World Table Tennis Announces Four New Partnerships

World Table Tennis has today revealed four new partnerships, aimed at helping to elevate table tennis to the global sports elite.

After the recent unveiling of WTT’s Strategic Partnership with IMG, WTT is proud to announce its collaborations with the following partners:

  • 160over90
  • Pumpjack Dataworks
  • Gemba
  • Superunion

“We are delighted to have on board with us a number of first-in-class partners, 160over90, Pumpjack Dataworks, Gemba and Superunion, who, together with IMG, are enabling us to drive table tennis to unprecedented and incredibly exciting heights. All of these partnerships will help us to revolutionise the player and fan experience around our sport, which is at the forefront of everything that World Table Tennis is striving to achieve. Now we have lift-off, we cannot wait to see how our joint journey evolves. The future of table tennis is brighter than ever.” – Matt Pound, Director at WTT

160over90

160over90, part of the Endeavor network alongside IMG, is helping WTT to formulate a global promotion strategy. This strategy will be built by completing detailed analysis of the existing table tennis fanbase around the world, as well as identifying new high-value markets, understanding how to attract new audiences to the revamped WTT events and digital offering.

The detailed market analysis will then inform specific promotional campaigns and the WTT brand experience, helping to develop a unique positioning that is reflective of WTT’s ambition to transform the sport.

“The 160over90 team is already enjoying working on what is a very forward-thinking repositioning of table tennis through WTT. The ability to identify future markets and build out the relevant campaign narratives for target audiences will give WTT a head start to engage in markets and expand their proposition. We are excited to be doing this alongside the role our colleagues from IMG are playing, bringing to bear the strength of the Endeavor network for WTT.” – Robin Clarke, SVP, International at 160over90

Pumpjack Dataworks

PumpJack Dataworks is helping WTT in its mission of enhancing table tennis fan engagement and the value delivered to passionate table tennis fans everywhere. This includes delivering personalised digital content to fans around the world and developing a global fan database to better serve fans based on their location, interests, favourite players and many other elements of their table tennis journey. WTT will provide opportunities for fans to follow every match, team and player, whether they attend live tournaments, tune in from around the globe, or engage with a robust video content offering including the best matches and moments with the global stars of table tennis.

Pumpjack Dataworks will provide two key components in this strategy: a customer data platform and a mobile application platform to provide new capabilities to generate intelligent content delivery, including transactional components: ticketing, merchandise and OTT subscriptions, as well as new capabilities to generate dynamic knowledge of the fanbase to support new opportunities for commercial partners to add value to the fans’ experiences and special offers or ‘money can’t buy’ experiences.

“We are extremely excited to be working with WTT on a project of this scale. The global reach and diversity of the table tennis audience internationally provides incredible opportunities to create bespoke and personalised experiences for fans of this fast-action sport, whether they are at the tournament or viewing at home. This is a classic case for data to support the true value of a sport that has incredible global reach and appeal with passionate fans around the world.” – Nick Goggans, Co-Founder and CEO at PumpJack Dataworks

Gemba

Gemba, a high-end consultancy providing insight and strategy to the global sport and entertainment industry, is supporting WTT with its sponsorship and media rights valuations.

With the remodelling of WTT’s event structure and also partnership structure, WTT needs to have a complete understanding of table tennis’ scale and identity in relation to other key sports in the global market.

Gemba was therefore tasked to independently assess:

  • market value of WTT’s commercial partnership rights under the new restructure;
  • potential market value of WTT’s broadcast rights;
  • insights into WTT’s broadcast rights strategy to maximise strategic and financial outcomes through broadcast.

The commercial partnership valuation was completed using Gemba’s purpose-built valuation platform, Turnstile. Since its launch in 2018, Turnstile has valued sponsorships for the world’s biggest leagues, clubs and events.

“The vision for World Table Tennis is both exciting and highly innovative. The need for robust market sizing and valuations to support its launch phase allowed us to deploy our global capabilities across both our Gemba and Turnstile teams. We are eagerly looking forward to watching the roll out of the concept in 2021.” – Rob Mills, Global CEO, Gemba Group

Superunion

Superunion is providing branding expertise to ensure that WTT benefits from a standout visual identity, which resonates with WTT’s core values and its audience.

The partnership with Superunion has already seen the launch of WTT’s eye-catching new logo, which emphasises how the WTT brand is bringing a new level of professionalism and authority to the sport, inviting the world to look at table tennis from a fresh, modern perspective.

Member Insights: How A Unique Idea Provided High Fan Engagement Success For Belgian Football Team KAA Gent

In our latest Member Insights, we look at a surprising tactic from Belgian football club KAA Gent raised €85,000 for charity and created high fan engagement with StriveCloud, Jente Vanhaesebroeck provides more detail. This article was first published on StriveCloud.

Let’s face it. As a sports club, you are competing over the attention of your target audience. With more and more competing content every minute, it has become harder to capture fan engagement and even more so to keep it. Since 66% of devoted fans go online at least once per day for sports-related reasons, clubs certainly have enough of an incentive to keep up with fresh, exciting experiences and content to hold fan engagement.

Meaningful relationships don’t begin and end with the sports season. On the contrary: fans need to be engaged year-round. During the football league suspension in Belgium for instance, KAA Gent’s chairman came up with the idea to organize a virtual football tournament for charity.

After a few brainstorming sessions with esports online community platform, Kayzr, and the gaming tournament platform StriveCloud, the “Samen Sterk” or “Stronger Together” fundraising was born! The campaign managed to raise €85,000 in support of Digital For Youth, a charity that provides underprivileged children with laptops for educational purposes.

