EA Acquires Game Developer Codemasters For US$1.2bn

Electronic Arts Inc. has announced that it has reached an agreement with the Board of Codemasters for the recommended acquisition of Codemasters, the UK-based game developer and publisher.

In the transaction, Codemasters’ shareholders will be entitled to receive 604 pence (approximately US$7.98*) in cash for each ordinary share of Codemasters with an implied enterprise value of US$1.2 billion*. The acquisition is anticipated to be completed in the first quarter of calendar 2021.

“Electronic Arts and Codemasters have a shared ambition to lead the video game racing category. The Board of Codemasters firmly believes the company would benefit from EA’s knowledge, resources and extensive global scale – both overall and specifically within the racing sector. We feel this union would provide an exciting and prosperous future for Codemasters, allowing our teams to create, launch and service bigger and better games to an extremely passionate audience,” said Gerhard Florin, the Chairman of Codemasters.

“We believe there is a deeply compelling opportunity in bringing together Codemasters and Electronic Arts to create amazing and innovative new racing games for fans. Our industry is growing, the racing category is growing, and together we will be positioned to lead in a new era of racing entertainment. We have admired Codemasters’ creative talent and high-quality games for many years. With the full leverage of EA’s technology, platform expertise, and global reach, this combination will allow us to grow our existing franchises and deliver more industry-defining racing experiences to a global fan base. We are pleased that both our Boards of Directors are recommending this transaction, and we look forward to welcoming such an exciting and talented team to the Electronic Arts family,” said Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts.

Strategic Rationale:

  • Electronic Arts believes the combination of EA and Codemasters will enable further growth and success for Codemasters and EA’s popular and innovative racing franchises.
  • Bringing together the combined expertise and talent from Codemasters’ critically-acclaimed sports and racing franchises Formula One, DiRT, DiRT Rally, Grid and Project Cars with EA’s global Need for Speed franchise, fan-favorite Real Racing mobile game and EA SPORTS brands will enable our teams to innovate further, and meaningfully increase the delivery of content and experiences to a growing, global audience for racing entertainment.
  • Codemasters’ deep creative talent which has produced high-quality racing games for many years, including the Formula One franchise that continues to deliver great entertainment for F1’s growing fan base.
    EA believes it can help accelerate Codemasters’ performance by leveraging EA’s deep expertise in live services operations, game analytics and technology. In addition, EA’s central services teams across development technology, art & motion capture, quality verification, compliance, and localization will all be resources available to Codemasters.
  • EA’s global publishing, marketing and game development support capabilities will also strengthen Codemasters’ existing capabilities, expanding the addressable market for Codemasters’ franchises.
    The combination of Codemasters and Electronic Arts will enable the development and delivery of a market-leading portfolio of creative and exciting racing games and content to more platforms and more players around the world.
  • The union also creates ongoing and expanded ways for players to engage with the combined portfolio of sports and racing games through EA’s industry-leading multi-platform subscription services.
    Bringing together Codemasters and Electronic Arts also delivers compelling financial benefit to the combined group. The acquisition is expected to grow net bookings and underlying profitability.                                                                                                                                                            Frank Sagnier, Chief Executive Officer of Codemasters, and Rashid Varachia, Chief Financial Officer of Codemasters, along with the senior executive management team of Codemasters intend to remain with Codemasters following completion of the acquisition and will continue to lead the Codemasters business within EA’s organization.

Tottenham Hotspur FC To Maintain Hygiene With INEOS Hygienics

INEOS Hygienics, the global healthcare brand, has become the Official Hygiene Supplier to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

INEOS Hygienics is supplying the Club and the stadium with state-of-the-art touchless sanitiser dispensers, delivering hospital grade sanitiser to Spurs’ players, staff and fans, in order to maintain good hand hygiene and reduce the spread of viruses and bacteria.

Built to be robust yet stylish, the touchless dispensers have been designed to blend in with all environments and efficiently dispense hospital grade sanitiser. The dispensers will be used in the player dressing rooms, hospitality areas at the Club’s world-class stadium, as well as its Enfield Training Centre and across the Club’s executive offices.

This is the first time the precision-designed, Swiss-engineered dispensers have been used in the Premier League, further building on INEOS Hygienics’ sporting credibility in football, Formula One, cycling and sailing.

