IMG Arena Agrees Worldwide Betting Rights Deal With Lega Basket Serie A

IMG ARENA, a leading sports betting service and content hub, has secured the worldwide betting rights for the next five years with Lega Società di Pallacanestro Serie A (LBA), the top tier of Italian basketball.

The relationship will cover all the LBA events and began with the recent 50th anniversary of the prestigious Supercoppa won by A|X Armani Exchange Milano.

In addition, IMG ARENA will become the official partner for the LBA’s fastpath data, allowing it to boost commercial opportunities with sportsbook partners, while ensuring the integrity of the proprietary, licensed data and its distribution.

Freddie Longe, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of IMG ARENA, said: “We are delighted to start our alliance with the LBA. Basketball has a broad geographical following that makes it one of the world’s most popular sports.  We are committed to investing in elite leagues like the LBA as part of our promise to provide the highest quality content for our sportsbook customers.”

Umberto Gandini, President of LBA, said: “We take great pleasure in announcing the new partnership with IMG ARENA, who have a proven reputation of working with federations and leagues to both develop and protect sports via their innovative products and solutions. We understand the benefits of a long-term relationship and in IMG ARENA we have found a partner to help grow and future-proof our sport.”

Headquartered in London, IMG ARENA works with more than 460 leading sportsbook operators worldwide, providing always-on services including 24/7 live streaming and on-demand virtual sports products designed to evolve and inspire engagement by placing fans at the heart of the action. In 2019, more than 175 million hours of IMG ARENA content was watched by 56 million unique viewers around the globe. IMG ARENA’s clients include the ATP, UFC, the PGA TOUR, European Tour, the FA Cup and Serie A.

vivo Becomes Official Partner Of UEFA EURO 2020 And 2024

vivo has announced a four-year deal with UEFA under which the Chinese smartphone manufacturer will become an official partner for UEFA EURO 2020 and UEFA EURO 2024

This comes after vivo agreed with the Indian Premier League to pull back their title sponsorship of cricket’s biggest global franchise for 2020 as ongoing tensions linger between China and India, with Dream11 taking over the sponsorship for 2020.

vivo has been announced as an official partner for the next two editions of UEFA EURO, the Chinese company becoming the official smartphone provider for UEFA EURO 2020 and UEFA EURO 2024.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA said: “We are delighted to have vivo onboard as a partner for UEFA EURO 2020 and UEFA EURO 2024 – a competition which is followed by millions of football fans around the globe. Vivo is a recent and modern smartphone brand and we sincerely value their commitment to excellence and dedication to giving their customers the best possible experience. With vivo’s help, we are looking forward to connecting football fans globally over the next four years and beyond.”

The announcement also means vivo becomes the first ever presenting partner of the UEFA EURO Opening and Closing ceremonies, where the smartphone manufacturer will work with UEFA in order to create a memorable experience for the millions of viewers around the world, who will watch the tournament unfold.

Denny Deng, CEO of vivo Europe said: “Both UEFA and vivo share a passion for excellence, and for providing unique and fantastic new experiences for our fans. vivo hope to leverage the strengths in smartphones and smart services to work with UEFA, connecting with consumers around the world to create unique, outstanding and innovative human experiences for an extraordinary and unparalleled UEFA EURO.”

Kosmos Tennis Appoints Enric Rojas As Managing Director

Enric Rojas has replaced Javier Alonso as the new Managing Director of Kosmos Tennis.

Enric has worked at IMG for 13 years, nine in Spain and four in London as SVP Head of IMG Media for EMEA. He has an extensive experience in the world of tennis and sport and will lead the group as they prepare for the second edition of the Davis Cup Finals.

After three years as CEO and leading the creation of Kosmos Tennis and the organisation of the new-format Davis Cup Finals, Javier Alonso is stepping back from the forefront of the company to dedicate himself to other group projects including EMR and Kosmos Studios. 

