Kosmos Tennis Teams Up With Socios.Com To Launch The Davis Cup Finals Fan Token

  • The $DAVIS Fan Token, which will give fans unprecedented access to the tournament known as the World Cup of Tennis, will be released on November 4th at the Kosmos Sports Summit. 
  • The Davis Cup Finals by Rakuten will be the first tennis brand to partner with Socios.com, whose roster of 70+ global leading organisations include the world’s biggest football clubs, Formula 1 teams, NBA franchises, esports clubs, MMA brands and much more.  

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Kosmos Tennis, organizers of the Davis Cup by Rakuten, in partnership with Chiliz, leading blockchain providers for the sports and entertainment industry, have announced plans to launch the official Fan Token of the Davis Cup By Rakuten on Socios.com. 

The $DAVIS Fan Token will grant tennis fans worldwide unprecedented access to the tournament widely known as the World Cup of tennis. Engagement opportunities for $DAVIS Fan Token holders will include the chance to have a say and a vote on a number of initiatives by taking part in interactive polls that will run on the Socios.com app. 

In addition, fans can put their skills to the test against other fans from around the world in games, competitions and quizzes, competing in global leaderboards and earning real-life and digital club-related accolades, benefits and experiences along the way. Fans will also be able to access exclusive content and experience Socios.com’s geo-location, augmented reality feature ‘Token Hunt’. 

The $DAVIS Fan Token will be released during the Kosmos Sports Summit, a one-day conference that will bring the sports business community together in Madrid on November 4th. The first poll will be revealed as soon as the FTO is over. Fans can look forward to taking part in an unprecedented decision that will see them leave a footprint that will be widely seen throughout the tournament. 

The total supply of the $DAVIS Fan Token as well as the number of tokens that will be released during the FTO, the price and other details will be announced in the coming days. 

The 2021 edition of the Davis Cup Finals by Rakuten will take place from November 25th to December 5th in three different European venues (Madrid, Innsbruck and Milan), with a total of 18 teams taking part. The semifinals and the final will be played from December 3-5 in Madrid. 

With over 1.2 million users worldwide, Socios.com is a direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform that uses blockchain technology to provide the world’s leading sporting organisations with the tools to engage with and monetize their global fanbases. 

More than 70 major sporting organizations have partnered with Socios.com, including FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan,  Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Inter Milan, Arsenal and the Argentina and Portugal national football teams, as well as a number of leading teams from F1, esports and cricket. The partnership with Kosmos Tennis is Socios.com’s first step into tennis, a sport with over 1 billion fans worldwide. 

Created by Chiliz, the leading blockchain provider for the global sports and entertainment industry, Socios.com has major expansion plans and is targeting many more Fan Token launches throughout the world. Socios.com has multiple office locations around the world and has already opened new regional headquarters in Madrid, Istanbul, São Paulo and Buenos Aires. The company will open a new office in North America in the near future. 

Enric Rojas, CEO of Kosmos Tennis, said: “The partnership with Socios.com and the launching of the $DAVIS Fan Token will allow us to improve the experience of our fans and make them feel part of the competition”. 

“Fans play a very important role in the Davis Cup, and now that travelling abroad is slightly more complicated, the Fan Token will guarantee that fans can enjoy the competition and feel a part of it from their homes”. 

Alexandre Dreyfus, Founder and CEO of Chiliz and Socios.com, added: “The Davis Cup creates passion and excitement among its fans like no other competition in Tennis.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Kosmos Tennis to launch the $DAVIS Fan Token and look forward to giving fans an active role in the tournament.  This partnership is the perfect way for us to enter the world of tennis and we look forward to more big announcements in the sport in the future.”

HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series Unveil 2022 Schedule

The 2022 Series will include 10 men’s and seven women’s rounds over six months; series to kick-off with a pair of combined men’s and women’s events in Dubai; three new hosts as Malaga and Seville in Spain, and Toulouse in France welcome teams; unique system introduced to mitigate the risk of some teams not being able to participate in all events and to determine Series rankings and decide relegation in 2022; Rugby sevens continues to grow following highly successful Olympics in Tokyo which generated more than 22 million video views and over 100 million social media impressions; exciting year ahead with the 2022 Series followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on 29-31 July and Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town on 9-11 September.

