TikTok and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership that will bring unmissable football content to fans, both on the continent and across the globe.
It marks TikTok’s first major brand partnership in Africa and supports the continent’s most popular sport – football. Through this year-long sponsorship, TikTok will be supporting the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations, Africa’s biggest sporting event, kicking off in January 2022 in Cameroon. TikTok will also be a part of the action for the the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2022 and the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2022 in Morocco.
The collaboration between TikTok and CAF will allow fans to celebrate the tournaments’ unforgettable moments together. With everything from pre & post match content and highlights, to football-related challenges and even the chance to engage with their favourite African stars, TikTok continues to be home for the spirit and passion of these iconic sporting events.
Creating a virtual stadium #WhereAllFansPlay TikTok will be offering our community new ways to create and engage with African football, through in-app effects, a special hub for tournaments as well as unique features and filters for the football community to enjoy.
It comes as TikTok cements its position as the perfect platform for football fandom and culture across both men’s and women’s games, with the #football and #Soccer hashtags racking up an incredible 273.1B and 108.6B to-date, respectively.
TikTok’s vertical screen, sound-on format mirrors the action and excitement of a stadium, but also create new perspectives of the beautiful game, from never-before-seen content, to professional athletes giving us a window into their world.
The fast growth of sporting talent, fan communities, creative sports trends and commentary on the platform led to TikTok becoming the first digital entertainment platform to sponsor a major international tournament for UEFA with EURO 2020. As part of the sponsorship, UEFA launched an official TikTok account which attracted over 2 million views in less than 2 weeks. Its success shows how the TikTok community embraced the blend of archive, exclusive behind-the-scenes and live content.
With over 1.6 million followers on TikTok, the official CAF TikTok account has also fast become Africa’s footballing go-to fandom and with tournaments such as AFCON making a return on the continent, we can expect to see continued growth and love for the sport on the platform.
CAF General Secretary, Mr Veron Mosengo-Omba said:
“We are truly delighted to have TikTok come on board as an official sponsor. Football content in Africa is in high demand and together with TikTok we are able to create and encourage the online community to engage in and create the type of content that will take both brands to new markets.
“We look forward to working with TikTok in creating true African football experiences for fans around the world, virtually.
“To us, this is not just about being a football federation but about continuing to be the single-biggest football entertainment producers in Africa, giving fans everywhere, world-class football experiences throughout the year.”
Boniswa Sidwaba, TikTok Content Operations Manager for Africa, said:
“Fans on the African continent have not been able to come together to enjoy the beautiful game of football due to COVID-19 regulations. For us, this is also an opportunity to bring African football fans around the world together again, online, starting with the much anticipated TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations.
“As a proudly multicultural continent, Africa is beaming with creativity and talent. We see a lot of potential to harness and cultivate creative football expression on our platform. We certainly look forward to inspiring fans to celebrate and participate in content unique to TikTok, in the most African way possible, providing great entertainment for the community.”
“2021 was a monumental year for sport on TikTok, from our partnership with UEFA EURO 2020 which cemented TikTok as the home of football fandom, to the way the community got to experience what goes on behind the scenes at the Olympic park.
“Fans, teams, players and sports communities around the world come together on TikTok to share their passion, to be entertained, create their own sporting memories and have fun whilst doing it.
“We are thrilled to kick off 2022 by partnering with CAF as an official sponsor of the women and men’s TotalEnergies African Cup of Nations, as we celebrate the culture of African football and continue to unite a global community of sports fans on TikTok.”
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) today confirmed the promotion of Kelly Fairweather to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with effect from 1 January 2022. Fairweather was formerly Chief Operating Officer (COO). His appointment was first announced at the ITF 2021 Annual General Meeting which took place in Madrid on 3-4 December 2021.
A key element of ITF2024 strategy, the driving force behind the ITF’s progress and modernisation since Dave Haggerty was elected president in 2015, has been a focus on good governance. Under Haggerty’s leadership, the ITF Board approved a proposal from the Governance Taskforce to separate the President and CEO roles, historically held by a single person, to ensure an even greater balance of powers and accountability in leadership.