Thanks to Javier’s professionalism and extensive experience in the world of sport, Kosmos has achieved important milestones. Javier will not be leaving the tennis project entirely and will remain as an advisor.

SailGP Appoints Fiona Morgan As Director Of Purpose And Impact

Backing-up SailGP’s recently announced purpose-led agenda Race for the Future, the global league has announced the appointment of Fiona Morgan in the newly created role of director of purpose and impact.

Through Race for the Future, SailGP is placing purpose at the heart of the sport’s pinnacle league to accelerate change to a cleaner and more inclusive future. Morgan joins SailGP to drive the global league’s forward-thinking purpose agenda internally and externally, and deliver real value for fans, partners, host cities and staff.

With nearly 20 years’ experience in the industry, Morgan joins SailGP with an exceptional track record of shaping social impact strategy and campaigns for some of the world’s most high-profile sports brands.  Recently she was the driving force behind Sky’s corporate and social purpose team, The Bigger Picture, and led the Sky Ocean Rescue consumer campaign, which reached an awareness of nearly 50 million people across Europe and resulted in behavioral change among its customers towards plastics. Morgan is also an ambassador for Meaningful Business – a global community of leaders who combine profit and purpose to help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 – and an advisory board member at 17 Sport.

Morgan said: “We have a hugely exciting opportunity as a global platform to not only transform the sport, but at the same time, drive a purpose-led agenda that inspires and delivers real and meaningful change and focuses on a better future for all.  We will make decisions with a better future in mind and that’s a new and progressive way of thinking for sport.”

SailGP CEO Sir Russell Coutts said: “We have a responsibility and purpose that goes beyond our entertainment proposition, and we are really excited to have Fiona on board to take SailGP from intention to action, and deliver our ambitious goals to effect environmental and social impact within and outside of the sport.”

Expedia Sign Sleeve Sponsorship With Liverpool FC

Liverpool FC and Expedia, one of the world’s largest full-service travel sites, have set off on a multi-year agreement that will position the travel platform as a principal partner of the club, landing on the shirt sleeve of both men’s and women’s team kit.

As Liverpool FC’s official travel companion, Expedia will create emotionally-driven campaigns through access to players, matchday visibility and branded content. Communication will focus on empowering fans to discover, book and enjoy the journey as well as the destination, maximising their experience for when football and travel will return to normal.

Matt Scammell, commercial director at Liverpool FC, said: “I see a great synergy between the club and Expedia; as organisations we both understand the value of the right support, whether that means not having to worry about travel arrangements or knowing the 12th man is behind you every step of the way.

“I’m delighted to embark on this journey with Expedia and looking forward to the relationship benefiting our global fanbase when we can all experience the freedom of football and travel once again.”

Adam Jay, president and co-lead, marketing at Expedia Group, said: “We are thrilled that Expedia is now the official travel companion of Liverpool FC.

“When we can all freely experience the joy of travel again, we look forward to being the perfect travel companion for the Reds and their fans around the world, ensuring that wherever they are, they will never walk alone.”

O2 Extends RFU Shirt Sponsorship Deal For Five Years

O2 and the RFU have today announced a new five-year partnership of England’s national teams and bringing spend parity across the men’s and women’s games.

O2 is the principal shirt partner for the England Senior Men’s and England Senior Women’s teams with O2’s logo appearing front and centre on all match day and training kit.

As part of the new agreement, O2 has pledged to equally fund the men’s and women’s game over the course of the partnership. O2 and the RFU have the collective ambition to grow both the profile of the Red Roses and increase attendance at future games.

The deal also provides O2 customers the opportunity to access Priority Tickets for all England Rugby games, 48 hours before general release. As the UK’s No1 network, O2 is committed to offering the very best offers and experiences.

Through Priority, O2 customers will have the opportunity to access exclusive player meet and greets, 20% matchday discount on England Rugby kit at the Twickenham Stadium store and O2 Ultimate Fan – winning the chance to go on summer tour with the team.

