Greg Norman Named CEO Of LIV Golf Investments, Group Launches Ten New Asian Tour Events

Former world #1 and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Greg Norman, has today been announced as CEO of a newly formed company, LIV Golf Investments, a move which will set in motion a number of momentous developments for professional golf worldwide.

Norman’s first order of business is the announcement of a ground-breaking series of 10 new marquee events to be staged annually on the Asian Tour over the next 10 years, representing a total commitment of over $200m to support playing opportunities and prize funds. The move represents one of the single biggest investments in the history of professional golf.

The series will be added to the Asian Tour schedule from 2022 onwards, with new events across Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It has been designed to drive greater engagement amongst fans, attract new commercial interest and to help stabilize professional golf following a sustained period of worldwide disruption and uncertainty.

“This is only the beginning,” commented Norman. “LIV Golf Investments has secured a major capital commitment that will be used to create additive new opportunities across worldwide professional golf. We will be a cooperative and respectful supporter of the game at every level, and today’s announcement alongside the Asian Tour is the first example of that.

“I have been a staunch supporter and believer in playing and developing golf in Asia for more than four decades. The Asian Tour is a sleeping giant and we share ambition to grow the series and unlock what we believe is significant untapped potential. We see our promotion of these new events as a vital first step in supporting emerging markets, creating a new platform, rich with playing opportunities that create valuable player pathways.”

LIV Golf Investments has been established with group companies in the USA, UK, with Asian offices to follow. Several high-profile C-Suite executives have already been appointed, with further announcements to follow in due course. PIF, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio, is the majority shareholder in the new company. Plans are in place to introduce further investment partners, who share the passion and belief in how new opportunities in professional golf can create widespread benefit for fans and players.

“This is the single biggest development in the history of the Asian Tour and a major milestone for professional golf,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Tour. “The opportunity will secure unprecedented new playing opportunities, establish new player pathways, allow us to compete commercially with other sports, and enhance our social agenda.

“We are particularly excited at the prospect today’s landmark announcement brings to the amateur game, providing new inspiration to aspiring players through a new level of top-flight professional competition in the region.”

The series will add to the Asian Tour’s backbone of established events to comprise a 25-event season, expected to represent a record-breaking combined prize-fund in 2022. Each of the 10 new events will be broadcast live across the globe, with plans to attract an international field of headline talent through an open eligibility category regardless of Tour affiliation so opportunities are available to the broadest cross section of players.

Today’s announcement closely follows the striking of a new 10-year partnership between the Asian Tour and Golf Saudi, the organisers of the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, which will see the event become the flagship tournament on the Asian Tour, featuring an impressive increased prize fund of $5m. The Saudi International will not be one of the 10 new events to feature as part of the new series but will itself provide enhanced exemption requirements. 

Further signals of increased prosperity for the Asian Tour also came recently with the announcement that competitive play will soon recommence following a postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its suspended 2020/21 season will draw to a close with the staging of two new tournaments in Thailand in November and December 2021, and two further tournaments planned for Singapore in January 2022.

The new series of 10 events will take place throughout 2022, with all full-field events contributing towards the Order of Merit ranking. 

Further details on the new series, including a reveal of the brand and series name, will follow in the near future. 

About The Asian Tour
As the official sanctioning body for professional golf in Asia, the Asian Tour leads the development of professional golf across the region, enhancing the careers of its members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game. The Asian Tour, through its membership of the International Federation of PGA Tours, is the only recognised pan-Asian professional golf tour in Asia. The Tour is officially recognised by the Official World Golf Ranking and provides its events with valuable ranking points for participants to be recognised on the world stage. It is also an affiliate of The R&A. Tour Partners include Rolex (Timekeeper), Habitat for Humanity (Sustainable Development Partner), Titleist (Web Partner) and FootJoy (Tour Supplier). The corporate headquarters of the Asian Tour is based in Sentosa, which is the home of Asian Golf while Sentosa Golf Club is part of an exclusive network of properties under the Asian Tour Destinations. The Tour also has an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

About LIV Golf Investments
LIV Golf Investments is a newly formed company, with group companies in the USA and UK, with Asian offices to follow. Its remit is to holistically improve the health of professional golf on a truly global scale and support existing stakeholders to help unlock the sports’ untapped potential. Greg Norman is the first and founding CEO of LIV Golf Investments. PIF, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with a diverse international investment portfolio, is the majority shareholder in LIV Golf Investments.