World Rugby has confirmed the schedule for the much-anticipated HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 as the sport looks to capitalise on a highly successful and impactful Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The 2022 Series will feature 10 men’s and seven women’s rounds over six months, kicking off with a pair of combined men’s and women’s events in Dubai. The Emirates Dubai Sevens will host a behind closed doors round on 26-27 November, 2021, followed by a second event on 3-4 December with fans in attendance at The Sevens Stadium.

The Series will then return to Europe as Spain plays host for the first time with combined men’s and women’s events in Malaga and Seville on 21-23 and 28-30 January, 2022 respectively. The new venues in Spain temporarily replace traditional Series hosts Sydney, Australia, and Hamilton, New Zealand, who were unable to host in 2022 due to the logistical challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in their region.

The men’s Series continues with  North American rounds in Vancouver on 26-27 February and Los Angeles on 5-6 March before moving to Asia where Hong Kong returns to host a combined men’s and women’s event on 1-3 April, followed by a men’s event in Singapore on 9-10 April. A women’s standalone event will take place in Langford, Canada, on 30 April-1 May before both men’s and women’s teams travel to a new Series venue in Toulouse, France, on 20-22 May where the women’s Series champions will be crowned. The men’s Series concludes with the final event in London on 28-29 May.

There are also changes with the competing teams. Japan join the men’s Series as a core team following their promotion as HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series champions in 2020.

Great Britain will compete in the opening two rounds of the Series in Dubai, as part of the standing agreement to play the calendar year 2021, before reverting to compete as national unions for the remainder of the 2022 Series, with England, Scotland and Wales participating in the men’s Series and England in the women’s series.

The 16 men’s core teams after the Dubai events are Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, USA and Wales.

South Africa will enter the 2022 Series as defending champions after claiming the 2021 title in Edmonton, Canada, in September, while New Zealand, who were unable to compete in Canada, were the 2020 Series winners.

The 11 core women’s teams after the Dubai events are Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and USA. New Zealand’s Black Ferns Sevens will be aiming to defend their title after being crowned champions in 2020.

Noting that Great Britain will compete in the opening two rounds, a points system will be developed that promotes fairness for all competing teams, including those who comprise Great Britain. This will also recognise situations where teams may not be able to participate in any rounds owing to COVID-19.

Rugby sevens players and fans can look forward to a very busy and exciting year in 2022 with the Series followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on 29-31 July and concluding with Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town on 9-11 September.

Today’s announcement follows the sport’s highly successful second Olympic appearance in Tokyo where Fiji’s men and New Zealand’s women topped the podium in front of a huge global audience.

Many new fans are expected to follow the 2022 Series after World Rugby’s Olympics-related social media content achieved huge impact with more than 22 million video views achieving 102 million impressions and 3.4 million public engagements from 2,400 posts across five World Rugby platforms.

The Olympics were followed by back-to-back HSBC Canada Sevens events in Vancouver and Edmonton in September which saw South Africa win the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2021 title, while Great Britain were victorious in the women’s Fast Four events.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “Following an outstandingly competitive and highly impactful Olympic Games competition it is fantastic to announce a full schedule for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 today.

“Alongside popular and traditional rugby sevens venues it will be exciting to take the Series to new venues in Spain and France as the game continues to expand and captivate new audiences around the world with its fast, skilful and thrilling format. Rugby sevens is a key driver of global growth for our sport, particularly in emerging nations, and it firmly remains a top priority for our organisation.

“A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure we can announce a full Series schedule today and we thank HSBC, the host organisations, unions, commercial and broadcast partners for their unwavering support and spirit of collaboration as we navigate the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic together.

“We now look ahead to the return of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series at full throttle ahead of what promises to be a very busy and exciting year for sevens with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town following the Series.

“As ever, the health and welfare of players, fans and wider society continues to be our primary concern and we will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure the safe delivery of the Series.”

HSBC Group Head of Brand and Brand Partnerships Jonathan Castleman said: “Like everyone involved we are incredibly excited that the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is back and this is truly a testament to all of the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes. 

“With new venues in both Spain and France, it opens up further opportunities to attract even more players, fans and communities to the spectacle of rugby sevens and as the long-term partner of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series we cannot wait to watch the teams competing at the highest levels again and where possible with full stadiums.”

