iSportConnect Appoints David Fowler As Managing Director Of Newly Enhanced Advisory Service To Fill Market Gap

London, 10 January 2022 – iSportConnect today announced the launch of an enhanced Advisory offering tasked with driving value for best-in-class vendors and rights owners looking to grow their business in sport. As the sports industry matures and becomes more sophisticated, iSportConnect’s advisory service fills a gap in the market for a turnkey solution that offers year-round strategy, marketing and business development support. 

Also announced today was the appointment of David Fowler, former Head of Strategy & Intelligence at FIFA and Director of Marketing at MyCujoo, as Managing Director of this newly launched service. David spent more than ten years at FIFA and he joins Chief Relationship Officer Ray James at the helm of the new Advisory offering. Ray has been with iSportConnect for over six years after previous executive roles at City Football Group, Sky Sports, Chelsea FC and Millwall FC.

Speaking about his appointment David said, “I’m excited to join the iSportConnect team and help our clients achieve their goals while delivering value to our community. iSportConnect have played a crucial role in connecting the sports industry over the past decade and I believe this will become even more valuable as the industry adapts to new business models and disruptive technologies.”

The Advisory service targets ambitious vendors and rights owners with highly capable senior leadership teams whose proven products and services can deliver value to iSportConnect’s growing community of over 20,000 sports industry executives.

In addition to having the opportunity to engage with the world’s largest private network of sports industry executives, partners also receive the support from the wider iSportConnect team, who together hold decades of experience from leading sports organisations including City Football Group, Wembley Stadium, FIFA, Amaury Sports Organisation and F1, among many others.

Commenting on today’s announcement, iSportConnect Chief Strategy Officer Sandy Case added, “The enhanced Advisory offering is a natural extension to the services that we provide to our members which includes events, content and the recently launched iSportLearn platform.

“David brings a genuine wealth of experience to the table and he will be working alongside our Chief Relationship Officer, Ray James, who provides a wealth of knowledge from his past work with City Football Group, Sky Sports an more. Both David and Ray will enable us to deliver even more to our partners and wider community.”

iSportConnect’s Advisory division already works with leading partners such as Tata Communications, InfrontX, InCrowd, ATPI, Choicely and more.

A place to connect. To inspire. To share ideas. To start conversations and open doors. iSportConnect – the world’s largest private sports business network.

Head to our Advisory page by clicking here!

For more information about the iSportConnect Advisory offering contact sales@isportconnect.com

beIN SPORTS Aces Its Tennis Offering With Deal To Show French Open In 10 Territories Across Asia In 5-Year Deal

beIN SPORTS has secured exclusive rights to Roland-Garros in 10 territories across the Asia region. The new media rights agreement covers five editions of the tournament from 2022 to 2026.

The Asian territories included in the agreement are Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Philippines, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The tournament coverage will be shown live on beIN SPORTS channels available on major pay-tv platforms in the region, including on beIN’s live streaming app, beIN SPORTS CONNECT.

beIN SPORTS is currently the broadcast rights holder for the ATP Tour in Australia and Singapore and has plans to expand its rights to include other territories in the region.  The acquisition of Roland-Garros is one of the first Grand Slams to be added to its tennis offering in Asia.

Mike Kerr, Managing Director of beIN SPORTS ASIA PACIFIC, said: “As the only Grand Slam played on clay and most unforgiving of all tournaments, Roland-Garros is arguably the best spectacle tennis has to offer. We are excited to include it in our ever-expanding line-up of premium sports content on beIN SPORTS. Our goal is to build a strong tennis proposition and strengthen the great sport we have on offer across our platforms. The tournament will form a core part of our group-wide beINSPIRED efforts, as we aim to inspire the next generation of athletes and fans – regardless of gender, race or background. Our role as broadcaster goes beyond the screen, which is why we want to contribute meaningfully through our beINSPIRED initiatives.”

Gilles Moretton, President of French Tennis Federation, said: “We are very pleased to have signed this broadcast agreement with beIN SPORTS. As well as underscoring the ever-increasing interest of tennis fans in the tournament, it will enhance the status that Roland-Garros enjoys in South East Asia.”

Last June, beIN SPORTS announced an extensive renewal deal with UEFA in 7 countries across Asia-Pacific, which will see beIN SPORTS broadcast the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League and the UEFA Youth League until 2024.  beIN SPORTS is also the home of LaLiga, Serie A and Ligue 1 – making beIN SPORTS a favourite football destination for sports fans in Asia.

