Chicago Bulls And SPORTFIVE Partner To Secure International Brand Partnerships

The Chicago Bulls and SPORTFIVE today announced a new exclusive partnership in which the global sports business agency will lead the effort to secure brand partnerships from outside the U.S. for the team.

The NBA recently allowed each team to secure up to two brand partnerships from regions outside the U.S. As a team with significant global reach, a strong international fanbase and one of the largest social followings of any sports team in the world, the Bulls are positioned very well for international partnerships. As part of the relationship, SPORTFIVE will leverage its worldwide sales network and vast sponsorship expertise to help the Bulls secure partners from international regions. 

“With more than 100 million Bulls fans around the world, we understand the importance of establishing distinct connections with all of our fans, even if they never have the chance to attend a game in person,” said Mark Levitt, Senior Director of Business Development, Chicago Bulls. “We are uniquely positioned to welcome two international brands into our Bulls portfolio of partners and look forward to the opportunities these first-of-their-kind, strategic brand partnerships will bring.”

Carl Woodman, Country Manager UK for SPORTFIVE, adds: “The Chicago Bulls are a fantastic partnership opportunity for international and multinational brands. As one of the key pillars of our global business is connecting premier sports properties with great brands, we are thrilled to partner with the Bulls to drive international brand partnerships for the team. They have the potential to deliver significant value to the right brand that is looking to engage with, and through, a powerhouse NBA franchise.”

SPORTFIVE has an experienced sales leadership team and a vast global network, which enables the agency to provide first-class, commercial sales services to sports rightsholders around the world.

ELEVEN SPORTS To Broadcast Liga Nos For Three Seasons In Poland

ELEVEN SPORTS Poland has secured exclusive rights to Liga NOS, Portugal’s top-tier football division, for the next three seasons.

ELEVEN’s coverage begins this weekend with the clash between Portuguese giants Sporting CP and FC Porto on Saturday.

The new deal will give Polish fans the chance to follow all the excitement from Liga NOS, LIVE. Alongside the likes of Sporting, FC Porto and Benfica, ELEVEN subscribers will be able track the progress of Polish goalkeeper Paweł Kieszek at Rio Ave FC.

ELEVEN SPORTS POLAND’S COO, Patryk Miroslawski said: “The Portuguese league is an excellent addition to the football offering we already provide our subscribers. Fans are going to be able to watch teams such as Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Braga in action and there will be particular interest in SL Benfica in the coming weeks, who will be going up against Lech Poznań in the UEFA Europa League group stage this season. ELEVEN Poland already provide fans LIVE access to LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A and the FA Cup, and this is a great opportunity for fans to watch even more football on our platform.”

IBM Enters Esports Arena With Multi-Year Overwatch League Deal With Activision Blizzard

Today, IBM and the Overwatch League™, the world’s first global esports league with 20 city-based teams, announced its first-of-a-kind multi-year deal to bring IBM’s cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to esports. A sponsorship component kicks off at this year’s 2020 Overwatch League Grand Finals, which started Oct. 8 and run through Oct. 10. With the agreement – IBM’s first-ever esports deal – the technology leader becomes the official AI, cloud, and analytics sponsor of the Overwatch League. The deal covers the 2020 Grand Finals and the entirety of the 2021 and 2022 Overwatch League seasons.

Through the course of the deal, IBM and the Overwatch League plan to leverage IBM’s suite of advanced cloud and AI products. Starting in 2021, IBM and the Overwatch League will be working closely to develop technology solutions leveraging IBM’s expertise in natural language processing and machine learning to improve the league’s rankings system, and utilize IBM’s Watson AI capabilities to create live and in-broadcast predictive analysis, with specific solutions currently under development.

“We’re constantly striving to give fans the ability to more meaningfully engage with the Overwatch League, and teaming up with IBM enables us to do just that,” said Brandon Snow, Chief Revenue Officer of Activision Blizzard Esports. “IBM’s cutting-edge AI and machine learning, underpinned by cloud technologies, will help enable us to bring interactive and innovative engagement opportunities to our fans and teams. This is a fantastic benefit to our viewers, and we’re very excited to be announcing it during the biggest event of our season.”

“We’re thrilled to bring our world class Cloud platforms and Watson portfolio to one of the leading esports platforms in the world,” said Noah Syken, Vice President of Sports & Entertainment Partnerships, IBM. “The solutions we’re partnering to create can help the organizations, players, and fans enjoy an even more immersive, engaging experience. We look forward to working with the Overwatch League, to bring innovative solutions at scale, to broad and relevant audiences.”

The sponsorship with the Overwatch League will kick off in 2021 and include new solutions, that plan to be hosted on the IBM Cloud. Those solutions, which are currently under development, will leverage IBM’s suite of analytics tools to process in-match data, adding Watson’s AI capabilities through the use of Watson Machine Learning and the AutoAI functionality within Watson Studio. Additionally, the solutions will find new ways to showcase the wide array of historical statistics that the Overwatch League gets from live play. 