“We continue to work together to fulfil our mission to deliver a global sport which is sustainable and safe for all, both now and for future generations.” – Dave Haggerty
Kelly Fairweather, an experienced executive, former Sports Director of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and CEO of International Hockey Federation (IHF) joined the ITF as COO in January 2017. Fairweather’s main remit from the outset has been to drive growth of the sport through the delivery of the 8 pillars of ITF2024. Fairweather will lead ITF Senior Leadership and its Directors responsible for the 5 key divisions that comprise the ITF organisation, notably, Presidential; Integrity & Legal; Major Events & Sports Strategy; Tours & Pathway; Finance, IT & People.
“The ITF is undergoing transformation in key areas. We are in a position to explore new avenues for growth and ways of interacting with our sport.” – Kelly Fairweather
ITF President, Dave Haggerty said, “We have made great strides in making the ITF as open and transparent as possible. We have introduced robust good governance procedures in our commitment to Integrity, a key pillar of ITF2024. Kelly leads a very talented team at the ITF. Together with the ITF Board and in collaboration with our regional affiliates and national members, we continue to work together to fulfil our mission to deliver a global sport which is sustainable and safe for all, both now and for future generations. This mission is at the heart of everything we do as an organisation.”
Kelly Fairweather, ITF CEO added, “The ITF is undergoing transformation in key areas. We are in a position to explore new avenues for growth and ways of interacting with our sport. Our global tennis data informs our strategy for the development of our sport, our business and our fanbase. These are challenging and exciting times, so we need to be bold. We have set ourselves the ambitious goal to report 120 million players on this planet by 2030.”
Building African Football: Umbro South Africa has entered into a multi-year exclusive partnership agreement with the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The comprehensive partnership will see the iconic sports brand become the exclusive technical sponsor for CAF organized tournaments and events. The partnership will commence in January 2022, where Umbro will kit all referees, volunteers, and associated personnel for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021; in addition to supplying the tournament’s official ball.
Named after host country Cameroon’s traditional outfits, the official ‘Toghu’ match ball features vibrantly coloured panels inspired by the finely embroidered designs of the cultural garments. Fans will be able to purchase the official replica ball as part of a limited-edition collectible range created for the tournament, which will be available online through Umbro South Africa, CAF Online and Geronimo Africa.
“This is a proud moment for Umbro in Africa and demonstrates our commitment to the development of football on the continent at all levels, from amateur grassroots to the grandstands of the professional game. The intentions of our team are clear; we are here to work and support African football for the long-term,” said Byron Mulholland, Director at Umbro South Africa.
“For a very long time, we have contributed to the building of African football, and we are excited to continue this work in association with the continent’s organizing body, CAF. We are honoured to have the double diamond featured on Africa’s greatest football stage once again and look forward to replicating this at all CAF events, including the upcoming Pan-Africa Schools Football Championship.”
CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba said: “Umbro has been an intrinsic part of African football for a long period, and we are pleased to finally formalise this relationship and ensure that we take this to another level. This CAF, ably led by President Patrice Motsepe, is building a strong rapport with the commercial world and Umbro’s partnership further demonstrates this. With ‘Toghu’ now an official match ball, we hope that this ball can create many lasting memories after the final whistle of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations.”
In addition to technical sponsorship and the provision of official uniforms for tournament personnel, the partnership will be focused and driven by a strong emphasis on increasing the visibility and commercial aspects of African football. As such, amongst other planned initiatives, CAF and Umbro will introduce a landmark football news aggregation app, powered by Geronimo for teams and their fans across Africa.
“The credible and holistic support of African football underscores every element of this partnership”, added Kirby Stein, Umbro South Africa’s Team Liaison Manager. “Our goal is to continue to support federations and teams across the African continent and together with CAF, we’ve planned some exciting commercial initiatives for our partnered teams to further enable their digital and commercial strategies.”
