Sacramento Kings Collaborate With Socios.com On Marketing Partnership

The Sacramento Kings have unveiled a new partnership with Socios.com, a direct-to-consumer platform that leverages blockchain technology to provide the world’s leading sporting organizations with the tools to engage with and monetize their global fanbases.

Starting with the 2021-22 season, the partnership will focus on marketing Socios.com through advertising within Golden 1 Center including on pole pad signage, fan engagement emails, the Kings website and the team’s social media channels. Socios.com will be integrated into the team’s voting activations as the presenting sponsor of polling on the Kings social media platforms, providing numerous opportunities for fans to win.

“The Kings have always been a forward-looking franchise, especially when it comes to the fan experience,” said Sacramento Kings President of Business Operations John Rinehart. “We are excited to add to our blockchain portfolio and partner with Socios.com to continue to be at the forefront in incorporating technology with fan engagement.” 

https://twitter.com/socios/status/1425849714906443777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1425849714906443777%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com%2Fkings%2Fnews%2Fsacramento-kings-collaborate-socioscom-marketing-partnership

“I’m delighted the Sacramento Kings have become the latest major US-based sporting organization to join our rapidly expanding network,” said CEO of Socios.com and Chiliz Alexandre Dreyfus. “Socios.com is fast developing into a global fan engagement powerhouse, where passive fans are being transitioned into real players in the day-to-day activities of their favorite teams. This is the start of an exciting partnership that we believe can eventually lead to greatly enhanced fan engagement for fans of the Kings around the world.”

The Kings join a 50+ strong network of major international sporting properties on the Socios.com roster, which includes European soccer giants FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, AC Milan, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City and the Argentina and Portugal national soccer teams, as well as several leading teams from F1, esports and cricket. In addition, the partnership is part of Socios.com’s growing expansion into the US sports industry including the 76ers (NBA), Boston Celtics (NBA), New Jersey Devils (NHL), MMA promotion company UFC® and NASCAR’S Roush Fenway Racing.

The Kings were named the “most innovative company in sports” by Fast Company and “Most Tech Savvy Team of 2016” by Sport Techie and were a recipient of Sports Business Journal’s “Facility of the Year.”

In 2019, the Kings announced the NBA’s first blockchain-powered reward program in collaboration with Blockparty – an enhancement to the NBA’s first predictive gaming application, “Call the Shot.” Also in 2019, the Kings announced a collaboration with CryptoKaiju, creator of the world’s first vinyl toys powered by Ethereum and fully traceable on a public blockchain, to launch the first physical crypto-collectible in professional sports. In 2020, the team launched the NBA’s first Live blockchain-powered auction platform for authentic memorabilia with Consensys and Treum. Last month the team launched a digital collection of 85 NFTs depicting the 1985 commemorative pin given out in the Kings inaugural season in Sacramento and featuring exclusive experiences including 2021-22 Opening Night tickets. In addition, the team piloted the first-ever Smart Ticket NFT Experience Pass for 100 lucky fans during California Classic, NBA summer league games.

Adidas To Sell Reebok To Authentic Brands Group

adidas has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Reebok to Authentic Brands Group (ABG) for a total consideration of up to €2.1 billion, with the majority to be paid in cash at closing of the transaction and the remainder comprised of deferred and contingent consideration.

The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2022. adidas intends to share the majority of the cash proceeds to be received upon closing with its shareholders. 

“Reebok has been a valued part of adidas, and we are grateful for the contributions the brand and the team behind it have made to our company. With this change in ownership, we believe the Reebok brand will be well-positioned for long-term success. As for adidas, we will continue to focus our efforts on executing our “Own the Game” strategy that will enable us to grow in an attractive industry, gain market share, and create sustainable value for all of our stakeholders,” said Kasper Rorsted, CEO of adidas AG.

