IMG Acquires The Madrid Open Tennis Tournament And Acciona Open De España Golf Event

IMG, an Endeavor company and global leader in sports, events, media and fashion, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with Super Slam Ltd and its affiliates to acquire the Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament and the Acciona Open de España golf tournament. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022, subject to ATP / WTA and regulatory approvals.

One of nine ATP Masters 1000 and four WTA 1000 Mandatory events, the Mutua Madrid Open will join IMG’s roster of leading tennis tournaments, including the Miami Open and several other ATP and WTA events.

“The Mutua Madrid Open will be a strong addition to our global events portfolio and tennis business, which will now boast two of the three mandatory combined events on both tours,” said Sam Zussman, Co-President of Media and Events, IMG. “We’re looking forward to leveraging Endeavor’s broader network to further enhance the fan experience and add value across production, media, brand partnerships, retail, and hospitality, just as we’ve done with the Miami Open.”

Through the acquisition, Madrid Trophy Promotion SLU (MTP), the Spanish entity that operates the tournament, will become part of IMG, with MTP’s CEO and tournament director Gerard Tsobanian becoming Senior Vice President, Tennis Events, IMG. Tsobanian and his team will continue to oversee the day-to-day running of the Mutua Madrid Open as part of IMG’s global tennis events division led by Gavin Forbes.

The 20th anniversary edition of the tournament will take place next year from 26 April – 8 May at Caja Mágica in Madrid, Spain. The Mutua Madrid Open is one of two key clay court events leading up to Roland Garros and boasts an illustrious list of winners that includes Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Petra Kvitová and Novak Djokovic.

MTP also runs the European Tour’s Acciona Open de España golf tournament, which IMG’s golf events division will support. Founded in 1912, The Acciona Open de España (formerly the Spanish Open) is rich in history and typically takes place in October at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid where it is broadcast to more than 120 countries.

Since Endeavor’s acquisition of IMG in 2014, the company has developed the Miami Open into a world-class showcase featuring the best of tennis, culinary, art and entertainment. In 2019, IMG moved the tournament to Hard Rock Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins and a global entertainment destination, where it annually welcomes more than 350,000 fans and has one of the largest broadcast audiences outside of the Grand Slams and Tour finals.

IMG owns, produces and commercially represents hundreds of events spanning sports, entertainment, culture and fashion, including Professional Bull Riders (PBR), WGC-HSBC Champions, Frieze art fairs, New York Fashion Week: The Shows, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, Miss Universe and Taste Festivals.

Latham & Watkins LLP acted as legal advisor to IMG.

PGA TOUR, ESPN+ Announce Details Of Expanded Coverage

ESPN+ and PGA TOUR announced details for the inaugural season of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+, with extended and expanded coverage that more than triples the total coverage – adding more than 3,200 new hours of live streaming available for a total of more than 4,300 exclusive hours. All PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ coverage will be available to ESPN+’s more than 17.1 million subscribers.

In 2022, PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will include live coverage of 35 tournaments – from the TOUR’s Hawaii events in January all the way through the FedExCup Playoffs and into the fall – with at least 28 events having four full days of coverage and four simultaneous live feeds each day.

“The start of the PGA TOUR in 2022 will tee off a new and exciting opportunity for fans to watch the best golfers in the world,” said Burke Magnus, President, Programming and Original Entertainment, ESPN. “The new and expanded PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ is an incredible offering for golf fans – with more than three times the coverage from last season, while also bringing them access to thousands of other sporting events and original programming, all for $6.99 per month.”

With the launch of PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ comes new streaming feeds that will bring expanded coverage of events totaling more than 4,300 exclusive hours. Beginning with The American Express (January 20-23, 2022), PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will offer fans four live feeds for each tournament:

  • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course;
  • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group;
  • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups;
  • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes.

When network television coverage begins, the four streams will pivot to two featured groups and two featured holes so fans can continue to engage with PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ in addition to the telecast.

Rick Anderson, Chief Media Officer, PGA TOUR said, “The PGA TOUR couldn’t be more excited to launch a new era in content delivery with Disney and ESPN+, which will greatly expand and diversify our audience reach. There will be more content available to our fans than ever before with an exciting and diverse group of on-air talent delivering the action.”

