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.

UEFA Announces Bidding Process For Potential UEFA EURO 2028 Hosts

UEFA has announced that its member associations interested in hosting UEFA EURO 2028 have until March 2022 to declare their interest, with the appointment of the host(s) set to take place in September 2023

UEFA EURO 2028 is set to take place over 51 matches and feature 24 teams, as has been the case for the previous two tournaments. Joint bids are permitted, provided that the bidding countries are geographically compact.

Interested parties will need to provide 10 stadiums, with the following capacities:

  • Minimum of 1 stadium with at least 60,000 net seating capacity
  • Minimum of 1 stadium, preferably 2 stadiums, with at least 50,000 net seating capacity
  • Minimum of 4 stadiums with at least 40,000 net seating capacity
  • Minimum of 3 stadiums with at least 30,000 net seating capacity

The bidding timeline, which interested parties will need to follow, can be found here:

  • 23 March 2022 – Deadline for national associations to confirm their interest to bid
  • 30 March 2022 – Bid requirements are made available to the bidders
  • 5 April 2022 – Announcement of bidders by UEFA
  • 12 April 2023 – Final Bid dossier submission deadline
  • September 2023 – Appointment of host(s) of UEFA EURO 2028

In order to ensure compatibility with the competition’s sporting and commercial format, the automatic qualification of the host team(s) shall be guaranteed only for a single host or a maximum of two joint host associations, as always implemented in the past.

In case of more than two joint host associations, the automatic qualification of all the host teams cannot be guaranteed and shall be subject to a decision to be made in conjunction with decisions concerning the qualifying competition.

IMG Appoints Barney Francis Executive Vice President, Global Production

IMG has hired former Sky Sports Managing Director Barney Francis as Executive Vice President, Head of Global Production to lead IMG’s production business into a new era.

Francis, who will start in early November, is widely respected as a creative and innovative executive largely responsible for establishing Sky Sports as the leading UK sport broadcaster during his 20-year spell with the organization. As Managing Director, Francis grew the channel offering from 5 channels to 11, adding premium sports such as Formula 1, the Masters, The Open and NBA to the portfolio while also increasing the number of Premier League matches shown on Sky. He also oversaw continued technological innovation with developments in 3D, Ultra HD, virtual reality and the continued growth of Sky Sports’ digital, social and online presence.

“Barney is a transformative hire for our media business,” said Adam Kelly, Co-President of Media & Events at IMG. “As a key member of my leadership team, he will play a catalytic role in our strategic growth and development plans as we evolve our model to better empower rights holders to develop and deliver innovative, multiplatform content that engages fans directly. His pedigree, drive and exceptional reputation are undeniable, and we are excited to welcome him to IMG.”

“I’m proud to be joining the team at IMG at such a pivotal moment in the sports industry,” said Francis. “As consumption habits continue to change, the offering we’ll debut will help teams, leagues and federations reach new and existing fans in creative and compelling ways. IMG is the industry standard for sport production, and I’m really excited to join such an exceptional team.”

Prior to his role as Managing Director, Francis was Sky Sports’ Executive Producer for Football and Cricket, producing a range of live coverage, support programming and sport news content. His production credits include the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, the ICC Cricket World Cup and Test cricket.

Francis will collaborate closely with Graham Fry, Chairman of IMG’s production business, who, as previously announced, will be retiring at the end of 2022. 

Simon Massie-Taylor Appointed New Chief Executive Of Premiership Rugby

PREMIERSHIP RUGBY is delighted to confirm the appointment of Simon Massie-Taylor as their new Chief Executive.

This is a key moment for Premiership Rugby as the business moves to accelerate development of the full potential of the league, for the benefit of the players, the clubs and our fans. The Gallagher Premiership Rugby plan is to continue to build live TV and stadium audiences whilst significantly increasing the league’s digital presence, with investment in quality and digital fan engagement. These are key steps on the path to grow commercial revenues, for reinvestment back into the sport, ensuring the longer-term success of our clubs and players in the Premiership, in Europe, and on the world stage.