Jamie Salter, Founder, Chairman and CEO of ABG commented, “It’s an honor to be entrusted with carrying Reebok’s legacy forward. This is an important milestone for ABG, and we are committed to preserving Reebok’s integrity, innovation, and values – including its presence in bricks and mortar. We look forward to working closely with the Reebok team to build on the brand’s success.”

adidas bought Reebok in 2006. At the time, the acquisition included the Rockport, CCM Hockey and Greg Norman brands, which adidas later divested for a total consideration of €0.4 billion. In 2016 Reebok initiated a turnaround plan called “Muscle Up” through which the brand was able to significantly improve its growth and profitability prospects. In March of this year, adidas presented its 2025 “Own the Game” Strategy designed to significantly increase sales and profitability and gain market share by 2025. During the strategy formulation process, adidas assessed strategic alternatives for Reebok with a focus on ensuring both adidas and Reebok would be well positioned for sustainable growth. Following this evaluation, adidas decided to focus its efforts on further strengthening the leading position of the adidas brand in the global sporting goods market and announced the initiation of a formal process to divest Reebok in February 2021.

The sale of Reebok has no impact on adidas’ financial outlook for the current year or the company’s 2025 financial ambition that was announced as part of its Own the Game strategy in March of 2021.  

J.P. Morgan acted as exclusive financial advisor to adidas AG and Hengeler Mueller served as legal counsel.

BofA Securities and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as financial, strategic and M&A advisors, while also providing committed financing, and KPMG International Limited served as accounting and due diligence advisor for ABG. Latham & Watkins, LLP acted as legal counsel for ABG. Private equity partners BlackRock LTPC, General Atlantic and Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. also played an instrumental role in this partnership.

MotoGP™ Extends With Foxtel Group In Australia

Dorna Sports is happy to confirm a new five-year deal with the Foxtel Group in Australia, with MotoGP™ to be shown exclusively live on Fox Sports and Kayo from 2022 onwards. A further contract extension also confirms the Foxtel Group as the home of WorldSBK in Australia from 2023.

The landmark deal confirms Fox Sports as the home of motorsport, with MotoGP™ and WorldSBK joining Supercars and Formula 1 in the strongest line-up of motorsports available anywhere to Australian fans.

MotoGP™ audiences in Australia have grown rapidly as the thrilling feats of the world’s fastest riders are showcased, with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) rising to the challenge in the MotoGP™ World Championship and Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) atop the Moto2™ standings before he steps up to MotoGP™ in 2022.

This new deal will see every race of the MotoGP™ World Championship shown live on Foxtel and Kayo from 2022, making sure fans Down Under don’t miss a second of the action.

Amanda Laing, Foxtel Group Chief Content and Commercial Officer: “With 2.4 million households now watching sport on Foxtel and Kayo, up 26% on last year, the Foxtel Group provides the largest audience of sports fans in the country.

“MotoGP is fantastic entertainment and we have seen double-digit annual audience growth over the past six years. Kayo has turbo-charged this growth, attracting a new legion of fans.

“The 2021 season is up 28% on last year and featured the record-breaking MotoGP Spanish GP, won by Australian Jack Miller and watched by almost 180,000 fans.

“This exclusive multi-year deal sees us secure the free and paid rights with MotoGP and the exclusive renewal of our rights with World Superbike, cementing our unrivalled motorsport offering and again highlighting Foxtel and Kayo as the go-to destinations for sports fans in Australia.”

Manel Arroyo, Chief Commercial Officer, Dorna Sports: “For MotoGP it’s an honour. We are proud to extend, in a multi-year deal, our relationship and partnership with Fox Sports. Clearly to be with the home of motorsport in Australia at this moment, when new stars are arriving to the Championship in the main category, with Jack Miller now joined by Remy Gardner, makes us sure we’re going to deliver what the Fox Sports family needs and is expecting from MotoGP.

“We’re proud to be here because we have a challenge to develop new audiences together with Foxtel and Kayo. Thank you very much for your confidence in MotoGP.”