The announcement of IBM and the Overwatch League teaming together is IBM’s first foray into the global world of esports and joins an impressive list of sports and entertainment partnerships that IBM technology powers around the world. IBM has been a part of gaming history as a hardware manufacturer, chip creator, and software provider for developers since 1985. Over the past 35 years, IBM has worked with gaming and esports entities through PowerPC processors, NLP, and cloud technology.

IBM has been a long-time partner to a range of sports organizations, teams, and events, including tennis (US Open and Wimbledon), golf (The Masters), football (via ESPN Fantasy Football), and the GRAMMY Awards. Through IBM’s partnerships, including IBM’s new engagement with the Overwatch League, IBM is able to reimagine sports, and entertainment experiences for fans, players and coaches alike, leveraging the flexibility of the hybrid cloud, and other AI-powered solutions.

Formula 1 Announces TV Rights Extension With Movistar+ In Spain Until 2023

Formula 1 today announces Movistar+ have extended their TV rights agreement to exclusively show the full FIA Formula 1 World Championship™ until the end of 2023, in Spain and Andorra.

The extended three-year agreement will see Movistar F1 continue to show unparalleled coverage of the FIA Formula One World Championship™ for the next three years and is the only channel where fans can witness all the live action in this territory.

Movistar+ is the first platform in Spain and Andorra to have a dedicated 24/7 F1 Channel, guaranteeing unparalleled live coverage of all the Grands Prix in Ultra High Definition (4K). The channel also provides fans with a top weekly magazine show #Vamos Sobre Ruedas’ which discusses all the latest action from the world of Formula 1.

As part of the new agreement Movistar+ will also gain enhanced digital rights to increase the sports offering on its digital and social platforms, ensuring fans have more access than ever before.

Ian Holmes, Director of Media Rights Formula 1 said:

“We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with Movistar+ as they continue to provide outstanding and in-depth coverage of the sport. Spain is an important market for us, especially with such brilliant Spanish talent growing in the championship like Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonzo making his much anticipated return next season. We look forward to continuing to grow our relationship with Movistar+ as the sport enters an exciting new era.”

Juan Andrés García Ropero, ‘Bropi Sport Director of Movistar + said:

“For Movistar to be able to extend our relationship with the F1 is great news. F1 is one of the most in demanded competitions from our customers, we have a dedicate a 24/7 channel, which has great dedicated content each weekend. This good news comes at the best possible time, with audiences rising at every Grand Prix and with a very exciting upcoming future, thanks to the return of Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz joining Ferrari”.

Mediapro Looks To Renegotiate Ligue 1 Rights Deal With LFP After Missed Payment

Jaume Roures, CEO of Mediapro, has revealed to L’Équipe that the company wishes to renegotiate their broadcasting rights deal with the LFP in France.

The deal to broadcast Ligue 1 began only a couple of months ago ahead of the new season, however, Roures has explained to L’Equipe that the company will not be making the latest scheduled payment in order to try and renegotiate the deal.

“We have asked to speak about our contract this season because of Covid-19. It is obvious that Covid is affecting a lot of aspects of our being able to exploit our rights. We want to talk about that,” Roures said.

“We want to renegotiate the contract for this season. It has been very affected by Covid-19, everyone knows because everyone is suffering through it.

“We are not questioning the project as it is. But the bars and restaurants are closed, advertising is down – these are things that everyone knows,” he also stated.

“The contract was established in conditions that are completely different to the current situation. That is obvious. We need to speak about it. Aside from that, we will see how it ends up. We are not putting into question the contract, but we are putting into question the current situation.”

Aurora And North One To Bring Extreme E’s Broadcast To Life With Cutting-Edge Approach

Aurora and North One strike multi-year deal with Extreme E for host broadcasting and raft of support programming and digital content

Extreme E has confirmed that All3Media group companies Aurora Media Worldwide and North One will act as host broadcasters in a multi-season deal that will see the companies tell the story of this remarkable championship across the globe.

The partnership which has supported Formula E since inception will now bring Extreme E to life through a brand new hybrid storytelling approach, combining sport and scientific stories highlighting the planet’s plight, using sports as its lens.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “As Extreme E is taking place in remote locations, with no fans on-site, our broadcast content is the primary window to our sport and is crucial to our success.

“Aurora Media Worldwide and North One are trusted leaders in broadcasting and I know they will bring our unique motorsport adventure and our incredible locations to life in a way that inspires our fans in ways never seen before in motorsport.  

“Whilst world-class sporting action will be at the core, our mission is to take our audiences on a journey that inspires each and every one of us to more closely consider the effect of our actions on the future of our planet, so our broadcast content will play a critical role in that goal.”

