SIS Takes Significant Investment In Australia’s RACELAB GLOBAL

SIS (Sports Information Services), the leading multi-channel supplier of 24/7 live betting services, has announced a significant investment in RACELAB GLOBAL, the racing data science company.

The respected Australian supplier’s unique proprietary technologies enhance international wagering businesses by delivering innovative wagering products, including live PRO FORM™ informatics alongside its ODDS ENGINE™ technology suite that generates real-time, accurate fixed odds pricing.

At its heart, RACELAB has developed a quantitative modelling platform that accurately measures runner performance using a globally standardised format for all racing codes which is then applied with all relevant upcoming race statistics to generate market leading betting prices.

Richard Ames, SIS CEO and new Chair of RACELAB, said: “Our investment in RACELAB gives us instant access to a complementary suite of fantastic next generation technology products and services which will benefit all our current customers and will appeal to a good many more.

“SIS’ international and digital presence has been growing steadily in the last few years and this partnership will allow us to kick on further and faster, adding a range of market leading products across our full portfolio of international horse and greyhound racing. The customer relationships built up by the RACELAB team complement many of the relationships that have been worked on by SIS over the last few years.”

Newly appointed RACELAB CEO, Dr Eliot Forbes, said: “We are excited to be working with Richard and the SIS team, particularly in the many international markets where there are great opportunities for the racing industry’s key stakeholders. RACELAB’s technologies are transformative, enabling scale, accuracy and genuine innovation and partnering with SIS will allow RACELAB to expand quickly and gain wide distribution for our services.”

Shane Clarke, RACELAB founder and executive director, said: “RACELAB has successfully introduced a range of products and services, principally to the Australasian market. I am delighted that this partnership with SIS extends the reach of our company to a genuinely global basis, and I am sure the relationship will prove to be extremely productive in a very short timescale.”

Fulham FC Welcomes CRX Compression As Official Partner

Fulham Football Club is pleased to announce an exciting new two-year partnership with CRX Compression.  

CRX Compression specialise in providing athletes with premium, high-quality compression garments focused on improving recovery, preventing injury, and maximising performance.

Their medical grade compression garments will be worn by the Men’s, Women’s and Academy Team players throughout the term of the partnership.

Jon Don-Carolis, Sales Director said:

“We’re thrilled to be working with CRX Compression for the next two-seasons in a partnership that will positively impact the recovery and performance of our Men’s, Women’s and Academy teams.”

Jack Wright, Sales and Marketing Director at CRX Compression said, “We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with a club like Fulham. Our aim is to provide both men’s and women’s teams with the tools they need to enhance their recovery, injury prevention and performance.  

Fulham will provide us with a great platform to build awareness of CRX Compression whilst providing an educational platform for sportsmen and women participating in sporting activities at all levels on the benefits of using CRX compression garments daily as part of their general training and recovery protocols” 

Extreme E’s Season 1 Finale To Take Place In The UK

Extreme E, the sport for purpose electric off-road racing series, has today confirmed that its Season 1 finale, ‘the Jurassic X Prix’ will take place in Bovington, in the UK’s South Coast county of Dorset, on 18-19 December 2021.

Alejandro Agag, Extreme E Founder and CEO, said: “I’m very excited by this race location – our first event on UK soil. This move is a poignant shift in our mission to race in remote, far-away places to highlight the effects of climate change, as more increasingly, the issues we talk about are literally happening in our backyards so it felt like the right time to bring the spotlight home, and help the army reduce its own carbon footprint.

“The world needs to move forward when it comes to the combustion engine and many other practices, and what better way to symbolise that than with a Jurassic themed X Prix. Unless we push forward with climate and sustainability action, certain species risk becoming extinct, and that is something we simply cannot ignore any longer.”

Bovington is a well-known British Army military base and sits just off the Jurassic Coastline. Extreme E is working closely with the British Ministry of Defence and Army which has recently revealed its climate change and sustainability strategy. The strategy combines the mitigation of environmental impact whilst maintaining military output. It aims to do this by reducing emissions and scaling up the transition to renewables, thus contributing to the UK’s aim to be net zero by 2050. Efforts have started already with the Army piloting electric armoured vehicles and carbon efficient accommodation.

Major General Simon Hutchings OBE said: “The British Army prides itself on its ability to conduct operations in all environments, adapting and developing its skills as required.  The opportunity to work alongside Extreme E who are world leaders in electrification of vehicles and sustainable energy production is very exciting.  It will enable us to share innovative ideas which will allow the Army to continue to gain technology advantage globally, whilst also contributing to our climate and sustainability targets.” 