Award-Winning Industry Leaders in Sports Gamification Further Strengthens Senior Leadership Team with Appointment of Ben Barker; Barker will focus on developing the company’s revenue streams
Low6, the award-winning leaders in sports gamification, has announced the appointment of Ben Barker as Chief Revenue Officer. Barker, a global sports industry specialist with over 20 years’ experience working worldwide, joins Low6 from his most recent role as Chief Commercial Officer at Monterosa, where he worked with broadcasters, brands and sports rights-holders to activate mobile audiences. Barker starts at Low6 with immediate effect and will be responsible for developing commercial and revenue strategies to drive the expansion of the company in North America, whilst also looking to develop the company’s existing partnerships.
“We’re delighted to welcome Ben to Low6 as Chief Revenue Officer,” commented Jamie Mitchell, Co-Founder and Group CEO, Low6. “Ben has an outstanding resumé as a leader in global sports, with experience in multiple aspects of the industry, including broadcast, working with rights holders and brands, and in digital. Ben will add significant value to our leadership team as we continue to grow, and we look forward to seeing Ben play a major role in our growth plans for 2022 and beyond.”
Ben Barker, Chief Revenue officer, Low 6: “Low6 has made its mark as one of the hottest start-ups in sports gaming under Jamie’s leadership. I am excited to join the team to drive forward the commercial strategy aligning our partners, customers and fans to inspire sports gaming through innovation and creative solutions.”
A graduate of the University of Northumbria with a BA in Marketing / Marketing Management, Barker’s career includes 15 years at WPP Group companies and most recently 6 years with Monterosa Ltd working with IMG Arena, EA Sports, ViacomCBS, the Jockey Club, Formula 1 and Liverpool FC.
Peter Hutton, Head of Sport at Meta, has shared some of his thoughts looking back on 2021 and some notable themes and points to pay attention to.
The middle of the daily battle is no time to judge progress, so a bit of time was a great opportunity to breathe, relax and look back at how the year has panned out and what has worked. I do so with a great deal of pride, not just in the work we’ve done at Meta, but also about how friends across the sports industry bounced back from the challenges of 2020.
Such a turnaround required remarkable creativity, and we were fortunate to have a front row seat to much of it in 2021. In no particular order, here are some of the themes of the year that have stood out to me:
“Easier shopping experiences on Facebook and Instagram are driving important revenue to sports athletes and organisations all over the world. For example, Tom Brady drove a 10x+ increase in sales for his TB12-branded merchandise through Instagram Checkout after his Super Bowl win in February.”
Social media now plays a meaningful role in the sports economy
We’re not just helping sports brands find and grow new audiences on our apps, we’re also helping them raise meaningful revenue at a time when old business practices seem challenged.
For example:
In-stream ads, which are video and image advertisements that play before, during and after select video content on Facebook, have emerged as a meaningful income driver for a wide range of sports organizations. Both UFC and WWE have earned seven figures in dollars in net in-stream ad revenue on Facebook this year, while digital publishers such as Ballislife and FloSports have made six figures.
Branded content on Facebook and Instagram is now an integral part of the sports sponsorship business. It’s a tool that’s relevant for all organizations, but has gained serious traction amongst athletes this year (especially U.S. college athletes due to the new name, image and likeness (NIL) movement).
Easier shopping experiences on Facebook and Instagram are driving important revenue to sports athletes and organisations all over the world. For example, Tom Brady drove a 10x+ increase in sales for his TB12-branded merchandise through Instagram Checkout after his Super Bowl win in February. Other organizations to use our shopping tools this year include Liverpool, WWE, the NBA and the NFL – showing just how versatile the products are.
Paid Online Events (POE) is our version of pay-per-view; it enables rights holders to charge a fee to watch their live broadcasts on Facebook. And it can work for just about any sports content creator. Big name athletes? Yes, Anthony Joshua broadcast his fight with Oleksandr Usyk live on his Facebook Page in the Middle East and North Africa, using POE to sell it in markets where the bout wasn’t available on television. Premier League clubs? Yes, Wolves broadcast six preseason matches live on Facebook and sold more than 3.7K POE tickets, which accounted for 43% as many tickets as it sold to watch matches on its own channel. Leagues? Yes again, as the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague is broadcasting select games in the U.S. this season on Facebook via the POE tool, enabling it to reach new audiences in America and open up a new revenue stream. What about emerging sports? Yes again, as Giants Live, which hosts and broadcasts strongman events, started simulcasting its live arena shows on Facebook this year and sold more than 17K tickets over the course of its six POE.