This expanded, unprecedented coverage, with over-the-top (OTT) streaming and emerging technologies moving to ESPN+, is part of the TOUR’s new nine-year domestic media rights portfolio announced in March 2020.

The weekly production crew behind PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will increase from approximately 85 people to more than 210, with 16 cameras on the course, and a 15-person talent crew calling the action across the four channels. The expanded talent roster is still being finalized and will include current studio hosts John Swantek, Jonathan Coachman, Lisa Cornwell and Ned Michaels and on-course analysts Christina Kim, Karen Stupples, Mark Immelman, Chantel McCabe, Mark Wilson, Stuart Appleby and Michael Collins.

“We are excited about the growth of PGA TOUR LIVE and the opportunity to reach a larger audience on ESPN+,” said PGA TOUR Vice President and Executive Producer Greg Hopfe. “Four separately produced streams will showcase more action than ever before from top players and fan-favorite holes at each tournament. We look forward to being able to share nearly every shot from golf fans’ favorite players on ESPN+.”

PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will cover both early January Hawaii events – Sentry Tournament of Champions and Sony Open in Hawaii – for the first time with Featured Groups coverage in the mornings, followed by Featured Holes in the afternoons.

The complete four feed PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ offering will begin at The American Express. For more information, please visit frequently asked questions about PGA TOUR LIVE.

PGA TOUR LIVE originally launched in 2015. ESPN+, launched in 2018, has grown to reach 17.1 million subscribers. The combined PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will provide significant growth opportunities for PGA TOUR content via ESPN+’s digital reach, innovative platform and young and diverse audiences. 

PGA TOUR LIVE will be part of any ESPN+ subscription, at no additional cost, alongside more than 15,000 other live sporting events, acclaimed studio programs, original series and documentaries and a library of other on demand programming.

Netball Australia And New Balance Reveal Three-Year Partnership

Netball Australia and New Balance have announced a new three-year partnership which will see the Origin Australian Diamonds wear a brand-new vibrant uniform in January’s Quad Series.

Netball Australia is delighted to announce a new three-year partnership with world-renowned sports apparel brand New Balance, which will see the Origin Australian Diamonds wear a brand-new vibrant uniform in January’s Quad Series.

The Diamonds will wear newly designed New Balance team apparel when they take on rivals England, New Zealand and South Africa at London’s Copper Box Arena in January.

As the new apparel partner of the Origin Australian Diamonds and Netball Australia, New Balance will also supply uniforms for Suncorp Super Netball umpires, Netball Australia staff and pathway teams.

Diamonds merchandise will also be available to purchase at all international matches played in Australia over the next three years.

Details of the Diamonds’ vibrant new green and gold on-court uniform will be revealed in the lead-up to January’s Quad Series, which is set to be played from January 16-20 (AEDT).

Netball Australia CEO Kelly Ryan welcomed New Balance to the organisation.

“New Balance works alongside some of the largest sporting clubs in the world and we are delighted to have such a respected brand partnering with the Diamonds and Netball Australia,” Ryan said.

“We are excited to share our new online store with our fans, who will be able to show their support for the Diamonds with a brand-new merchandise range that will expand throughout the partnership.”

New Balance Australia Marketing Manager, Joel Hanlon, said “At New Balance, our job is to aid athletes in their pursuit of excellence, whether that means helping professional athletes win medals, or propelling everyday athletes to live a healthy and active lifestyle.”

“We are proud to partner with Netball Australia and the Australian Diamonds and we look forward to seeing the team wearing our uniform, which offers the perfect blend of performance technology and style.”

Netball Australia and the Origin Australian Diamonds are pleased to welcome Belgravia Sports Apparel (BSA) as the partner in this three-year agreement. BSA is the Australasian elite teamwear partner of New Balance, supplying both supporter and performance products for all elite partners.

David Armstrong Appointed As New Chair Of The England Netball Board

England Netball is pleased to announce David Armstrong as new Chair of the Board, who will take up the post in April 2022 in what promises to be a landmark year for netball in England.