INEOS Hygienics is also supplying personal hand sanitiser to players across the Men’s and Women’s First Teams and Academy as well as staff to help keep them safe when travelling and at home.

George Ratcliffe, COO of INEOS Hygienics said: “We’re proud to be able to partner with Spurs and supply the Club and the stadium with our new range of touchless dispensers and hospital grade sanitiser. As the first Premier League club to use our dispensers and hospital grade hand sanitisers, it shows the importance the Club is putting on good hand hygiene to help keep the players, staff and fans safe.

Fran Jones, Head of Partnerships at Tottenham Hotspur said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has made everybody change their behaviour and further underlined the need for good hygiene practices. It is essential that the Club supports and facilitates those changes in order to create safe environments across our estate including our stadium, training centre and executive offices. INEOS Hygienics offers us a high purity, hospital grade sanitiser, which protects our Men’s and Women’s teams ensuring they can continue to train and play matches, as well as our staff and, of course, our fans.”

FIH Launches Bidding Process For 2022 Nations Cup

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has launched the bidding process for hosting the FIH Nations Cup which will be played in 2022 for the very first time.

The aim of this new yearly event is to offer a top-level competition to the best-ranked teams not participating in the FIH Hockey Pro League and give the winners the option to be promoted to the FIH Hockey Pro League the next season, precisely. For Men as well as for Women, eight teams will be involved in the FIH Nations Cup, based on the FIH World Rankings of 31 May 2021.

The FIH Nations Cup also marks the start of the promotion-relegation principle for the FIH Hockey Pro League. Indeed, both FIH Nations Cup winners will have the chance to be promoted to the 2023/24 FIH Hockey Pro League (provided they meet the necessary requirements for it).

Since participation in the FIH Nations Cup is conditioned by each team’s position in the FIH World Rankings, the bidding process to host the event is only open to the National Associations of the relevant teams. And since the FIH World Rankings may evolve between now and May next year, the bidding dossier has been sent to 10 – instead of 8 – National Associations per gender.

FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “The FIH Nations Cup is a welcome addition to our events’ portfolio. It will enable to apply the promotion-relegation principle to the FIH Hockey Pro League. Like for most other leagues, this will generate even more excitement to the competition. It will also give other nations who haven’t yet had the opportunity to join the Pro League to do so and this is only fair! And it will help grow hockey in further countries.”

The deadline for submitting the bids is 31 March 2021.

Tyrell And Wildmoka Partner To Address The UK & Ireland Market Needs

Tyrell and Wildmoka have joined forces to address the UK & Ireland market needs.

Wildmoka have led the way in responding to the increasing audience demand for premium and time-sensitive digital content distribution, by creating a set of tools and an optimised production workflow that allows news and sports broadcasters to automatically tailor live and recorded content directly to their audiences.

Enabling them to publish content across multiple platforms in seconds, by using a simple web browser and a limited home broadband connection. Not only does this gives audiences a better viewing experience but it also opens up new revenue opportunities for broadcasters and content creators, as relevant ads and monetisation mechanisms can be triggered directly from the platform.

“There has been a seismic shift in how content is being consumed by all generations. This means a more agile approach is required by broadcasters and content creators to keep up with the increasing expectations and consumption models,” commented Dan Muchmore, Sales & Marketing Director at Tyrell. “Wildmoka talk about engaging with audiences through a content journey by publishing content in a matter of seconds across multiple platforms. They do this so well and are a truly exciting innovator.  We are proud to partner with them and their solution compliments the way we at Tyrell look at engaging audiences through innovation.”

Jamie Lakin, Sales Director for UK & Ireland at Wildmoka commented, “Wildmoka has identified Tyrell as a leading, trusted provider of media infrastructure and services across the United Kingdom and Ireland. In what has been a very busy time of scale-out for Wildmoka in region (and globally) in recent years, taking our time to identify the leading providers across our Media & Entertainment market has been an important period to bolster our channel strategy for key regions.

Tyrell are greatly respected for their long-standing relationships with household broadcasters & brands, their expertise and overall approach to projects and support. Wildmoka are delighted to engage in this channel partner journey with Tyrell and look forward to working together to meet market demand in what is a very buoyant vertical.”

Umar Kremlev Elected As The New President Of The International Boxing Association

Umar Kremlev is the new president of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), winning the election on Saturday with 57.33 per cent of the vote. Kremlev has called for unity and reforms in AIBA, the sports body that represents amateur boxing worldwide.