The Top Five Investments Business Leaders Should Be Making In 2022

Roy Barak, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Vindicia, looks ahead to 2022 and shares his advice for business leaders.

If you’d asked me five years ago, “what will the business landscape look like in 2022?”, I probably would have come back with some well-thought-out ideas. But nothing could have prepared me or the business community at large for the global pandemic, and all the upheavals since that have been so challenging.

At Vindicia, we’ve been considering how to recalibrate for a bigger and better year as leaders in the subscription tech industry, no matter what comes our way.

“Every company can state its mission. But only the best companies have an ultimate purpose and strive to live up to it.”

Here are the top five “investments” (and not the strictly financial kind) that business leaders must make to stay at the top of their game in 2022:

1. Have a purpose

Every company can state its mission. But only the best companies have an ultimate purpose and strive to live up to it.

A mission is a statement of intent, and a vision is a description of what you wish the company to be. A purpose is different. It is your oxygen and reason for being. In a very crowded marketplace surrounded by high-quality competitors, mission and vision are no longer enough. Only the leaders who can define their company’s purpose – precisely and powerfully – will be the ones who can succeed.

2. Use your purpose to drive the best talent

If your purpose is your engine, then amazing talent will be your fuel. That doesn’t mean limiting yourselves to searching for “superstars,” those with both high aptitude and good attitude. These kinds of employees are in high demand, and no business can rely just on those. So, if you need to compromise (and you will), make sure to go for people with a good attitude – it’s worth gold. This is something I learned from author Frances Frei in her book “Uncommon Service.”

3. Build a culture of transparency and communication

At Vindicia, our purpose is “building better e-commerce connections,” so we like to think of ourselves not just as a tech company, but also as relationship experts. Any good relationship is built on transparency and communication, and these must be cornerstones of the way your business operates, day to day.

“Growth is a great thing, but it can’t be done haphazardly or on the fly.”

Start internally, by cultivating an environment where employees participate in or are aware of the deliberations and dialogue. That honesty and openness builds trust, which is the strongest glue holding your business together. 

4. Processes will help you scale your business quicker

Growth is a great thing, but it can’t be done haphazardly or on the fly. In order to scale your business effectively and quickly, you need to invest in developing and implementing measured processes. These processes provide an organized and flexible framework that grows with your growth, supporting the momentum of success and ensuring viable and sustainable scale.

In 2022, leaders should not just be thinking about how to grow; rather, focus on what processes will help sustain that growth and turn it into long-term scalability.

5. Technology is key to scaling quickly and painlessly

The processes that support effective scalability will always be based on technology. Vindicia’s MarketONE, for example, is an all-in-one subscription technology platform that leverages customer data to reduce churn, create personalized customer journeys, increase customer lifetime value, and reduce errors in recurring payments.

“Every year, Vindicia recovers over $200 million of lost revenue for customers, helping them scale revenue fast, with simple integration in their existing systems.”

Every year, Vindicia recovers over $200 million of lost revenue for customers, helping them scale revenue fast, with simple integration in their existing systems. Technology is always advancing, offering new ways for businesses to improve operations and grow; the challenge is choosing your partners carefully, so you can realize the best possible return on your technology investment.

Be a leader in 2022

The massive increase in digital, the rise of the subscription economy, remote work, and omnichannel dominance – all of these have changed not just the way businesses operate, but also the way business leaders see their companies and the way they must invest their energy and resources with all their partners, customers, employees, and suppliers.

This year, make the mental shift to a different mode of business leadership, and you’ll be shifting your game upwards.

Roy Barak

Roy Barak is Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Vindicia. With over a decade of experience in the financial planning and analysis aspects of the IT and telecommunication industries, Roy brings extensive expertise in pricing models, financial modeling, and working with senior management to transform existing business lines and generating new ones. Previously, Roy worked at Amdocs, Vindicia’s parent company. Here he held key financial positions that supported the establishment of an internal accelerator, which introduced half a dozen successful new offerings. Roy also worked with the Amdocs services sales arm in transforming commercial and pricing models.

Key Tokyo 2020 Take-Aways To Be Discussed At SportAccord’s Virtual IF Forum On 5 November 2021

SportAccord has confirmed that a fully virtual International Federation (IF) Forum will take place on 5 November 2021, providing a timely opportunity to discuss the key lessons from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The event will give International Sport Federations (IFs) the chance to exchange ideas about best practices, as well as discuss opportunities and challenges in the wake of the Games under the theme, ‘Tokyo 2020 – Learnings and Take-Aways for the Future’.