Extreme E’s five remote race locations, which include desert, arctic, rainforest, glacier and coastal sites, will provide a stunning canvas for hybrid storytelling. A significant part of the broadcast will focus on the landscapes that have been damaged by environmental issues, allowing Extreme E to tell the stories of the global climate crisis.

The live racing will be captured through a cutting-edge mix of track, on-board and live drone cameras and an innovative suite of data-driven AR and VR graphics, showcasing the unique action and extraordinary places.

The production will make use of advanced remote technology, minimising on site footprint with all shows, mastered in London, in real time, direct from all of the championship’s global locations.

The combination of track, car and earth data will create a hugely informative and immersive experience. 

Lawrence Duffy, MD, Aurora Media, said: “Once in a while a project comes along which speaks to its time. Extreme E is the most adventurous and challenging of sports properties, and one which uses sport as a power for good. It is a great privilege and responsibility to shine a light on these locations and bring this uniquely entertaining series to screen.”

North One CEO Neil Duncanson added: “We had always thought that running the World Rally Championship and broadcasting from some of the most hostile environments on the planet would always be our toughest motorsport assignment. We were wrong. Extreme E will take us all to a whole new level – in terms of the extreme locations we will visit, the cutting-edge production technology we will deploy and the array of content platforms we will serve. It is a hugely exciting proposition.”

Fédération Française De Rugby Names ORECA As Official Online Store Partner

Fédération Française de Rugby, the governing body for rugby union in France, has today announced ORECA as its official online store partner, in a deal brokered by IMG.

ORECA will operate the online FFR shop, sales promotion and marketing, using the rebranded France Rugby logo and identity. The new website, launched today, will coincide with the introduction of the new France Rugby jersey developed by Le Coq Sportif.

Serge Simon, Vice President of FFR, said: “The different rugby teams are at the dawning of big challenges for the years to come, during which the FFR is also pursuing its digital transformation. The French Rugby Federation is therefore proud to launch its new eCommerce shop, where all supporters and rugby fans will be able to embrace products that bear our famous rooster. This new platform will provide the opportunity to showcase the new jersey of the French rugby teams.”

Raphaël de Chaunac, Vice President of ORECA, commented: “We are delighted with this collaboration, which represents a business diversification for our company and we would like to thank FFR and IMG. Becoming the official online store operator of France Rugby highlights that we are at the service of the fans and the people practicing this sport.”

Mickael Andreo, Vice President of Licensing, IMG, added: “We are entering a highly strategic period for rugby in France with last month marking three years to go until France hosts Rugby World Cup 2023. Working with specialists in each area of the licensing ecosystem, we will allow the FFR to reach out to the fans with a compelling, qualitative and adapted product offer and services. We are delighted to welcome ORECA as part of our licensee family.”

World Sailing Supports New Innovative App By SAP To Track Local Races Around The Globe

SAP and partner Sailing Yacht Research Foundation today announced the launch of Sail Insight, a new mobile app designed for the global sailing community. The user-friendly app allows users to create, track and manage their own races and provides live data and analytics to improve performance and training. The app is available for download on iOS and Google Play and has been endorsed by World Sailing, the world’s governing body for the sport of sailing. 

Historically, tracking and analyzing live sailing action has been cost prohibitive for many sailors, coaches and race organizers and has made events and regattas invisible to fans watching from shore. Now, Sail Insight can be used at thousands of regattas and training races around the world to benefit various sailing audiences and the sport overall. Clubs and race organizers can create their own races and provide live tracking for teams, participants and fans. Sailors can access live leaderboards and live race performance data. Coaches can base their tips and instructions on training and in-race tracking analytics, and fans can use their own devices to follow sailors and teams during races. 

The Sail Insight mobile app is available for free through 2020. The free version of the app will allow users to test all features, create a sailor profile, participate in regattas, conduct self-tracking, share results and send invitations on social media. In 2021, the app will shift to offer both free access and a subscription based model, which will unlock additional features. 

The app utilizes SAP® Sailing Analytics, the world’s largest and most robust sailing database. It provides insights and transparency using cloud and in-memory technology, processing GPS and wind measurement data in real time. For the first time, SAP is bringing the capabilities of SAP Sailing Analytics  to the broader sailing community by introducing, together with SYRF, the new Sail Insight mobile app. 

“Since 2011, SAP has been a trusted partner and innovation leader across the sport of sailing, creating solutions that improve performance for sailors, teams and race organizers while also growing fan interest and participation,” SAP Chief Technology Officer and Executive Board Member Juergen Mueller said. “The new app leverages the power of our sailing analytics database to create a mobile app that allows members of the sailing community to access data and information to help improve performance and  enhance their race and event experience.” 