The election was held virtually at AIBA’s ongoing congress due to the pandemic. It was attended by 155 National Federations from five continents. 

“Let me make it clear: the path to rebuilding AIBA is not easy. It will not happen overnight. We have to unite together and work with one mission, and one mission alone: rebuilding the credibility and trust that AIBA once had in the minds of sports people worldwide and that includes, of course, restoring AIBA’s Olympic status,” Kremlev said after winning the election.

Kremlev’s ambitious manifesto aims to pay off the millions of dollars in debt accumulated by AIBA under previous administrations.

“Getting rid of AIBA’s debt will be the first priority. As I promised when I announced my run for the presidency, I will clear this debt in the first six months. My administration will aim to raise $50 million within two years, all of which will be used to rebuild AIBA,” Kremlev told the AIBA Congress.

He has announced plans to provide annual funding of $2 million to AIBA’s national federations and to set up boxing academies on each continent to train athletes, coaches, referees and judges.

Kremlev has made it his mission to develop boxing around the globe. As head of the Russian Boxing Federation since 2017, he participated actively in the organization of various international boxing tournaments, including the 2019 AIBA Men’s and Women’s World Championships.

Kremlev also launched the first Global Boxing Forum, which was first convened in early February 2018 in Sochi, Russia. It soon became a platform for an open dialogue between representatives of the world boxing community from more than 130 countries as well as heads of leading boxing organizations, athletes, Olympic champions, world champions and promoters.

Kremlev is confident he can chart a clear path for AIBA to be reinstated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in time for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

“Boxing is the sport of fighters. Our fight today is against financial debt, against incompetence, against corruption, against doping, against poor training, and against poor safety. Strengthening AIBA’s governance structures, and ensuring our checks and balances work, will be the focus of my tenure as president,” announced Kremlev.

The new AIBA president has received strong support from the National Federations, who see his leadership qualities and strong track record as necessary for AIBA at this crucial junction in its history.

Real Madrid Signs Therabody As Tech Wellness Partner

Therabody , the global leader in tech wellness has announced that prestigious Football Club Real Madrid has chosen the brand as its official tech wellness partner.

The formalized relationship underscores each brand’s commitment to maximizing player performance on the pitch, while helping to create a wellness culture within Real Madrid’s community of athletes, experts and fans.

The announcement is the culmination of years of Therabody’s Founder and Chief Wellness Officer, Dr. Jason Wersland, working with Real Madrid’s Head of Medical Services, Dr. Niko Mihic. After learning that Dr. Niko had been integrating Theragun into the team’s recovery routine due to its science-backed efficacy, the two experts began working together to implement holistic solutions to optimize training, injury prevention and recovery protocols. The announcement today is the official and natural extension of what began as a shared, authentic commitment to caring for athletes, and will accelerate creating a more holistic and integrated wellness culture at Real Madrid in the coming years.

“Real Madrid is celebrated globally for their excellence on and off the pitch, and Dr. Niko is known for implementing some of the most innovative injury and recovery protocols with his players, and I am honored to help him take it to the next level, ” says Dr. Jason Wersland, Founder and Chief Wellness Officer of Therabody. “ Supporting the dedication of Real Madrid to institutional wellness is integral to who we are and is a natural fit, and I look forward to expanding on the established programs at Real Madrid.”

“When it comes to caring for and treating athletes, and customizing recovery plans for each player, it is vital that I prescribe industry-leading, innovative, holistic protocols that the athletes  can do with me and on their own,” explains Dr. Niko Mihic, Head of Medical Services of Real Madrid. “Therabody and Dr. Jason provide science-based research and products that not only optimize training and recovery, but primes these athletes for life outside of the game. We’re thrilled to work with Therabody and Dr. Jason as our go-to wellness experts.”

The partnership with Real Madrid bolsters Therabody’s mission to help people feel better naturally, empowering everybody to do the things that move them. The formalized relationship will integrate the Theragun PRO, Wave Roller, Theragun mini and newly acquired Recovery Pump into their training, and will enable players on both the Men’s and Women’s teams to use these devices on their own with guidance on the Therabody App. The partnership will also leverage Therabody’s research and educational programs through Therabody University and its network of world-renowned health and fitness professionals, as well as provide opportunity for both teams to learn and gain insights from one another to further innovate.