Australian Open And WOWOW To Expand Coverage In Japan

Tennis Australia and Japanese broadcaster WOWOW have announced a significant extension and expansion to their long-term broadcast relationship, and in January 2022 will bring all the fun and excitement of the Australian Open to more viewers in Japan than ever before.

As Australian Open 2022 marks 30 years of broadcasting the tournament, WOWOW is expanding their AO coverage to more than 14 hours a day on its linear sports channels, and for the first time, will live stream matches from all 16 broadcast courts. AO lead-in events will also be included.

“We are delighted to extend our agreement with WOWOW, one of our most long-standing broadcasters, as we celebrate 30 years of partnership,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.

“Our fans in Japan treat the Australian Open as their ‘home’ slam, and with WOWOW’s innovation and commitment to their most comprehensive coverage ever of the AO, our Japanese fans will be able to follow the action from every court in January.”“Our fans in Japan treat the Australian Open as their ‘home’ slam, and … (they) will be able to follow the action from every court in January.” – Craig Tiley, discussing WOWOW’s innovation and commitment to broadcasting the Australian Open in Japan.

Added WOWOW Inc President and CEO Akira Tanaka: “It is my great pleasure to celebrate the 30th anniversary of partnership with Tennis Australia and our broadcast of the Australian Open Tennis Tournament, one of the four Grand Slams, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Tennis Australia for this long-term, wonderful relationship.

“In the past, we have broadcast many historic moments from the AO that brought huge excitement to Japanese tennis fans.

“In 1994, Kimiko Date, who is currently working with us as a WOWOW Tennis Ambassador, reached the women’s singles semifinals, and in 2012, Kei Nishikori proceeded to the quarterfinals as the first Japanese men’s singles player in 80 years. The amazing result of Naomi Osaka is still a fresh memory, becoming the AO Grand Slam champion in 2019 and 2021. 

“This year, we launched a new service called WOWOW Tennis World from AO 2021 to offer more fun to the fans, and we are pleased the content and services were well received, including the live streaming of practice courts and press conferences.   

“In 2022, the Australian Open will be the first Grand Slam we have broadcast all matches live via WOWOW On Demand and WOWOW Tennis World. We will continue to provide services to convey the fascination, excitement and emotion the players create, through our new initiatives, and with the support of Tennis Australia, that should help raise the level of tennis culture in Japan.”

Linear To Digital To D2C

iSportConnect’s Commercial Director Brandon Garcia says we should all be embracing the tech revolutions around sport as they fly into our world.

Imagine being able to immerse yourself in the play right from your home, to the left point toward your favourite player’s stats, your preferred replay angle, to right away purchasing the team’s t-shirt, a burger offer, an NFT collectible from Ronaldo’s hat trick.

It’s all possible and coming faster than we could ever have imagined – it’s time for us all to embrace it.

NFT deals are happening with extreme regularity, but this is just the beginning, eventually they will be everywhere. While it may seem like there have been a huge amount of deals done within the NFT space in recent times, there is still so much of the industry that is not covered, particularly outside of the major sports.

Let us think of Direct-to Consumer (D2C) as the most transformative shift in broadcasting for this generation.

The industry has now all the tools, OTT is now becoming cheap with many platforms offering a plethora of rights, high performing cloud solutions to have content ready before you blink, and 5G connectivity to feel the experience better than on a sunny day at the Wimbledon, we have virtual merchandising and the digital art collections – we have it all.

It is now, however, becoming a much greater challenge for those who are not in the mainstream of sport to get coverage and yet, at the same time, through all of this technology they are more accessible than ever before.

The majority of TV deals are covered by the major leagues but through the advancements technologically it is now much easier for smaller sports to be able to broadcast themselves in order to keep their fans engaged.

Before now, unless you were in attendance at these matches there would little to no ways of seeing them, maybe somebody with a camera would have recorded a couple of clips or taken some pictures, now you can often get live updates from most games.