The Roland-Garros live broadcast coverage is part of beIN SPORTS’ beINSPIRED initiative. In addition to the broadcast, beIN SPORTS plans to work with local sports bodies to facilitate the growth of tennis among girls and women in the region. The beINSPIRED initiative was launched in 2019, aiming to give a greater platform to under-represented sports and talent, with a particular focus on women’s sport.

888sport Becomes An Official Partner Of Bundesliga’s RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig and 888sport – one of the world’s leading sports betting providers – have agreed a partnership which will last until at least 2023 and the partnership will begin at the Bundesliga home match against FSV Mainz 05. 888sport has become an Official Partner of the Red Bulls.

Alongside significant TV-relevant advertising presence (such as Cam Carpets next to the goals, LED-board animations), 888sports will primarily be present on our digital channels. As well as the branding at the stadium, 888sport will become the presenter of the RBL predictor game, which gives fans a chance to win special prizes such as signed shirts, VIP tickets and season tickets for next season over the course of the campaign.

This will be 888sport’s first involvement in the Bundesliga, which makes it crucial that the partnership is designed in a way which fits both parties’ brands. The positioning of the multiple award-winning sports betting provider is one which is based on a readiness to innovate and the resulting reputation as a pioneer in the technology sector. 888sport wants to expand further in the German market and its motto “Safer. Better. Together” demonstrates its commitment to safe and responsible sports betting.

Matthias Reichwald,
Chief Commercial Officer of RB Leipzig:

“As in the rest of football, we are always looking to strengthen in the area of partnerships, especially those who fit our philosophy and orientation. We have found one of these in 888sport and we’re proud that 888sport sees us as a suitable partner for their first entry into the Bundesliga.

888sport is an established brand who would like to grow further on a national and international level, which exactly corresponds to our vision, and now we can take on this challenge together.”

Kieran Spellman, 
Vice President Head of 888sport:

“We are proud to announce this long-term partnership with RB Leipzig, one of the most ambitious football clubs in Europe, and become their official sports betting provider. The team has developed at a rapid pace and shown how you can climb to the very top of Europe playing attractive, offensive football, having already come second in the Bundesliga and reaching the Champions League round of 16 last season.

We can’t wait to support the club with their future development and do our part to help RB Leipzig continue to establish themselves as one of the top three teams in Germany. This comes alongside the regulation and successful licensing for 888sport in the German online sports betting market. This partnership is a signal of 888sport’s long-term commitment to Germany.”

Pedro Barreda, 
Director International Marketing & Head of Sponsorships of 888sport:

“We’re looking forward to working with RB Leipzig and to being part of their journey for at least the next one and a half years. 888 are a world leader in their field, and RB Leipzig are one of the top clubs in European football, so this partnership is a perfect fit and will strongly support us with our ambitious plans for the newly-regulated German sports betting market.”

ICC Partners With FanCraze To Unveil New NFTs In Crictos

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and FanCraze today unveiled Crictos, the official and exclusive digital collectibles range that captures some of the greatest and most memorable moments in international cricket.   

Fans will be able to collect and trade their own slice of cricket history with Crictos which leverages cutting-edge blockchain technology to enable fans to own the best plays from ICC events. Fans are invited to pre-register on www.fancraze.com/icc for a chance to be a part of the first cohort that will own some of the most talked about shots, catches, and wickets in cricket history. 

Finn Bradshaw, ICC Head of Digital said: “We are delighted to unveil Crictos today and are excited for our first pack drop later this month. Just as physical memorabilia has been a centerpiece of fandom for decades, we hope Crictos will become a digital record of fans’ love of the game. There is something for every fan with a range of rarities of Crictos with an entry pack costing $9. 

Our first Crictos pack drop will be available later this month for pre-registered fans before a full launch later this year. It’s a unique opportunity to own and be part of historic moments in cricket and Crictos is the only way to collect match-defining plays from the ICC events archive.” 

The initial Crictos release will feature video clips from two of the most memorable ICC men’s events in recent history, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2015 and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. A fan can buy a pack which will include several Crictos, or they can purchase individual Crictos on FanCraze’s peer-to-peer marketplace.

Anshum Bhambri, CEO of FanCraze added: “Crictos builds off the key features of physical trading cards by adding digital elements like video highlights, 3D animations, a wider array of player statistics, and meta-data that make the Crictos usable across a wide array of applications. Cricket fans today are digitally native and building new fan engagement and social experiences is what excites us at FanCraze.”

NBA Launchpad Selects Five Companies To Develop Future Of Basketball-Related Technology

The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced it has selected five companies for the inaugural NBA Launchpad program, the league’s latest initiative to source, evaluate and pilot emerging technologies that impact the future of the game.