The invitation-only virtual gathering will take place over half a day, from 09:00 to 12:45 CET, with the programme content driven by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

Each of the sessions will be followed by a dedicated 15-minute Q&A slot, giving IFs from the different umbrella sports organisations the opportunity to ask questions and participate in this valuable knowledge-sharing exercise.

The Virtual IF Forum will feature presentations from the IOC Sports Department on Tokyo 2020 Learnings and the IOC Medical and Scientific Department on Medical Take-Aways from the Games. The programme will also include case studies from two International Sport Federations.

“This is an excellent opportunity for International Sport Federations to hear from the International Olympic Committee and to come together to reflect on Tokyo 2020 whilst exploring key lessons for the future,” said the President of SportAccord and the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), Dr. Raffaele Chiulli, who will provide the welcome address at the virtual IF Forum.

The invitation-only Virtual IF Forum 2021 will bring together more than 300 leaders from over 125 IFs, plus other virtual delegates and speakers. The IF Forum will take place just over six months before the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2022 reunites the global sports movement, allowing the industry’s leading figures and stakeholders to gather in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

You can follow SportAccord’s portfolio of events via Twitter @sportaccord or keep up-to-date via LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, VK, and Instagram.

Registration is open for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2022, which will take place from 15-20 May in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Organisations interested in becoming an official partner or exhibitor can contact SportAccord to discuss these investment opportunities by emailing sales@sportaccord.sport, with SportAccord also offering an interactive exhibition floorplan and 3-D flyover of the SportAccord 2022 exhibition space.

FTX Announces Global Partnership With The International Cricket Council

FTX Trading Limited, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, today announced a global partnership with the International Cricket Council, the governing body of cricket, where FTX will be the official cryptocurrency exchange partner for ICC events.

FTX will be partnering ICC events beginning with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, hosted by India staged in UAE and Oman in October to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup also hosted by India in 2023. The partnership covers all ICC properties including the Men’s and Women’s Cricket World Cups; Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups; Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup, and Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier

Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO and Founder of FTX commented on today’s news “Cricket is a long-established sport with deep a history and team ties that go back generations. Cryptocurrency is still in its infancy and at FTX we are looking to forge a new path in mostly unchartered territory. However, to me, this partnership represents the marriage of those two concepts. It is an honor to be a part of the men’s and women’s cricket tournaments and we look forward to building a strong relationship with the International Cricket Council in the years to come.”

Speaking on the association, Anurag Dahiya, Chief Commercial Officer, ICC said: “We are delighted to welcome FTX to our diverse family of partners at the ICC at an especially exciting time for the sport, with the highly anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup coming up shortly. FTX has successfully established itself in a very dynamic sector as one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. Their innovative and ambitious approach matches well with the energy of our sport. We look forward to working together on opportunities to engage fans in exciting new ways over the coming years and throughout our events.”

Binance Becomes Main Jersey Sponsor For S.S. Lazio To Kick Off The Binance Fan Token Platform

Binance is proud to announce a multi-year partnership with renowned football team, S.S. Lazio. Binance will become the main jersey sponsor for the club. S.S. Lazio will become the launch partner for the Binance Fan Token Platform, available from October 13th.

By joining forces with Binance, Lazio Fan Tokens will be issued via the Binance Launchpad to take their brand to the next level, and to create a more meaningful fan engagement experience for the club’s supporters—through unique and engagement-based rewards, interactivity, gamification and more.

S.S. Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a top Italian professional football team based in Rome. The club was founded in 1900 and has collected many prestigious titles, including a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, two Italian Championships, seven Coppa Italia titles and three Supercoppa Italiana titles. Over the years, the club featured many world-famous players, such as Sinisa Mihajlovic, Diego Simeone, Roberto Mancini, Giuseppe Favalli, Alessandro Nesta, Tommaso Rocchi, Miro Klose, Ciro Immobile and many more. Lazio currently boasts more than 1.5 million supporters in Italy, and a digital fan base exceeding 2.5 million followers across their social networks.

