CSM Appoints Alex Kemp And Charlotte Monks To Bolster UK Creative Team

Global integrated marketing agency, CSM Sport & Entertainment, has today announced two new senior hires to bolster its Creative team in the UK.

Alex Kemp and Charlotte Monks have joined the business, bringing with them a wealth of experience that will enhance the creative offering at CSM. The appointments underline the agency’s continued commitment to investing in the growth of its Creative department, which contributes to much of the extraordinary work being delivered by the agency.

Kemp joins CSM as Head of Creative, having previously worked in various freelance Creative Director roles for the likes of Universal Music Group, Saatchi & Saatchi and AMV BBDO. Kemp also worked as Global Head of Creative at Joe & The Juice, leading the brand on its journey into the lifestyle sector.

A keen visual storyteller, Kemp has directed both films and music videos, alongside developing award-winning brand campaigns. He brings a deep-rooted passion for creativity and his role will focus on ensuring CSM’s creative thinking is bolder and braver than ever before. With a significant number of new wins in 2021, Kemp will make sure originality and extraordinary creative thought sits at the heart of all future client campaigns.

Kemp said: “I’m thrilled to be joining such a dynamic agency. I’m clearly no stranger to agency life, but there is a unique spirit and energy at CSM which appealed to me. I can’t wait to bring my creative influences to the table, help carve out effective campaign ideas and lead the team forwards in delivering unparalleled creative work for the world’s biggest brands.”  

Working alongside Kemp, Charlotte Monks joins as Head of Creative Services, arriving at CSM from her previous role as Head of Shoots and Production at Boden. Prior to that, she worked as Head of Creative Services at M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment. Taking on a new role for the business, Monks will focus on processes, resource planning and building an unrivalled team of the brightest creative minds.

Monks said: “It’s a hugely exciting time to be joining CSM. Alex and I are fortunate to be coming into a team that already provides a great service. The focus now will be on identifying how we can improve that service and building the best possible Creative team to ensure we stand out from our competitors.”

Sarah Dawson – Managing Director said: “We are delighted to have Charlotte and Alex join CSM. Our clients have always benefited from the inhouse creative resource we currently offer; however, it was the right time to make these appointments on the back of an encouraging year of new business. The experience they bring enhances the current creative offering here in London, which will help us develop and deliver extraordinary campaigns for many of the industry’s most incredible partnerships.”

FIBA Strikes Deal For France Télévisions To Become Free-To-Air Home Of National Team Games

Basketball fans in France will now be able to watch the men’s and women’s national teams in the sport’s biggest tournaments free-to-air, FIBA and France Télévisions have announced. France Télévisions will show the national team games through to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

A new agreement has been reached that includes the rights to show not only the World Cup, which will be played in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia from August 25 to September 10 in 2023, but also the Qualifiers for the event, beginning this week when France host Montenegro this Friday, November 26 and visit Hungary on Monday, November 29.

The deal also gives France Télévisions the rights to the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022, which will be staged in Sydney, Australia, from September 22 to October 1, as well as its Qualifiers tournaments from February 10 to 13, 2022, with France playing in Belgrade against China, Nigeria and Mali. Additionally, France Télévisions will show the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023.

Games are to be shared between three free-to-air channels: France 2, France 3 and France 4. France 2 and France 3 are two of the top three channels in the country by audience share.

France’s men are among the elite teams in international basketball after finishing third at the last two FIBA Basketball World Cups, including the 2019 event in China. This past summer, France claimed the Olympic silver medal after playing the United States in a thrilling Final in Tokyo.

The French women’s team has also been flying high with its latest success, the Olympic bronze medal in Japan. Before that, Les Bleues reached the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket Final for the fifth consecutive time in Valencia, Spain.

Furthermore, France Télévisions is the free-to-air home of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France, with the broadcaster investing significantly in supporting French national teams.

France Télévisions will manage the production of the six home games which France is due to play as part of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

Frank Leenders, Director General of FIBA Media and Marketing Services, said: “We are thrilled to announce this partnership and achieve such outstanding visibility of our events for all French basketball fans in the coming years. We thank the France Télévisions Group for their commitment to national team basketball, which reflects in the strong track record and popularity of the French national teams on the international stage.”

