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Australian Open Announces New 5,000 Seater Court As Kia Arena In Multi-Year Agreement

Melbourne Park’s new 5,000 seat show court has been named Kia Arena, with the official signage to be unveiled later in the week.

“Kia has been on the Australian Open journey with us for the past 21 years and worked with us side-by-side to grow the event exponentially during that time,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.

“The naming of Kia Arena today is another example of the strength of our partnership and provides a year-round platform for Kia to showcase the great relationship between Kia and the AO.

“Kia Arena is a spectacular new asset and provides another premium space for our fans to enjoy great tennis in January.”

The multi-year agreement includes:

Kia Arena signage around the stadium, both externally and internally
Digital signage on the totems outside the entrance
20 flagpoles circling Kia Arena

“The past two decades have been an incredible journey for Kia at the Australian Open, and we are excited to continue our partnership with the world’s most exciting tennis Grand Slam,” Head of Kia’s Global Brand and Customer Experience Artur Martins said.

“In line with our brand belief that “movement inspires ideas”, we hope to see many memorable moves unfold at the Kia Arena.”

More than 130 Kia vehicles will make up the Australian Open fleet in 2022, including 10 of the brand-new EV6 all-electric cars, as part of Kia’s commitment to sustainability. The fleet will be officially launched during the traditional Kia handover ceremony the week before the AO begins.

Arctos Sports Partners Reportedly Invests In Two NHL Franchises

Arctos Sports Partners has invested in two National Hockey League franchises, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild, according to a new report by Sportico.

Arctos Sports Partners is a private investment platform dedicated to providing growth capital and liquidity solutions to professional sports franchise owners in major North American leagues and European soccer.

Just a few months ago Arctos had raised $2.1 billion, taking their overall assets to a reported a $3 billion.

During this announcement Ian Charles, co-founder and managing partner of Arctos, said: “In forming Arctos, we saw an opportunity to bring institutional capital to a previously inaccessible ecosystem and create a new asset class in the process.”

“Sports franchises and leagues benefit from numerous qualities that make them particularly valuable: deep customer affinity and loyalty, global must-see content, the live experience ecosystem, and scarcity. We’re privileged to collaborate with the greatest leagues, owners, and institutional investors to create the investment platform that is Arctos.”

Doc O’Connor, co-founder and managing partner of Arctos, added: “At Arctos, we’ve built a firm exclusively focused on, and dedicated to, the sports ecosystem, and our firm has been built to reflect that dedication. We are a special combination of institutional investing experience combined with deep sports domain knowledge and operating experience.”

“We bring investment capital and unique expertise to leagues, franchises, and owners to support and enhance their incredible growth trajectory.”

In December, the NHL reportedly gave their franchises the go ahead to allow private investment into each team, for up to 30% of the ownership stake.

Any single investment fund looking for a stake may not purchase more than 20% of a team, so teams looking for the full 30% would require more than one partner.

Other investments Arctos have been involved in include Fenway Sports Group (owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club, among others) and NBA franchises the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.

FIFA Announces Visa As First-Ever FIFA Women’s Football Partner

FIFA has been collaborating with Visa since 2007 and announced Visa as the first Global FIFA Women’s Football Partner to come on board under the newly launched commercial partnership structure, which comes into effect in 2023.

The new opportunities afforded under the revamped structure highlight the commitment of both parties to making football truly global and supporting the growth and development of the women’s game.

As the Exclusive Payment Service for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, Visa will implement its innovative payment technology at tournament venues and deliver exclusive experiences for fans and clients, ranging from delivering innovative ways to pay to utilising Visa’s exclusive marketing campaign assets and thus drive mutual business priorities with clients.

Visa will also incorporate its highly successful Team Visa programme, activate the Player of the Match award and create unforgettable experiences for fans in 2023 – all with a view to elevating and building on the unparalleled momentum around the women’s game.

“As a long-standing FIFA Partner and a proud supporter of women’s football, it was a natural choice for Visa to become the first-ever Women’s Football Partner at FIFA,” said Sarai Bareman, FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer.

“Visa is well known for supporting athletes and seeing the positive benefits that can come through sport. They are advocates for equality, diversity and inclusion, core values that are shared by FIFA and the FIFA Women’s World Cup, as we grow and celebrate the women’s game.”

“Through our continued partnership with FIFA, we believe we can shine a brighter light on equality, diversity and inclusion for women footballers, both on and off the pitch,” said Andrea Fairchild, Senior Vice-President, Global Sponsorship Strategy at Visa.

“Our commitment to women’s football is not short-term – we see these women as game changers in the biggest sense of the word and love to see the new heights women’s football continues to reach. We are thrilled to continue this trajectory as we look toward Australia and New Zealand in 2023.”

