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.”

Southampton FC Partners With Acronis

Premier League football team Southampton FC today named Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, as its Official Cyber Protection Partner. Under the agreement, Acronis will be providing the team with a full suite of cyber protection solutions to protect the team’s data assets and optimize data workflow, facilitating the team performing at its best both on and off the pitch.

Head of IT, James Grove, comments: “Southampton FC takes cyber protection very seriously. Global organizations like ours often come under fire from cyberattacks, targeting our sensitive data which includes information on our thousands and thousands of fans. Protecting the data we have been entrusted with is a major priority for us, and we have the utmost confidence that Acronis is the perfect partner to help us do so.”

Acronis’ solutions are developed based on the Five Vectors of Cyber Protection— Safety, Accessibility, Privacy, Authenticity, and Security (SAPAS). This means that Acronis solutions are designed to not only provide the highest level of security possible, but also ensure that data is easily accessible to those with authorized permission, and that it is both authentic and tamper-free. While security and accessibility are often considered polarized concepts in data security, Acronis solutions prove that you can have the best of both worlds.

One of the solutions Southampton FC will be using is Acronis Cyber Protect, which provides fast and reliable backup and AI-based anti-malware, accessible from a single and intuitive console. While using a patchwork of five-star solutions for separate aspects of cybersecurity will still leave gaps in a system’s defenses, Acronis’ integrated approach ensures such gaps are eliminated, delivering superior resiliency for organizations like Southampton FC.

Building on its existing partnerships with both Acronis and Southampton FC, the solution will be delivered by Cobweb Solutions, a UK-based Managed Service Provider, as the Official Acronis Delivery Partner.

Acronis’ Founder and Executive Officer, Serguei Beloussov, comments: “We are proud to be partnering with Southampton FC, a household name in professional football. We are thankful that the team shares our vision and passion for cyber protection, and we are excited to work with partners who are so passionate about keeping their data safe. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic causing many employees to work from less secure home networks, more of the world’s workforce is being exposed to the digital threats. At this time, taking the necessary steps to protect an organization from both real world and virtual threats amid the pandemic is critically important.”

LaLiga Partners PortAventura World To Launch An Entertainment Project

LaLiga and PortAventura World have signed a joint venture to create The Beat Challenge, a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience to be enjoyed both within PortAventura World and beyond.

This follows a strategic agreement between the two entities seeking to link football and entertainment through various digital and physical experiences, while boosting tourism.

The investment will be structured into three phases. The first, composed of an investment of €10 million, covers digital experiences which will include a themed restaurant within the resort that will be ready during the 2021/22 football season.

Read full story here.

Premier League Strikes Partnership In China With Tencent

Premier League Shareholders have agreed a partnership with China’s leading digital sports media platform Tencent Sports, which will bring Premier League action to fans in China for the remainder of the 2020/21 season.

From Saturday 19 September, supporters in China will be able to watch all 372 remaining Premier League matches live and follow the latest updates and news about their favourite clubs and players via Tencent’s digital platforms, including WeChat, QQ.com, Tencent Video, Penguin Live App, Tencent News App, Tencent Sports App and Kan Dian.

Tencent will make more than half of all matches available for free to the millions of Premier League fans in China, with the remaining fixtures available on Tencent Sports’ membership service.

Clubs to share in-match clips

Through the partnership, the Premier League will launch an official Penguin Channel across Tencent’s content platforms, where fans will enjoy a daily content mix of videos and features about the Premier League competition, its clubs and players.

In addition, for the first time globally, Premier League clubs will be able to share short clips during matches to engage directly with their supporters in China and enhance the Tencent partnership.

Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “We are excited to have agreed this partnership with Tencent ensuring our supporters in China can enjoy following Premier League action throughout this season. We and our clubs have an extremely passionate fanbase in China and are looking forward to working with the team at Tencent to engage with fans in new ways over the coming season.”

Tencent Sports General Manager Ewell Zhao said: “The Premier League is one of the world’s most popular sports competitions and has many fans in China. In collaboration with the Premier League, Tencent Sports hopes to leverage its platforms and technology to bring the drama of Premier League matches to fans and share with them the passion and excitement of football.”

The Premier League will continue to explore opportunities for free-to-air broadcast coverage in China for the 2020/21 season.

“This Is Our Time To Be Bold And Make History”: The ITF Rebrands Fed Cup To The ‘Billie Jean King Cup By BNP Paribas’

The ITF has today announced that Fed Cup, the women’s world cup of tennis, has been renamed the  Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas. 

“I’m very emotional. The Billie Jean King Cup is the annual Women’s World Cup of tennis,” Billie Jean King said today, “It will be a showcase to our gender equality strategy, and we are going to build champions on and off the court around the world. This is our time to be bold and make history.”

“We’re not even close to equality in this world. Sport has an amazing platform, it teaches you so much about life and giving back.”

“Billie Jean has done so much for sport, it was such a natural decision to be able to do this,” ITF President David Haggerty added, “I think one of the things the ITF is most proud of is to have equal prize money, equality is important and we’re going to get there.”

It is the first time a major global team competition has been named after a woman, ushering in a new  era for the historic tournament and representing a landmark moment for sport. A champion on the court  and a pioneer off it, Billie Jean King is a global campaigner for equality who has dedicated her life to  fighting discrimination in all its forms. The values she represents epitomise the ethos of a tournament that has evolved to become the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with  116 nations entered in 2020.

