Joe Gray, Harlequins player, England international and MyoMaster co-founder said: “MyoMaster was born in the Harlequins changing room. The first MyoMaster prototype was developed with input from my fellow teammates, it was tried, tested, and developed by professional rugby players. Having my teammates alongside me, giving live feedback as we develop the best iterations has allowed us to create products which are finely tuned to the genuine needs of athletes.

“The evolution since then has been incredible and to now be the official recovery partner to the Harlequins means that we can take our recovery outside of the club and treat our bodies at home, which will allow us to do what we do, for longer. As a player I have seen the difference to my performance and by bringing the experience and knowledge of professional sport and physiotherapy to our products I know we can make a huge impact, not just for professional sports, but for athletes everywhere.”

Joe Gray has played for Harlequins since 2010 and has 14 seasons under his belt alongside two England tours. Joe is the only player in the history of English Rugby to have won every single domestic title. Joe is also the Director of Rugby at Barnes RFC alongside being the Co-founder of MyoMaster.

Danny Care, Harlequins player, England international said: “MyoMaster really understand what recovery is, the needs of players and the products are brilliant. I have watched Joe create them, the attention to detail and the way they have built a recovery brand which delivers to the genuine needs of athletes is second to none.

“At 35, looking after my body is paramount. With the help of MyoMaster I have been able to take my recovery to a new level which not only feeds into my physical performance on the pitch but also plays a big part in injury prevention and directly enhances the longevity of my professional career. Essentially, they are helping me play rugby for longer, which says everything.”

DAZN Launches DAZN Studios To Create More Original Content

DAZN Studios will launch as the streaming service unveils its global original content slate for 2022.

DAZN is further investing in its global original production strategy with the launch of specialist content development arm, DAZN Studios. The division will enhance the company’s ability to create development deals, sell and license its original sport documentaries, series, and films, and explore new production opportunities.

DAZN Studios will launch as the streaming service unveils its global original content slate for 2022, featuring a line-up of global sporting icons including Ronaldo Nazario De Lima and Diego Maradona. As the sporting world readies for another thrilling FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022, DAZN’s slate brings together a collection of evocative stories from tournaments past that captured the attention and imagination of the world over, as part of its ‘World Cup Stories’ series.

DAZN is currently working with some of the biggest names in sport and film via its DAZN Originals brand of productions including La Guerra Civil directed by Eva Longoria Bastón, which will premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2022. Additionally, DAZN Studios will seek to work with the next generation of content creators to develop exciting new programming that reflects the future of storytelling in sport.

DAZN’s Chief Operating Officer, Ed McCarthy, said: “Sport has the power to inspire and connect people around the world, and evocative storytelling can bring us closer to its beating heart. DAZN Studios is going to enable us to broaden our original programming offering with productions that not only drive deeper engagement with fans but create opportunities via licensing, distribution, advertising and commissions.

“We know that the way we tell stories never stops evolving. We already work with some of the biggest names and organisations in sport and film today, but as DAZN continues to grow, we also want to enable the next generation of filmmakers and invest in the future talent of sports storytelling.”

“We are incredibly excited to be working with the next generation of creators and giving them an environment to do what they do best; create engaging and innovative productions.” added DAZN’s EVP Global Commissioning & Original Content, Grant Best. “DAZN Studios will be a space where artists have the space to be creative and produce documentaries, series and films all in the world of sport.”

The 2022 slate is as follows:

The first feature-length documentary in DAZN’s ‘World Cup Stories’ series celebrating the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Green Lions explores the inspiring untold story of Cameroon’s 1990 World Cup heroes. The film shines a spotlight on one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history; when African nation Cameroon defeated the reigning world champions Argentina in the opening game of Italia ‘90. More than 30 years on from those captivating events, Green Lions takes viewers inside the Cameroon training camp to tell the full story from the perspective of those involved for the first time and how their success has impacted the development of a nation and its players. Produced with Archer’s Mark and Dark Pictures, for DAZN – Green Lions is an intimate reflection on a team of amateurs, who dared to dream, achieved the impossible and inspired a generation around the globe.

Maradona: The Fall is an explosive look behind the scenes of one of the biggest controversies in World Cup history. The feature-length documentary explores football legend Diego Maradona’s fall from grace following a failed drug test during the 1994 World Cup, as told by the people on the inside. Featuring exclusive interviews with FIFA president Sepp Blatter, Claudio Caniggia and Alan Rothenberg. Maradona: The Fall is directed by Angus MacQueen (Maradona in Mexico) and produced by Ronachan Films and will land on DAZN globally in Autumn 2022.

The much-awaited second production from DAZN’s 3-project development deal with Brazilian football icon Ronaldo – Ronnie documents the ultimate redemption story of O Fenômeno. A film of intoxicating highs and shattering lows, the feature-length documentary explores Ronaldo Nazario de Lima’s World Cup career; from the mystery that surrounded the World Cup final in France ’98, followed by two debilitating knee injuries that forced the world’s greatest ever striker to spend far too long on the sidelines. Featuring exclusive interviews with football superstars Roberto Carlos, Paulo Maldini, Romário de Souza Faria, and Zinedine Zidane, Ronnie is a Zoom Sport production with DAZN and set for a theatrical release in 2022.