The racing will be as exciting as ever with a course designed to include natural obstacles putting the all-electric ODYSSEY 21 through its paces to crown the eventual winning combination of car, team and driver. Each team fields both a male and female driver who will complete a lap each with a Driver Switch built into the format. With points up for grabs throughout the race weekend, some of the best drivers in the world plus the instant speed of all-electric mobility, the concluding X Prix is set to be a showstopper.

Jenson Button, JBXE Team Principal said: “It is brilliant news that Extreme E’s Season finale will be held in the UK. I’ve been lucky enough to race on UK soil a number of times throughout my career and those memories will always be incredibly special to me.

“Heading off-road at Bovington will be a totally different experience but equally as special as I’ll be the one watching and supporting Kevin and Mikaela and the rest of the JBXE team as we push for a strong finish to the season. After back-to-back podiums, if we can carry that form into Sardinia and put ourselves in the mix for the final race then we could be in store for an amazing finish!”

Extreme E is a partner to the UN’s Race to Zero campaign as well as Count Us In, which challenges its fans to take steps which reduce their own carbon footprints. These collaborations are all focussed on tackling the global climate crisis and with road transport currently accounting for 75 per cent of the global emissions associated with transportation, accelerating the move to clean mobility by 2030, in line with government goals, is key to success. 

Nigel Topping, UK High Level Champion for Climate Action at COP26, who also leads Race to Zero, said: “Extreme E provides an incredible platform for accelerating  the clean mobility transition and driving awareness for the climate solutions we can, and must all adopt. 

“The Jurassic X Prix follows COP26 and provides further opportunity for the UK to keep crucial momentum, which is imperative if we are to succeed in our goal to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C. The shift to zero emission vehicles will hugely help reach that goal and Extreme E demonstrates the capabilities of electric vehicles, but also their associated technologies. It also uses the powerful platform of sport to engage its fanbase to take steps to reduce their own carbon footprint.”    

Extreme E will continue with its Legacy Programme format which aims to leave long-lasting positive impact in each country in which it races, with exact details to be revealed in the weeks leading up to the end of year event. Not only that, the thought leadership workshops are set to continue, and will be available to view online after the event.

Three Cities In Discussions To Stage NFL Regular Season Games In Germany

The National Football League today confirmed that three cities are in discussions to host regular-season games in Germany.

The NFL, which has staged 29 games in London since 2007 and will play its 30th at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (October 17), is aiming to find the most suitable partner city for a possible expansion of the International Series into Germany.

After an initial period in which expressions of interest were received from multiple cities, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich have been invited to proceed to the ‘candidate phase’ of the process. Those cities will now participate in deeper conversations about staging games in Germany.

“Regular-season games are a key part of continuing the development of our German fan base by creating more excitement for the sport and more connectivity with fans and communities,” said BRETT GOSPER, NFL Head of Europe and UK. “

“The strong interest we have received from German cities underlines what a fantastic opportunity this is for a host, ranging from the significant economic benefits and global exposure to the chance to become a hub for the growth of the NFL’s fan engagement, community and grassroots activities.

“As well as identifying a stadium that is fully capable of handling the logistics of an NFL game, we want to work with a host consortium that comprises local and regional government, stadium ownership, local stakeholders and potential commercial partners. We want this to be a long-term partnership.”

The NFL has enjoyed a number of strong years of fan growth in Germany, where it now has 19 million fans.  Weekly NFL television viewership on partners ProSieben and DAZN has grown by more than 20 percent annually since 2017, and millions of fans tuned in for Super Bowl LV in February, making it the third consecutive season of record German Super Bowl viewership. Germany is a leading market outside North America for NFL Shop sales, fantasy football participation and sales of the Madden NFL video game.

German-born players are making an increasing impact on the NFL, with fullback Jakob Johnson becoming a regular starter for the New England Patriots during the 2020 season and two other Germans currently in the NFL as part of the International Player Pathway program, David Bada (Washington) and Aaron Donkor (Seattle Seahawks). In recent seasons Sebastian Vollmer won two Super Bowls (XLIX and LI) as part of the Patriots offensive line that protected quarterback Tom Brady, while Björn Werner was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.