Fan Subscriptions on Facebook also continue to be a game-changer for some organisations. For example, FC Rapid, a professional football club in Bucharest, Romania, uses the tool to charge people a recurring monthly fee in exchange for exclusive content and interactive experiences such as weekly player podcasts, live look-ins at training sessions, post-match interviews and live broadcasts of friendly matches. The club also creates off-line experiences for subscribers, such as sending select fans exclusive, customized jerseys. To date, it has sold more than 750 subscriptions and expects to grow that number as it reinvests its subscription revenue into its social media content development.
Stars enable creators to earn money for every star they receive from viewers during their live streams on Facebook. Adriana Meaury, a fitness trainer in Colombia, has built a lucrative business using our apps, with her income from Stars helping her invest in exercise equipment when she pivoted her business from in-person training to digital fitness during the pandemic.
We like to think of our video monetization products as tools that organizations can choose from to match the job they’re trying to do. Hopefully the examples above demonstrate that the toolbox we offer the industry is becoming more useful than ever.
As for other themes…
The Olympics were a defining moment of 2021:
The IOC pulling off the Games in the midst of a global pandemic was no small feat, and while it was disappointing that fans weren’t able to be at most events, I’m proud our technologies played a small role in helping people feel closer to the event. Through Quest 2 headsets, people in Europe and the U.S. were able to watch some of Eurosport and NBC’s live coverage in VR, while product experiences on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp helped amplify fandom and ignite conversation. For me, though, the biggest story was the athletes behaving as publishers, using our apps to take fans behind-the-scenes in Tokyo. Some of the athlete numbers coming out of the Games were staggering. Athletes gained more than 75 million followers and drove more than 410 million interactions on Instagram over the course of the Games. Brazilian skateboarding phenom Rayssa Leal added 5.8 million followers herself (an amazing 667% increase)! Athletes also posted more than 300,000 Stories. Credit to the IOC for being willing to experiment, including a WhatsApp bot to send information on results and events to fans across the world.
“If the Olympics proved anything, it’s that athletes are without a doubt also able to be defined as ‘creators’ who have tremendous influence (and earning potential) on social media.”
Athletes are creators:
If the Olympics proved anything, it’s that athletes are without a doubt also able to be defined as ‘creators’ who have tremendous influence (and earning potential) on social media. For example, Olympic all-around champion Suni Lee gained more than a million followers on Instagram during the Games. She has since capitalized on that following at Auburn University under college sports’ new NIL rules, landing a number of branded content partnerships. This phenomenon is not limited to Olympians, of course; athletes from across the world are using our tools to build their personal brands, drive tune-in to their events, sell their merchandise, raise money for the causes they care about most and advocate for positive social change.
Athletes can’t realize their full potential on social media unless they also feel safe:
Athlete safety and well-being is a big part of what we do behind the scenes and is often the first topic we cover when meeting with athletes. We’ve introduced a number of new tools and policies to help protect athletes from hate speech and abuse this year and remain resolute in our commitment to this incredibly important work as we head into 2022. Notably, our new Instagram feature ‘Hidden Words’ enables athletes to automatically filter DM requests containing offensive words, phrases and emojis, so they never have to see them. This is a small positive step forward, but our work here is never done as we continue to take strides in a long journey to protect athletes from abusive comments.
Looking Ahead to 2022
Peter talking at our Global Forum, Level The Playing Field, held by iSportConnect and the ITF last year.
But what’s an end-of-the-year post without a look ahead at what’s to come in 2022? While we’re still in the early days of charting our sports path for the metaverse, we’re excited about the possibilities. After all, whether you’re watching or playing, sports are at their very best when they’re experienced together. We know that sports fans and athletes can’t always be together in person, so the metaverse can fill the void for those times when we’re separated from the people, teams, stadiums or gyms we love. We’re seeing a bit of this already, especially with VR content experiences such as NBA or One Championship broadcasts, or sports-related VR games and fitness services.