ELEVEN Secures Additional Rights For SE Asia & Hong Kong

Copa del Rey, Table Tennis, Badminton, Sepak Takraw and Cricket added to AFC offering

ELEVEN is building out its portfolio in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong with a focus on local and locally relevant content that will deliver over 2,000 hours of live sport to fans in 2022.

ELEVEN has secured the rights to Spain’s Copa del Rey, the Japanese T1 Table Tennis League, the Malaysian SPL Sepak Takraw League (STL) and a roster of international cricket. Table tennis, badminton and cricket will be served up to fans in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam. Live coverage of this season’s Copa del Rey and STL will also be available on ELEVEN across the region with the exception of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

ELEVEN´s Copa del Rey coverage gets underway on Thursday 20th January with Round of 16 matchups featuring the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.

An extensive package of European badminton will be streamed on ELEVEN this month, with a total of 19 European events set to be served up during the course of 2022.

Live action from the men’s and women’s T1 Table Tennis League in Japan will be delivered to audiences from February.

An extensive package of international cricket will also be available on ELEVEN this year. Cricket fans will be able to see Tests, ODIs and T20s featuring the top sides in the world including India, South Africa, Australia, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, the West Indies and Ireland.

ELEVEN has secured a four-year deal for the STL. Coverage of the 2022 season commenced on January 7th.

The deals build on ELEVEN´s acquisition of Asian Football Confederation rights in 2021. A big month of AFC action gets underway on Thursday with the kick-off of the AFC Asian Women’s Cup. AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar™ matches then return on January 27th. ELEVEN will show every game from both competitions in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam.

More sports and more football content are set to be added to ELEVEN´s platforms in the coming weeks as ELEVEN establishes itself as a dynamic new home for fans in the region.

Nick Wilkinson, Asia-Pacific Managing Director, The ELEVEN Group, said: “We are excited to be growing our operations across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong with a compelling mix of local and locally relevant content. Our ambition is to offer our audiences a really dynamic new service to follow the sport they love. The partnerships that we have negotiated so far mean we are well on the way to delivering on this mission. We will be working to expand our portfolio of rights significantly in the coming months to serve fans across the region in exciting new ways.”

ELEVEN has been available to fans in Thailand and Hong Kong since November 2021 and launched its offering in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines in January 2022.

ELEVEN is employing an OTT first approach in all Southeast Asia markets and Hong Kong, with its pioneering proprietary streaming platform ElevenSports.com at the heart of its offering. The Group´s streaming service is due to be supplemented by partnerships with local linear operators in the near future to make content as accessible to fans as possible.

ELEVEN will be tailored to each market. Local teams will be installed in core territories, with ELEVEN´s Southeast Asia operations headquartered across Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Local commentary teams will be recruited to engage viewers with authentic and impactful programming in the near future.

Team Whistle, the US sports media and entertainment company acquired by the ELEVEN Group last year, is bringing its award-winning production capabilities to the new network of platforms and will be creating content that champions ELEVEN´s live rights and engages younger audiences.

All ELEVEN content is currently free to fans. A competitively priced subscription service is due to launch to coincide with coverage of the AFC World Cup Qualifiers towards the end of the month.

ELVEN´s expansion in Asia builds on the success of its operations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years. In Taiwan, ELEVEN offers fans a mix of premium local and international sport including the CPBL (Taiwanese Baseball), the NPL (Japanese Baseball), the English Premier League, and the NBA. In Japan, ELEVEN employs an OTT-only service for its local baseball rights. ELEVEN´s activities in Asia are supplemented by fellow Aser Ventures media platform LIVENow, which has a growing OTT operation in Singapore.

Founded by the leading sports and media entrepreneur Andrea Radrizzani and Marc Watson in 2015, ELEVEN is an award-winning sports and entertainment media group. The ELEVEN Group houses 1,655 distribution channels and 665 million aggregated social media followers, generating more than 4 billion video views each month. The Group owns more than 50 original content formats and distributes approximately 65,000 live hours of sport each year to audiences globally. From the world’s biggest sporting events, to the best local sport, to award winning original programming – viewers enjoy a 24/7 offering of live and non-live entertainment across ELEVEN’s global network.

Rugby Players Association Announce WHOOP As Official Fitness Wearable Partner

The Rugby Players Association (RPA) have today announced a new landmark agreement with WHOOP to become their Official Fitness Wearable of the RPA on a multi-year deal.

WHOOP is a personalised digital, fitness and health coach that provides members with actionable insights and feedback across the pillars of Strain, Sleep and Recovery.

