Wasps Sport Appoints PTI Digital To Lead Their Data & Digital Ecosystem

Wasps Sport have appointed PTI Digital to lead a cross-business, cross-sport review of their data and digital eco-system as the group consider its return to play and the future of fan engagement.

Working across Wasps Sport, which includes Wasps Rugby (male and female), Wasps Netball and the Ricoh Arena, PTI will be completing a deep-dive analysis of the current state before helping to build out a future target operating model that delivers on the commercial vision of the group.

With skill sets across technology, digital, and data, PTI Digital provide a single pane view of an estate using proprietary IP to visualise systems, integrations, data management and more.

Adam Benson, Chief Commercial Officer at Wasps Sport commented: “As a sports club and large, multi-use entertainment venue, it is imperative that we have the right infrastructure in place to ensure we are maximising the data opportunities available to us. Wasps have recently embarked upon a review of our digital offering and technological capabilities as part of the development of a wider commercial strategy. PTI Digital have defined the framework for this and, in a very short space of time, understood our business and the challenges we face.”

Mike Bohndiek, Chief Executive Officer at PTI Digital commented “At the core of our proposition is our blended, specialist skill set. Be it fibre into a ground, in-stadia connectivity, digital platform architecture or best utilising club data, we have experienced sports industry executives on hand to help clubs go further, faster. We are delighted to be completing this analysis for Wasps Sport as their root and branch business review takes shape.”

UEFA Foundation Joins Forces With Stack Sports

tack Sports, provider of digital solutions to international, national, grassroots and professional sporting organisations across Europe, Australia and New Zealand, has joined forces with UEFA Foundation; a charitable organisation to help children in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Stack Sports will provide GameDay, it’s Online Auction Platform, which will assist in fundraising activities for the UEFA Foundation for Children. Limited edition items including official match worn and signed UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, shirts and footballs will be available. Stack Sports and UEFA Foundation for Children’s live auction will launch on the 25th September 2020 and can be found by visiting auctions.uefafoundation.org

Andy Graham, General Manager for Stack Sports – EMEA, said: “We are excited to partner with the UEFA Foundation. Our auction platform assists clubs, foundations and charities in fundraising activities for their respective organisations. The UEFA Foundation continues our growth in the EMEA region in 2020 having also partnered with Basketball Ireland and World Bowling in recent months.”

Cyril Pellevat, UEFA Foundation for Children, Head of Administration said: “UEFA Foundation for Children is pleased to partner with Stack Sports and digitise its fundraising activities. It will ensure we can offer all Football fans across the world their chance to win limited edition items from Champions League and Europa League matches. The profits benefit projects in favour of children around the world.”

Stack Sports have been providing next generation technology solutions in the Australian market since 2001 and have extended their key markets to include Europe, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Other Stack Sports partners in the European region include Basketball England, The Rugby Football League, Basketball Ireland, World Bowling and Run for All. Stack Sports provides membership, competition and event management platforms and various digital websites, e-commerce, and fundraising solutions to the sports community.

Stefano Domenicali Set To Be Appointed New Formula One CEO Replacing Chase Carey, Reports Say

Ferrari’s former Formula One Team Principal, Stefano Domenicali, is set to be named as the new Chief Executive of Formula One next year, according to reports.

He will replace current CEO Chase Carey, who has been in the role since January 2017 following Liberty Media’s acquisition of the motor racing championship.

Domenicali currently serves as the CEO of Italian car brand Lamborghini following his long tenure with Ferrari until 2014, and he returns to the sport after a six-year absence.

The appointment is yet to be confirmed by either Formula One or Domenicali himself, but has been widely reported by many sources.

Stefano Domenicali during his time at Ferrari.

LaLiga Signs IQONIQ As Global Fan Engagement Licenced Partner

LaLiga and IQONIQ have reached a global licence agreement to include LaLiga content and information on the IQONIQ platform, which is aimed at encouraging fan engagement in the world of sports and entertainment.

The main beneficiaries of this licence agreement will be fans around the world, who will have the latest information from LaLiga accessible on the IQONIQ app, as well as exclusive offers for merchandising, match tickets, unique experiences and more.