David, who was initially appointed to the Board in July 2020, has an impressive commercial background having held senior positions at organisations including PepsiCo, Diageo Plc, Compass Group, Lonrho PLC and Wasps Holdings where he founded the successful Wasps Netball franchise.

David is currently CEO of the Racecourse Association, one of the tripartite bodies leading British Horseracing and sits on the Board of the British Horseracing Authority. He is an experienced Director having held positions on a number of sport governing boards including World Athletics Championships 2017 and Modern Pentathlon, where he is currently Chair.

On his appointment as Chair, following an extensive recruitment process with a diverse list of over 30 candidates, David commented: “It is a hugely exciting time to be commencing my role as Chair, following the launch of England Netball’s ambitious 10- year ‘Adventure Strategy’, with the intent to accelerate the development, growth and professionalisation of the game.

“I would like to extend my thanks to Colin Povey and the wider Board members for their support ahead of my transition as Chair, and for achieving so much for the sport in recent years.

“With a Commonwealth Games on home soil next year, and a Netball World Cup in 2023, there is significant opportunity to elevate the game to a new place of prominence in the sporting landscape and I am honoured take on the role of Chair as we step into what is an important, game changing new chapter for the organisation.

“England Netball’s strategic priority is to relentlessly drive the sport forward to realise netball’s true potential, whilst positively impacting the lives of the millions involved in the game up and down the country and I look forward to guiding the organisation as we embark on our new adventure.”

Current Chair of the Board Colin Povey, who has guided England Netball during a period of unprecedented success, will step down from the position at the end of March 2022.

On Armstrong’s appointment Colin said: “I am delighted to see David taking on the position of Chair of England Netball. His significant experience in commercial, corporate and sports governance will help lead the organisation in what is a pivotal time for the sport more widely, and I have no doubt his contribution to the game in the coming years will be substantial.”

Fran Connolly, CEO of England Netball, added: “David is a dynamic and accomplished leader with a wealth of knowledge and industry-wide experience, and I am excited to see him take on the role of Chair ahead of what is a critical year for the organisation and the sport. I look forward to working with him as Chair and am excited to see how he impacts the Board in his new role.

“David and Colin will be working together over the coming months as part of a transition period, and I would like to thank them both for all their hard work and commitment to the Board, and our sport.”

Arsenal FC Appoint Juliet Slot As New Chief Commercial Officer

Arsenal Football Club has appointed Juliet Slot as Chief Commercial Officer. 

Juliet will oversee all the club’s commercial operations. This includes commercial partnerships, ticketing, hospitality, digital experience, retail and marketing.

Her appointment follows current Chief Commercial Officer Peter Silverstone’s decision to leave the club to pursue new opportunities from the end of January. 

Juliet said: “Arsenal is a club which I have long admired and I’m absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to join the Executive team and to lead a brilliant group of commercial colleagues. The Arsenal name is recognised around the world as being unique both on and off the pitch with a hugely loyal and engaged global following. I am excited to find new ways to bring existing fans closer to the club and to grow our support across the world for both our men’s and women’s teams.

“I am also looking forward to working together with our fantastic suite of partners in meeting our mutual objectives. I am thrilled to have this opportunity. My goal is to bring fans closer to the club wherever they are and help us grow.”

Juliet was Chief Commercial Officer at Ascot Racecourse from 2012 to 2020. Prior to that she worked as Managing Director at Pitch Media, Managing Director at Haymarket Network, on the London 2012 bid and at Advantage International (now trading as Octagon). She was also Sales and Marketing Director at Fulham for five years and worked at adidas for five years. She is currently a non-executive director at the British Olympic Association. 

Arsenal Chief Executive Vinai Venkatesham said: “I’m delighted to welcome Juliet to the team. She brings immense experience and expertise and will be an important part of our Executive Team as we look to take the club forward. I would like to thank Peter for his positive contribution to the club and wish him every future success.”

SPOTV Appoints Outlast Sports & Entertainment As Its Exclusive Sponsorship And Advertising Agency

Outlast Sports & Entertainment has been appointed by SPOTV as its exclusive representative for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia and Taiwan to boost regional and local advertising as well as sponsorship inventory on all SPOTV platforms. These include on-air, digital, social media, on – ground and for all devices.  

