E1 Series Partners With International Insurance Group As Official Insurance Provider

International Insurance Group Sarl (IIG) joins the fast-growing E1 Series, the revolutionary electric marine racing championship launched by Alejandro Agag and Rodi Basso.

With the stunning RaceBirds set to hit the water next year ahead of the world’s first electric powerboat racing championship in 2023, International Insurance Group has joined the E1 Series family as Official Insurance Provider.

The E1 Series, launched in 2020 by electric racing pioneers Alejandro Agag and Rodi Basso, will see electric powerboat racing at spectacular city venues around the world.

IIG is an insurance brokerage firm that tailors life insurance products for elite clients’ needs. Established just three years ago, IIG’s three founders have more than 25 years of experience in the ultra-high net worth insurance market.

Founding partner André Azzi is considered one of the top insurance advisors by insurance carriers and his peers. Fellow founding partner Elie El Khoury is an experienced and results-orientated insurance executive, with two and a half decades of business establishment and turnaround experience in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The third founding partner Carlo Boutagy has been developing motorsport experiences and other high value properties away from the racetrack for more than a decade, including founding the F1 Fanzone and acting as the exclusive promoter of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He now uses the same set of skills to lead IIG’s marketing activities to establish and further grow their international presence.
The first full-size model of the innovative RaceBird vessel, due to be unveiled at an exclusive event at the Yacht Club de Monaco on the evening of September 20th, will proudly carry the IIG logo as the foiling electric powerboats go into prototype development and testing early next year.

André Azzi, Founding Partner at IIG, said: “We’re all thrilled at International Insurance Group to partner with E1 as their Official Insurance Provider and be a part of this incredible new racing concept from its inception. As key proponents of managing risk, we look forward with great anticipation to seeing the high stakes action play out on the water.

Watching E1 evolve into a popular and entertaining sport across some of the world’s most iconic waterways, whilst driving innovation and change in marine mobility is something that we’re immensely excited about and proud to be a part of – 2023 can’t come soon enough!”

Yanni Andreopoulos, Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer at E1 Series, said: “We’re still in the early stages of developing the exciting E1 Series and are always looking to partner with leading brands in order to build the very best event we can for fans, host cities and teams.

Although a lot of our focus right now is on the rollout of the RaceBird as we look towards our first championship in 2023, we’re delighted to have secured a partnership with International Insurance Group to make sure we have the best supplier for insurance products tailored to our unique needs. The team at IIG supports our vision for the E1 Series and we have no doubt it will be a hugely productive and successful partnership. It’s the start of an exciting journey together with the fantastic team at IIG.”

McLaren Racing And Arrow Electronics Announce Long-Term Partnership Extension With McLaren F1 And Arrow McLaren SP Teams

McLaren Racing and Arrow Electronics, the global technology and innovation business, today announced a long-term multi-year partnership extension which will see Arrow continue to support McLaren in its drive to achieve success with the McLaren Formula 1 and Arrow McLaren SP IndyCar teams. Arrow Electronics will continue as title sponsor of Arrow McLaren SP, while it continues as a partner of the McLaren F1 team.

Since 2019, the partnership between Arrow Electronics and McLaren Racing has enabled the two organisations to put a shared belief in technology and innovation to at the centre of a joint commitment to drive progress and bring services and solutions to the team and their respective networks.

Today’s news follows the announcement in August that McLaren Racing was acquiring a majority stake in Arrow McLaren SP. Arrow Electronics branding will continue to be represented on the McLaren F1 race cars and drivers, Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and the Arrow McLaren SP race cars and drivers, Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing said:  

“Arrow Electronics is a valued partner of McLaren Racing across both our Formula 1 and IndyCar programmes. This long-term partnership extension is a great reflection of the strong relationship we have been building and the productivity of our partnership since the beginning in 2019. With our recent majority investment in Arrow McLaren SP and Arrow’s deep involvement in the team since 2015, our partnership is strengthened further as we progress on our common journey and shared ambitions to win together.”

Mike Long, Chairman, President and CEO, Arrow Electronics said:

“Arrow Electronics is committed to innovation in automotive and transportation technologies.  Our engineers work side-by-side with the race team, and we couldn’t be happier with the strength of our teams’ positions in both IndyCar and Formula 1.  We look forward to many more wins together on and off the track.”

ICC.tv Partners With Cricket Australia To Live Stream Australia’s International Summer Of Cricket

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has partnered with Cricket Australia to broadcast the upcoming Australian summer of cricket into emerging cricket markets including Europe and Southeast Asia, starting with the highly anticipated rematch between India and Australia, finalists in last year’s ICC T20 Women’s World Cup.