The agreement spans three years and will see IQONIQ become LaLiga’s “Global Fan Engagement Licenced Partner,” through which LaLiga demonstrates its firm commitment to thinking outside the box when it comes to establishing platforms to interact with its fans across the world.

“It’s strategic for LaLiga and its clubs to continue increasing their contact with fans around the world,” said Oscar Mayo, LaLiga’s Director of Business, Marketing and International Development. “In order to achieve this, there’s no better way than establishing this partnership with IQONIQ, the all-in-one fan engagement app that is already working with the Basketball Euroleague, McLaren Racing and several European football clubs, among others.”

From IQONIQ’s perspective, the agreement represents its commitment to football both in Spain and across the world, when considering LaLiga’s global reach.

Kazim Atilla, IQONIQ’s CEO, said: “We are very excited to have signed this partnership agreement with LaLiga, one of the most innovative and forward-thinking sports leagues in the world, and to become its exclusive and official fan engagement partner. IQONIQ is seeking to revolutionise the world of fan experience, so it is vital for us that we work alongside partners that are equally committed to providing their fans with the best possible engagements and experiences. Through this partnership, fans of LaLiga will be given new and unique opportunities to engage with their clubs and stars and be fairly rewarded for their ongoing commitment and loyalty. We look forward to working alongside LaLiga and their global partners to fulfil our common ambitions in this regard.”

Kings XI Punjab Strikes Fan Engagement Partnership With Tech Mahindra

Tech Mahindra Ltd. a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering services and Kings XI Punjab, a leading Dream11IPL team join hands to ‘bring fans closer to the game’ amidst COVID-19.

Through this partnership, Tech Mahindra has launched a dedicated fan engagement app to virtually connect fans to teams during the Dream11IPL 2020 and beyond. The mobile app will be available on iOS/Android platform for fans to download during the Dream11IPL2020 season.

Tech Mahindra and Kings XI Punjab will also work on 5G related use cases for introducing holographic virtual fans to the stadium. As part of the collaboration, Tech Mahindra will also support Kings XI Punjab to reach wider markets and audiences from at-home spectators real-time, during live games played in fan free stadiums and venues during the Dream11IPL 2020.

Satish Menon, CEO, Kings XI Punjab, said, “We are very excited to partner with Tech Mahindra as our “Digital Fan Engagement Partner”. The timing of launching this fan engagement app by Tech Mahindra is just perfect, as this will help Kings XI Punjab to be boundaryless and connect to even more fans than the previous IPL. Through this app, we are also helping our partner brands to be more digitally connected.”

Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth, Tech Mahindra, said, “Technology is going to play an important role in enabling digital disruptions and social innovation in the post-COVID world. Tech Mahindra is committed to revolutionize the fan experience globally by leveraging digital and virtual technology in sports. This strategic partnership with Kings XI Punjab will give us an opportunity to bring the best of both the worlds and help sports club to create the reach for fans beyond the obvious. We will enhance Fan engagement app further to provide hyper-personalised experience to Kings XI Punjab fans. With the launch of this app, we want to see more and more fans following the Kings XI Punjab.”

Manish Upadhyay, Head – Global Business Development, Sports Vertical, Tech Mahindra, said, “Tech Mahindra has recently launched the Sports Tech business unit focusing on Sports Specific digital solutions to provide digital ecosystem for fans, sponsors, suppliers and clubs. We are happy to partner with Kings XI Punjab and this is our first step towards building a state-of-the-art digital fan engagement platform. Though this collaboration, we will bring fans closer to the Kings XI Punjab and grow the game. Through our fan engagement app, we are not only providing great augmented and virtual reality experience to the fans especially the millennials, Gen Z and Gen X, but also providing great activation value to digital brands by monetizing on the fan experience.”

As part of the TechMNxt charter, Tech Mahindra is committed towards creating a partner ecosystem to deliver enhanced cutting-edge next-generation technologies like Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, 5G, and Internet of Things, to disrupt and enable digital transformation, to build cutting-edge technology solutions and services for customers globally.