Social media’s part in this cannot be ignored as well when we talk about D2C, it has allowed the communication channels between clubs, leagues and organisations to the fan to be so much more direct.

As we have seen very clearly it has maximised this with players and fans too, for the better most would say but this is not without its issues.

But back to rights and the curiosity still remains, how will premium rightsholders take this opportunity and become a media business in their own right, the Premier League have already mentioned potentially creating their own OTT channel, who will be bold enough to take this huge step and move away from the major broadcasters.

And does this all translate into a mega opportunity for the federations who have never produced content to engage and grow a new fanbase?

Not too long a wait to see.

PUBG Mobile Announces Liverpool FC Collaboration

Today, PUBG MOBILE has announced a collaboration with the world-famous Liverpool Football Club, which will add branded outfits and items for players to unlock. This relationship is the first time PUBG MOBILE has collaborated directly with a football club. Players will have the opportunity to earn the free and exclusive in-game Liverpool FC gear through participating in and completing a series of classic mode games.

Champions of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup and 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, Liverpool FC is recognized as one of the very best football clubs of the Premier League and have earned themselves a reputation as a true team player. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” has been the club’s anthem since 1968, expressing the team spirit and unity that is at the very core of the club. The values that Liverpool FC embody and instill are an inspiration to many among the PUBG MOBILE community and through this collaboration, players will now be able to don official Liverpool FC gear and show their support for the team.

Drew Crisp, Senior Vice President, Digital, Liverpool FC, said: “In an increasingly digital world, we pride ourselves on being able to innovate and engage with our fans on the vast array of digital platforms they favour. With the realm of online gaming growing and evolving amongst our fans, PUBG MOBILE is the perfect platform to connect with them in a different but very relevant context – intertwining the world of online gaming and football through the power of games and play. This is a great opportunity for supporters to embrace their love of the club and interact with LFC on one of their favourite platforms, bringing together the physical interactive nature of football into the digital interactive world of gaming.”

“In PUBG MOBILE, teamwork is a core principle to those who seek to win. In collaborating with Liverpool Football Club, a team renowned for their courageous camaraderie, we have found a perfect partner,” said Vincent Wang, Head of PUBG MOBILE Publishing, Tencent Games. “As we continue to strengthen our current bonds and develop prominent partnerships with iconic industry leaders, we look forward to further integrating the world of football into PUBG MOBILE.”

The agency responsible for introducing these two top organization’s was EMW Global, Michael Rocha-Keys CEO at the agency said: “PUBG MOBILE and Liverpool Football Club are two of the most exciting and successful brands in the world at present, and the innovative partnership they’ve formed together will be a landmark moment for the sports and mobile gaming industries.”

The collaboration between PUBG MOBILE and Liverpool FC is part of the new Version 1.6 update, bringing new content, game modes, and several exciting collaborations to the game.

Mumbai City FC Welcome EA Sports As Official Partner

Hero Indian Super League (ISL) Champions Mumbai City FC are delighted to announce an association with global gaming giant and creator of the world-renowned FIFA video game series, EA SPORTS as the Club’s Official Partner, running through the end of the 2023-24 season.

As a part of the association with the Islanders, EA SPORTS brand marks will adorn the back of the shorts of the Mumbai City First Team and will feature on matchdays and at the Islanders’ training facility at the Nagoa Village Panchayat Football Ground.

The association will also see Mumbai City and EA SPORTS partner together to entertain the fans of the Club across India and the world with top quality content and bring them closer to their favorite club and footballers.

The announcement follows the recent news of EA SPORTS securing the official license to incorporate the Indian Super League, India’s premier football competition, into FIFA 22.

FIFA 22, the most authentic football experience available, is adding even more realism with Mumbai City FC, now being featured in this year’s game.

Kandarp Chandra, CEO of Mumbai City FC, said:

“We are delighted to welcome EA SPORTS to the Mumbai City family in this landmark moment for gaming in India. Our focus is to bring the fans closer to the club and through our partnership with EA SPORTS, our supporters will have more opportunities to engage with Mumbai City through the power of gaming, especially in times when our fans are unable to watch their favorite club play from the stands.”