While gaming and fitness have established popular applications in VR, live event innovation is really just getting started as we travel towards an immersive internet experience where you’ll be able to hang out with friends, work, play, learn, shop, create and more. The best way to prepare for the metaverse of tomorrow is by experimenting today. Put on a Quest 2 headset and try out Meta’s virtual meeting space, Horizon Workrooms, or play a game of Beat Saber. Use the virtual try-on feature in an Instagram shop or use AR to see how a new car looks on your driveway.
“A fan’s emotional involvement will become increasingly central to content creation. Watch out for increased gamification, digital identities/avatars, and fantasy leagues.”
As for other trends to watch out for, the fan as creator is becoming even more central to the growth of the sports brand. A fan’s emotional involvement will become increasingly central to content creation. Watch out for increased gamification, digital identities/avatars, and fantasy leagues (which are also now growing on Facebook). They all add up to a feeling that you’re present and ‘in the sport,’ not just ‘watching the sport.’
And of course 2022 will bring a number of major sports moments that will showcase these emerging technologies and fan behaviors – not just a World Cup and Winter Olympics, but also a number of high-profile women’s events, highlighted by the Euros in England next summer. We’re especially excited for those moments, as we believe our platforms can help accelerate the much important work of increasing the exposure and fandom around women’s sports.
The ability of sports content to drive purchasing decisions and new behaviour choices remains at the heart of the industry’s unique proposition. While so much technological change is happening around us, it’s easy to see the changing economic model as a threat. However, if sports lean into change, grow and retain their communities and build for the long-term, then I remain an optimist for the industry and the unique experiences that sport brings.
Shot-by-shot data and live streaming from every LPGA Tour competition to bolster IMG ARENA’s Golf Event Centre
IMG ARENA, a leading sports betting service and content hub, has secured the official sports betting data and live streaming distribution rights to the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, one of the longest-running women’s professional sports associations in the world.
The partnership will mark a step change in the presentation of data-led content from the LPGA Tour. The global tour comprises more than 30 tournaments each year, with flagship events across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, including five major championships.
Available from early 2022, a comprehensive range of real-time, shot-by-shot data and markets will be delivered via IMG ARENA’s pioneering Golf Event Centre, as well as live streaming and interactive course visualisations from the Tour. Initial partners will include bet365, BoyleSports and Tipsport.
Max Wright, SVP Commercial, IMG ARENA, said: “We are delighted to partner with the LPGA and boost the Golf Event Centre with another elite sports competition. Bringing women’s golf to the Event Centre has long been an ambition of IMG ARENA. The LPGA Tour features some of the most talented athletes in the world and weekly tournaments of the finest quality, which will deliver a vast and compelling range of data-led sports betting content for operators and their players.”
Brian Carroll, SVP Global Media Distribution, LPGA, said: “IMG ARENA is the undoubted leader in producing golf sports betting content, through its game-changing Event Centre. With the full LPGA Tour covered, this is a significant commercial partnership that helps grow the game with thrilling content reaching new audiences and driving fan engagement around the world.”
Headquartered in London, IMG ARENA works with more than 470 leading sportsbook brands worldwide to deliver live streaming video and data feeds for more than 45,000 sports events annually, as well as for on-demand virtual sports products including the UFC Event Centre. IMG ARENA’s clients include the ATP, UFC, European Tour, PGA Tour, EuroLeague, MLS and the FA.
Fanatics, a leading global digital sports platform, has completed the acquisition of Topps trading cards, the preeminent licensed trading card brand that has serviced collectors, fans, and retailers for more than 70 years. The acquisition of Topps’ sports & entertainment division includes all parts of its iconic worldwide trading cards and collectibles business – both the physical and digital divisions – which sells in more than 100 countries and has physical operations in 10 countries, including the UK, Germany, Brazil, Italy and Japan.
Fanatics Trading Cards was launched in 2021 after the company secured exclusive, long-term trading cards rights from several of the leading professional sports leagues and players associations, including Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) and National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).
The addition of Topps, which also has rights with Major League Soccer, Formula 1, UEFA and Bundesliga, significantly accelerates the buildout of the Fanatics Trading Cards business, as the company adds world-class expertise, infrastructure, an iconic brand and a broad range of capabilities from the industry leader. The deal jumpstarts Fanatics Trading Cards’ MLB and MLBPA rights to design, manufacture and distribute trading cards, which begins immediately versus the original combined start date of 2026.