Bundesliga And Sky PerfecTV! To Launch Bundesliga Live App In Japan

SKY PerfecTV!, Bundesliga’s broadcast partner in Japan, will launch the ‘Bundesliga Live App’ on 7 September. The new app allows users to customise their Bundesliga experience to watch their favourite matches on demand, as well as access advanced statistics to better understand what is happening on the pitch.

SKY PerfecTV! is the first broadcaster in the world to launch the Interactive Feed, which enables the “Bundesliga Conference Experience” where Japanese fans can select their favourite teams and match events, to create a tailored viewing experience. This was embedded into SKY PerfecTV!’s Bundesliga Live app, and fans in Japan will be able to view and switch between matches, either by receiving alerts based on chosen events, or through the “autopilot” mode, in which artificial intelligence (AI) will guide users conveniently from match to match. Users can also watch highlights from parallel matches at any time, and easily catch up with relevant match events (e.g., goals, chances, cards) that happened earlier. Detailed live statistics on all Bundesliga players, including Japanese star players such as Makoto Hasebe, Wataru Endo, and Daichi Kamada, will also be provided. All clickable graphics will be available in Japanese.

Bundesliga’s partnership with SKY PerfecTV! began in 2017 and, last year, Bundesliga International agreed to a new five-year contract with the broadcaster, ensuring that SKY PerfecTV! will exclusively show live, delayed, and replay coverage of more than 200 matches per season.

The new Interactive Feed is another example of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga’s commitment to driving innovation and enhancing the global fan experience. The DFL has partnered with TeraVolt Germany, a company that specialises in creating enhanced broadcast experiences, who developed the technical solutions for the new Interactive Feed, as well as with Amazon Web Service (AWS), the Bundesliga’s official technology provider, who will host the Interactive Feed on their servers and is integral to the creation of the advanced, real time statistics Bundesliga Match Facts powered by AWS.

Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein said: “This is a huge leap forward in the development of personalised viewing experiences, and it is a great thrill to be able to offer this to the Japanese fans, with which we have such a strong connection. Sky PerfecTV! have been a fantastic ally in enhancing Bundesliga coverage every matchday, and the Interactive Feed and Conference Experiences are two more steps on our innovation journey together.”

Representative Director and President of SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, Eiichi Yonekura, said: “We are excited about this milestone in our long-term partnership with the Bundesliga. As we remain committed to delivering the highest quality football, we aim to bring the best Bundesliga and football experience to Japanese fans through this innovative initiative.”

RealFevr Reveal First Edition NFT Drop Details

RealFevr have revealed the details of their first edition NFTs, hear from them here.

We wish to extend our gratitude to the committed and passionate community members who have made this release possible. Our strenuous efforts have been worthwhile because of your vigorous support. Now that the time-consuming process of minting has finally reached its conclusion, we are excited to officially announce the date and time for RealFevr’s first NFT edition packs sale.

First Edition Drop Details:

Date: August 12th
Time: 2 PM UTC
Number of Packs: 56,401 Basic; 15,002 Rare and 4,998 Super Rare
Price in FEVR: $10 Basic; $40 Rare and $70 Super Rare

Players that will be displayed: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fsBKm6-qhzUAov0CF0cqmP31bMAsyqhTNnuZADmdKQE/edit#gid=0

All packs can only be purchased with $FEVR and for that reason we recommend holding a minimum of 0.15 BNB in your wallet during the transaction process in order to cover the cost of gas fees.

If you want to know how to buy packs, watch our video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlzdWH9UNM0

You won’t be able to open packs on the packs sale date. There will be 3 different moments:

1.Packs Sale: August 12h
2.Pack Opening: 1 week after Packs Sale
3.Marketplace Live: 3 days after Pack Opening

We simply cannot understate the significance of our first drop. Whether the collectible is a baseball card or an antique automobile, history has shown that it is invariably the earliest editions which obtain the greatest value due to their relative scarcity. Since our NFT video moments have IP exclusivity, they will never be repeated in any NFT marketplace, including our own. We believe that our Unique, first edition #1 of #1 release of Bruno Fernandes’ sublime goal, as well as the 50 copies of Cristiano Ronaldo’s second career goal and first official header will hold a vaunted place among rare NFT collectibles.