“Supporting athletes across the globe is fundamental to our business,” says Benjamin Nazarian, CEO of Therabody. “This comprehensive relationship with Real Madrid will create a holistic wellness program for their players, coaches and corporate team. We will also have the opportunity to learn from and work with their players and medical experts to develop new recovery and wellness products. We’re looking forward to helping the Real Madrid team while producing a worldwide impact.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Therabody as Real Madrid’s official sponsor,” says Emilio Butragueño, Real Madrid’s Director of Institutional Relations. “This unique relationship is between two globally recognized brands who share the same interest in caring for professional athletes. Therabody is known for its innovative and scientifically-calibrated holistic wellness solutions, which will help us accelerate our wellness programs for not only our players, but for our extensive Real Madrid community.

Springboks Agrees Partnership With DHL Express

DHL Express has announced the continuation of its sponsorship with The British & Irish Lions, and in addition a new unique partnership with the Springboks, South Africa’s national rugby team and reigning World Champions.

Both teams will rely on DHL’s key and tailored logistics services as part of a unique partnership. For the first time ever, all players involved in the series will sport the DHL logo on the back of their jerseys, meaning that DHL are backing the Lions and the Springboks – three-time Rugby World Cup winners – both on and off the pitch.

“Rugby represents many important values such as teamwork, passion, speed and respect, all of which are core qualities which resonate very strongly with our DHL brand values,” said John Pearson, CEO DHL Express. “I am delighted to be continuing our partnership with The British & Irish Lions Tour next year and thrilled to be adding the Springboks as a partner, further building on our global ties with rugby. By partnering with both, we further highlight our commitment to rugby and to keeping the world connected. We look forward to engaging with the teams and fans of both the Lions and Springboks before and throughout the Tour.”

The Castle Lager Lions Series will witness The British & Irish Lions bring together the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales for an eight-match Tour of South Africa during July and August 2021, including three highly-anticipated Test matches against the reigning World Champions, the Springboks.

As ‘The Team Behind The Teams’, DHL will provide specialized and tailored logistics solutions to both teams on and off the pitch ensuring delivery of all equipment – such as crucial coaching, training and technical gear for a touring party of over 100 people. From coaches, support staff and management, to DHL employees and fans, they all play a key part in ‘The Team Behind The Teams.’

“Since our partnership first began in 2005, DHL have been an integral part of our team so we are delighted they will be supporting us once again,” commented Ben Calveley, The British & Irish Lions Managing Director. “DHL plays an important role in ensuring the safe delivery of our kit and equipment so that the squad is given the best possible chance of success. We look forward to working with them as our planning for next year’s Tour continues.”

Jurie Roux, SA Rugby Chief Executive Officer, adds: “DHL is a brand that is synonymous with delivering excellence so today marks the partnership of two teams who strive to be the best. DHL have consistently been a supporter of rugby here in South Africa, so we are delighted to have their expertise behind us as we bid to defend our turf against the Lions.”

DHL has been a key partner of the Lions since 2005 delivering the last two Tours to New Zealand in 2017 and Australia in 2013, adding to its longstanding partnership and association with rugby on a global and local level.

DHL as a brand is synonymous with rugby globally, thanks to existing partnerships with Rugby World Cups, World Rugby Sevens Series, DHL Stormers in South Africa, Ireland Rugby and Harlequins in England. Both The British & Irish Lions and the Springboks are not only truly historic and iconic teams, but they absolutely reinforce DHL’s brand message; Excellence, Simply Delivered

“Both the Lions and the Springboks are iconic teams, and we are looking forward to working with them leading up to and during the Tour,” said Mike Parra, CEO Americas & Global Head of Sponsorships at DHL Express.

“This partnership reinforces the shared values of both teams in an authentic way. By providing logistics solutions as well as appearing on the back of each team’s jersey we are very much ‘The Team Behind The Teams’ – both on the pitch and off.”

Griezmann Ends Association With Huawei Citing Fears Over Treatment Of Uighurs

The France and FC Barcelona forward Antoine Griezmann has ended his affiliation with Huawei post the reports that the Chinese tech giant has contributed to the repression of the mostly Muslim minority Uighurs.

“Following strong suspicions that the Huawei company has contributed to the development of a ‘Uighur alert’ thanks to facial recognition software, I am announcing the immediate termination of my partnership with the company,” Griezmann wrote in an Instagram post.