Outlast Sports & Entertainment will be responsible for the commercialisation of SPOTV’s content including MotoGP, tennis Grand Slams encompassing Wimbledon  and US Open, The Open (golf) Championships and Asian favourites such as the V.League Japan, Korean V-League and Korean Baseball League. These are just some of the many premium sports content that will be available on SPOTV’s various platforms.  

Salauddin, CEO of Outlast Sports & Entertainment said, “Outlast Sports is excited to partner with SPOTV to grow its presence in Asia. Our ambitions to build up the market in Asia are very much in line with SPOTV’s. With our experienced network and expertise that we have in the region, we are very confident in growing and establishing  SPOTV as the go-to platform for top and engaging sports content.” 

In the past twelve months, Outlast Sports & Entertainment has been instrumental in securing various deals with reputable clients such as the below. Their notable achievements include:  

• Securing the broadcast sponsorship of Indian Premier League 2020 on Star Sports in addition to Indian National Team’s Bilateral Series 2021 sponsorship on several digital platforms namely SONYLIV 

• Appointed by SMM Plus agency to exclusively represent their distribution of Asian Volleyball Confederation Events in selected Asian territories, with deals done in South Korea and Indonesia.  

• Appointed to exclusively handle the full marketing and communications plan of client BK8 International

• Brokered deals with top five LA LIGA clubs for BK8 International (Athletic Bilbao, Elche, Mallorca, Valencia and Villareal) 

• Activated an endorsement campaign with Football Legends – Barcelona, Milan & Brazilian Legend Rivaldo and Arsenal and French Legend Robert Pires • Working with Hyundai Motors in partnership related to Esports in SEA and 3×3 Basketball in Philippines  

• Has extensive experience collaborating with several Tourism Boards in the region with relevant sports properties 

“Outlast Sports & Entertainment’s impressive record reveal that they have strong ambitions and the know-how of the local markets they operated in. They not only share our vision of growing SPOTV into a premier sports platform, but their development of bespoke marketing solutions will enable all brands to interact with sports fans in this  region,” said Chairman of SPOTV and CEO of Eclat Media Group Mitchell Hong. 

NSE And Barclays Renew Partnership And Announce An Expanded Games Innovation Challenge

After a successful year-long partnership over the 2020/2021 academic year, Barclays and NSE (National Student Esports), the official body for university esports in the UK and the most active grassroots gaming community in the country, have renewed their partnership. Barclays commitment to grassroots games and esports will see the bank sponsor the British University Esports Championships (BUEC) and the second Games Innovation Challenge, which will take place in 2022.

In the 2020/21 season, BUEC saw over 1,700 teams from 100 universities compete across a number of esports titles and this year’s championship, which is currently ongoing, has already seen a significant rise in numbers signing up to compete. 

Meanwhile, the Games Innovation Challenge, a games development competition for students across the UK to test their skills and creativity, is expanding in its second year, to allow even more students to take part across a wider range of categories, with applications opening in January.

Previously, the competition was only eligible for university students, however going forward, the competition is open to college students aged 16 and over. Plus, five new award categories have been introduced for 2022 which are Gameplay, Design, Social Impact, and two platform awards which are the Unity Choice Award and the Epic Choice Award where the best games developed on the respective platforms will be selected.

Starting in January, participants will have nine weeks to create the most innovative games with the chance to win across the five categories for a part of the prize pool totalling £5,000. The winner for the best game overall will receive £2,500. 

For the Gameplay Award, the games will be judged on the most original concept, excellent storytelling and enjoyable gameplay. Design elements will be judged from sound, art style, graphics, and technical quality to win the Design Award. As for the Social Impact category, purpose must be at the heart of the game and could tackle difficult issues such as promoting environmental sustainability or considering accessibility.

A panel of gaming and esports industry experts will be judging the entries on the five categories and the overall innovation of each submission.

Teams can be formed of students from different universities or colleges and can also contain non-students. However, to participate in the challenge, the majority of the team and the project lead must be enrolled at a university or college. Any platform and prebuilt assets can be used, provided that they have the permission or license to do so.