Laurent-Eric Le Lay, Sports Director of France Télévisions said: “The France Télévisions Group is pleased to announce this agreement with FIBA, which will allow the French women’s and men’s basketball teams to be broadcast free-to-air up until the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. With this partnership, we reaffirm our desire to support French Olympic sports by offering fans the power of the France Télévisions Group antennas.

“Following the Tokyo Olympic Games where our French national basketball teams performed exceptionally well, this is a new step leading up to the next Games in Paris, to promote basketball in France and to excite all fans of the sport.”

Premier League Announces Partnership With Castrol

The Premier League and Castrol have announced a new partnership starting in January 2022.

Building on its previous successful football sponsorships of the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships, Castrol will collaborate with the Premier League to engage fans in the United Kingdom and across the globe in Castrol’s key markets including China, the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian) countries, the Middle East and Europe.

As part of the agreement Castrol will sponsor the Premier League Golden Awards programme, featuring the Golden Boot, Playmaker Award and Golden Glove, and launch new awards that enhance the existing suite of honours.

Castrol will give fans the chance to cast their vote and have their say on players, performances and key moments during the season.  

Castrol intends to use the sponsorship to promote its range of electric-vehicle fluids, high-performance lubricants and its evolving service and maintenance business. Castrol’s products and services for its industrial, marine and energy customers will also be showcased.

Mandhir Singh, CEO of Castrol, said: “With our history of football sponsorship, we’re delighted to be partnering with the Premier League.

“This partnership gives us a great opportunity to showcase and market Castrol’s full range of existing and innovative new products and services to consumers and business customers. We’re looking forward to revealing some exciting new initiatives for passionate football fans across the world.”

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “We are excited to be partnering with Castrol, a business with a proud heritage of supporting some of the best-known football and sporting competitions.

“Castrol is a truly international brand and we look forward to working with them to engage Premier League fans all over the world.”

ROKiT Venturi Racing Expands Relationship With Julius Baer

Leading Swiss Wealth Management Group, Julius Baer, continues long-standing partnership with Monaco’s only racing team

A Lasting Relationship

In the run-up to Formula E’s eighth season, ROKiT Venturi Racing is delighted to announce an extension to its existing relationship with the leading Swiss wealth management group, Julius Baer.

Testimony to the success of the collaboration in extending this long-standing partnership, ROKiT Venturi Racing will celebrate its fourth season working in collaboration with Julius Baer in the pending 2021/22 campaign with an even broader partnership activation then before.

To the Past, Present and Future

ROKiT Venturi Racing’s relationship with the Swiss firm was first forged in Season 5, however, Julius Baer’s involvement in Formula E stretches back to the series’ inaugural season in 2014.

As one of the World Championship’s founding partners, Julius Baer’s ongoing relationship with ROKiT Venturi Racing is founded upon heritage with the team being the first manufacturer to commit to Formula E in December 2013.

The extension of this long-standing partnership will not only complement but enhance Julius Baer’s central Formula E Partnership as it benefits from the allure, prestige and upward trajectory of the team.

Julius Baer will also continue its journey of empowerment and sustainability as a partner of ROKiT Venturi Racing – a leader and champion of inclusion and gender diversity in motorsport.

As part of this collaboration, Julius Baer branding will feature on ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Season 8 challenger and in the garage with a newly created bespoke Julius Baer VIP area. As the world slowly returns to normal the partnership will also provide a perfect platform for exclusive guest experiences and activations, both at the circuit and away from the track.

In Their Words

Susie Wolff, ROKiT Venturi Racing Team Principal

“Season 7 was our most successful season yet and with such a strong driver line-up for Season 8 we’re delighted that Julius Baer have once again demonstrated their faith in us as an innovative platform for their brand. We share a pioneering spirit and we are both committed to expediting social and environmental change. Season 8 will see a new dimension to the partnership with increased branding and long awaited, fully immersive event experiences and we’re looking forward to sharing what promises to be another action packed race season in 2022.”