O2 Inside Line will continue as the exclusive England Rugby behind the scenes content series, now with equal commitment to both teams. This includes content from inside training camps, live broadcasts from camps during Test week, and exclusive pre and post-match content from the O2 Blueroom. O2 Inside Line will be multi-format series including live stream, video and podcast.

The deal also brings a joint commitment from O2 and the RFU to support the country’s grassroots clubs through exclusive rugby community offers from O2, and a vision for Twickenham to become more connected, utilising O2 5G and O2 Business products and services.

Bill Sweeney, RFU CEO commented: “O2 have been a loyal supporter of England Rugby, a partnership that has lasted for 25 years and we are proud to continue to carry their logo front and centre on our shirts for a further five years. O2’s commitment to equally support both our elite teams is commendable and it’s great to collaborate with a partner that truly shares our same passion to see the women’s game flourish and continue to grow for future generations to enjoy.”

Nina Bibby, CMO of O2 said: “There has never been a more important time to get behind rugby, a sport we love and have invested in for over 25 years. We are proud to support the RFU through our extended partnership, which we believe is the longest shirt sponsorship in the history of UK sport. Our new agreement brings investment parity from O2 to England Men and England Women. The future for English rugby is bright, and together we want to make sure that rugby emerges from the pandemic stronger than ever before.”

Sir Hugh Robertson Re-Elected Chair Of British Olympic Association To Paris 2024

The British Olympic Association today confirmed Sir Hugh Robertson as Chair for a second term, which will take him up to and including Paris 2024.

After declaring his intent to stand for re-election, Robertson was unchallenged during the nominations period.

First appointed in November 2016, replacing Lord Sebastian Coe, Robertson acted as Vice Chair from 2015 prior to this, during which time he oversaw Coe’s IAAF (now World Athletics) presidential election campaign.

This will be Robertson’s second and final term, which has seen Team GB continue to cement its place within the global Olympic landscape.

A second place in the medal table at Rio 2016 was followed by Pyeongchang 2018 where Team GB created history winning its best ever medal total* including Lizzy Yarnold retaining the gold medal she won in skeleton at Sochi 2014.

Following the postponement and subsequent re-arrangement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Robertson and the BOA’s senior leadership team have navigated the organisation through a difficult societal and economic landscape, allowing Team GB to be in the best possible position leading into the Games in Tokyo in July 2021.

Robertson’s re-appointment will take him up to his 20th year of involvement in sport since being appointed shadow sports minister in 2004. This saw him play an instrumental role in delivering a seminal moment for British sport as London 2012 became known as one of the most successful Olympic Games and sporting events in history.

British Olympic Association Chairman, Sir Hugh Robertson, said: “It is a huge honour to be re-elected for a further four-year term and to try and provide stability in these uncertain times.

“It will be an unusually busy period with the re-arranged Tokyo 2020 Games in 2021 followed six months later by the Beijing Olympic Winter Games before we move on to a Summer Games in Paris in 2024, a Games which due to geographical proximity will feel akin to a home Games.”

Siya Kolisi Signs Global Oakley And Freedom Of Movement Partnership

Rugby World Cup Winning South African captain Siya Kolisi has signed two partnership deals, globally with Oakley and a five-year deal with Freedom Of Movement.

“To stand side-by-side with some of the world’s greatest athletes within the Oakley family is  really exciting,” says Siya Kolisi. “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve with  this partnership and with the Global platform that Oakley offers.” 

With its rich heritage in sports performance across the globe, it was an easy decision for  Oakley to align with Rugby World Magazine’s Most Influential Person. “Siya’s pioneering  spirit and passion for excellence is awe-inspiring,” says Ben Goss, Oakley Global Marketing  Director. “On and off the field, his ground-breaking impact is undeniable. We are so excited  to have this force of nature as part of Team Oakley.”  

Kolisi’s extension with Freedom Of Movement follows the successful socially-driven product collaboration ‘FOMxKolisi’, where proceeds were donated to the development of the Mbekweni sports field located in the Western Cape.