TPG’s Integrated Media Acquire Majority Stake In Goal From DAZN Group

Integrated Media Company (IMC), a TPG platform dedicated to the new media ecosystem, announced today it has signed a definitive agreement with DAZN Group to acquire a majority stake in Goal, the world’s largest digital soccer brand. Under the partnership, Goal will enrich its coverage of the world’s top sport and additionally create digital opportunities enhancing the fan experience, advertiser proposition, and overall popularity of the game particularly in growth markets. IMC will also acquire leading German and Dutch portals Spox and VoetbalZone as part of a new venture. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“There are four billion soccer fans on earth. Their passion transcends borders and limits though the media serving them does not,” said Ori Winitzer, Managing Director, IMC. “Goal has long been an innately global platform for the soccer fan, with a strong journalistic tradition and a brand that’s synonymous with the sport. We see a significant opportunity to expand the platform’s reach and engagement through new content verticals, products, and experiences. We’re excited to partner with DAZN to serve all constituents in the soccer world.”

“We are thrilled to partner with IMC as we enter our next chapter of growth,” said James Rushton, Acting CEO, DAZN Group. “As we saw with Goal’s Lionel Messi exclusive, our football portals business features the top digital football destinations in the world. The investment from IMC will enable it to reach new heights, whilst allowing DAZN to focus its energy and resources on further strengthening our sports destination platform.”

Across platforms the new venture counts nearly 150 million unique visitors (August 2020) and offers news, scores, video and editorial content in 19 languages. It will seek to expand breadth and depth with the benefit of new capital. With a digital-native approach, combining global reach and local presence, the new venture aims to provide for all fan needs. It also enables an authentic opportunity for brands to connect with the right message, at the right time, and in the right place.

Extreme E Partners With Unicef

Extreme E, the new electric off-road motor racing series, has announced it is partnering with Unicef, the world’s leading children’s organisation, on a mission to empower young changemakers in Greenland through climate education.

Extreme E, which will race in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland in August 2021 during its inaugural season, and its independent Scientific Committee composed of leading climate experts from Oxford and Cambridge Universities, will work closely with Unicef UK and Unicef Denmark in Greenland. Extreme E will be supporting Unicef’s work on climate change education, helping children across Greenland to understand and address the climate related issues which are putting them, and future generations at risk.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “We are thrilled to be joining forces with Unicef UK on this transformational partnership to empower young people in Greenland in the fight against climate change.

“Extreme E is racing in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, as part of its mission to use sport to build awareness for climate issues. The region has become a global symbol of the climate crisis as the arctic ice cap continues to melt at alarming rates, not only leading to record global sea rise but of course it is also having drastic affect on the way of life for its local communities.

“Our younger generations are crucial in the fight for the future and together with the incredible expertise and dedication of Unicef, the world’s leading organisation for children, we are looking forward to the opportunity to build a legacy of climate education in Kangerlussuaq and throughout Greenland.”

Professor Peter Wadhams, Head of Extreme E’s Scientific Committee of climate experts, who has led over 50 arctic expeditions during his career and is one of the world’s leading authories on ice melt, will contribute to the partnership alongside other local and global experts.

Extreme E will also be supporting Unicef’s NAKUUSA programme, which this year celebrates it’s 10th anniversary, which supports children’s rights in Greenland through the creation of children’s councils, helping to amplify their voices. The partnership will look to raise awareness of the effects of climate change in Greenland and on children to Extreme E fans and audiences.

Sue Adams, Director of Partnerships at Unicef UK added: “We are delighted to partner with Extreme E to include and empower Greenland’s younger generation in the fight against climate change. Children are the least responsible for climate change, yet they will bear the greatest burden of its impact.

“Building on the existing work of Unicef in Greenland to promote and protect the rights of children—including those linked to the environment—we will help to empower children to become active citizens, providing them with the necessary tools to reimagine a cleaner, greener future.”

Maliina Abelsen, Head of Programmes in Greenland for UNICEF, said: “In UNICEF we always involve children when it comes to issues that affect them. Through listening and actively engaging, we find that they often offer brilliant solutions to their own future. That´s why this project, aiming to empower the children of Greenland to take even more action than they´re already taking, makes perfect sense for us to engage in.”

BWT Racing Point F1 Team Appoints Jefferson Slack As Commercial Managing Director

BWT Racing Point F1 Team, the Formula 1 team owned by Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll, has appointed sports industry heavyweight, Jefferson Slack, as Managing Director – Commercial and Marketing.

