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ITV Racing To Broadcast Racing League in 2022

After a successful launch in 2021, Racing League will return in 2022, with six Thursday evening fixtures offering over £2 million in prize money, and will be broadcast by ITV Racing alongside long term partner Sky Sports Racing.

All licenced racehorse trainers in the UK and Ireland have been invited to register their interest in representing one of seven regional teams, to compete in this year’s competition. Teams representing Ireland, Scotland, Yorkshire, The North, The East, Wales and The West and London and The South will eligible to run two horses in each race across the six fixtures. Final teams will be announced later this month.

Racing League fixtures in 2022 will take start at Doncaster on 4 August, and include meetings at Lingfield Park, Newcastle, Royal Windsor and Southwell racecourses. The final two meetings of the 2022 competition, at Southwell and Newcastle, will be held under lights.

Chief Executive of Racing League, Jeremy Wray, said, “We are delighted to confirm this broadcast agreement with ITV Racing to bring the Racing League live to terrestrial television, which we see as an excellent next step for the competition. Sky Sports Racing have, of course, been a hugely important partner in establishing the Racing League, and we look forward to also continuing our association with them and their team over the course of this year.”

Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said, “ITV Racing are delighted to be able to bring free to air coverage of the Racing League to a terrestrial audience. We look forward to working with the team and the participating racecourses across the late summer to help widen the appeal of the competition in its second year.”

The dates for Racing League 2022 are as follows:

Doncaster – 04/08/2022
Lingfield Park – 11/08/2022
Newcastle – 25/08/2022
Royal Windsor – 01/09/2022
Southwell – 08/09/2022
Newcastle – 15/09/2022

BT Sport To Broadcast The Spanish Super Cup 2021/22

BT Sport is to broadcast live and exclusive coverage of the Spanish Super Cup 2021/22, an annual football competition featuring last season’s winners and runners-up of Spain’s La Liga and the Copa del Rey. Presented by Lynsey Hipgrave alongside Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole, BT Sport’s coverage of this season’s tournament will be contested by Atletico Madrid (La Liga champions), Real Madrid (La Liga runners-up), Barcelona (Copa del Rey winners), and Athletic Club (Copa del Rey runners-up), starting with the semi-finals on Wednesday 12^th and Thursday 13^th January and culminating with the final on Sunday 16^th January 2022.

This season marks the third edition of the Spanish Super Cup in the new format of four teams, with BT Sport broadcasting all four games live and exclusive from King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Athletic Bilbao (also referred to as Athletic Club) enter the tournament as the current holders of the trophy after beating 13-time winners, Barcelona 3-2 AET in a dramatic Spanish Super Cup 2020-21 final which saw the competition’s all-time leading scorer, Lionel Messi receive the first red card of his career with the Catalans.

The first semi-final will be an enticing El Clasico between last year’s La Liga runners-up, Real Madrid and Copa del Rey winners, Barcelona, live from 6.30pm on BT Sport 1 on 12^th January (7pm kick off). The Catalans will be looking to make up for last year’s final defeat at the expense of their old adversaries, Los Blancos who currently sit at the top of La Liga and claimed the bragging rights over their rivals with a 2-1 victory in the league earlier in the season.

This is followed by the second semi-final between reigning La Liga champions, Atletico Madrid and Copa del Rey runners-up, Athletic Club. Diego Simeone’s side haven’t lifted the trophy since 2014 and will have their sights set on clinching their third piece of silverware in the competition, while Bilbao will be hoping to be the first club to secure consecutive titles in the Supercopa de España since Barcelona in 2010. Coverage of this clash gets underway from 6.45pm on BT Sport 1 on 13^th January (7pm kick off).

The winners of each semi-final will go head-to-head in the Spanish Super Cup final on 16^th January which will be broadcast live and exclusive on BT Sport 3 from 6pm.

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.

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