Big Ten Network Selects Sportradar To Refresh B1G+ Streaming Service

Sportradar, a leading global provider of sports entertainment products and services, and the Big Ten Network have partnered to relaunch B1G+, a direct-to-consumer subscription service for non-televised events powered by the Big Ten Network. The revitalized B1G+ includes approximately 1,500 live streams of Big Ten Olympic sports, as well as video-on-demand of basketball and football games that previously aired on linear channels.

Sportradar is fuelling the relaunch by providing its technology and data-driven OTT solutions to help the Big Ten Network manage the OTT backend, all OTT frontends (including web, mobile, and connected TV apps), UX/UI design, as well as third-party integration. The result is an end-to-end OTT fan solution featuring a comprehensive library of historical content, shoulder programming, on-demand content, Olympic sports, and women’s sports that offers viewers extensive opportunities to customize and personalize the manner in which they follow and support their favorite Big Ten programs. 

Sportradar U.S. CEO Arne Rees said: “Today’s sports audience expects an experience that is highly personalized and tailored to their unique interests. Using our technology and data-driven OTT solutions, which have been developed and refined over the last 15 years, the Big Ten Network now has the flexibility it needs to meet and exceed viewer demands. We look forward to working closely with the Big Ten Network and helping them deliver an innovative product to their fans now and in the future.”

B1G+ streams hundreds of non-televised live events via subscription and features exclusive behind-the-scenes video, game highlights, original programming, and press conferences from 28 men’s and women’s sports across the Big Ten Conference, with additional coverage from conference postseason tournaments and events. The network schedule annually features more than 800 women’s events in the sports of basketball, ice hockey, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, field hockey, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Michael Calderon, Big Ten Network senior vice president of programming and digital media said: “From our perspective, the goal of B1G+ is to deliver a best-in-class experience for Big Ten fans viewing live events, archived games and original programming highlighting their favorite schools and teams. Thanks to Sportradar’s platform, technology and solution-oriented mindset, we believe the refreshed B1G+ will serve as a destination for college sports fans across the country as they follow one of the nation’s premier collegiate conferences.”

As pioneers in combining the power of live sports data and video, as well as experts in offering insights into fan behavior, Sportradar delivers personalized, targeted content to engage audiences and enhance awareness around any sport or product. With its market data and industry expertise, Sportradar is uniquely positioned to provide custom monetization solutions to rights holders through a combination of advertising, subscription, retail, and sponsorship.

Santini Signs Five-Year Deal With A.S.O. To Supply Official Jerseys For Tour De France

Santini Cycling Wear and A.S.O. are delighted to announce a new agreement making the Italian brand official partner to the Tour de France from 2022 to supply the prestigious Yellow Jersey and the other official jerseys for the elite multi-stage road race.  The sponsorship deal also includes the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and L’Étape du Tour.

Monica Santini: “This agreement shines out in the portfolio of partnerships our company has built up over its 50-plus years in the professional cycling world.”

From 2022, the Santini Cycling Wear story will be inextricably linked with that of the King of the Grand Tours: the Italian company has been announced as official partner to the Tour de France. The new deal with A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organization) means Santini will now supply the leader jerseys for the Grande Boucle, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and the amateur riders competing in the L’Étape du Tour.

“Signing this agreement was a hugely emotional experience for us and we are genuinely thrilled to announce this partnership with the Tour de France,” commented Santini Cycling Wear CEO Monica Santini. “It marks the continuation of a relationship with A.S.O. [that] begun with the sponsorship of La Vuelta and followed on with the Deutschland Tour. Now we have also added the most important race on the international cycling calendar to our tally.”

The announcement marks the start of a glittering chapter in the story that Santini has been writing since 1965 thanks to the constant commitment of Pietro Santini, his daughters Monica and Paola, and the Italian company’s entire team. Santini’s research and innovation consistently produces superior quality technical wear designed to meet the exacting needs of pro and amateur cyclists alike as well as supporting the leading international cycling events.

As with the rest of its products, Santini will be making all of official jerseys worn by the Tour de France leaders as well as the women’s edition of the Grande Boucle at its facility in Lallio, just outside Bergamo, Italy, guaranteeing these elite athletes the very finest in Italian quality.   

The company will also be making the official replica jerseys that will be on sale to the public as well as the jerseys worn by the amateur riders during the L’Étape du Tour.

Yann Le Moenner, A.S.O. CEO commented: “We are glad and proud to welcome Santini on the Tour de France. A new chapter has opened itself for the leader jerseys of La Grande Boucle thanks to this historic brand of cycling equipment. It will offer high-performance products with creative designs to both the elite of world cycling and the regular amateur riders who will once again be present on all the events organized by A.S.O.”