Marco Parroni, Head Global Sponsoring and Partnerships, Julius Baer

“We are excited to continue and grow our team partnership with Venturi. With Susie Wolff and Jerome D’Ambrosio the team is under strong leadership and we are convinced will lead the team to future success on and off the track. It is also great to see that Lucas di Grassi will be joining Edoardo Mortara for the driver line-up next season. Lucas has been instrumental in the development of the Formula E Championship and introduced Julius Baer to Formula E back in 2014.”

Super League Signs First Free To Air Deal, With Channel 4 Joining Sky Sports As League Broadcaster

Super League is pleased to announce a landmark deal which will see Channel 4 broadcast Betfred Super League matches in 2022. This initial two-year partnership will see matches broadcast free-to-air for the first time in the competition’s 26-year history.

Channel 4 will broadcast 10 live games each season, starting with eight-time Champions Leeds Rhinos hosting Warrington Wolves on Saturday 12 February (1230). The remaining nine games will be spread across the season and will include two end of season Play-Off fixtures.

The 2021 Betfred Super League season saw record viewing figures with more games than ever attracting over 200,000 live viewers. By offering sports fans the opportunity to watch games via a free-to-air broadcaster, these figures will continue to show significant growth in 2022.

Ken Davy, Super League chairman, said: “We are delighted to be able to confirm a brand-new broadcast partnership with Channel 4. They have a great track record of showing some of the best sporting competitions.

“The opportunity to offer live Betfred Super League action to fans on a free-to-air platform across the whole season is fantastic and one that we hope will continue to serve our current fans, as well as attract many new fans to the sport.

“I must thank our principal broadcast partner, Sky Sports, without whose support this partnership would not have been possible.”

Peter Andrews, Channel 4 Head of Sport, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be bringing Super League to free to air television for the first time in its history, it’s fantastic news for Rugby League fans and it’s a really special addition to Channel 4’s sports portfolio particularly since it’s one of our first major partnerships since moving to our new National HQ building at the Majestic in Leeds.”

Adobe And Major League Baseball Partner To Create Next Generation Fan Experiences

Adobe and Major League Baseball, North America’s most historic professional sports league, today announced a major expansion of their partnership to reimagine fan engagement and continue to bring America’s favorite pastime to the next generation of fans – powered across Adobe Experience Cloud, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Adobe Sign.

The partnership will empower MLB to bring new personalized, seamless experiences to its millions of fans. Fans will feel a part of the ballpark atmosphere from wherever they enjoy baseball – be it at home, on the go, or at the park itself. The league and its Clubs will be able to collaborate more seamlessly with advanced tools for signing contracts, sharing creative assets and engaging directly with their fans.

New, fan-friendly features can include personalized promotions and notifications tailored to individual fans – at the ballpark potentially highlighting which entrances will offer the fastest journey to their seats, VIP parking promotions or discounts on grab-and-go concessions. Fans who live outside their favorite team’s locale will also be able to receive alerts when their favorite club or player is in town or get free trials for MLB.TV so they can watch games from the comfort of their couch or on the go.

MLB will be able to drive greater efficiency and fully digitize workflows that require an individual’s consent, approval or signature, such as player agreements and vendor contracts. As an added benefit, this is projected to save thousands of reams of paper every year – all powered by Adobe Document Cloud, including Adobe Sign. MLB and MLB Network, which already rely on Adobe Creative Cloud to create and deliver rich content on television and online, will be able to streamline content creation in the future and more seamlessly manage creative workflows.

“MLB has long been a global leader in digital experiences among sports leagues, with a fan-first orientation across the web, mobile apps, and social media,” said Anil Chakravarthy, Adobe executive vice president and general manager, Digital Experience Business and Worldwide Field Operations. “The expansion of the partnership will allow MLB to bring some truly personalized experiences to fans, made possible by millions of fan profiles built in real time.”

“We’ve gone out of our way to create digital tools to improve the fan experience,” said Chris Marinak, Chief Operations and Strategy Officer, Major League Baseball. “We’re bringing personalized experiences and information to fans so that they feel like we know who they are, who their favorite team is and who their favorite players are. Adobe’s breadth of enterprise applications allows us to deliver what fans want, where they want it – across dozens of channels.”