NBA Launchpad was introduced in June 2021 with a global search to identify cutting-edge solutions that directly addressed the following priority areas identified for the inaugural season of the program: Ankle Injury Innovation, Elite Youth Player Performance, Referee Training and Development and Youth Health and Wellness. NBA Launchpad received hundreds of submissions from a diverse applicant pool across 25 countries, ranging from early-stage startups to large research institutions.

To conduct a holistic review process, the NBA partnered with Pitchtape, an online pitch platform, and enlisted subject matter experts from the League Office and teams to evaluate each submission. The inaugural class of the NBA Launchpad program includes:

  • BetterGuards (Berlin, Germany): Adaptive ankle protection system that provides advanced freedom of motion for athletes while actively preventing injuries.
  • Breathwrk (Los Angeles, California): Health and performance app that provides science-backed breathing exercises, helping athletes wake up, calm down, increase stamina and fall asleep.
  • Nextiles (Brooklyn, New York): Materials science company that quantifies human movement by merging sewing technologies with flexible electronics.
  • Rezzil (Manchester, United Kingdom): VR-based solution for cognitive training, rehabilitation and game analysis.
  • Uplift Labs (Palo Alto, California): AI-powered technology that delivers real-time movement tracking and 3D analysis to enhance health and performance.

“We are thrilled to introduce our NBA Launchpad program with such a diverse group of innovative products and solutions,” said Evan Wasch, Executive Vice President, Basketball Strategy & Analytics. “Each company brings something unique to the table that will improve the game of basketball.”

Over the next six months, NBA Launchpad portfolio companies will work alongside league and team advisors on R&D projects. Companies will also receive unique access to NBA events and exposure to the NBA’s ecosystem of partners and investors.

Wasserman Acquires The Montag Group

Wasserman has acquired The Montag Group, announced today by Executive Vice President and COO, Talent Representation Jason Ranne. The Montag Group operates at the epicenter of sports and media by offering premier services across talent representation, consulting, communications and content creation. 

“This acquisition adds world-class executives, agents, and services to support Wasserman’s clients across all stages of their careers,” said Ranne. “The Montag Group will provide industry-best media representation to the many current and retired athletes, coaches, front office executives, broadcasters, and influencers that we represent.” 

As part of the acquisition, the agency will continue to operate as The Montag Group, with Sandy Montag, Maury Gostfrand, and their staff joining Wasserman. IF Management, headed by Steve Herz, will concurrently enter into a strategic partnership with Wasserman and The Montag Group that will see the companies work closely together.

“The Montag Group is the preeminent media agency in the industry, with extensive experience and influence across all aspects of the business,” said Wasserman Chairman and CEO Casey Wasserman. “Sandy, Maury, and the entire Montag Group are the perfect complement to leverage our existing sports, music, brands, and properties business units to the mutual benefit of our respective clients.”  

“Maury and I have long-respected Casey and Wasserman for how they approach the business and represent their clients,” said Montag. “This deal will allow us to maintain the excellence and service our clients have come to expect from The Montag Group, while also tapping into Wasserman’s resources, network, and influence across the industry to further benefit those whom we represent.  In addition, we look forward to capitalizing on the synergies between The Montag Group and Wasserman’s industry-leading consulting business.” 

Montag, Gostfrand and their staff will continue to be based in White Plains, New York and New York City.

New York Times Announces Agreement To Acquire The Athletic

The New York Times Company has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire The Athletic, the global digital subscription-based sports media business that provides national and local coverage of more than 200 clubs and teams in the U.S. and around the world, for an all cash purchase price of $550 million, subject to customary closing adjustments. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.

Meredith Kopit Levien, president and chief executive officer of The New York Times Company, said, “Acquiring The Athletic puts us in a position to be a global leader in sports journalism and offer English speakers around the world another reason to turn to the Times Company to meet their daily news and life needs. The Times already provides distinctive sports coverage for a general interest audience as part of our core report. As a stand-alone product, The Athletic will enable us to offer much more — extensive coverage for fans who seek a deep connection to and understanding of their favorite teams, leagues and players. With one of the largest dedicated teams of reporters covering sports globally and a commitment to everyday reporting, The Athletic is a great complement to The Times.”

The Times has been rapidly growing its consumer subscription business, doubling to over 8 million paid subscriptions across digital and print products in the last three years.