Good luck and #JoinTheFEVR!

The RealFevr Team

UFC And Monster Energy Announce Extension Of Global Partnership

UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and Monster Energy, the  global energy drink icon, today announced the renewal of their global partnership in which Monster will continue to serve as the “Official Energy Drink of UFC.” In addition, the deal will expand to include Monster as the “Official Water of UFC,” creating a new sponsorship category for the MMA promotion.

The multi-year agreement marks the second consecutive global sponsorship renewal between UFC and Monster and continues to build upon a relationship that began in 2015 and which has become one of the most successful brand partnerships in sports. 

“Monster has been one of the best partners UFC has ever had,” said UFC President Dana White.  “Our companies have grown alongside one another for more than a decade and we look forward to continuing the partnership for many years to come.”  

Under the terms of this agreement, Monster will continue to have center canvas and entrance logo placement inside the fighter gate of UFC’s world-famous Octagon® at all events.  Monster will also partner with UFC on retail promotions and social and digital media integrations during events in select markets, as well as serve as the presenting sponsor for UFC’s Twitch channel.

“Monster Energy is extremely proud to continue its partnership with UFC,” said Monster Energy’s CEO Rodney Sacks. “For the past decade, Monster and UFC have become synonymous in the fighting world and we look forward to continued growth together in bringing mixed martial arts to the forefront of professional sports worldwide.”

“Monster Energy is a global force in the energy drink category and we are proud to continue our partnership with them,” said UFC Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships Paul Asencio.  “There are few brands in the sports sponsorship space that align as closely as UFC and Monster.  Each brand’s authenticity is a strength that has allowed us to build brand loyalty among millions of fans and consumers.  We look forward to the continued evolution of our partnership.”

Monster will also become the official sponsor of several original programs featured on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading digital subscription service for combat sports, now available in more than 200 countries and territories.

Monster’s logo will also remain prominently displayed on the UFC FIGHT NIGHT KIT COLLECTION apparel of its sponsored UFC athletes. This roster currently features nearly two dozen fighters, including: UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas; UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko; former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic; former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejcyk; former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones; #2-ranked lightweight contender Justin Gaethje; and #6-ranked welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal.

Unilever Extends Partnership With The Hundred

Unilever has unveiled a unique partnership with The Hundred during the competition’s inaugural year as it announces the company’s deodorant brand, Sure, will become the Official Partner of The Hundred umpires.

Sure signed a three-year deal with the innovative cricket competition in December 2020. The partnership supports Sure – who have delivered long lasting protection against sweat and odour for over 50 years* – and its mission to provide confidence to keep armpits dry in high pressure situations – including an umpire’s decision on a cricket pitch.

As part of the deal, Sure branding will feature on the side of umpire uniforms while also obtaining digital rights, as well as the unique opportunity to provide an award at the end of the tournament for leader of the six hitting league from the men’s and women’s competitions.

The Hundred is providing sports fans with an exciting new 100-ball format featuring world-class domestic and international players in men’s and women’s competitions.

Rob Calder, Commercial Director for The Hundred, said: “On the pitch, the pressure felt by umpires can often be underestimated. In this unique partnership with Sure, we recognise the big decisions umpires must make – often within seconds – to provide a fair and entertaining game. As Official Partner of The Hundred Umpires, it’s great to see acknowledgment of the role they play by one of the most respected brands in the sporting sphere.”

Chris Barron, Vice President of Beauty & Personal Care at Unilever UK & Ireland, said: “With this all-new partnership in a space we have never utilised before in the UK, we are acknowledging and supporting the role of umpires in cricket and providing confidence to keep armpits dry in high pressure situations.