This position is a new role in the team and Slack will be responsible for all commercial and marketing activities, reporting into Otmar Szafnauer, CEO and Team Principal. The appointment comes ahead of the team’s much anticipated re-launch as the Aston Martin works team for the start of F1’s 2021 season.

Racing Point is enjoying its best ever Formula 1 season, currently in 4th position within the Constructors’ standings, and its re-brand to become Aston Martin F1 Team is set to position the team as one of Formula 1’s highest profile franchises.

Slack joins the team after a 30-year career across the sports industry. The American sports executive has extensive experience at the highest commercial level of sports. His career began managing Michael Jordan’s marketing activities before moving into sports private equity with Hicks, Muse.

In 2000, Slack became the first American CEO of a top European football club, Inter Milan. He also has a wide range of agency experience, with leadership positions at Wasserman and IMG.  More recently, Slack has been a commercial adviser to FIBA and Dorna, as well as undertaking a number of personal investments in businesses across the sports industry.

Slack will start his new role as Managing Director, Commercial and Marketing, of Racing Point F1 Team with immediate effect.

Lawrence Stroll, Racing Point F1 Team Chairman, said:

“With the progress we have made this season on the track and with our upcoming relaunch as Aston Martin F1 Team, we have a unique opportunity to create an iconic new sports property that’s at the forefront of Formula 1. We are delighted to appoint Jefferson Slack to help us realise the full global commercial and marketing opportunities that lie ahead.”

Otmar Szafnauer, CEO and Team Principal of Racing Point F1 Team said:

“I am delighted that Jefferson is joining us in the newly created role of Managing Director. He will be responsible for leading all our commercial and marketing activities as we look to build one of F1’s most successful teams, both on and off the track.”

Jefferson Slack, Managing Director of Racing Point F1 Team said:

“I believe this is one of the most exciting commercial opportunities, not just in Formula 1, but in the whole of the sports industry. We are looking to build an iconic new sports brand in Aston Martin F1 Team, and in the process we believe we will create a unique global marketing platform for other brands and partners. I am looking forward to working with Lawrence and Otmar, and building a world-class commercial and marketing team.”

Bundesliga Partners With FanCode For The Exclusive Destination Fans In India, Signs Deal With Sky Mexico

FanCode, India’s first multi-sport aggregator platform by Dream Sports, has exclusively partnered with Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, to show Bundesliga action every single week. With this exclusive multi-year partnership, FanCode becomes the only destination for sports fans in India to experience comprehensive coverage of the Bundesliga, one of the world’s most popular sports leagues. The Bundesliga features some of the biggest teams in the world including the current UEFA Champions League winner, FC Bayern München, along with Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, FC Schalke 04 and VfL Wolfsburg.

Indian football fans will now have easy access to watch all the games and follow superstars like Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Müller, Erling Haaland, Marco Reus and Manuel Neuer, exclusively on a single platform. For the very first time, Indian football fans will have access to every single game from the league which will be exclusively live streamed on FanCode, as well as the German Supercup which this year takes place between Bayern and Dortmund.

Besides live streaming, FanCode users can access comprehensive coverage of the league, including game highlights, news, live blog commentary, extensive fantasy research resources. Through this partnership, the Bundesliga will have direct and extensive reach to the 100M+ unique Indian sports users that are part of the Dream Sports ecosystem across their portfolio brands.

Talking about the new and exciting partnership, Robert Klein, CEO, Bundesliga International, said, “Germany and India share a world-renowned passion for sport and we believe that the fast, high-scoring football of the Bundesliga is the perfect fit for Indian fans. India is one of the largest and fastest markets for digital growth and this opportunity to utilise FanCode was a key factor in our decision making. By working in partnership with Fancode, we are able to reach over 100 million highly engaged sports fans through the Dream Sports ecosystem, and we are excited to use the highly innovative and interactive Fancode platform to reach more Bundesliga and sports fans in India than ever before.”

Talking about the fan experience, Yannick Colaco, Co-Founder of FanCode, said, “FanCode is committed to bringing depth and breadth to the sports experience in India by promoting a multi-sport culture through digital innovations. As the exclusive fan destination for Bundesliga, we have an opportunity to bring a new-age experience to Indian sports fans that are tailored to their preferences. As one of the most widely followed football leagues in the world, we are looking forward to engaging and onboarding new and existing Bundesliga football fans on the platform to further build on their fandom quotient.”