Claudio Lotito, President of Lazio, commented: “Our agreement with Binance will allow us to extend our digital presence and connect with our fans and followers like never before. Engaging our fan base with emerging technologies and harnessing the reach of Binance opens up new horizons for our club’s brand activation and future support. With the help of Binance, we seek to bring S.S. Lazio fans who are around the world closer to the club. The LAZIO Fan Token truly brings our club’s players and their success closer to fans worldwide”.

Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, CEO and co-founder of Binance, commented: “Sports fans can take advantage of this revolutionary fan-engagement and gamification solution in many exciting ways. Fans can collect Binance Fan Tokens and rare NFT offerings, enjoy exclusive voting rights on certain club decisions reserved for fans, unlock one-of-a-kind Fan Badges and rewards based on their level of engagement, collect signed merchandise and even meet their favorite teams in person. Binance Fan tokens are an exciting way for fans to engage more meaningfully with their favorite teams and offer opportunities for teams to really embrace their fans in return.”

The official Lazio Fan Token (LAZIO) is a utility token providing fans with a way to engage with their favorite team. LAZIO will be available for all Binance users via the Launchpad from today and later via Spot, bank card purchases and P2P.

For further details on the LAZIO Launchpad and future team listings, visit the Binance Fan Token Platform.

Ticketing Technology Leader SeatGeek To Be Publicly Listed In Business Combination With RedBall Acquisition Corp

SeatGeek, the high-growth, mobile-centric technology platform that is transforming the live-event experience for fans, teams, and venues, and RedBall Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company with a focus on sports, media and data analytics, today announced the signing of a definitive business combination agreement to take SeatGeek public.

RedBall is a $575 million SPAC, sponsored by an affiliate of RedBird Capital Partners, a private investment firm with over $5B in assets under management and deep investing and operational expertise across the sports and live events ecosystem. RedBird’s current and prior investments in sports, media, and ticketing include the YES Network, On Location Experiences, Skydance, Wasserman, OneTeam Partners, Fenway Sports Group, the XFL, Toulouse FC, and the IPL’s Rajasthan Royals. Upon the close of the transaction, the combined company will be named SeatGeek.

Founded in 2009, SeatGeek is a high-growth, global technology ticketing marketplace and live entertainment technology platform, uniquely positioned to meet the needs of all stakeholders in the estimated $126 billion global live entertainment ecosystem, which has quickly returned to growth in 2021. Through a mobile-first marketplace and vertically integrated technology platform, SeatGeek makes it easy for fans to buy tickets, attend, and enjoy live events, through innovative features like Deal Score, its proprietary ticket rating technology, Rally, its event-day operating system, and SeatGeek Swaps, the only hassle-free return policy offered by a major ticket marketplace.

SeatGeek’s open-ecosystem enterprise ticketing software empowers teams, venues, and promoters to efficiently grow their businesses while delivering a superior fan experience. SeatGeek is the exclusive ticketing platform for a rapidly increasing number of major teams and venues, including the Brooklyn Nets (Barclays Center), Cleveland Cavaliers (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse), Dallas Cowboys (AT&T Stadium), and half of the English Premier League. SeatGeek’s platform has seen growth in a number of verticals and venue types, including traditional stadiums, arenas, and theaters, as well as casinos, horse tracks, and golf events.

Well-positioned in the live event marketplace ecosystem, SeatGeek’s vertically integrated technology platform, which connects fans, ticket sellers, and rightsholders, allows it to create new user experiences, offer more comprehensive inventory, and capture strong economics for its enterprise partners. This has created a powerful flywheel benefitting all stakeholders and driving the company’s 70% compound annual growth from 2016 to 2019 and strong market expansion since 2017. Following the suspension of most live events in 2020, SeatGeek has resumed its rapid growth in 2021, signing more new client total annual revenue in the first half of the year, including major new partnerships with the Brooklyn Nets (Barclays Center) and Jujamcyn Theaters, than in any year in the company’s history.

“At SeatGeek we believe live events create powerful experiences that unite humans. We build technology to make more of those experiences possible. Since we started SeatGeek, we’ve focused relentlessly on reinventing live event ticketing. Our technology transforms the historically opaque and complicated process of purchasing tickets into a seamless, delightful experience that enriches events for fans, sellers and rightsholders,” said Jack Groetzinger, CEO and Co-Founder of SeatGeek. “We’ve grown substantially in 2021, gaining in market share as the live entertainment industry recovers. That makes this a particularly exciting time to go public via this merger with RedBall. Their significant experience and relationships in sports, live entertainment, and ticketing makes RedBall the ideal partner for SeatGeek.”