The agreement is for five years.

Kin Partners Hires Head Of Blockchain Strategy To Drive Crypto Strategies For Brands, Talent And Property Clients

Leading independent sport and entertainment management agency, KIN Partners, has appointed Rory Woolston to a newly created role as Head of Blockchain Strategy.

The new position – believed to be the first dedicated blockchain and cryptocurrency role amongst sport management agencies globally – will see Woolston identify and deliver commercial opportunities for brands, talent and sports properties within the fast-growing blockchain ecosystem.

Woolston joins KIN from CAA where he worked with a range of sports properties, such as Formula One, Red Bull Racing and Manchester City, and helped define and manage the commercial portfolios of talent clients that included Harry Kane, James Rodriguez, Raphael Varane and Nico Rosberg.

Rory played a pivotal role in brokering the recently announced deal between Crypto.com and Formula One, to deliver a first-of-its-kind sponsorship and NFT (non-fungible token) partner agreement.

Commenting on the Woolston’s appointment, KIN Partners’ SVP – Commercial, Danny Paiser, said: “We are delighted to have secured Rory’s services and add his significant experience of working with global brands and athletes to our business. The blockchain and cryptocurrency space has grown rapidly in recent times and offers huge opportunities for future-focused brands, properties and talent. Rory’s expertise in this sector enables us to help new and existing clients navigate this exciting landscape and deliver impactful and innovative partnership opportunities.”

Discussing his new role at KIN, Woolston said: “The creation of this position proves KIN’s focus on leading the market and exceeding the needs of brands, properties and talent clients in the sport and entertainment industries. That level of ambition is why I’m delighted to be joining the team.

“In the last 12 months we’ve seen cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology thrive and increasingly turn to sports sponsorship to generate brand awareness and mainstream appeal. At the same time, leagues, clubs and athletes have benefited from the surge in blockchain-based digital collectibles, fan tokens and crypto assets as the pandemic accelerated this new consumer trend. There has never been a better time to develop a crypto plan and portfolio and I look forward to working with new and existing clients to build tailored commercial strategies within this cutting-edge environment.”

Since its inception in 2013, KIN Partners has evolved into a full-service agency operating at the forefront of the sports and entertainment industries with a multi-disciplinary team servicing sports properties, talent and brands across commercial, digital strategy, production, PR and brand development pillars.

Working with some of the most iconic athletes of recent times – including David Beckham, Usain Bolt and Neymar Jr, – and recognisable sports brands and properties, such as Real Madrid C.F., and Chelsea FC, KIN has developed a track record of delivering significant commercial endorsements for its clients, harnessing the intellectual property of talent and pioneering innovative partnerships in the industry.  

Finnish Figure Skating Association Launch New App With Choicely

“Another mobile application Powered by Choicely, the no-code mobile application builder, reaches instantly the top of the charts in App Store”

On October 6th the Finnish Figure Skating Association they launched a new SkatingFinland mobile app. The app was developed in order to serve the event held at Finlandia Trophy Espoo – International Figure Skating Competition that takes place 7-10.10.2021 in Espoo Metro Areena.

The app immediately hit the top charts in App Store, reaching the #1 in Sports category within the first 24 hours.

Outi Wuorenheimo, Figure Skating Association said:

“We wanted to offer people a channel where you can find all we offer: news, events, official information and of course all the social media channels. This has everything the figure skating fan needs!” says Outi Wuorenheimo, General Secretary of Finnish Figure Skating Association.”

Kaius Meskanen, CEO of Choicely said:

“We’re very excited to partner with the Finnish Figure Skating Association. Together we’re able to create a mobile application , for Android and iPhone, that delivers extensive amount of information to the Finnish figure skating community.

“We created and launched the app together with SkatingFinland team in 3 weeks, a worthy achievement. The efficiency and coordination of the SkatingFinland team is remarkable, as they were preparing a major event – Finlandia Trophy Espoo simultaneously. Very cool!”

SkatingFinland app

SkatingFinland app offers a highly mobile optimized, information rich service for the figure skating community. The users can explore in real time SkatingFinland news, skaters profiles, schedules, results, event calendar & much more. The content is presented “in experience sections” like SkatingFinland section that introduces a news portal and the Finnish Figure Skating Association section with the official information about the association. Also an “Event” section highlighting the main events promoting Skating sport around Finland, currently featuring the Finlandia Trophy Espoo event.