ESL Gaming Signs Multi-Year Media Rights Deal With Huya For China

ESL Gaming has revealed an exclusive media rights agreement with Huya, the leading game live streaming platform in China. 

Some of the key facts:

  • Following media rights agreements with ESL Gaming, Huya’s CS:GO and Dota 2 market share has soared since 2019.  
  • The new contract will run with Huya directly for two consecutive years from 2022 to 2023.
  • ESL Gaming x Huya 2022-2023 is ESL Gaming’s first multi-year media rights deal in China.
  • In accordance with the agreement, Huya will hold the exclusive rights for broadcasting and distributing ESL’s Dota 2 and ESL Mobile ecosystems, as well as of the ESL Pro Tour for CS:GO and StarCraft® II in China.
  • Via dedicated streams, Huya will cover the tournaments in Standard Mandarin and other Chinese dialects.

For more information about ESL Pro Tour and the upcoming season, please visit the official website. To get all the latest news head to about.eslgaming.com or follow ESL Gaming on  LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Navin Singh Appointed As The FA’s New Commercial Director

The Football Association [FA] has appointed Navin Singh as its new Commercial Director.

Singh joins English football’s governing body after five years with the prestigious United States Golf Association. As Chief Commercial Officer, he led the USGA’s global commercial strategy for its assets including the major men’s and women’s U.S. Open championships.

He was also responsible for securing worldwide broadcast and digital media rights packages across 190 countries, content production, OTT and mobile product launches, an extensive corporate partner programme and all aspects of fan engagement across ticketing, corporate hospitality, merchandise and licensing.

These responsibilities will all form part of his FA role where, reporting into CEO Mark Bullingham, he will lead on all aspects of The FA’s commercial strategy and play a key role in the organisation’s ongoing digital transformation. He will oversee a wide-ranging portfolio that includes all England teams, Wembley Stadium connected by EE, the Emirates FA Cup, the Barclays FA Women’s Super League and the Vitality Women’s FA Cup.

Navin Singh said: “It is a huge honour to be joining the Football Association. It is a world-class organisation that has a vital not-for-profit role in supporting the running of the game in England but also means so much to so many fans here and abroad through its historic teams, venues and competitions.

“I am excited to work with my new colleagues and our important commercial partners in supporting The FA’s ambitious new strategic vision – from helping our teams to be successful in major tournaments to building on our direct relationships with fans. I am also particularly excited by the commitment to women’s football and want to add to the considerable work being done to take it to the next level.”

Singh, who has volunteered as a youth football coach in his spare time, previously worked as vice-president of international content strategy for Scripps Networks Interactive, which saw his remit include global lifestyle media brands Travel Channel and Food Network amongst others. Before that he attained significant commercial and brand experience in senior roles across organisations including WWE, Wasserman Media Group and Golf Channel.

FA CEO Mark Bullingham said: “I am delighted to welcome Navin to our senior leadership team. He has superb credentials and a depth of knowledge in this digital age that will enable our commercial team to continue to thrive in a hugely competitive and fast-moving world. Crucially, Navin understands the role we have in protecting and promoting our sporting traditions while at the same time maximising commercial, broadcast and digital reach to support the important work we do across grassroots and elite football.

“He joins us at a very exciting time fo​r English football, with next year marking 150 years since the first-ever England game and our senior sides involved in two major tournaments in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 on home soil and the men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup, as well as landmark FA Cup campaigns and our national football centre St. George’s Park celebrating its tenth anniversary.”

Formula E Launches Free ‘Unplugged’ Series On YouTube And Facebook

Formula E today has launched a new short-form episodic documentary series, Formula E: Unplugged, with all episodes  free to view on Formula E’s YouTube and Facebook pages at https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/watch/unplugged.

The 15-episode x 15-minute series takes viewers through Season 7 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, revealing what it takes to deliver international motorsport against the backdrop of challenges imposed by the global pandemic. 

Viewers will see how drivers, engineers, team crews and executives are pushed to the limit in Formula E’s first season operating as an official motorsport FIA World Championship. From the season opener in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia to the climax in Berlin via Rome, Valencia, Monaco, Puebla (Mexico), New York and London, the Formula E:  Unplugged cameras capture the triumphs and challenges of life in the Formula E paddock. 