“By partnering with EA SPORTS, we aim to incorporate innovation and technology in our efforts to bring Mumbai City closer to wider audiences and football fans in India and across the globe. We look forward to working closely together on various initiatives over the next three season and provide our fans immersive and interactive experiences in the years to come.”

Dallas Mavericks Sign International Deal With Voyager Digital, Includes Naming Rights For Mavs Gaming Hub

The five-year exclusive, integrated partnership has a three-fold mission: make cryptocurrency more accessible through educational and digital programs, plus reach the global audience with activations and create innovative and transformative fan engagement programs.

Even more exciting? The Mavs are giving away free bitcoin worth $100 to anyone who downloads the Voyager Digital app until Oct. 30 at 11:59 p.m. CT.

Here’s how it works:
· Download the Voyager Digital mobile application
· Create an account using the code MAVS100
· Next, deposit $100 and trade a minimum of $10 to unlock your $100 reward
· Most importantly, join the thrilling crypto game and have fun investing!

Mavs governor Mark Cuban and Voyager CEO Steve Ehrlich announced the new Mavs-Voyager alliance at a Wednesday press conference with several players in attendance, including Jalen Brunson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Frank Ntiliknina and Dwight Powell.

[To watch the replay of the press conference, read the official press release and view photos from the event, visit here].

The timing of the Mavs-Voyager partnership  is perfect for crypto-curious fans who want to start investing now.

“I think working together, we’re going to be at the forefront of innovation,” Cuban said. “We’re going to come up with new ways to introduce Mavs fans to cryptocurrency and help them understand it. You know, there’s a lot of hype, there’s a lot of discussion, but most people don’t understand the fundamentals behind it. We’re going to try to bring that level of education to our fans and to our joint customers.

So what are the fundamentals and why should MFFLs care?

To put it simply: there’s untapped potential in the future of digital currencies and it’s an attractive investment for novice investors who might only have $100 to start. That’s where Voyager enters the picture.

The company is a mobile crypto broker that offers commission-free trading on more than 60 cryptocurrencies, with crypto services both for individuals and institutions (stay with me here).

In other words, it’s a way to earn high returns while also getting skin in the game and the Voyager platform makes the process easy and simplified for fans of all ages (trust me, I set mine up in less than three minutes). The 60+ crypto assets allows you to build a diverse portfolio from a single account.

“We’re really excited and this is our first foray into a team sport,” Voyager CEO and co-founder Steve Ehrlich said. “Everything we do at Voyager is about partnerships and partnering with the right people.”

Ehrlich explained that Cuban is a leader in the cryptocurrency world and his deep understanding of the digital-asset space makes this partnership valuable to Voyager Digital.

As part of the deal, Voyager also receives naming rights to the Mavs Gaming Hub, the official gaming venue and digital home court of the Mavs’ NBA 2K League team. It’s also the venue that hosted Wednesday’s press conference.

The official announcement of the Mavs Gaming Hub’s new name will be later revealed.

“Really the whole key is not just the affiliation and (activations) with the Mavs, but it’s the education we want to bring,” said Ehrlich, who has been a veteran in the capital market industry for over 25 years.

“Education is really important for us. There’s a lot for people to learn. Blockchain, cryptocurrency, bitcoin have all been around for 10 plus years, but people are just starting to learn about it, literally in the last nine months. You’ve seen this explosion of people having interest in cryptocurrency. To use a basketball term, we’re still in the first half of the first quarter in teaching people about cryptocurrency. And it starts here. It starts now in Dallas.”

AC Milan And Gatorade Sign A New Partnership Agreement

AC Milan and Gatorade, a PepsiCo brand, are delighted to announce a new partnership, which sees the world’s number one Sports Drink become the Official Sports Drink for the Men’s and Women’s first teams of the Club.

Through this partnership, Gatorade will support AC Milan’s on-field performances both in Serie A and in the UEFA Champions League, of whom Gatorade has been a partner since 2015.

The two brands are heading in this next chapter together, bound by a common and strong passion for innovation and sporting performance. Just as AC Milan – a world-famous brand with a modern and success-driven outlook – has always paid particular attention to the integrity of their own players via innovative solutions, Gatorade and Gatorade Sports Science are committed to the research and study of ever innovative methods in sustaining athletes and helping them improve their performance levels.