As one of the world’s most active sponsors of women’s football, Visa’s partnership with FIFA strives to be a catalyst for change and contribute to the growing recognition of women’s football.

Visa’s support also extends off the pitch with programmes that are designed to help athletes in their careers and beyond, including Team Visa, which has championed more than 500 athletes, including 22 female footballers, since its inception in 2000.

The expanded FIFA Women’s World Cup™ will take place in nine cities across Australia and New Zealand in 2023, marking the first time that the tournament will head to the southern hemisphere and that 32 teams will take to the pitch. For more information on the event, visit FIFA.com.

BetMGM And PGA TOUR Extend Official Betting Operator Agreement

The PGA TOUR and BetMGM announced today a three-year extension through 2024 to its marketing and content relationship designating BetMGM as an Official Betting Operator of the PGA TOUR.

The PGA TOUR and BetMGM will work together to provide odds to fans via TOUR digital platforms. BetMGM will serve as the exclusive source for odds on the leaderboard and player pages on PGATOUR.COM and on TOURCast, the TOUR’s award-winning platform that allows fans to follow every shot from each group with a 3D rendering of the golf course.

“We look forward to working with BetMGM to integrate its advanced betting technologies for PGA TOUR fans on our digital platforms,” said Norb Gambuzza, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President, Media and Gaming. “Over the years, BetMGM has been a strong supporter of golf through sponsorship of various PGA TOUR players and tournaments. We are excited to continue the relationship.”

Currently available for download on iOS and Android, the BetMGM mobile app offers the latest betting odds, enhanced offers and multiple betting formats, from money line and point spread bets to parlays and futures.

Matt Prevost, BetMGM Chief Revenue Officer said, “The PGA TOUR has been a fantastic partner and we look forward to continuing our relationship. In the last year we’ve seen an increase in our players betting on golf and are excited to now be the exclusive odds provider for PGATOUR.COM.”

By joining the TOUR’s Official Betting Operator program, BetMGM will have rights in the United States to use PGA TOUR marks, rights to advertise within TOUR media and TOUR partner platforms, plus content and video rights allowing BetMGM Sportsbook platforms to create pre-game and post-game betting programming, as well as distribution of highlights to users who have placed bets.

BetMGM has access to existing sponsor relationships with several members of the PGA TOUR, including Max Homa, Jimmy Walker, Kevin Na, Pat Perez, Ryan Moore, Joel Dahmen and Jason Kokrak.

Racecourse Media Group And HBA Media Unite To Maximise International Media Rights For British And Irish Horseracing

Racecourse Media Group (RMG), responsible for a range of racecourses’ media rights businesses, is delighted to be collaborating with HBA Media, the pre-eminent horseracing media rights agency, to market and distribute British and Irish horseracing to an international audience, as part of a three-year representation agreement.

The new arrangement means HBA Media, working closely with RMG, will globally showcase RMG’s British and Irish portfolio, including feature events such as the Randox Grand National Festival, the Cazoo Derby Festival, the Qatar ‘Glorious Goodwood’ Festival, the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival, Longines Irish Champions Weekend and QIPCO British Champions Day. The international showpiece events – the Dubai World Cup Carnival and the Bahrain International Trophy – are also among the portfolio.

The deal complements HBA Media’s existing commercial agreements with Ascot Racecourse that incorporates the Royal Meeting as well as all their Flat and National Hunt racing, plus the very best overseas contests, such as the Lexus Melbourne Cup, the Breeders’ Cup, the Pegasus World Cup and the richest race in the world – the Saudi Cup, which has been granted valuable Group 1 status.

This new portfolio of top-class events forms an unrivalled year-long international racing calendar and a one-stop shop for broadcasters looking for premium horseracing.

Henry Birtles, Chief Executive of HBA Media, said: “Our new alliance with RMG as distribution partner for their premier British, Irish, Dubai and Bahrain racing further bolsters HBA Media’s ability to package the very best events from around the world under one umbrella, to the benefit of all federations we are fortunate to work with and represent. Through this aggregation of global rights, we can look forward to leveraging the unique nature of each individual event, driving a higher commercial outcome for the collective. Our broadcast clients have been eager for one consistent package of racing that covers 12 months of the year. We are delighted to be teaming up with the highly respected RMG and believe that this collaboration not only adds further weight to our offering, but it completes the circle.”

Martin Stevenson, Chief Executive of Racecourse Media Group, added: “HBA Media has consistently delivered significant value from international media rights over a 15-year period and we are delighted that, through the combined packaging of both our content sets, British and Irish racing can reach a greater global audience. The broadcast landscape remains a competitive market and, for horseracing to thrive, the need for a month-to-month compelling sporting calendar is now stronger than ever and something that this collaboration can effectively deliver.”

beIN SPORTS Renews WTA Rights In Australia, France And Turkey

beIN SPORTS has renewed rights to the WTA Tour for the next five years. The new deal gets underway in 2022 and will see beIN SPORTS channels in France, Turkey and Australia air every WTA event throughout the year, ending with the traditional end-of-season WTA Finals.