The app provides sailors, coaches, clubs and fans with live data and analytics beyond professional one design racing into other forms of sailing including big boat formula, performance cruiser and club regattas.  Users for the first time can access live leaderboards and handicap racing leaderboards for live predictive handicap scoring. When clubs, sailors or coaches set up races from the app, they also can share a link with other participants and fans to follow along. 

“We are thrilled to be working with SAP to help grow sailing worldwide,” SYRF Technical Director Larry Rosenfeld said. “The technology and capabilities that SAP bring are tremendous, and together with our board’s lifetime of work in the sport, we believe we can make progress even faster together by introducing  and getting feedback from the community now.” 

Bellator MMA Announce BBC Broadcast Deal

Bellator MMA have today announced a new broadcast deal that will see live MMA broadcast on the BBC for the very first time.

Eleven fights from Bellator’s upcoming Paris show, which takes place on Saturday 10th October at the Accor Arena, will be available live on BBC iPlayer to viewers across the UK. In another first for Bellator, the Paris event will also make history by being the first major MMA event ever hosted in France.

Fights featuring on the BBC will include the highly anticipated welterweight bout between England’s Michael “Venom” Page (17-1), better known to fans as “MVP,” and the undefeated Scotsman Ross Houston (8-0,1 NC). MVP is one of the biggest names in MMA, known for his exciting fighting style and highlights reel of knockouts. Houston, a former MMA world champion, will be looking to make his mark on his Bellator debut.

David Green, Head of Bellator Europe, said; “We are thrilled that we will be bringing live action from our first ever show in France to fans across the UK on BBC iPlayer. The BBC is unparalleled in its reach with millions of people tuning in to its sports content every week. We therefore look forward to servicing our existing fans better than ever before as well as hoping to attracting new fans who will be able to tune in to this historic event. The card is stacked from top to bottom so those watching are in for a real treat come Saturday night.”

Scott Coker, President of Bellator MMA, said; “This is a really exciting broadcast deal for Bellator MMA as our presence in the European market goes from strength to strength. Having just put on three events in Milan and now heading to Paris to make history there, we are committed to providing fight fans across Europe with regular events, featuring the world’s best fighters, which are easily accessible to them via our first-class broadcast partners. We have signed more big names to our roster this week and are looking forward to an action-packed 2021.”

Rugby World Cup And Societe Generale Extend Worldwide Partnership

World Rugby has announced that Societe Generale has renewed its long-standing and impactful worldwide partnership of Rugby World Cup for the 2023 event in France.

The first top tier Worldwide Partner to be confirmed for France 2023, Societe Generale was announced today and will embark on a three-year journey towards the most sustainable and impactful Rugby World Cup ever.

The renewal between Rugby World Cup and one of the leading European financial services groups , reflects enormous partnership interest after a hugely successful edition in Japan, which widened the reach, appeal and impact of the sport in Asia, and attracted a raft of new commercial sponsors.

Societe Generale is a major supporter of rugby worldwide from grassroots to the elite game and has been a valued partner of Rugby World Cup since the 1991 edition.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are delighted to be extending our long-standing worldwide partnership with Societe Generale. The major French bank, Societe Generale shares values of integrity, solidarity, respect, discipline and passion with rugby, which have been evident during an association with the sport that stretches back more than 30 years.”

Societe Generale has become one of the most recognisable brands in rugby and a major supporter at international, union and domestic level as rugby continues to enjoy record participation, fan-base and commercial growth.

With World Rugby recently announcing a long-term host selection strategy for its men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups, the international federation is already experiencing record levels of interest for commercial partnerships. The full Worldwide Partner inventory for 2023 is on track to be completed before the event marks two years to go.

Societe Generale Chief Executive Officer Frédéric Oudéa said: “Societe Generale has been an historical partner of rugby. We share the sport’s values of teamwork and commitment, and we want to support its development in an inclusive way around the world. Our long-term engagement carries a special weight within the current sanitary context and economic uncertainty, which has affected the global rugby family. It was both a natural fit and our responsibility to partner for the seventh time with the next Rugby World Cup in France in 2023.”

Rugby World Cup 2019 was the most commercially successful rugby event of all time, with partners playing a full and active role in generating unforgettable moments for fans around the world.

Nielsen research has shown that the event has grown the global rugby fan-base by more than 50 million to a total of 400 million worldwide, while the 2019 edition set new attendance, audience and competitiveness records and delivered an unprecedented £4.3 billion in economic impact for the host nation and more than two million first time participants in Asia.

World Rugby Chief Executive Brett Gosper said: “Societe Generale are a valued and active partner, proactively supporting the growth of the sport worldwide and we are delighted that they are the first partnership to be announced for what will be a home Rugby World Cup for them. We are excited by their activation plans which support our mission to make the sport more accessible and exciting for audiences around the world.”