“I take this opportunity to invite Huawei to not just deny these accusations, but to take concrete actions as quickly as possible to condemn this mass repression, and to use its influence to contribute to the respect of human and women’s rights in society.”

Special Olympics GB Renews Partnership With Mitsubishi Electric

Mitsubishi Electric has renewed their partnership with Special Olympics GB for a further two years with immediate effect with both organisations committed to building upon the existing mutually beneficial relationship to help transform the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through sport.

Special Olympics GB is a non-profit organisation and the largest provider of year-round, sports coaching and athletic competition in summer and winter sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics GB currently has more than 120 all ability, inclusive sports clubs covering 28 sports across England, Scotland and Wales providing approximately 27,000 regular hour-long sporting sessions per year, all delivered by a team of more than 4,000 volunteers.

An official partner since 2018, Mitsubishi Electric has been active in supporting a wide variety of events, from last year’s Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi and the 40th Anniversary Games in Stirling in August 2018, to the smaller individual regional events with employees actively encouraged to volunteer.

Moving forward, the partnership will focus on delivering a range of joint initiatives which underpin, promote and reiterate the values and objectives of both organisations. From Unified sport events – both virtual and physical – to providing platforms for our athlete’s stories to be shared, increased interaction and engagement with our Special Olympics GB Athlete Leadership Team and a variety of volunteering opportunities being offered, we will work together to deliver maximum engagement and purpose for both organisations.

Commenting on the renewed partnership, Michelle Carney, CEO of Special Olympics GB said: “We are absolutely delighted Mitsubishi Electric have decided to continue their relationship with Special Olympics GB. Mitsubishi Electric has a strong employee engagement agenda and with the many opportunities – both physical and virtual – Special Olympics GB can offer, the relationship works incredibly well for both sides.

“have seen first-hand the impact Mitsubishi Electric colleagues and their volunteering work has on our events and our athletes and it can only be described as joyful for everyone involved. We often talk about the transformational effect of Special Olympics GB on our athletes but once organisations and volunteers meet and listen to our athletes, it transforms their lives too. We are very aware of the world we are living in and the many issues businesses are facing at the moment, and we are hugely grateful for the ongoing support from Mitsubishi Electric.”

Deane Flint, UK & Ireland Branch President of Mitsubishi Electric said: “We are delighted to continue supporting the incredible work that Special Olympics GB does, giving these amazing athletes the recognition they deserve. In these challenging times it is more important than ever that everyone is given the chance to shine and realise their full potential, and we look forward to finding more opportunities for our staff to join in with the brilliant work this amazing body achieves.”

Surfing, Skateboarding, Breaking & Sport Climbing Added To Olympic Games Paris 2024

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board officially confirmed that Surfing, Skateboarding, Breaking and Sport Climbing have been included on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The Paris 2024 organisers proposed the four sports in response to a new level of flexibility afforded to Olympic Games Host Cities to encourage innovation in the Olympic programme. Host Cities, beginning with Tokyo 2020, have the option of suggesting new sports and events for inclusion in their edition of the Games that are not binding on future Games hosts.

IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “We are grateful to the IOC Executive Board for confirming our inclusion in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. We would also like to thank the Paris 2024 Organising Committee for their constant support.

“On the IFSC side, this is the result of the hard work done in the last year by those who believed in the dream: the IFSC Executive Board, National Federations, athletes, officials and staff. We are going through the toughest time in our history due to COVID-19, but we have four intense and challenging years ahead of us. We are inspired and motivated. Being climbers, the harder the challenge we face, the better we perform.”

International Surfing Association President Fernando Aguerre said: “Surfing is perfect for the new era of the Games and selecting our sport for the Olympic Programme – with Tahiti as the venue – is testimony to Paris 2024’s creative and inclusive spirit.   This decision also aligns with the IOC’s wider objective to apply new, innovative approaches to Games hosting.

“We are excited to be part of the Olympic journey to 2024 with the IOC and Paris, and we believe we have generated great momentum now for Surfing’s long-term, permanent inclusion in the Olympic Programme.

“The conditions at Teahupo’o offer an amazing performance wave that will excite athletes and captivate fans. Elite surfers – men and women – compete here regularly and are eager to compete for Olympic glory at Teahupo’o. With 22 men and 22 women surfers, we are happy to reaffirm our total commitment to gender equality and fair sport.”