Ms. Levien added, “Strategically, we believe this acquisition will accelerate our ability to scale and deepen subscriber relationships. We are now in pursuit of a goal meaningfully larger than 10 million subscriptions and believe The Athletic will enable us to expand our addressable market of potential subscribers. Alongside our core news report, New York Times Cooking, New York Times Games, Wirecutter and Audm, we’ll have a more robust offering to engage the millions of subscribers we already have and convert many more new ones among our 100 million-plus registered users. Ultimately, The Athletic helps further our vision of making The New York Times the essential subscription for every person seeking to understand and engage with the world.”

The Athletic is currently expected to be immediately accretive to The New York Times Company’s revenue growth rate. The Times Company expects the acquisition will be dilutive to The New York Times Company’s operating profit for approximately three years, as it scales subscriptions and builds an advertising business, and accretive thereafter.

The Athletic was founded in January 2016 by Alex Mather and Adam Hansmann, with the goal of providing smarter sports coverage for devoted fans through a subscription model. As of December 2021, the site had grown to 1.2 million subscribers.

Prior to founding The Athletic, Mr. Mather and Mr. Hansmann worked together at Strava, the fitness tracking app. They will stay on after the acquisition, Mr. Mather as The Athletic’s general manager and co-president and Mr. Hansmann as its chief operating officer and co-president. The Athletic will be a subsidiary of The Times Company and continue to operate separately. Mr. Mather and Mr. Hansmann will report to Times Company executive David Perpich. Mr. Perpich will be stepping into a new role as publisher of The Athletic. He has a long track record at The Times in helping scale subscription businesses, having played key leadership roles in the initial core product paywall, the creation and scaling of the Cooking and Games products, and the growth of Wirecutter once acquired by The New York Times Company.

Mr. Mather and Mr. Hansmann said, “We started The Athletic to bring fans closer to the teams, players and leagues they love through deep, immersive journalism and storytelling. Today marks a thrilling milestone for that dream, one realized because of the hard work of every single one of our employees. We are proud to have The Athletic become part of The Times Company’s family of subscription products. When we founded the company, we hoped to become the sports page for every city in the world. We’re excited to continue serving our avid subscribers as we grow and scale with the help of the most important journalistic organization and the leader in digital subscription news.”

Allen & Company LLC acted as financial adviser and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP acted as legal adviser to The New York Times Company. LionTree Advisors LLC acted as financial adviser and Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP acted as legal adviser to The Athletic.

Manchester City Announce Global Partnership With Masdar

Premier League Champions Manchester City today announced a new global partnership with Masdar, which will see the renewable energy and sustainable development company become an Official Partner of the Club.

Masdar, a global leader in renewable energy, clean technologies and sustainable development, is focused on the development of renewable energy projects across the Middle East and North Africa, and wider international markets, with a presence in almost 40 countries worldwide.

As part of the new agreement, Manchester City and Masdar will collaborate on a range of partnership activations, including the launch of a new global campaign, aimed at raising awareness on the importance of climate action and mitigating climate change.

The campaign will coincide with the Masdar hosted, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the leading platform for accelerating sustainable development, scheduled to take place from 15 – 19 January 2022.

Stephan Cieplik, Senior Vice President of Global Partnership Sales, said: “At Manchester City, we have a commitment to grow sustainably and responsibly, whilst recognising that the Club has the ability to use its voice to encourage the communities we connect with to do more.

Manchester City announce global partnership with Masdar

“In recent years we have made significant progress within this area.  We also know that a sustainable future can only be achieved by working together collaboratively with partners and fans and we’re delighted to welcome Masdar as an Official Partner today to join us on this journey.”

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said: “Climate change is the defining issue of our time, which affects us all. By working together to raise awareness, educate and take action, we can turn this global challenge into an opportunity.

“Manchester City Football Club is one of the biggest names in world football and Masdar is now one of the biggest players in clean energy, by working together across different activities and initiatives, we can play our part in delivering a sustainable future.”

Masdar is set to become a global clean energy powerhouse with the aim of expanding its project portfolio to over 50GW total capacity by 2030.

Manchester United Announce Richard Arnold As New CEO

Manchester United has announced that Richard Arnold, formerly Group Managing Director, will become Chief Executive Officer of the Club, effective from 1st February 2022.

Ed Woodward will step down from his role as Executive Vice-Chairman, also effective from 1st February 2022.

Richard Arnold said: “I am honoured to have the chance to serve this great club and its fans. I am determined to return that honour in any way I can.”

Joel Glazer, Executive Co-Chairman, said: “I would like to thank Ed for his tireless work on behalf of Manchester United during his nine years as Executive Vice-Chairman and 16 years with the club. 

“We are now looking forward to Richard and his leadership team opening a new phase in the club’s evolution, with ambitious plans for investment in Old Trafford, the strengthening of our engagement with fans, and continued drive towards our most important objective – winning on the pitch.”