Alec Scheiner, CEO of RedBall, added, “We believe SeatGeek is truly the future of live event ticketing. SeatGeek’s technology, customer focus, brand and vertically integrated model align the needs of fans and rightsholders, and differentiates SeatGeek from other industry players, as demonstrated by its impressive growth and share gain momentum. Just as importantly, Jack and the SeatGeek team have built a proven and scalable growth model with compelling long-term margins. With additional capital and RedBall’s company building experience and relationships, we’re excited to help scale this visionary company.”

In addition to the funds from RedBall, the transaction is bolstered by a strong roster of strategic investors. The PIPE of $100 million is led by early SeatGeek investor Accel, joined by Ryan Smith, Founder and Executive Chairman of Qualtrics, and owner of Smith Entertainment Group which includes the Utah Jazz, Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Thirty Five Ventures, and a number of others. The group brings a unique set of industry expertise and relationships across sports, technology and entertainment.

“Accel helps build tech companies that redefine categories,” said John Locke, Partner at Accel. “As long-time investors in SeatGeek, we know that their technology is transforming the live event industry, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue our partnership at this key inflection point.”

Smith added, “I’m proud to become a part of the SeatGeek story at this key moment. As a team owner, I know how much opportunity there is to modernize the business around sports. With their incredible team and world-class technology, SeatGeek is poised to make a huge impact on our industry.”

Proceeds from the transaction will be used to expand SeatGeek’s enterprise partnerships in additional markets and scale marketing, while also investing in continued technology development, strategic M&A, and international expansion.

Jack Groetzinger will continue as CEO of the combined company, overseeing its vision and evolution, joined by SeatGeek’s current executive team.

Transaction Overview

The business combination implies an enterprise value of the combined company of approximately $1.35 billion. Upon completion of the transaction, including the PIPE (as defined below), and assuming no redemptions by public shareholders of RedBall, the current owners of SeatGeek will hold approximately 63.5% of the combined company and current RedBall shareholders will hold approximately 28.5% of the combined company.

Breeders’ Cup And Qatar Racing Announce Title Partnership For Breeders’ Cup Sprint

Breeders’ Cup and Qatar Racing today announced a multi-year partnership that designates Qatar Racing as the official title partner of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), beginning at this year’s World Championships at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 5-6.

The partnership also designates the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO) (G1) as “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series races for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) and the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), respectively. The two races will take place on British Champions Day on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Ascot Racecourse.

“The Breeders’ Cup is one of the most famous race meetings in the world, and to have the QIPCO Champion Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes as ‘Win and You’re In’ races on QIPCO British Champions Day will only help to evolve the prestige of the day,” said Chairman of Qatar Racing, Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah Al Thani. “Qatar Racing is also delighted to be sponsoring the Breeders’ Cup Sprint as we continue to raise the profile of Qatar Racing as an international brand and off the back of our growing success in America with the likes of Shedaresthedevil winning the Oaks last year.”

“This exciting partnership reinforces our shared commitment with Qatar Racing to promote the best Thoroughbred racing in the world to new and growing audiences,” said Drew Fleming, Breeders’ Cup President and CEO. “Qatar Racing is guided by a deep passion for Thoroughbred racing, making them an excellent partner in our efforts to continuously elevate the prestigious status of the World Championships to audiences across the globe.”

The agreement will allow Qatar Racing to grow its brand in the U.S. and among key international audiences as best-in-class trainers, owners, breeders, and jockeys from all over the world meet in Southern California to compete at the highest-levels of Thoroughbred racing. Qatar Racing’s brand will be featured prominently in onsite signage at Del Mar and during the NBC Sports’ broadcast of the World Championships, and with international broadcast outlets 

As a corporate partner of Breeders’ Cup, Qatar Racing will also be featured in the event program, on the Breeders’ Cup website and owned social handles, and on the Breeders’ Cup World Championship Player’s Show hosted by TVG.

Tickets for the 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships are on sale now at BreedersCup.com/Tickets. The World Championships will be televised on NBC and NBCSN.