Thanks to a scientifically tested formula, Gatorade, in fact, provides the body with all of the essential elements required to guarantee a more efficient replenishment of fluids and electrolytes lost in sweat. Furthermore, it helps maintain endurance performance during sport by supplying muscles under strain with the necessary energy.

The union between AC Milan and Gatorade, for the men’s and women’s teams, represents a natural step forward for the PepsiCo Sports drink as the brand strives to sustain and aid sporting excellence. A valorization of women’s football that is in line with the values of equity and inclusion of AC Milan, a Club that has constantly shown to be committed to the growth of the women’s game in Italy.

As AC Milan’s Official Sports Drink, Gatorade will support AC Milan’s players each and every day with technical products and materials.

Casper Stylsvig, AC Milan Chief Revenue Officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome an iconic brand such as Gatorade, which is a synonym for sporting performance, into our family of partners. This partnership with Gatorade fills us with pride because it is the result of the brilliant work done by the Club in enhancing the appeal of the AC Milan brand on a global level.”

“The Gatorade mission has always been to help feed and improve the performance of every athlete.” says Marcello Pincelli, CEO of PepsiCo Italia. “This is why partnering with an important football club like AC Milan, both in the men’s and women’s championships, as well as in the UEFA Champions League, is a source of great satisfaction and represents for us the sharing of values of determination and desire to achieve ever more ambitious goals. “

Envision Virgin Racing Announces Multi-Year Platinum Partnership With Algorand Foundation

Envision Virgin Racing has today announced a new multi-year partnership that will see the Algorand Foundation become the team’s Platinum Partner.  

The Algorand Foundation is dedicated to fulfilling the global promise of blockchain technology by leveraging the power of the Algorand protocol and its ecosystem, to enable everyone to harness the  potential of an equitable, truly borderless, digital economy, built on a carbon-negative network, that will help sustain a better planet. 

Like Envision Virgin Racing, the Algorand Foundation has a commitment to a sustainable future built on cutting edge innovation and high-performance, backed by durability and reliability forged in the heat of real-world competition.  

This collaboration sees the Algorand Foundation become a partner of the team’s innovative ‘Race Against Climate Change’ sustainability programme, created to help amplify the fight against climate  change and accelerate the movement to zero emission vehicles. Envision Virgin Racing will also work with the Algorand Foundation to strengthen its community initiatives, including supporting the Foundation’s developer and innovator community events.  

Commenting on the announcement, Franz Jung, Vice President of Envision Group and Chairman of  the Board of Envision Virgin Racing Formula E team said: “Sustainability and addressing the climate crisis through the deployment and adoption of innovative new technology is core to why we exist. We’re delighted to be partnering with the Algorand Foundation because, whilst blockchain technology provides many interesting new opportunities for us, and many other organisations, Algorand’s technology allows us the unique opportunity to deploy blockchain in the most environmentally responsible way”. 

Sean Lee, Chief Executive of the Algorand Foundation, added: “The Algorand Foundation, in its mission to build awareness of the Algorand blockchain and it’s rapidly growing ecosystem, had been seeking a global partnership that would deliver that increased awareness on a platform that delivered the passion and excitement of highly competitive sports but that would also parallel the key sustainability values of the Algorand ecosystem. We’re thrilled to partner with Envision Virgin Racing, with whom we have so many amazing synergies.” 

Lee continues: “The Algorand blockchain has been built from the outset to have the smallest possible carbon and energy footprint, and to provide a uniquely sustainable blockchain platform for innovators around the world who want to create technology that has sustainability at its core. We look forward to working to supporting each other in our missions to show that sustainable, climate friendly innovation is the optimal approach to creating our future technology and economies.” 

As one of the founding teams of the FIA Formula E World Championship, Envision Virgin Racing — owned by world-leading greentech company Envision Group — boasts an impressive record both on and off the track. Aside from securing 11 wins and 33 podiums in their 84 races, Envision Virgin Racing was the first carbon neutral Formula E team (PAS 2060). It is also one of a handful to achieve the FIA’s Three Star Sustainability Accreditation, and the only sports team to partner with the UK government to support their ‘Together For Our Planet’ initiative and the UN’s COP26 global summit. 