ICC.tv, the streaming platform launched by the ICC in July, will live stream the multi-format series against India from tomorrow, 21 September – 12 October, followed by the entire 2021- 22 international calendar in Australia, comprising the men’s and women’s Ashes, as well as men’s white ball tours by New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

Both the India series and the women’s Ashes will be free for all users to stream to celebrate the new partnership, while the men’s content will be available on a pay-per-view basis. 

All content will be available in countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, China, Germany, Netherlands, among others. 

Commenting on the partnership, ICC Head of Digital Finn Bradshaw said: “Through this unique partnership with Cricket Australia we will bring competitive and quality cricket to the cricket starved markets of Southeast Asia and Europe, as well as other regions that do not currently have a broadcast partner. This confirms our commitment to grow consumption of cricket and make it accessible to the world.”  

Nikki Linney, Cricket Australia’s Head of Media Rights, said: “We’re incredibly excited to work with the ICC to continue to grow cricket, and bring our distinctive Aussie flavour of cricket to more fans around the world. There will be some excited Australian and English expats living or even holidaying in these countries who’ll now be able to easily access what promises to be a massive home summer with the men’s and women’s Ashes. We know that in countries like Germany, Hong Kong and Japan there is already a significant cricket fanbase and we are hoping to see this in neighbouring countries too.”

Inter Miami CF Inks Primary Jersey Sponsorship Deal With Leading Crypto Finance Firm XBTO

Inter Miami CF and XBTO, a prominent, global cryptofinance firm, announced a new multi-year partnership deal, making XBTO the first-ever Primary Jersey Sponsor for South Florida’s Major League Soccer (MLS) Club.

The jersey partnership, which is among the biggest deals in MLS to date, marks the first cryptofinance partnership deal in the league. It also marks a significant milestone for the mainstream acceptance of crypto, inching Miami closer to becoming the mecca of the crypto world. 

“We are pleased to welcome XBTO to our Inter Miami family and to be able to share another milestone with our fans,” said Inter Miami CEO and Managing Owner Jorge Mas. “XBTO will be fully integrated across Inter Miami’s platforms beyond the jersey. Together we will raise awareness and build credibility, and further accelerate the social benefits of cryptocurrency through strategic initiatives as XBTO continues to redefine the next era of finance.” 

The primary and secondary jerseys for Inter Miami will both don the XBTO logo, beginning on Friday, Sept. 17 for the team’s home match vs. the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. ET. XBTO will also be prominently featured at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale as it has also secured Entitlement Rights for the NW Club.

“As institutional adoption of cryptofinance continues to grow, XBTO is dedicated to establishing greater trust, transparency and stability within the industry,” said XBTO Founder and CEO Philippe Bekhazi. “Our partnership with Inter Miami brings us one step closer in our mission to advance cryptofinance beyond the digital asset industry.” 

XBTO is a full-service firm providing cryptofinance trading and liquidity pricing services to the world’s most established exchanges. An early-adopter of cryptofinance and a known pioneer within the industry, XBTO was the first to provide institutional-grade liquidity to major trading platforms. Since its inception in 2015, the firm has expanded its capabilities to offer a suite of products including asset management services, over-the-counter (OTC) trading, streaming markets, institutional and fund-based venture capital for startups developing crypto infrastructure, and crypto-mining operations which run entirely on renewable energy.

XBTO currently has a team of over 50 professionals with global offices in Miami, Paris and New York, and became one of the first companies licensed and fully regulated under Bermuda’s Digital Asset Business Act (DABA) in 2018.  XBTO relocated its headquarters to Miami in April 2021 with the goal of creating synergies with a city eager for growth and adoption of cryptofinance.

MotoGP™ Extends Partnership With Sky In Italy

Dorna Sports is pleased to confirm a four-year contract that will see the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship and the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship remain with Sky in Italy. The agreement runs from 2022 to 2025, extending a longstanding partnership between the broadcaster and the world’s fastest motorcycle racing Championships.

Sky will continue to show every session of the MotoGP™, Moto2™, Moto3™ and MotoE™ classes live, with fans able to watch via satellite, fibre, on digital terrestrial and streaming via NOW. 

Six Grands Prix will also have each race shown live and free-to-air on TV8 as part of this new agreement, with the rest also shown free-to-air on same day delay.  

A dedicated team will be on site at every Grand Prix, providing tailor-made and extensive coverage including comprehensive pre- and post-race shows from the Sky team of expert pundits, presenters and commentators – bringing fans to the heart of the action. Sky Sport MotoGP, the dedicated 24/7 MotoGP™ channel, will maintain its presence as a point of reference in motorsport broadcasting, providing top quality coverage and insights from the paddock.  