“The Hundred is an innovative competition and as we continue to inspire people to move more at a time when physical and mental wellbeing plays a vital part in daily life, we are able to support with our Sure brand and products. As The Hundred completes its inaugural year, we’re excited to grow with the sport into next year and beyond.” 

IMG ARENA Adds Ryder Cup To Its Golf Betting Lineup

PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe collaboration will deliver an enhanced fan experience at the biennial contest.

IMG ARENA, a leading sports betting service and content hub, has acquired the data distribution rights to the Ryder Cup.

The biennial match play event will be part of IMG ARENA’s ever-growing Golf Event Centre, which already includes European Tour events, as well as the PGA Championship, also run by the PGA of America. 

The Ryder Cup features the United States versus Europe and will next take place at Whistling Straits, in Kohler, Wisconsin, from September 21-26, 2021.

IMG ARENA will package and present the data from the Ryder Cup for sportsbook operators via the Golf Event Centre, working with the organisers and rights holders at the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe.  The partnership will allow sports bettors to enjoy a comprehensive range of real-time, shot-by-shot data and markets, as well as interactive course visualisations.

The purpose-built sports betting solution is an industry-first product that enables interactive in-play betting on the sport.

Max Wright, SVP Commercial of IMG ARENA, said “As an iconic sporting showpiece, the addition of the Ryder Cup to the Golf Event Centre cements its status as a must-have product. 

“Sports bettors will be able to enjoy a totally new and unique experience at this year’s event, with a never-seen-before range of data and content to consume as they enjoy a magical three days of action.

Seth Waugh, PGA of America CEO, said: “This experience allows fans to engage with our most unique flagship event – the Ryder Cup – in a way that they’ve never been able to before. This is an entirely new avenue to globally reach a world of people, beyond just dedicated golf fans, and importantly to continue the momentum of growing interest in the game from an increasingly diverse fan base.” 

Guy Kinnings, European Tour Deputy CEO, Ryder Cup Director and Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The Golf Event Centre offers a new way for fans to enjoy and experience the Ryder Cup, a global event that transcends our sport.

“We have been working closely with IMG ARENA across our European Tour events since 2019 and the inclusion of the Ryder Cup in the Golf Event Centre is the natural next step in that partnership.”

Headquartered in London, IMG ARENA works with more than 470 leading sportsbook brands worldwide to deliver live streaming video and data feeds for more than 45,000 sports events annually, as well as for on-demand virtual sports products including the UFC Event Centre. In 2020, more than 210 million hours of IMG ARENA content was watched by 69 million unique viewers around the globe. IMG ARENA’s clients include the ATP, UFC, European Tour, PGA TOUR and the FA.IMG ARENA builds on vision to be the ‘Official Home of Golf Betting’ with addition of Ryder Cup to the Golf Event Centre

OneFootball To Become Home Of Free-To-Air Football Streaming In Italy

OneFootball now has the rights to show live matches and highlights of 12 different leagues and competitions from around the world in Italy, following a new deal to broadcast Portugal’s top-tier competition, the Primeira Liga. All live and on-demand footage will be shown free-to-air for OneFootball users, and will be available on smartphone and tablet via the OneFootball App (iOS/Android, incl. Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast) as well as on desktop via the OneFootball Website. 

This offering will see OneFootball establish itself as the go-to destination for free-to-air streaming in Italy, with the world’s leading football media platform having the rights to top matches from 12 competitions and plans to add more. OneFootball users in Italy will now be able to watch a wide variety of games and thrilling action featuring leading teams from countries across the globe, such as Portugal, China, Scotland or the United States, right at their fingertips and all for zero cost.

Alongside this, OneFootball will also be showing Serie A highlight clips of all 380 matches of the new season non-exclusively, available from midnight after each match.