The team’s new Season 8 livery featuring the Algorand Foundation logo will first be seen at the UN’s COP26 global climate conference. The new-look car will be displayed in the Green Zone at COP26 from Monday November 1st until Friday 12th. 

ImagineAR Client Real Sociedad Launches Integrated ImagineAR SDK in new Realzale Mobile APP

 Imagine AR Inc., an Augmented Reality Company that enables sports teams, businesses and enterprises to instantly create their own AR mobile campaigns, is pleased to announce Real Sociedad has integrated the newest ImagineAR Augmented Reality SDK Platform into their mobile app to deliver global immersive fan activation and engagements with ‘Reala AR’.

real sociedad
Real Sociedad Virtual Copa Del Rey Championship Trophy Launch Using ImagineAR (CNW Group/ImagineAR Inc.)

In this first AR campaign launch today, the Real Sociedad mobile app will have 2 integrated augmented reality experiences and this coming Sunday another one is expected to launch.  The team’s plan is to add new immersive fan engagement AR experiences every two weeks. The Realzale App has exceeded 46,000 downloads since 2019 with over 22,000 active users last month.

Alen Paul Silverrstieen, CEO of ImagineAR, “We have been anticipating our first LaLiga team AR launch since we have entered into an agreement with the team earlier this year.  It is exciting to see the Copa del Reya Champions leverage the fully integrated ImagineAR SDK to deliver unique experiential opportunities to fans around the world including today’s champion trophy.  We look forward to Real Sociedad fans around the world sharing their AR experiences in social media.”

Second Spectrum and Genius Sports Expand Partnerships with Danish Football to Include Live Data Tracking & Analytics

  • Second Spectrum appointed the exclusive Official Tracking Data Provider of Danish Superliga and 1st Division
  • Genius Sports has the non-exclusive official data rights to the Danish Superliga through long-running partnership with the European Leagues
  • Second Spectrum was acquired by Genius Sports in May 2021

The Danish League, the governing body of the premier competitions in Danish football, has expanded its partnerships with data technology leaders Second Spectrum (“2S”) and Genius Sports Limited (NYSE: GENI) (“Genius Sports”) to deliver cutting-edge data tracking and analytics solutions.

Beginning with the ongoing 2021/22 season, 2S and Genius Sports will install optical tracking systems across the 1st Tier 3F SUPERLIGA. Through advanced computer vision and machine learning capabilities, Danish football will be able to identify and provide the precise coordinates of every player and the ball, 25 times a second.

Danish football fans will be also be provided with transformative new statistics including a player’s speeds, acceleration, deceleration, shot velocity, pass probability and expected goals. These insights will be made available across multiple platforms including 10 augmented matches per year, combining tracking data, visualisations, augmented reality and customisable graphics to deliver truly immersive fan experiences.

3F SUPERLIGA club coaches and staff will also use the new software to scout and track player performance. 2S’ post-match panoramic and tactical videos will facilitate new levels of analysis alongside specialist fitness software to assist player recovery and prevent injuries.

Exploratory research is being done to secure 2S data tracking in Danish football’s second-tier NordicBetLIGA, from the beginning of 2022.

In May 2021, Second Spectrum was acquired by Genius Sports, the official data, technology and commercial partner that powers the ecosystem connecting sports, betting and media. Since 2017, Genius Sports has held the non-exclusive rights to capture, distribute and commercialise official data from the Danish Superliga and 1st Division with its global network of sportsbook partners as part of major agreement with the European Leagues.

“This partnership with Second Spectrum will equip Danish football with proven data tracking and broadcast augmentation solutions,” said Claus Thomsen, CEO of the Danish League. “These solutions will be pivotal to us accessing new levels of data-driven insight to enhance our storytelling for Danish football fans.”

“We are excited to partner with Danish football and bring our cutting-edge technology to coaches, players and fans alike,” said Rajiv Maheswaran, President of Second Spectrum. “Our tracking, software and augmentation products will transform both performance analysis and fan engagement, bringing next-generation experiences across the ecosystem of Danish football.”