All WorldSBK Rounds will be shown live, including each race for the World Superbike, World Supersport and World Supersport 300 categories.  

Coverage will also continue on digital platforms, with skysport.it to continue providing a wide range of videos, images, news, interviews, columns and more. News will also be reported in real time on Sky Sport 24, on the Sky Sport App and via official social media channels.  

The FIM CEV Repsol and Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup will also remain with Sky, joining MotoGP™, WorldSBK, Formula 1 and more at the home of motorsport in Italy. 

Marzio Perrelli, Sky Executive Vice President: “This agreement confirms our commitment to motorcycling, which for years has been one of the pillars of Sky’s great sports offer. We are proud to be the reference point for all two-wheel fans. Sky will deliver the storytelling of these four more seasons with great passion and its usual editorial quality, in addition to a viewing experience enhanced by new technological investments. Our channel dedicated to motorcycling goes far beyond the storytelling of the single races and will once again be the reference point for those who want to keep up to date and live this passion to the full.”

Manel Arroyo, Chief Commercial Officer, Dorna Sports: “We’re delighted to continue our partnership with Sky in Italy. A country with so much passion for our sport deserves the best possible coverage and Sky always deliver state-of-the-art broadcasting, with fantastic on-site programming from their dedicated team. This new agreement will see us reach the milestone of 12 seasons of collaboration and we very much look forward to these next four years together, providing our fans in Italy with the best motorcycle racing show possible – as well as reaching new audiences and growing our viewership through diversifying digital platforms and new ways for fans to watch and connect to MotoGP and Sky.”

BLAST Premier Expands Reach Into Israel With Gaming Channel Broadcast Deal

BLAST Premier has agreed a media rights deal with Gaming Channel, Israel’s first ever linear 24/7 esports and gaming channel. 

As part of the deal, Gaming Channel will own exclusive rights to broadcast BLAST Premier within Israel in Hebrew until the end of the 2021 season. The deal will cover BLAST Premier’s four remaining events of the year: Fall Groups (September 16-26), Showdown (October 12-17), Final (November 24-28) and World Final (December 14-19).

The Gaming Channel, owned by the Charlton Group, was launched back in July this year, bringing the first ever dedicated esports and gaming linear TV channel to Israel. The channel broadcasts a variety of content including live esports events, leading YouTube talent from the region, among other gaming and entertainment-themed content. 

Alexander Lewin, VP for at BLAST, said: “We are delighted to be able to give BLAST Premier fans from Israel the opportunity to watch their favourite Counter-Strike teams and players in a localised Hebrew broadcast, and very pleased to add Israel to our global media rights footprint. The Gaming Channel and its experienced team are the perfect partner for our move into the Israeli market, and we look forward to a successful collaboration.”

Yoav Sochen, General Manager for Gaming Channel, said: “I am very excited to partner up with BLAST Premier. Connecting both professional players and esports enthusiasts to the Gaming Channel through top tier international leagues, operated and offered on live broadcast in Hebrew for the first time. I look forward to seeing what this partnership can do for the Israeli scene.”

The deal takes BLAST’s portfolio of media rights to over 40 linear and online partners internationally, meaning BLAST Premier is now available globally in 18 different languages and in over 150 TV territories.

BLAST Premier is a worldwide Counter-Strike tournament series that unites all major events, offers opportunities to all regions across the globe and crowns the world champions of CS:GO. Up to 32 teams will take part in the seven BLAST Premier events over the course of 2021 with a combined prize pool of $2,475,000 on the line. BLAST will be making its long-awaited return to arena events with fans later this year at Copenhagen’s iconic Royal Arena for the Fall Final. 

Fnatic And Crypto.com Enter Historic Partnership

London-based global esports performance brand Fnatic has today revealed Crypto.com, the fastest-growing crypto platform with more than 10 million users worldwide, as its inaugural Global Cryptocurrency Partner. The multi-year deal is worth more than $15M.

The partnership is Crypto.com’s first-ever in esports and adds to the company’s rapidly expanding portfolio of partners, which includes leading sports brands such as UFC, Formula 1®, Lega Serie A, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula 1, the Montreal Canadiens and Paris Saint-Germain. The historic deal will enable Crypto.com to seamlessly engage with Fnatic’s truly global and digitally-native audience.