“The time for change is now,” stated Katrina Adams, ITF Vice President, Fed Cup Committee Chair and Chair of the ITF Gender Equality in Tennis Committee, in today’s press conference for the announcement, “We are so excited about this era for this competition.”

ITF President David Haggerty said, “From playing the first Fed Cup as a member of the victorious US  team in 1963, founding the WTA and becoming its first President, to being the first female athlete  awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, Billie Jean King has never stopped breaking new ground. Today she adds another ‘first’ to that list. The new name is a fitting tribute to everything she  has achieved and will provide a lasting legacy that will inspire future generations of players and fans.”  

The rename also follows the introduction of a new finals format that will bring the 12 best nations  together over one week in Budapest to compete to become world champions. From 2021, under its  new name, the Billie Jean King Cup Finals will award the biggest annual prize fund in women’s team  sports – equivalent to that offered to the men playing Davis Cup Finals. 

King’s close personal association with the Fed Cup began at the inaugural tournament and was  cemented over the next 40 years. She went on to lift the trophy on a total of 10 occasions – more times  than any other individual in history – triumphing seven times as a player and four times as a captain  (including once as a player-captain). King was presented with the Fed Cup Award of Excellence in  recognition of her achievements in 2010, before being appointed as the competition’s first Global  Ambassador in 2019. 

Billie Jean King said, “There is nothing quite like the feeling of representing your country and being part  of a team, which is why this competition is so special and important to me. It is an honour to have the  women’s world cup of tennis carry my name and a responsibility I will not take lightly. Our job is to  share this vision with future generations of young girls, because if you can see it, you can be it.”

The name change will provide the opportunity for increased global exposure and investment in women’s  tennis. As a historical tennis partner, BNP Paribas has supported women’s tennis since 2006 through  the ITF’s flagship women’s global team competition, the women’s world cup of tennis. The ITF has  today also announced Microsoft and Magellan Corporation as new partners. Microsoft become the  Global Technology and Innovation Partner in a collaboration that represents another step in embracing  King’s legacy of advancing the sport of tennis for all by bringing real-time data insights to the court at  the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Illinois-based global steel distributor Magellan Corporation has a strong  track record supporting major sports properties and women-forward initiatives; their involvement as a  Global Partner of the Billie Jean King Cup underlines their commitment to equality and represents  another boost for women’s tennis. 

With equal prize money and increased opportunity for more nations to compete to become world  champions, the competition is today, more than ever, a powerful platform for the ITF to deliver on its  Advantage All gender equality initiative – a key pillar of its ITF 2024 strategy. The bold rebranding of  the competition not only recognises Billie Jean King’s achievements, it will also ensure she continues  to be a visible role model for generations to come. 

ITF Vice President Adams said, “This rebrand represents a significant moment in our sport. The Davis Cup is  named after a man, so it is absolutely right that the women’s world cup of tennis is named after a  woman. Given all she has achieved in our sport and her tireless efforts to champion equality around  the world, I can’t think of a more worthy recipient of this honour than Billie Jean King.” 

The announcement of the name change comes in the week before the 50th anniversary of the creation  of the Virginia Slims Circuit, which saw nine women, including King, risk everything to take a stand for  equal rights in tennis. Known as the ‘Original 9’, these players took a leap of faith that led to the  formation of the WTA and ultimately paved the way for tennis to become a leading light in the fight for  equality in sport and society.  

Wolves Unveil Manscaped As Premier League Club’s First Male Grooming Partner

Wolverhampton Wanderers FC have announced male grooming product brand Manscaped as their latest official partner.

This will be the first time Wolves have unveiled an official male grooming partner, as they kick-off what is expected to be another exciting Premier League season at Molineux.

The partnership will see Manscaped’s logo and web address appear on Molineux’s two-tier perimeter LED platform during home games throughout the upcoming season, as well as custom video and digital content on both brands’ social media channels, as well as Wolves TV and the Wolves App.

Steve Morton, head of commercial at Wolves, said: “We are delighted to partner with Manscaped ahead of the 2020/21 season.

“This partnership not only represents our first male grooming partnership, but also a partnership with a fast-growing brand who shares our challenger vision.

“Manscaped has been working with a wide variety of athletes, teams, and sports stars for some time, and we are thrilled to have been the first Premier League club chosen to work alongside the company and their growing sports portfolio.”

Founded in 2016, California-based Manscaped is a leading brand dedicated to men’s grooming and hygiene below-the-waist, offering direct shipping to the United Kingdom, as well as throughout the United States, Australia and Canada. The product range includes only the best tools, formulations, and accessories for a simple and effective male grooming routine.

Joey Kovac, Manscaped’s Senior Director of Marketing, said: “As we continue our international expansion, we’re passionate about building upon and diversifying our sports partnership roster as an integral part of this growth.

“This division of our company has a proven track record of driving widespread brand awareness for both Manscaped and our partners. We anticipate the same excitement and success given the undeniable hype and fandom surrounding the Wolves.

“We’re honoured to be part of the pack.”

Manscaped also has a series of highly publicised partnerships with other iconic sports organisations including UFC, the San Francisco 49ers and the Sydney Roosters, of Australia’s National Rugby League.