Alex Coulson, Managing Director, NSE, said:

“We’re so pleased to renew our partnership with Barclays and to see the Games Innovation Challenge return after such a successful competition earlier this year. The expansion to include college students is especially exciting and will add to a pool of an already talented group of students. 

“We’re grateful to have Barclays’ support to give opportunities to champion and develop the diverse student community. The games submitted in the 2021 challenge surpassed our expectations and we can’t wait to see what games are designed next year.”

David Gowans, Head of Games and Esports, Barclays, added:

“We are excited to continue our partnership with NSE. The success of the first Games Innovation Challenge helped to highlight the calibre of future developer talent the UK has to offer. Continuing to work with NSE on its second iteration, with the prospect of bringing in a wider range of participants, gives us an even greater opportunity to continue our support of the growing games and esports industries, from the grassroots up.”

LIVENow Secure Broadcast Rights To Stream Australia’s 2021/22 Big Bash League Season

LIVENow bolsters their ever-increasing sports line up by adding Cricket Australia’s 2021/22 Big Bash League, the men’s Twenty20 cricket competition.

Following Australia’s T20 World Cup victory, the upcoming BBL11 tournament will be the most competitive yet, with 8 teams competing from Sunday 5th December and throughout the winter. Australian cricket fans can purchase pay-per-view Passes for 2.99 or a Season Pass for £24.99 exclusively from LIVENow.

Head of Sport, Peter Leible comments, “We’re delighted to add to our live sports programming this winter to include Cricket Australia’s men’s Big Bash League tournament. We’re pleased to give cricket fans who live abroad easy access to watch these matches from wherever they call home.”

Alistair Dobson, Cricket Australia’s ‘General Manager – Big Bash Leagues’ said, “We’re delighted to welcome LIVENow on board to stream the BBL|11 season across a host of Asian and European countries. The BBL is one of the world’s best T20 Leagues and we hope our fans enjoy tuning in from wherever they are.”

LIVENow’s Australian cricket coverage builds on the service’s fast-growing portfolio of sports rights. In Singapore, LIVENow were the exclusive home for EURO 2020 this summer and are bringing fans live pay-per-view coverage from the English Premier League throughout 2021/22.

LIVENow also distributed EURO 2020 in the Philippines and streamed the Emirates FA Cup, Italy’s Serie B and Serie C. They also stream RIZIN mixed martial arts and European Football League across various international markets.

The Rising Stars Of Sports Betting

Last night, SBC held their North America Awards in New York, recognising the achievements of operators, affiliates and suppliers from all the major disciplines including payments, marketing, platform providers and data.

SBC is the largest news publisher in the betting and gaming industry, dedicated to developing the betting and gaming industries, and a major event company, hosting some of the world’s leading sports betting industry events.

The SBC Awards recognize the achievements of operators, affiliates and suppliers from all the major disciplines including payments, marketing, platform providers and data.

“Content automation is something that is becoming increasingly necessary for many organisations, as the need for regular, high-quality content is at an all time high.”

SBC play a major role in the gambling industry and were hosting their latest awards to recognise the leaders in the sector and those who are making waves throughout it.

GTG network, members of iSportConnect’s community, were a nominee at this week’s SBC North America Awards in the ‘Rising Star In Sports Betting & Casino’ category.

Alongside the company competing for the award were strong competitors who are also making strong moves and helping the overall betting industry to keep taking forward-thinking, progressive options. 

Through their iSportGenius data service, GTG collate over 20,000 statistics per sporting event, but also have two key products that are crucial and becoming more in-demand for the industry and other sectors.

While data is of course critical (GTG hold partnerships with some major names in this space, two notable ones being DraftKings, PaddyPower and Barstool Sportsbook, as well as many others) they also service gamification and, more recently, content automation.

Content automation is something that is becoming increasingly necessary for many organisations, as the need for regular, high-quality content is at an all time high. 

This content offering now extends to entirely automated feature length articles, to assist publishers with a next generation journalistic solution. GTG also helps publishers by producing automated preview videos as well as short videos containing their data facts.