Season 7 the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship attracted record-breaking international TV audiences for the live race broadcasts. Formula E: Unplugged delivers a new perspective with original content from the garages and  driver interviews in addition to racing action.

Aarti Dabas, Chief Media Officer at Formula E, said:  

“We are delighted to release Formula E: Unplugged, a new window into the world’s first all-electric motorsport. 

“Formula E: Unplugged offers an honest and unfiltered look behind the scenes at Formula E during its first campaign as an FIA World Championship. It’s about the people who make up our sport, with a spotlight on their stories from a unique season in motorsport. 

“Whether viewers are long-time fans of Formula E, motorsport followers curious about electric racing, or simply intrigued to find out more about our world, Formula E: Unplugged will offer a new perspective on our teams and drivers as they navigate the season on and off the track.” 

Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship begins in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on January 28 and 29 and will feature 16 races in 12 iconic world cities including Jakarta, Vancouver, Mexico City and London before concluding in Seoul, South Korea in August. 

World Triathlon And SuperLeague Triathlon Launch Esports World Championship Series

World Triathlon and Super League Triathlon have announced a partnership to grow a global esports series that will crown the official triathlon esport World Champions. The partnership will see the formation of the Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift, a series of events giving opportunities to ranked athletes and national federations to participate and pursue the official World Championship title.

The partnership between World Triathlon and Super League Triathlon is the next step in growing the innovative concept of esports into a new and officially recognised discipline for triathlon. Fully in line with the International Olympic Committee’s aspirations to develop esports with its Olympic Virtual Series, it also taps into the strong growth of virtual participation that emerged during the pandemic.

The Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift, developed by Super League, is a unique format that marries real life and virtual racing and realises triathlon’s potential as an esport. Off the back of winning the prestigious Sports Industry Awards title for Cutting Edge Events and the Sports Business Award for Most Innovative Business Response to COVID 19, the Arena Games Triathlon will see both organisations working together to grow a global series that crowns an official World Champion.

Investing in cutting edge technologies, audiovisual content and incredible race scenarios that will generate wide engagement and awareness, World Triathlon and Super League will together help take the Arena Games Triathlon to the next level for the benefit of fans, athletes, national federations and all stakeholders.

The Arena Games Triathlon series builds on the existing MOU between Super League and World Triathlon and will continue to celebrate gender equality, clean sport and fair competition, providing new race opportunities to athletes with the aim of taking the format to the very pinnacle of the sport.

Marisol Casado, World Triathlon President and IOC member, said: “We are absolutely delighted with this partnership. Both organisations have been working hard and investing significant resources to evolve our sport, growing audiences, and giving the athletes the best stages on which to perform at their best. So it is only natural for both World Triathlon and Super League to invest and work together. I am absolutely convinced that the Arena Games Triathlon will be a fantastic event for athletes, broadcasters, sponsors and fans alike.”

Super League Triathlon CEO, Michael D’hulst, said: “This is a very exciting day for the sport. By partnering together, Super League Triathlon and World Triathlon are taking the next step in what has already been a very steep growth curve for the Arena Games. With this partnership, the sky’s the limit. This could well be the next Olympic triathlon discipline.”

“The Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift has already proved to be an award winning disruptor, recognised by athletes and the wider sports community, and with a growing appetite at the very top levels of sport to bring esport to a much wider audience, this is perfectly timed for the benefit of everyone in triathlon and to help deliver an even more exciting future.”

Super League Triathlon co-founder and Chairman, Leonid Boguslavsky, added: “When I was a kid I had a dream to create a new sport discipline. This is why I am very proud that we have created the Arena Games Triathlon format using innovative tech from Zwift. It will inspire many athletes as well as organisers to roll out this format to many countries and cities since it does not depend on weather or venue restrictions, and triathlon as a sport will grow much faster both for athletes and media.”

World Triathlon and Super League will collaborate on all aspects of Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift, including scheduling, participating athletes, involvement of national federations, promotion, broadcasters, host venues and amplifying the reach of the events. The first series will be announced shortly, with the first official World Champions set to be crowned in 2022.