“With trading cards and collectibles being a significant pillar of our long-term plans to become the leading digital sports platform, we are excited to add a leading trading cards company to build out our business,” said Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. “Their iconic brand, commitment to product excellence and passionate employees worldwide will allow us to immediately serve our league and players’ association partners and our fans.”
To ensure seamless ongoing operations, all of the approximately 350 global Topps sports & entertainment employees will become part of Fanatics Trading Cards. Current Topps Global VP, GM, David Leiner, and VP, GM Topps Digital, Tobin Lent, will continue to run Topps within Fanatics Trading Cards, a separate subsidiary of Fanatics. Both executives will report directly to Doug Mack, Fanatics Inc. Vice Chairman and Fanatics Commerce CEO.
“The strong emotional connection between Topps collectibles and consumers of all ages – built through 70 years of tradition, starting with the Shorin family – will make it a jewel in the Fanatics portfolio,” said Michael Eisner, owner of the Tornante Company. “Michael Rubin is the perfect entrepreneur to lead this company forward. Like any crown jewel, I and my partners at Madison Dearborn will miss our many years of ownership where we grew a highly profitable business through strategic licensing partnerships, global expansion, and digital transformation. We’re proud of what the Topps team has accomplished, and we look forward to seeing what Michael and his team do to continue growing the Topps collectible business while staying true to its iconic history and relevance to consumers.”
The combined vision and distinct strengths of both Fanatics and Topps will improve the collector experience, while maintaining vital parts of the hobby. Fanatics’ data-driven, direct-to-consumer expertise, which includes a database of more than 80 million sports fans globally, will enhance and expand Topps’ existing digital capabilities and grow the market opportunity for all participants. Additionally, Topps’ world-class quality, product development and manufacturing capabilities, along with their commitment to collectors and hobby shops, will ensure products are more readily accessible, positively impacting current and future collectors and partners.
Southampton Football Club can confirm that Sport Republic has completed the acquisition of a controlling stake in the club.
Sport Republic is an investment firm in the sports and entertainment industry. They have purchased the shareholding of the club held by Mr Gao and will work in partnership with Katharina Liebherr who retains her minority shareholding.
Everyone within the Southampton community would like to wish Mr Gao and his family well for their future.
Martin Semmens, CEO of Southampton Football Club, said:
“Over the last two years, together with the shareholders of our club, we have searched for the right partner to take the club forward. Today we have found the perfect solution for our club.
“Sport Republic are experienced investors, but also experienced within the world of elite professional sports. That combination is very hard to find, and we are thrilled to have reached an agreement that secures our short and long-term future.
“We are grateful for the support of Mr Gao and Katharina that allowed us to take our time, turn away the wrong options and ultimately find the right partner for the future of this great club, its fans, staff and the people of Southampton.
“Today we welcome a new beginning with a new ownership group. We have found partners with ambition for the future, but with a clear understanding of what Southampton stands for and the direction we must go in now. The strategy is to push forward with the plans we have had in place over the last two years, but with their support we can now do this with a renewed focus and speed. Continuity, stability, and clarity of the way forward are equally as important as the new initiatives and ideas we can now bring to the club.
“Sport Republic is being built to provide a network of people, clubs, and technology that allows the clubs within it to grow every day and gain the advantages you need to be successful. As a club, we have never wanted to buy success, but to earn it. Sport Republic gives us the power to improve our operations at every level, helping us to reach for the success our staff work so hard for, and our fans crave.
“Everyone at Southampton welcomes Dragan, Henrik, Rasmus and the people within Sport Republic to our great club. We searched the world for good people with the ambition and resources to lead us into the next era and I am happy to confirm we have found them. We can’t wait to get started and be part of the future of Sport Republic.”