The new deal positions Kolisi as a partner, allowing for involvement and input across all areas of the business, including creative design, product development and social initiatives.

The partnership aims to develop and design authentic product ranges dedicated to various upliftment and awareness projects and promises to make a meaningful positive impact in South Africa. 

“The journey that FOM and I have embarked on has already made such significant change and I’m looking forward to seeing what more we can achieve together and the impact we can make on lives around South Africa, as well as delivering the highest quality product” says Siya Kolisi.

LaLiga And El Club Del Deportista Launch ‘Players’, A Trailblazing App For Footballers

The tool will provide essential pre-match information, personalised statistics on physical and technical performance, heatmaps and photos for post-match analysis and sharing on social media.The app can also be used to organise premium lifestyle requests, such as booking restaurants, renting a car or buying luxury items. 

LaLiga and El Club del Deportista today unveiled the Players App, an exclusive, cutting-edge application that is sure to be a competitive differentiator for the players of LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs. 

The Players App, available from today on Google Play and Apple Store, is an evolution of the old CD Live app. Brand new is pre- and post-match information that includes details on pitch conditions, referees and personalised statistics based on each player´s position and playing history. 

The Players App pulls from LaLiga´s unique performance analysis system Mediacoach to provide this critical information directly to the athletes. In addition, match videos can be requested after the game has finished.

“LaLiga is providing footballers a personal and direct way to interact with their own data. The power of this data will no doubt help them become better athletes and footballers,” said Luis Gil, LaLiga’s director of competitions and the player’s office and a former professional football player.

At the same time the Players App includes lifestyle features familiar from El Club del Deportista related to dining out, travel, car rental, and accessing exclusive benefits from luxury brands. 

The partnership between LaLiga and El Club del Deportista has made it possible to launch this new app, with is sure to surprise and satisfy the demands of the players of LaLiga’s 42 clubs. 

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The Digital Transformation And Innovation Taking Place In Fan Engagement

In this week’s iSPORTCONNECT community piece our very own Bethany Hushon gives her thoughts on the fan engagement world at present.

According to WePlay, there has been a 95% increase in home media consumption and 60% increase in content streaming during lockdown for Covid-19. This highlights how technology and digital transformation has allowed platforms to shine and enhance fan engagement by using the intangible in these uncertain and unprecedented times.

Creating new ways of fan engagement through digital transformation has accelerated how sport entities prepare their strategy to communicate and penetrate their messages. The continuation of innovation with the evolution of data points are coming to the forefront in sport business more than ever. As Juan Iraola stated in an article with Real Sociedad, it is taking the time to appreciate the uniqueness of fan engagement, and take time to implement digital formats.

“Fan engagement has to be unique. Digital needs to be approached like a marathon.” – Juan Iraola.

More cross-department collaboration capitalising on resources and internal expertise are being presented to create content and opportunities for fan engagement. This strength with sport businesses builds a level of trust with your external partners and can fuel investment in the future.

Customisation has a role to play with creativity. Success in fan engagement comes by showing accessibility and lifestyle orientation to deliver a more enjoyable and relatable experience for the fan. Being relatable to the fan brings retention and viewership to build your brand, this can be fans of your club, fans of football and fans of your content.

“The business case of fan engagement is clear, it’s a customer retention strategy.” – Nicole Allison.

The beauty of the intangible is you can never have too much content. The trick is to not take it for granted and use it wisely to create content to be part of the fan experience and enable them to feel closer to their sport. Mix this with an element of recognition and reward/value and you have the winning combination, even if that reward is more content which fans enjoy.

The value of digital transformation will determine the growth of fan loyalty. The next step is to evaluate and focus on ways of maintaining that connection. Just as Nicole Allison stated in the quote above, it is now part of the business strategy; it costs more to bring in new fans than to keep them.

The digital age of fan engagement in sport is now here in full swing, and it is here to stay. Don’t fight it, embrace the opportunities.