Simon’s experience places him strongly to lead Premiership Rugby in this phase, joining from the RFU where he is Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer. At the RFU, he was responsible for the organisation’s revenue-generating and marketing activities including broadcast, brand partnerships, fan engagement and digital and data transformation projects. Prior to the RFU, he was Commercial Director at the British Olympic Association and Commercial Director at Tough Mudder in New York.

Simon Massie-Taylor said: “I’m very proud to be joining Premiership Rugby at such an exciting time for the Gallagher Premiership. Last season was an incredible one to watch as a fan, particularly the unforgettable final at Twickenham, and the current season has already provided some hugely entertaining rugby”.

“As we emerge out of the COVID period it’s an important time for our sport. I am looking forwards to investing behind our product, working together with the talented team at Premiership Rugby, our clubs, owners and investors.”

Andrew Higginson chairman of Premiership Rugby said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Simon Massie-Taylor as the new Chief Executive of Premiership Rugby.

“Simon’s deep knowledge of commercial matters, passion for and understanding of the sport makes him uniquely placed to support Premiership Rugby in becoming the most competitive and exciting rugby league in the world.”

Simon’s start date at Premiership Rugby will be confirmed in due course.

Commonwealth Games Revamps Strategy To Increase Benefits For Potential Host Cities

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has unveiled a new Strategic Roadmap at its 2021 General Assembly on the 11th of October, which provides potential future hosts and sports with the renewed flexibility to be innovative and creative in delivering the Commonwealth Games.

In a series of recommendations to increase hosting benefits and make the Games even more cost effective, whilst engaging new audiences, the Commonwealth Sport 2026-2030 Strategic Roadmap invites future hosts to explore innovative concepts, including co-hosting and mass participation event.

As part of an ongoing consultation with International Federations, there are ambitions for a revised Sport Programme to provide hosts with more flexibility to choose from a wider list of core sports. This will now include disciplines that have previously been listed as optional sports such as T20 Cricket, Beach Volleyball and 3×3 Basketball. This will allow hosts the ability to propose entirely new sports, relevant to their nation or culture, to enhance cultural showcasing and community engagement.

To provide a blueprint for flexibility and certainty, the recommendation from the CGF is for approximately 15 sports to feature at the Commonwealth Games. There will be flexibility with the maximum number of sports, with athletics and swimming proposed as the two compulsory sports. This is due to their historical place on the programme since 1930 and based on universality, participation, broadcasting, spectator interest, Para inclusion and gender balance.

Engagement will continue with Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) and International Federations over the coming months in line with the vision, intent and direction of the Roadmap.

The CGF will continue to work with future hosts to agree the minimum and maximum cap on athlete numbers, helping ensure that the size, scale and cost of the multi-sport event is continually optimised and carefully managed.

This will allow the host to generate maximum value, impact and legacy from staging the event, with this work supported by the Commonwealth Games Value Framework. Coupled with a strong proposition for prospective hosts, the roadmap will allow a more sustainable long-term agenda, with increased awareness of how sport and culture can positively impact communities. Amongst other approved recommendations, the Strategic Roadmap has outlined that:

  • An integrated Para sport programme must remain a key, focal part of the Games
  • Future potential hosts would be encouraged to consider alternative Athlete Village solutions, rather than being required to accommodate athletes in a new build environment or on a single site
  • International Federations would be encouraged to propose new innovations and sports/disciplines to drive growth and youth engagement
  • The Federation will continue to prioritise sustainability, social purpose and legacy planning as part of discussions with potential hosts
  • Hosts would be encouraged to consider mass participation events as part of their health and well-being programmes

The Strategic Roadmap was approved today by the Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) at the 2021 CGF General Assembly, which was held virtually.

CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: “We are delighted to unveil our direction of travel with this new Strategic Roadmap, which I believe marks the start of an exciting new era for the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Sport.

Our Games need to adapt, evolve and modernise to ensure we continue to maintain our relevance and prestige across the Commonwealth.

After a long period of hard work and consultation, incorporating the views and opinions of our membership and experts across the world, we are excited to move forwards with this Roadmap. I would like to thank all our 72 Commonwealth Games Associations for their support.

Our next step is to work closely with our International Federation partners to ensure they can contribute to the vision and direction of the Roadmap in order to underpin the future of the Games.”