Commenting on the agreement, the Lead Investor of Sport Republic, Dragan Šolak, said:
“My partners and I have experience in long-term investments in the sports and entertainment industry and Sport Republic has been founded to combine this expertise and deliver something unique to the market. Southampton has so many of the qualities we have been looking for in a major sports organisation. It has a great management team, excellent talent development, talented teams playing attractive football and a dedicated fan base. We are delighted to be able to complete this acquisition as a first step towards execution of our investment strategy. Southampton will be a cornerstone of the organisation we plan to build.”
The Chairman of Sport Republic, Henrik Kraft, added:
“We will be an active and engaged owner, but we will not be starting any revolutions. We were attracted to Southampton because it is already a well-run club that follows a clearly defined strategy.
“Southampton’s CEO Martin Semmens will continue to run the day-to-day operations of the club, and Sport Republic will be working closely with him and his team to help the club grow.
“Whilst Southampton is Sport Republic’s first acquisition, we expect more investments to follow over the coming years. Our ambition is to build a portfolio of high-influence stakes in football clubs and other sporting assets across the world.
“At the same time, we will also invest in early-stage sports technology companies and use our portfolio to accelerate the development of these companies. The acquisition of Southampton is a great first step and we are very excited about the journey ahead.”
About Sport Republic:
Sport Republic is a London-based investment firm in the sports and entertainment industry. Founded by Henrik Kraft and Rasmus Ankersen and backed by Lead Investor Dragan Šolak, Sport Republic’s vision is to apply proprietary intelligence and data analytics to help sports businesses and sports technology companies reach their full potential. More information about Sport Republic can be found on www.sportrepublic.com.
Dragan Šolak is the Lead Investor of Sport Republic. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board of United Group.
Infront has prolonged its partnership with the Turkish Basketball Federation in a four-year agreement which will take the collaboration to beyond a decade.
The deal includes the exclusive media and marketing rights to the men’s, women’s and youth national teams as well as the ING Turkish Super League, one of Europe’s top basketball leagues.
For the first time it will also include gaming rights, allowing Infront to ensure the full scope of Turkish basketball is represented properly in video games and esports. In addition, national and international betting video and data rights as well as coaching and scouting rights feature within the scope.
This is another example of Infront’s commitment to long-term collaborations. Find out how our work with Turkish basketball has helped the federation and the sport achieve phenomenal growth.
Infront and the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF) first began their partnership in November 2013 with the aim to raise Turkish basketball’s commercial game for “all its stakeholders – most importantly the fans, the clubs, the athletes and the sponsors.”
The results of the partnership certainly back up the initial aspirations of the TBF and this success forms the backbone of the four-year prolongation between the two partners, taking the relationship to 11 years.
“In the seven years since we first began our work with TBF – and in fact opened Infront’s office in Turkey – we have helped bring a broader and more international audience to Turkish basketball,” says Ender Uslu, Managing Director of Infront Turkey. “Domestically, that has led to an increase in attendance of 66 per cent, selling over one million tickets a season before Covid-19 hit.
“Of course, the increased audience had a direct impact on sponsorship, leading us to broker over 40 agreements across the whole period including global brands like Sony, ING Bank, Total, Head&Shoulders, Rexona, Lenovo and Perfetti. It is an incredible effort and just underlines how well our collaboration is working.
“What we wanted to bring to the table was an astute knowledge of how TBF can reach specific demographics through specific activations. The only way you can achieve that level of detail is through a long-term collaboration. It isn’t something that can be achieved in just a season or two as it doesn’t allow for the seeds you plant early on to fully grow.
“Take the increase of international broadcasters as an example. We now have 24 for the ING Basketball Super League, which by itself creates a substantial amount of revenue. That sort of result doesn’t happen overnight and requires planning and adaptations to your core product. Everything from the gamedays to our online presence needed to align, and creating those synergies is not a quick fix. It is the same with our social media following, which has increased by 700 per cent over the last seven years.”
For TBF, bringing in an external agency was a big step, but it also allowed new ideas and concepts to be introduced, paving the way for an improved commercial package.
“We have a strong product both at national level with our men’s, women’s and youth teams as well as at club level and the proof is the continued attraction of sponsors,” TBF President Mr. Hidayet Turkoglu adds. “Covid-19 has acted as a reset in some ways, and the sports industry has changed fundamentally as a direct result. However, we feel that with Infront at our side we can evolve once again and, in four years’ time, set a new benchmark for the future of the sport in our country.”