The renewal of the WTA rights will form part of beIN’s “beINSPIRED” portfolio of rights, in which beIN provides a global platform to events and talent that have not historically been given the exposure they deserve. This includes showcasing inspiring on-air talent, broadcasting sports, developing business partnerships, events and creative campaigns; all aimed at telling the most inspiring stories that sport – all sport – has to offer.

Richard Verow, Chief Sports Officer, beIN MEDIA GROUP said: “We’re delighted to have secured the WTA rights for the next five years in France, Turkey and Australia. We’re proud to broadcast some of the biggest tennis events on our channels across our territories and agreeing this rights extension with the WTA means our viewers will continue to watch the best in women’s tennis all year round.”

“Our beINSPIRED commitment will remain front and center around our WTA coverage. We’re delighted to be giving the women’s game the exposure and the platform it deserves.”

Micky Lawler, President of the WTA said “beIN Sports has long provided a wonderful broadcast platform for the WTA Tour and this latest multi-year agreement will further enhance coverage of women’s tennis in France, Turkey and Australia.

“beIN have a strong commitment to delivering the best content experience and we’re delighted that returning and new fans of the WTA Tour get to experience the sport on their channels”

In addition to the recently announced CAF Women’s Champions League, beIN SPORTS is also the official broadcaster of the UEFA Women’s Champions League; the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022; the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Paris 2024 Summer Olympics; every women’s tennis Grand Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon & the US Open) all across the MENA region; the WTA Tour, Billie Jean King Cup 2021 – the World Cup of Women’s Tennis – in Australia, France and MENA; the W Series in the US, Canada and MENA, a range of Paris Saint-Germain Féminine games in various markets; as well as key women’s events from handball, basketball, swimming and much, much more.

NFL Awards International Marketing Rights To 18 Teams In Eight Countries

The NFL has announced that 18 teams have been awarded marketing rights across eight different countries. This initiative, known as the International Home Marketing Areas program, grants clubs access to international territories for marketing, fan engagement and commercialization as they build their global brands and drive NFL fan growth internationally.

Strategic efforts in these international markets include: in-person and digital marketing, corporate sponsorship sales, fan events and activations, youth football activities, merchandise sales and co-marketing relationships with other sports and entertainment properties in the market.

“NFL fandom begins with our clubs,” NFL executive vice president, chief strategy & growth officer Christopher Halpin said. “This important initiative enables NFL teams to develop meaningful, direct relationships with NFL fans abroad, driving fan growth and avidity globally. We were very pleased with the number, creativity and level of commitment of club proposals across the board in this initial application period and look forward to teams launching their efforts early next year.”

UIM President Raffaele Chiulli Re-Elected ARISF President Until 2025

On 15 December 2021, the global sports community came together for the ARISF General Assembly to reflect on the united front of sport in the face of this past year’s challenges and voted on the election of the ARISF President and Council for the period of 2021-2025.

Raffaele Chiulli, President of the UIM (International Powerboating Federation) was unanimously re-elected President of ARISF (Association of IOC Recognized International Sport Federations) for another four-year term by the ARISF General Assembly and will begin his third term in charge of the organisation he has led since 2013.

“I am honoured of the confidence and trust that I have received by all our International Sport Federations which represents a tangible recognition of the hard work jointly carried out to unite in their diversities all worldwide stakeholders. I am particularly grateful to the International Olympic Committee with whom our relationships and collaboration is excellent”.

The ARISF General Assembly also confirmed the re-election of International Underwater Federation President Anna Arzhanova as Vice-President while World Baseball Softball Confederation President Riccardo Fraccari was re-elected as Secretary General. Joining them on the ARISF Council Claire Briegal from World Netball, John Lijlelund from the International Floorball Federation and Tom Hollowell from the International Orienteering Federation.

President Chiulli welcomed the six new Federations since the last General Assembly – the International Cheerleading Union, International Federation of Muaythai Associations, International Sambo Federation, International Federation Icestocksport, World Association of Kickboxing Organizations and World Lacrosse – to the ARISF sport family.

RealFevr And Beach Soccer Worldwide Sign Global Partnership Agreement For NFT Platform

Beach Soccer Worldwide and RealFevr have signed a three-year partnership agreement through which RealFevr will become the official beach soccer NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) platform.

Through this collaboration, RealFevr and Beach Soccer Worldwide will jointly create a set of NFTs from different key moments in the history of the sport, including not only beach soccer legends like Madjer, Neném, Amarelle, Júnior, Stankovic or Altobelli, but also former world-class football players such as Cantona, Zico, Zidane or Romário all coming soon to the RealFevr platform.