Commenting on the exclusive partnership, Prasana Krishnan, Co-Founder of FanCode, said, “We are very excited to partner with such a prominent football league as the Bundesliga. While the popular European league is widely followed by avid football fans across the globe, the league is gaining traction among Indian football fans as well. There are many local fan clubs that enjoy and immensely follow the league in India. With this partnership, Bundesliga becomes our largest football association and our flagship football property. Together, we will bring comprehensive fan experience to Indian fans like never before and further support in increasing the popularity of football in India.”

The 2020-21 season is scheduled to begin today, September 18. The defending champions FC Bayern will launch the 58th Bundesliga campaign with a home game against FC Schalke 04 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Bavaria. The Bundesliga is also associated with Dream11 as their Official Fantasy Sport Partner.

SKY Mexico

SKY Mexico has agreed a two-year deal with Bundesliga International, a subsidiary of DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga, to become the home of the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 in Mexico and Central America. The deal, which begins at the start of the 2020-21 season, ensures that SKY Mexico will show live Bundesliga action every Matchday, as well as the German Supercup and the all-important promotion/relegation play-off matches at the end of each season.

With this new agreement, SKY Mexico has the rights to exclusively broadcast three Bundesliga matches each Matchday within Mexico, as well as non-exclusive access to the other six matches taking place. In addition, SKY Mexico will also launch a channel dedicated to its Bundesliga coverage, featuring regular shoulder programming, such as the Bundesliga’s “Weekly” show, which brings fans all the latest news and updates from their favourite clubs, as well as the highlights show to wrap up all the action from every Matchday throughout the season.SKY Mexico Head of Content Juan Carlos Muñoz said: “We celebrate this new partnership and welcome the Bundesliga to SKY, where all fans can enjoy every Matchday, having the certainty of the largest live broadcasting coverage of the competition in Mexico, as well as the latest news and special programming. We are glad to reinforce our promise to provide the best competitions to our subscribers, as part of our long-term strategy alongside our new partners.”

Image credit: DFL / Getty Images / Widmann

Dugout Expands US Network With beIN SPORTS North America Deal

Global digital media company, Dugout, has announced a partnership with beIN SPORTS North America – part of international sport and entertainment giant, beIN MEDIA GROUP. The deal will bring the world’s finest soccer moments captured on video to fans across the US and Canada.

beIN SPORTS North America will take Dugout’s Embed player and gain access to Dugout’s extensive video library in the US and Canada. This will include 3,500 videos generated by Dugout’s production team each month, in addition to tens of thousands of pre-existing archive videos. Dugout’s partnerships with over 120 soccer clubs around the globe will also provide beIN SPORTS North America with live-streamed content such as pre and post-match interviews and training session updates, along with other non-match footage from the archives. This vast video library will add a new dimension to beIN SPORTS North America’s existing world-class soccer coverage.

beIN SPORTS North America holds the rights to multiple high-profile international soccer leagues and competitions including LaLiga, Ligue 1, Turkish SüperLig, Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. The deal with beIN SPORTS North America will therefore expand the reach of Dugout’s 500 brand partners to new highly engaged audiences in a contextually relevant premium publisher environment.

Elliot Richardson, Chairman and Co-founder of Dugout said of the partnership:

“We’re extremely pleased to announce a partnership with such a high profile and well-regarded global publisher that has established deep roots with North America’s dedicated soccer fanbase. beIN SPORTS’ audiences will gain access to hours of archive footage in addition to Dugout’s live-stream product, which work together to give audiences that electric feeling of being at the games, while having additional off-limits footage to provide a fuller fan experience.”

Juan Di Polo, Senior Digital Director at beIN SPORTS North America commented:

“The partnership with Dugout unlocks a wealth of extraordinary soccer footage for North American fans. Our loyal viewers are always hungry for new forms of entertainment and unique ways to engage with the game they’re passionate about. Working with Dugout furthers beIN SPORTS’ mission to be a destination for world-class sports content and we are glad to offer even more of this content to our growing fanbase through this partnership.”