The combination of knowing how to navigate a world that is constantly changing and ensuring you maintain a direction to reach the ultimate goal forms part of why multi-year deals work according to Julien Ternisien, Infront’s Senior Vice President of Summer Sports.
“Long-term partnerships are a core part of Infront’s DNA,” he explained. “This is why we put such an emphasis on truly getting to know the properties we work with. Maximising as much revenue out of a property as quickly as possible without looking at the product as a whole can only bring short-term benefits. It is important to work with clients and offer ways to improve the full picture, which is ultimately mutually beneficial for all – including the fans who get the best product possible.”
Creating a foundation for the future and gradually building strong properties may take time, but the result can form a platform for long-term commercial success, even overcoming unseen challenges such as Covid-19. Whilst these circumstances do still have an impact, it becomes less a question of how to survive and more about digging into the opportunities it brings up.
As of December 29th 2021, LaLiga fans will be able to purchase merchandise and products from 13 LaLiga Santander clubs through Amazon. Thanks to a new collaboration between the Spanish football league and Amazon, there will be a dedicated LaLiga store available on Amazon.uk, Amazon.it, Amazon.fr and Amazon.de.
This project from LaLiga and Amazon will allow thousands of fans of LaLiga Santander to get their merchandise such as kits, clothing, and other fan items through the LaLiga store on Amazon. At first, this experience will be available to fans in the UK, Italy, France or Germany, with plans to expand to other areas throughout 2022 to share the passion for LaLiga and its teams with more fans around the world.
From December 29th onwards, it’ll be possible to visit the LaLiga store on Amazon and find products from the following LaLiga Santander clubs: Getafe CF, Cádiz CF, Granada CF, Athletic Club, Levante UD, Villareal CF, Real Sociedad, Deportivo Alavés, RCD Espanyol, RCD Mallorca, RC Celta de Vigo, Real Betis Balompié and Club Atlético Osasuna.
Discussing this collaboration, LaLiga Executive Director Óscar Mayo says: “For LaLiga, it’s very important to offer LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs all possible tools in order to bring our league closer to our fans around the world. Through this exciting collaboration with Amazon, we are continuing to develop our internationalisation strategy and we can boost the growth of the competition and its clubs.”
Mayo continued: “For now, we have 13 LaLiga Santander clubs participating in this project, with the LaLiga store to launch from December 29th in the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany. Our goal is to bring more LaLiga clubs on board and to be present in more regions around the world, with these to be announced during the first quarter of 2022.”
“I am thrilled about launching this multi-year collaboration with LaLiga, bringing official products and tailored shopping experience to thousands of LaLiga fans so they can celebrate and share their love for Spanish football. At Amazon, we are proud to help LaLiga in its efforts to expand internationally, bringing fans closer to their passion wherever they are,” says Hernando Moncaleano, Head of Fans 360 at Amazon.
Within the LaLiga store on Amazon, browsing fans can find more than 1,600 different products from the participating 13 teams. There will be a great variety of items available, from sportswear to other men’s and women’s clothing, while mugs, toys, household items and much more from these LaLiga Santander clubs will also be on sale via Amazon.
A new e-commerce opportunity for Spanish clubs
LaLiga is continually looking for ways to work with new technologies as well as for commercial opportunities that will allow the clubs of LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank to evolve and thrive. Thanks to the collaboration with Amazon, Spain’s professional football clubs have been presented with the chance to reach more customers outside of Spain
As this initiative takes off, LaLiga will coordinate with each of the participating clubs in order to guarantee the timely production and availability of the products put on sale, to provide their customers with a great new shopping experience. The clubs benefit from Amazon’s infrastructure and can easily update their inventory and merch offerings within the online store.
• United Kingdom: Store in Amazon.uk (www.amazon.co.uk/laliga)
• France: Store in Amazon.fr (www.amazon.fr/laliga)
• Italy: Store in Amazon.it (www.amazon.it/laliga)
• Germany: Store in Amazon.de (www.amazon.de/laliga)