Fred Antunes, RealFevr’s CEO, commented:

“Beach soccer is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world and is a strategic partnership for consolidation in Latin America, Europe, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

“After viewing the available content, in addition to the iconic acrobatic goals, we were fascinated by the number of “hidden gems” that we are sure will drive crazy, not only football fans but the entire crypto community.”

Juan Cuscó, Beach Soccer Worldwide President, said:

“We have always thought that beach soccer is rich in unforgettable moments, and this partnership with RealFevr will now allow us to bring them back to life in the form of NFTs, and this is something truly valuable.

“We are really happy to partner with a company with such a forward-thinking mindset which at the same time understands the importance of Intellectual Property, and we are absolutely sure that this collaboration with RealFevr will bring many exciting things in the near future.”

Professional Triathletes Organisation Announce Athlete Owned Tour With Record Setting $5.5 Million Prize Purse

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has today announced the launch of the PTO Tour revealing dates and locations for the first ever PTO US Open, PTO Canadian Open and the 2nd edition of the game-changing team competition – The Collins Cup.

The PTO Tour is a consolidation of PTO events into a ‘Tour’ concept where each event will see the world’s greatest non-drafting professional male and female triathletes competing for a prize purse of $1,000,0000 for each Open and $1,500,000 for The Collins Cup. With a full complement of events the PTO Tour will consist of a US Open, a Canadian Open, Asian Open, European Open and The Collins Cup. Professional Races in 2022 will see a men’s race and women’s race each a 100km distance to determine the ultimate athlete: 2km swim, 80km bike leg and a 18km run.

As well as professional racing, the PTO Tour will, for the first time, introduce age group racing, giving amateurs the opportunity to meet and race alongside the professionals, a hallmark of the sport of Triathlon. In addition to sprint (25 km) and middle distance (100km) age group triathlons, the PTO Tour events will include additional racing opportunities in the component sports of the Triathlon – Swim, Bike, Run, making the PTO Tour events a festival-like celebration of multisport. Age Group registration will open on 25th January.

Just like The Collins Cup, each PTO Tour event will have world class TV production broadcast live to a global audience and high-quality shoulder programming showcasing the stories of the PTO Professionals. In 2022, the PTO Tour will consist of the PTO Canadian Open in Edmonton, Canada on 23rd-24th July, The Collins Cup in Bratislava, Slovakia on 20th-21st August and the PTO US Open in Dallas, Texas on 17th-18th September with The Asian Open and European Open following in 2023.

This means the PTO will be putting up a total of $5,500,000 when the PTO rankings bonus pool of $2,000,000 is included in 2022, making it the highest prize purse in the sport.

The PTO Tour dates are in addition to the first PTO Pro AM at the Herbalife 24 Los Angeles Triathlon which was announced earlier this year and will take place on May 15th from iconic Venice Beach to downtown LA.

Sam Renouf, CEO of the PTO, stated: “Established professional sports have long been organized around a professional tour – now it’s Triathlon’s turn to step into the limelight. We are thrilled to grow our racing calendar from one event in 2021 to three in 2022, with plans already in place to offer a complete world tour calendar in 2023. The global broadcast viewing figures for The Collins Cup surpassed all expectations and demonstrated that there is an appetite for compelling live broadcasts of Triathlon events that appeal not only to the fans of endurance sports, but also to the general sports enthusiast. Our athletes have some of the most compelling stories in sport and we were delighted to give them an ongoing platform to showcase their talents and bring the sport of Triathlon to center stage through world class TV broadcasts”.

Chris Kermode, Vice Chairman PTO added: “The PTO evolution and path is very similar to professional tennis which transformed itself when the professionals united together to promote the sport. Triathlon will grow and thrive by having the best athletes competing against one another and delivering this in an engaging broadcast format. Sport is about storytelling and creating an emotional connection between fans and athletes. In tennis this is delivered by marketing and player promotion as rivalries unfold. Come tournament time, the competition is brought to life with innovative broadcasts filled with compelling stats and data. Triathlon is perfectly suited to follow this successful model as it already has a fan base that is obsessed with performance data. The PTO Tour, by investing in the promotion of the PTO Professionals and producing compelling global broadcasts that tell their stories, can catapult the sport of Triathlon into the mainstream of the sporting world”.

Alistair Brownlee, PTO Athlete Board member stated: “It is great to see the PTO Tour come together. I am very excited for Triathlon to entertain new and existing fans. It’s a fantastic opportunity for Professional Triathletes to raise their profile through global TV coverage and win some meaningful prize money. The PTO is showing that by having professional Triathletes working together and having an equal interest in the success of the Tour, the sport can continue to gain in popularity and reach new audiences”.

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