Following the conclusion of the UEFA European Championships 2020, club football is returning around the globe and fans in Italy now have the perfect destination to watch the action. The newly added leagues and competitions that OneFootball now has the exclusive broadcast rights for in Italy* includes the Portuguese Primeira Liga, Scottish Premiership, AFC Champions League, AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar, Liga MX, Japanese J League, Chinese Super League, CONCACAF Champions League 2022, and the USL Championship. Those competitions complement the existing portfolio in Italy that includes the Korean K League, Austrian Bundesliga, as well as the German Regionalliga, which is made available via a global distribution partnership with German broadcaster sporttotal TV.

OneFootball provides fans around the globe with a holistic, flexible and affordable offering, allowing users to access high-quality football content whenever and wherever they want it. The deals further OneFootball’s commitment to bring live football matches and highlights to its users and follow media rights deals such as with the Bundesliga to become the exclusive broadcaster of the German top-tier in Brazil.

Nikolaus von Doetinchem, Vice President OTT Streaming & Media Rights OneFootball, said: “We are delighted to be the home of free-to-air football streaming in Italy and to broadcast this unrivalled range of top matches from leagues around the world, as well as highlights from Serie A. It reflects our commitment to putting fans first with our innovative and flexible model, and to providing a platform that gives users easy access to the widest possible range of high-quality matches.”

ImagineAR (IPNFF) Joins Forces With iSportConnect Targeting European Sports Clubs, Leagues and Broadcasters

ImagineAR will be the exclusive AR Consultancy Client for this two year agreement

London, August 2021 – ImagineAR (IP:CSE) (IPNFF:OTCQB), an Augmented Reality Company that enables sports teams, brands and businesses to instantly create their own mobile phone immersive AR campaigns, has partnered with iSportConnect, headquartered in London, to introduce ImagineAR fan engagement products to UK & European soccer teams, sports leagues, broadcasters and brands. The iSportConnect platform is the largest global private network of sport business executives and major clients include Tata Communications, InfrontX, Vindicia and Hookit.  

“At iSportConnect, we understand just how big of a role mobile augmented reality will deliver for fan engagement during today’s new paradigm in 2021. Our organisation has decades of experience in the sports marketplace and are confident that ImagineAR will be an integral digital channel for every team desiring to build their global fan base and new revenue monetisation strategies,” according to Sandy Case, iSportConnect’s Chief Strategy Officer. 

Alen Paul Silverrstieen, CEO of ImagineAR, stated “We have been in discussions with iSportConnect for over a year and are excited to finally enter into a multi-year partnership focused on expanding our global sports clientele in the UK and Europe.

“Their executive team maintains a significant network of sports industry executives which ImagineAR can quickly introduce to our patented fan engagement platform. We will also be using their offices as our new London headquarters.”

About iSportConnect

iSportConnect was launched in 2010 with the aim of bringing together sports business professionals around the world in a sports business networking community enabling them to meet one another, find information and obtain access to a wide range of relevant services. The platform is now the largest global private network of sport business executives with over 20,000 members, where membership is exclusive and follows a strict door policy.

About ImagineAR

ImagineAR Inc. (CSE: IP) (OTC: IPNFF) is an augmented reality (AR) platform, ImagineAR.com, that enables businesses of any size to create and implement their own AR campaigns with no programming or technology experience. Every organization, from professional sports franchises to small retailers, can develop interactive AR campaigns that blend the real and digital worlds. Customers simply point their mobile device at logos, signs, buildings, (products, landmarks and more to instantly engage videos, information, advertisements, coupons,3D holograms and any interactive content all hosted in the cloud and managed using a menu-driven portal. Integrated real-time analytics means that all customer interaction is tracked and measured in real-time. The AR Enterprise platform supports both IOS and Android mobile devices and upcoming wearable technologies. The AR Platform is available as an SDK Plug-in for existing mobile apps.

For more information or to explore working with Imagination Park, please email info@imaginear.com, or visit www.imagineAR.com.

iSportConnect Consultancy

iSportConnect’s consultancy division works to help our clients with commercial development, marketing and communications and business strategy surrounding the world of sport, helping to provide business intelligence; global sports market entry strategy and support.