Building on the success of WHOOP’s existing partnerships with associations such as the Professional Golf Tour (PGA), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), WHOOP have teamed up with the RPA to optimise members’ health, and wellness; helping them to unlock their best human performance.

As part of the partnership offering, RPA Members will have access to the new WHOOP 4.0 technology, allowing them full ownership over their data and the power to track their own health, strain, recovery, and sleep through key metrics like resting heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and sleep staging.

WHOOP, whose rugby athletes already include Bath & England Rugby’s Anthony Watson and Saracens Women & England Rugby’s Poppy Cleall, will also activate and create custom content with the RPA highlighting the health, fitness, and lifestyles of professional rugby players. Fans will also get an inside look into the techniques and activities helping the best players in the world perform at their peak.

WHOOP athlete Anthony Watson said: “I think it’s great that the RPA and WHOOP are partnering up. It’s ideal for professional athletes and rugby players, as it’s such an individual tool that athletes benefit from massively.”

WHOOP member Poppy Cleall added: “It’s really exciting that WHOOP and the RPA are teaming up. It’s a great product, a great tool and I’d recommend it to anyone.”

Briain Curtin, International Marketing Director at WHOOP said of the partnership, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the RPA, and for WHOOP to play a part in aiding rugby players’ performance both on and off the pitch.

WHOOP’s personalised insights will allow players to train smarter, sleep better and recover faster, so that they can unlock their performance potential.”

Gaia Bursell, RPA Head of Commercial and Team England commented: “Aligning with WHOOP is a really exciting partnership for the RPA. Monitoring all aspects of fitness and recovery via wearable tech and analysing the data is hugely popular and WHOOP are leading the way. We are really excited to work with them on developing their relationship within elite rugby across both our male and female members.”

DP World Tour Offers Enhanced Fan Experience Via ShotTracker, Signs MENA Media Deal With beIN

Golf fans can now access detailed shot-by-shot data from their favourite players on the DP World Tour with the launch of ShotTracker on the Tour’s website and app.

The innovative feature, which is available by clicking on a player’s scorecard, provides a range of information including the precise location of a player’s ball, as well as driving, approach shot and putting distances for each shot and the distance to the pin down to the nearest inch on a green.

ShotTracker, which has been created in partnership with IMG ARENA, a leading sports data and technology hub, will also provide information about the type of lie for each shot (e.g., fairways, bunkers, rough, in the trees etc) as well as detailed hole maps.

On-course information is gathered by IMG ARENA’s cutting edge, real time, shot-by-shot data collection system which utilises leading GPS technology, connectivity systems and greenside cameras at every DP World Tournament in Europe and the Middle East.

This data is then collated via the ShotTracker feature which is available via europeantour.com/dpworld and DP World Tour app, starting with this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and next week’s Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, the first Rolex Series events of 2022.

Fans will therefore be able to follow and learn more about each shot played by some of the world’s leading golfers.

The DP World Tour’s ShotTracker is an evolution of the revolutionary IMG ARENA Golf Event Centre, an industry-first product created in association with the world’s leading golf tours which also enables interactive in-play betting.

Michael Cole, the European Tour group’s Chief Technology Officer, said: “The introduction of ShotTracker further extends our partnership with IMG ARENA, providing fans with a greater statistical offering from our tournaments through shot-by-shot data.

“Alongside our world feed broadcast, fans can now track their favourite players’ performances in even more detail, accessing a wealth of data for each shot struck during their round.

“This is part of our commitment to enhance the fan experience, joining our video-in-scorecard feature which was introduced last year to provide fans with footage of shots within minutes of them being struck.”

Brad van Wely, VP and Head of Product at IMG ARENA, said: “The launch of the DP World Tour ShotTracker will deliver one of the most sophisticated sports data products ever created and builds on the success of the Golf Event Centre. This is an exciting extension to our relationship with DP World Tour and, through our technology, give golf fans greater insight into how their favourite players are performing and how the tournaments are unfolding.”

Headquartered in London, IMG ARENA works with more than 470 leading sportsbook brands worldwide to deliver live streaming video and data feeds for more than 45,000 sports events annually, as well as for on-demand virtual sports products including the UFC Event Centre. IMG ARENA’s clients include the ATP, UFC, PGA Tour, EuroLeague, MLS and the FA.

The DP World Tour and beIN MEDIA GROUP have today announced a new agreement that gives the global sports, entertainment and media group the non-exclusive rights to broadcast select DP World Tour events in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for the 2022 season.

DP World Tour And beIN MEDIA GROUP Sign Broadcast Partnership In MENA

The agreement will see beIN MEDIA GROUP’s flagship sports channel, beIN SPORTS, rights to broadcast live coverage of DP World Tour events taking place in the Middle East during the 2022 season. Starting this week with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, beIN SPORTS customers will then be able to watch live coverage of the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, the Ras al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital, the Ras al Khaimah Classic, the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, and the season ending DP World Tour Championship. This will be complemented by a weekly highlights programme that covers the full, global DP World Tour schedule.