The first in the world dedicated figure skating mobile app, powered by the easiest no-code mobile app studio of Choicely, made in Finland.

Choicely.com is offering templates for multiple segments at competitive prices for the sports and entertainment sectors. For more information click to book an appointment with Sales.

FIBA Launch Global Partnership With J9

FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and Philippines-based J9 have announced a new partnership until 2024 in which the Global Partner will present the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Trophy Tour as well as boost awareness of the sport on its extensive platforms.

The brand J9.com has become FIBA’s 10th Global Partner and will take the FIBA Basketball World Cup trophy to cities around the globe, delivering an exciting World Cup experience to fans and showcasing its greatest prize as part of basketball celebrations and FIBA’s flagship competition.

As another part of the agreement, J9.com will receive key commercial rights across FIBA competitions, including the FIBA Continental Cups for both men and women, the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022, and FIBA’s pinnacle event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

J9, as FIBA’s Official Global Betting Partner, sees globalization as an important focus and it provides a world-class gaming experience to its global users. The company will use FIBA’s platform to launch and boost awareness of its brand J9.com across all FIBA events globally and connect with millions of basketball fans around the world. In addition, J9 will utilize FIBA’s top-level domain .basketball to promote basketball related corporate social responsibility activities on its portal J9.basketball.

Frank Leenders, FIBA Media & Marketing Services Director General, said: “We are excited to have J9 joining the FIBA family as our most recent Global Partner. This partnership will certainly boost FIBA’s goal of advancing the promotion of basketball worldwide while at the same time bring fans closer to the game through new and improved experiences, including the Trophy Tour and other activities supported by our new Global Partner J9.”

Managing Director of J9.com, James Chen, expressed his confidence in the partnership with FIBA by saying: “It is a great honor for us to become a Global Partner of FIBA and to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of basketball globally. With our innovative and digital ways, we are sure that we will be able to help FIBA deliver the charm and joy of basketball to more fans across the world.”

This agreement was brokered by FIBA Marketing, the strategic partnership between FIBA and Infront.

International Cricket Council Selects Sportradar As Data And Streaming Rights Partner

Partnership to help create untapped opportunities for the ICC to engage with its diverse and large fan base across the globe

The International Cricket Council today announced a global partnership with Sportradar, making them the Official Data Distribution and Official Betting Live Streaming Partner of the ICC. Sportradar is a leading global provider of sports betting and sports entertainment products and services, and the number one provider of business-to-business solutions to the global sports betting industry based on revenue.

Spanning 275 top-tier matches, the partnership covers eight of the ICC’s leading men’s and women’s tournaments, starting in October with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup hosted by India in the UAE and Oman, through to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2023, also hosted by India.

Cricket has an estimated two-and-a-half billion fans worldwide. The partnership will create more opportunities for the ICC to engage with this fan base through Sportradar’s network of 1,000 media and sports-betting clients across 80 countries.

Finn Bradshaw, Head of Digital at ICC said: “Innovative use of sports data is one of the key pillars of our digital strategy. This partnership with Sportradar will help us grow our global cricket fanbase and deepen our engagement with it.”

David Lampitt, Managing Director, Sports Content and Partnerships at Sportradar said: “Cricket is among the most popular sports globally, and we see huge potential to grow its fan base still further, helping fans interact with the game on an even deeper level.

“Our partnership with the ICC is an exciting step towards engaging those new fans and, with the full breadth of our unique technology powering it, we will deliver enhanced cricket content globally – across a range of platforms.”  

Backed by the technology and specialist cricket capabilities of InteractSport (part of Sportradar), Sportradar will deploy its Cricket Live Score Plus (CLS+) data-capture tool, enabling fielding positions and actions to be plotted for the very first time. The CLS+ solution will provide deep, rich, live ball-by-ball match data to media platforms via bespoke feeds and dedicated channels, at super-low latency.

Sportradar will integrate the official ICC data into its established Premium Cricket Service (PCS), creating an enhanced provision for sportsbook operators, while the new data will also be used to power the ICC’s digital platforms, including icc-cricket.com and the official ICC mobile app.

Additionally, Sportradar’s Integrity Services will provide the ICC with bet monitoring and reporting for all 275 matches through its Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS). UFDS uses advanced technology to scan the worldwide betting market and has a global team of integrity experts providing analysis on irregular betting patterns, with any suspicious matches subsequently reported to partners.