The multi-faceted partnership will see Crypto.com’s logo featured on the collarbone of Fnatic team jerseys. Fnatic will also offer fans numerous rewards and money-can’t-buy experiences – including with existing Crypto.com partners – for Crypto.com users purchasing Fnatic goods. The partners will also launch new digital products, such as exclusive Fnatic NFTs in the near future.

Crypto.com will work with Fnatic on a variety of activations with Fnatic’s esports teams, players and creators including collaborative storytelling with existing Crypto.com partners, engaging gaming content, branded in-game experiences and physical events. To help its fans further understand cryptocurrency and future-proof their decisions, Fnatic will also offer financial literacy and crypto education opportunities for those that are new to cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

Fnatic CEO, Sam Mathews, said: “This partnership sees global leaders in esports and cryptocurrency join forces for a ground-breaking, long-term partnership. Fnatic boasts one of the most connected, involved and supportive fan bases in the world and this landmark deal with Crypto.com allows us to further cater to their everyday needs. As cryptocurrency becomes a mainstream payment method, there’s never been a better time to help our fans make smarter, healthier and future-proof cryptocurrency decisions.

Kris Marszalek, Co-Founder and CEO of Crypto.com, said: “We’re really excited to launch a fully integrated partnership with Fnatic, which marks a milestone for our industry. With more than 200 championships, their team has excelled in-game and out, and rightfully established itself as the leading team in esports.”

As well as having 10 million customers worldwide, Crypto.com also boasts the world’s most popular crypto card, which is available in more than 30 countries around the world. It is also a top ten finance app on both the App Store and Google Play. Earlier this year, Crypto.com also announced its ambition to become carbon negative within 18 months, offering the industry a path and a model for ‘clean crypto’.

Spring Media Merges With Future Sports Agency And Obtains External Capital

Spring Media joins forces with Future Sports Agency and receives funding from Swedish private equity company Helix Kapital in a move to accelerate the scale up of its operation to become the market leading sports agency in the Nordics.

Spring Media works within sports rights management, TV production and digital OTT channels covering live sporting events. Partners and rights include the Swedish Damallsvenskan women’s league and the Olympic rights for Central Asia, media houses such as Bonnier and Schibsted, as well as international clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea.

– We are thrilled to be consolidating with Future Sports Agency and Helix Kapital to take the next step on our journey of expansion. Future Sports Agency complements our know-how with expertise from the buyers’ side of the sports media market, and simultaneously the investment from Helix Kapital enables us to accelerate the growth of the Group with additional company acquisitions in Sweden and abroad, says Tobias Osmund, CEO at Spring Media.

Spring Media co-founders Hans Svelander, José Moreno and Torsten Billing – all with a past at IEC in Sports and Lagardère – will remain in their current roles at Spring Media.

– The merger is a natural extension of the current Spring Media group, and together we will become even stronger. We have a unique position in the market and are able to offer any solution a federation, league or club may need to strengthen its media product – be it through advisory and strategy, rights sales, production services, streaming solutions or sponsorship packaging. All to help rights owners and partners navigate the rapidly changing sports media landscape, says Hans Svelander, co-founder of Spring Media.

Future Sports Agency was co-founded by Manfred Aronsson and Jacob Leander-Olsson. The duo accounts for a joint 30-year TV market experience, where Manfred Aronsson as the former CEO of Kanal 5, MTG and C More has sat on the buyers’ seat of many rights Spring Media represents today. Future Sports Agency currently represents the rights of Swedish HockeyAllsvenskan and Stockholm Open.

– We have followed Spring Media for several years from afar and are truly impressed by the work the team has accomplished. We bring with us valuable insight from the TV- and streaming ends, as well as ideas and customers from Future Sports to jointly create a modern, data-driven sports agency that will become market leader in the Nordics, says Manfred Aronsson, CEO at Future Sports Agency.

Tobias Osmund remains CEO of the company, Manfred Aronsson becomes Chairman of the Board, and Jacob Leander-Olsson assumes the role of Head of Business Development.

Pulseroll Partners With Sale Sharks

Pulseroll partners with Sale Sharks as the Gallagher Premiership Rugby team’s Official Muscle Recovery Supplier.

Manchester based Pulseroll will be supporting their local rugby club this season, as Sale Sharks look to improve on their excellent campaign last year where they reached the Premiership Rugby semi-finals. Pulseroll will work with the Sharks medical team and players, including British and Irish Lion, Tom Curry, who started all three Tests in South Africa this summer, as well as five players from the South African squad for the series. 

The physical demands involved in rugby make full body preparation and recovery vital for maximum performance, and Pulseroll’s products are scientifically proven to help increase range of motion by up to 14% and relieve muscular pain by increasing blood flow to the muscles by 22%.