This past summer saw the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to the club and, while performances on the pitch have not lived up to the club’s lofty standards in recent years the club is still a huge marketing force and the re-addition of CR7 will only continue that.

This season has seen the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjær as manager and the appointment of Ralf Rangnick until the end of the current Premier League season, however early performances have been mixed since the German’s arrival and there is reportedly unrest from a number of players.

David Blitzer & Smith Entertainment Group To Purchase Real Salt Lake

Major League Soccer’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the sale of Real Salt Lake and the club’s associated properties to David Blitzer and Ryan Smith’s Smith Entertainment Group (SEG), MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced today. Blitzer will serve as Governor for Real Salt Lake with SEG appointed to the alternate Governor role. This transaction includes Rio Tinto Stadium, Zions Bank Training Center, and RSL Academy in Herriman, Utah. 

Blitzer adds Real Salt Lake as a central piece of an ever-expanding sports and entertainment portfolio, which includes teams in the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, the English Premier League, and the German Bundesliga. His holdings also include leading sports and entertainment assets such as the Prudential Center and several other sports entities worldwide.

SEG, the investment entity led by Ryan Smith, adds Real Salt Lake to a portfolio that also includes the National Basketball Association’s Utah Jazz and associated team properties. SEG is focused on sports, technology and entertainment investment opportunities impacting Utah, and Real Salt Lake is an integral piece of the community that has tremendous alignment with the Utah Jazz.

“The combination of David Blitzer and Ryan Smith’s SEG form a dream partnership for Real Salt Lake,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “David and Ryan’s teams have become synonymous with how athletics and community intersect, as they have demonstrated leading world-class organizations outside of professional soccer. Both understand the tremendous value that sports teams bring to a community, and they are deeply committed to Utah. This is a proven ownership group that brings resources and experience to elevate every aspect of the RSL organization.”  

Blitzer and SEG become the third ownership group in club history, acquiring teams and related properties from Dell Loy Hansen (2013-21), after the club was founded and owned by Dave Checketts (2004-13). The acquisition by Blitzer and Smith includes Real Salt Lake (MLS), Real Monarchs (MLS NEXT Pro), Rio Tinto Stadium and all related soccer assets in both Sandy and Herriman, including the Zions Bank Training Center and Zions Bank Stadium. Blitzer and Smith also obtain ownership of the RSL Academy and its local and regional youth affiliates.

“My family and I are thrilled to partner with Ryan Smith and his SEG team on the acquisition of Real Salt Lake,” David Blitzer said. “Ryan’s track record with Qualtrics as a technology innovator and leader in the state of Utah made his SEG group the ideal partner. Together, we look forward to leveraging our experiences to take Real Salt Lake to even greater heights.

“Real Salt Lake is a world-class club with an amazing fanbase, strong infrastructure and a longstanding commitment to the Utah community. We will work to build upon the legacy and tradition of Real Salt Lake by investing not only in the team and its facilities, but also in the communities our team serves. We have the opportunity to use Real Salt Lake’s unique platform to drive positive change on the pitch, in the local community and across Utah. We are excited and honored to be a part of what the future holds.” 

“My wife Ashley and I are 100% committed to the State of Utah. As my partners and I looked to expand SEG, it was clear that Real Salt Lake is an amazing asset for Utah, exemplifies the way we want to invest and be involved here, and David Blitzer is the perfect partner,” said Ryan Smith.  “David has world-class soccer experience, is a person of integrity, and has a strong commitment to elevate the organizations and communities he is invested in. There is an incredible soccer community here in Utah from youth and outreach programs to the passionate RSL supporters and fans. We look forward to continuing to work with the region and state to do big things with professional sports.” 

In addition to Blitzer and SEG, Arctos Sports Partners, the first institutional investor focused exclusively on taking minority stakes in professional sports franchises and leagues, joins the Real Salt Lake ownership group as a limited partner. To date, Arctos has made more than 20 investments across the big 5 North American Leagues and European Soccer leagues since its founding in 2019. 

Following the MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas on Jan. 11, Real Salt Lake players report to preseason training Jan. 16 at the Zions Bank Training Center. The club returns to regular season action on Feb. 27 to kick off the 2022 campaign at Houston Dynamo FC. The following weekend, on Saturday, Mar. 5, the Claret-and-Cobalt return to Rio Tinto Stadium to host Seattle Sounders FC for the home opener. In 2021, Real Salt Lake had a 9-4-4 home record, set a new club mark for most consecutive home wins (seven), and advanced to the Western Conference Final.