“Words like relationship and engagement are key, whether you’re a sportsbook, a sports media company, a team, a league, or anyone else in the sports ecosystem, you want to be generating additional engagement with your customers, fans and followers.”

As Nathan Rothschild, Co-Founder & Partner of GTG Network recently explained in an interview with iSportConnect, they have developed proprietary text scanning technology which automatically recognizes keywords in an article to deliver contextual content and, where desired, sports betting CTAs.

“We’re now producing entirely automated feature length articles of 500+ words, which is the result of a heap of work over a number of years,” Nathan adds. 

“That’s underpinned, not just by robotic type words strung together, but by the most interesting insights in sport as it relates to data and the fact we can then expand that out into a journalistic solution, that’s a huge part of the future.”

The company also offers highly bespoke products which focus on customer and fan engagement, delivering prediction, arcade, trivia and bracket games across many different formats (web, app and in-venue).

Through the creation of these alternative games it provides an offering and a way to interact with those who may not be looking to actually wager money on these platforms, but still giving the companies a chance to engage with a wider audience.

Nathan states: “Words like relationship and engagement are key, whether you’re a sportsbook, a sports media company, a team, a league, or anyone else in the sports ecosystem, you want to be generating additional engagement with your customers, fans and followers.”

“There’s quite a significant opportunity for advertising, but ultimately the ability to drive additional traffic to a digital destination and also create new monetisation streams is where I see the role of our arcade games.”

Gallagher And Premiership Rugby Announce Multi-Year Sponsorship Renewal

Premiership Rugby and Gallagher have today announced a multi-year renewal of their existing partnership.

Gallagher, one of the world’s largest insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services companies, has reaffirmed its commitment to the sport as the official title partner to elite rugby’s most competitive league. The partnership extension builds on its first four years of a successful sponsorship that has delivered year-on-year increases in brand awareness and business value.

Grassroots engagement has also been central to Gallagher’s partnership alongside its support of the professional game, including its sponsorship of Project Rugby. Run in conjunction with Premiership Rugby and England Rugby, this ground-breaking community inclusion programme – which is set to welcome its milestone 70,000th participant – continues to break down barriers to participation in the sport and increase the accessibility of rugby to young people from under-represented groups and parts of society.

Having established itself as a professional sports competition of global relevance and reach, Gallagher Premiership Rugby now enjoys an international audience of more than 150 million households across 135 different territories, mirroring Gallagher’s own global footprint. In the UK, TV audiences watching Gallagher Premiership Rugby have grown strongly. BT Sport saw a 16% rise in the average audience last season – a level of growth that has continued into the 2021-22 campaign.

Christopher E. Mead, Chief Marketing Officer of Gallagher, said: “Gallagher Premiership Rugby is a league like no other; its combination of high-octane action and intense competition continue to attract an ever larger audience both in the UK and around the globe. That has taken the Gallagher brand into millions of new homes and businesses, created a better understanding of what we do and how we can help individuals and organisations manage personal and commercial risk. Through this new agreement, we look forward to strengthening a natural partnership between two increasingly globally-known and fast-growing franchises with shared values and ethical codes.

“Committing to extend our role as title partner will allow us to build on the fantastic awareness already generated by the partnership, deepen our connections with the communities surrounding the 13 Gallagher Premiership Rugby clubs and help us support local business partners with specialist advice and products tailored to their individual needs. Being able to welcome fans, including our own Gallagher colleagues and clients, back into stadiums has been brilliant and given us a powerful reminder of how sport can bring people and communities together.”

Mark Brittain, Chief Commercial Officer of Premiership Rugby, said: “Gallagher Premiership Rugby has never been more compelling and exciting as it is today and together, with Gallagher, we have found new ways to keep fans engaged, expand our audience and attract ever greater numbers, as we have continued to work together to grow the game. We’re delighted to have renewed our partnership and look forward to building on the last four years for the benefit of everyone involved in club rugby.

“In what has undoubtedly been a testing period for the sports industry, Gallagher has proved itself to be a strong ally and responsive partner ready to meet head-on the challenges the global pandemic levelled at the rugby community.”