Pulseroll Founder, Paul McCabe, said:

“As a proud Manchester company, we are thrilled to be working with Sale Sharks. The club is based a short distance from our office and is leading the way for rugby in the north of the country. Incredible work is being done at the club to make Sale one of the dominant forces in European rugby, and we will work closely with the medical staff to help keep the squad in the best possible condition.

“The physicality of rugby make our vibrating massage products the ideal recovery aid to relieve muscle soreness across the whole body. With the demands being put on players to perform each week, recovery is a vital part of an athlete’s daily routine and we look forward to working with the team throughout the season.”

Sale Sharks Head of Sports Science, Rick Swaby, said: 

“Our players put 100 per cent into every single training session and every single match and they need to be able to perform at the highest level day in day out.

“The demands on their bodies are huge and so recovery is a massive part of our work. Pulseroll are at the forefront of recovery technology so we’re really excited to welcome them to Sharks and we look forward to seeing the impact of their products during the season.”

Pulseroll was founded by Paul McCabe in 2016, when he launched the UK’s first vibrating foam roller. Today the company offers seven vibrating massage devices which include two

sizes of massage gun, two foam rollers and two different shaped massage balls.

All products are developed with built-in quiet noise technology and the intensity of the foam rollers and vibrating massage balls is managed through a remote control allowing for a much smoother process when changing the vibration speed. 

Northampton Saints Drive Forward With cinch In Unprecedented New Six-Year Partnership Deal

Northampton Saints are delighted to today announce that the Club has agreed a new, six-year partnership with cinch.

The UK’s fastest-growing online car marketplace, cinch signed up to become one of Saints’ Elite Partners last year but has now penned a brand-new deal which sees the innovative e-commerce scale-up commit to the Club for an even longer term.

The move marks a significant first for Saints and for Franklin’s Gardens. Northampton’s iconic ground will from today be renamed ‘cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens’ – the first stadium naming rights agreement in the Club’s 141-year history.

As well as immediately becoming the men in Black, Green and Gold’s Official Stadium Naming Rights Partner, cinch become Saints’ Principal Partner as of the 2022/23 campaign with their logo taking pride of place on the front of Saints’ playing kit from 2022/23 onwards.

“We are absolutely delighted to grow our partnership with cinch, an innovative and rapidly-growing brand,” said the Club’s Chief Executive, Mark Darbon.

“Over the last 18 months, we have navigated the most challenging period in the Club’s history, so to have secured this genuinely transformational deal – which will underpin our commercial strategy moving forwards – is an incredibly significant moment for the Club.

“cinch has committed to helping drive Northampton Saints forward for the long term, which we hope in turn, will create many more opportunities for growth on and off the pitch.” – Mark Darbon, Northampton Saints Chief Executive

“We know that Franklin’s Gardens has a special place in the heart of all Saints supporters, so the decision to rename the stadium was one not taken lightly.

“But this was a fantastic opportunity for the Club to progress our partnership with a forward-thinking, digital brand in cinch who share our ambition and already boast an impressive stable of partnerships with premium sporting organisations across the UK.

“While the name of the stadium will change, the essence of the ground of course remains the same, and we look forward to creating many more fantastic memories and chapters in our history with our supporters in the coming years.”

With the aim of taking the faff out of finding and buying a car completely online, cinch began its direct-to-consumer journey in 2020 – and has very quickly established itself as one of the UK’s largest e-commerce vehicle sites, offering motorists a new, friendly way to search for the vehicle that’s just right for them, with finance and part exchange options and a 14-day money-back guarantee.

As part of their association with Saints, cinch has also supported the Northampton Saints Foundation in delivering its innovative social inclusion programmes, by supplying the charity with a brand-new minibus to transport students. Outside of its partnership with the Club, cinch is committed to supporting a number of grassroots sports clubs and initiatives in Northamptonshire, alongside the creation of over 1000 new jobs and an industry-leading academy for the training of highly skilled mechanics at the business’ new Rockingham and Corby locations.

Avril Palmer-Baunack, Constellation Automotive Group Chairman, cinch owners said, “We are delighted to transform our partnership with Northampton Saints in the first stadium naming rights agreement in the Club’s 141-year history. The team are firmly committed to reaching the top, and that drive matches ours as one of the fastest-growing brands in the UK.

“cinch has made significant investments in and around Northamptonshire, across vehicle preparation facilities, training and jobs, so it makes perfect sense that we continue to cheer on one of the county’s most-loved sports teams with this new, comprehensive Principal Partner deal.”