Bundesliga International And Sony Pictures Networks India Agree Two-Year Exclusive Media Rights Deal In India

Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, has agreed to a two-year deal with Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) for exclusive media rights to broadcast the Bundesliga in India and the Indian Subcontinent. The agreement includes India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Pakistan.

The deal between Bundesliga International and Sony Pictures Networks, which has already commenced and runs until the end of the 2022-23 season, ensures that football fans throughout the region have access to their favourite German players such as Thomas Müller, Manual Neuer, Marco Reus and Mats Hummels, along with global stars Robert Lewandowski, Erling Halaand, Benjamin Pavard, Kingsley Coman, Dayot Upamecano and Jude Bellingham to name a few. Fans can catch the live action from Bundesliga on SPN’s linear sports channels and on-demand OTT platform, SonyLIV.

Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein said, “With this new deal, we are able to guarantee Bundesliga fans a place to watch their team every single Matchday. We are looking forward to working with Sony Pictures Networks India throughout India and the Indian Subcontinent to deliver all the twists and turns of the next Bundesliga seasons.”

Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India said, “We are excited about announcing our successful acquisition of Bundesliga, which is a part of our ongoing strategy to be the premier destination for the best of International football. The Bundesliga is among the most popular club football leagues in the world and boasts of a strong fan following in India, making it a perfect addition to Sony Pictures Network’s portfolio of elite international events. We are looking forward to working with Bundesliga to serve our viewers in India and the Indian subcontinent with the best coverage of Germany’s leading football competition.”

The Bundesliga has a strong history of showcasing the best of the footballing talent from across Asia and, over the last ten years, has fielded more players from the Asian Football Confederation than any of the other top European leagues.

Alongside the top names stars, the Bundesliga is renowned for creating opportunities for young players to succeed. In the summer, Indian teenager Shubho Paul was selected for FC Bayern München’s World Squad, a group of 15 under-19 players chosen from around the world to train with the German champions and play matches against its current U19 team.

In addition, the Bundesliga has brought a number of activations to India, with the goal of bringing German football to the local fans so that they have the opportunity to engage first hand. This includes the Oktoberfest Experience in 2019, where FC Bayern München Legend Klaus Augenthaler joined fan groups in Mumbai for a “Klassiker Fan Match”. The season before, Bundesliga Legend Lothar Matthäus travelled to Kochi and Mumbai, visiting a football school and a FC Bayern fan club to meet and interact with supporters.

Image: Thanks to DFL/Getty

The Opportunities, Challenges And Learnings Sports Organisations Have Experienced With Apps

After fan engagement was thrust even further into the spotlight during the Coronavirus pandemic it continues to be a leading focus for teams and organisations. At our recent iSportConnect Lausanne Summit we looked at how apps are becoming a key area to utilise in order to best enhance fan engagement. 

Sporting organisations are constantly looking to get closer to their fans, with the wide range of social media platforms available in today’s world making it more and more confusing and to where and how best to interact with your fans.

However, one area that is seeing a raft of positivity for some of these organisations is that of apps, which are becoming a greater focus for many.

“For us it was about giving a service to our community, that makes their life easier.”

“Late Q4 2020 there was both a heightened level of interest and more capability to execute, so six to nine months from the beginning of Covid we saw a lot of increase in the demand for high-quality apps,” says Kaius Meskanen, CEO of Choicely.

The reason for this is the greater accessibility for those who have an application on their phone, as they have immediate access to all of the content they are looking for within their favourite sport and those controlling the apps can send them push notifications to direct them to it at any time.

But the key for those who begin to use an app is to ensure that the content is regularly updated in order to keep fans engaged, otherwise they can quickly lose interest, so it is crucial to have a plan of action.

Find out more from the International Judo Federation, World Athletics and app-creating platform Choicely from our Lausanne Summit in this new video.

“Making the app was not about attracting a different community, we’re doing that through the marketing and the media content we’re preparing,” Vlad Marinescu, Director General of the IJF commented.

“For us it was about giving a service to our community, a service they were expecting, that makes their life easier, their access to the content, results and videos from events faster and more efficient.”

iSportConnect will be hosting a private virtual workshop alongside Choicely looking at ‘The Mobile App Opportunity’ on Wednesday, November 3rd at 2pm GMT. Contact emma@isportconnect.com if you would like to be part of this event.