But how did they do that? 

We dive into what made the Samen Sterk fundraising campaign so successful, and how it mounted fan engagement for KAA Gent.

You will find out:

  • How a virtual match generates digital fan engagement
  • Why a reward system is important to initiate participation
  • What value a flawless payment experience holds
  • The power of tokens and digital currencies
  • How a lottery uses unpredictability as the backbone of fan engagement

Wildmoka Launch World-First Broadcasting Innovation With Altice France

Rolling news channel, BFMTV, reinforced its position today as France’s leading broadcaster on digital by launching ‘Live Vertical’, a new smartphone user experience that is a world first. Developed in collaboration with French start-up, Wildmoka, the ‘Live Vertical’ solution automatically converts the horizontal frames of standard TV streams to a vertical format better suited to smartphone screens.

  • ‘Live Vertical’ is the first innovation of its kind in the world for vertical live streaming
  • The technology strengthens BFMTV’s leading position in digital
  • It is aligned with Altice France’s strategic prioritization of innovation
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  • ‘Live Vertical’, a world first

The launch of ‘Live Vertical’ is a world first. Developed in collaboration with French start-up Wildmoka, it revolutionizes the TV viewing experience on a smartphone. Thanks to a new way of managing live production workflows and the addition of a dedicated stream, the traditional horizontal format of television is automatically ‘rezoned’ into a mobile-friendly vertical format. Now, whenever BFMTV is viewed from a smartphone, the entire mobile screen will be occupied with content, regardless of device, brand or model. This is a major improvement on the standard approach which broadcasts a horizontal image into the vertical screen making it too small and difficult to watch.

Turning horizontal TV images to a vertical format represents a significant technical advance. It also responds to the central role smartphones now occupy in the consumption of news media. By being the first news channel in the world to offer vertical viewing on smartphones, Altice France and Wildmoka have defined a new standard for the industry. This innovation also overcomes the mismatch between the fact that most smartphone users naturally hold their devices in a vertical position, whereas TV content continues to be broadcast for a horizontal screen.

Wildmoka, based in France, specializes in real-time enrichment of digital media content and has exclusively developed ‘Live Vertical’ in collaboration with Altice France.

ReZone Weather Forecast
  • Technology strengthening BFMTV’s leading position on digital

Already firmly established as France’s leading news organization, BFMTV also is a trailblazer when it comes to mobile among news sites, particularly the ‘anytime, anywhere’ approach these devices have introduced. With ‘Live Vertical’, Altice France is making BFMTV the first channel to use all of the screen space offered by smartphones. This further widens the lead BFMTV has over the rest of the field in digital – not to mention BFMTV’s innovative use of easy-to-read graphics, lower thirds, on the ground reporters interaction and other crucial components of rolling news.

This enhancement of BFMTV’s experience on the smartphone screen increases the strength of the channel and its leadership on mobile. Already a frontrunner of the radio format on TV, this innovation will allow BFMTV to combine the professionalism of its editorial teams and the technical excellence of its image production crew at its Altice Campus studios with the responsiveness needed for news consumption on mobile.

Always ‘first on the scene’, this development helps BFMTV to further increase its lead by being the channel that offers the best viewing experience on smartphone.

  • Innovation – a strategic priority for Altice France

The partnership between Altice France and Wildmoka represents a shared ambition to innovate and improve not only the experience of viewing on mobile, but also the ‘real estate’ value of the space on mobile screens. As the only French group offering this global innovation, Altice France soon will offer ‘Live Vertical’ using Wildmoka’s technology on other group outlets such as BFM Business.

Thanks to the strength of this world first, and its impact in terms of audience engagement, Altice demonstrates it is making innovation a strategic priority.

Whether through the products and services designed by Altice Labs, or partnerships with start-ups like Wildmoka, Altice demonstrates its commitment to investing in network distribution and media innovation.

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Arthur Dreyfuss, CEO of Altice Média, said: “It is a source of real pride to be the first TV channel in the world to offer an innovation that makes television the best way to get real-time news on a smartphone. Altice France is adding a new dimension to the medium of television, with a unique user experience that will further enhance the leading position of BFMTV and the group’s channels. This innovation is the result of our historical and eternal desire to explore new formats, to continue our investments, and to combine technical progress with editorial quality to present ever more accurate information”.

Thomas Menguy, President and CTO of Wildmoka added: “Wildmoka is proud to have gained the confidence of several Altice Group channels over the past three years and to once again be able to launch, within Altice France, a global innovation based on artificial intelligence and the latest cloud technologies. After assisting in the creation of sports content for RMC Sport, it is BFMTV’s turn to use Wildmoka’s unique expertise around AI and ML to verticalize its content for News in real time, in order to better respond to an increasingly connected and mobile audience.”

FINA Announces $6.4 Million COVID-19 Support Plan

FINA is pleased to announce a global COVID-19 support plan in excess of $6 million USD to assist athletes who will compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games next summer, through three distinctive programmes:

•    $4 million USD in grants for a minimum of 160 National Federations to provide support to athlete training, competition, and living expenses.

•    $460,000 USD in grants to the five Continental Organisations to enable supplemental resources to athletes.

•    $2 million USD to athletes selected to participate in the FINA Scholarship Programme, either at FINA Training Centres or at National Federation training facilities.

FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione, with the full support of the FINA Bureau, outlined a comprehensive programme to support elite athletes with medal prospects, as well as Universality athletes from developing countries.

“The primary objective of this programme is to provide direct assistance to athletes preparing to compete in Tokyo. FINA recognises the importance of support to all athletes, including elite athletes with medal prospects, as well as less experienced athletes from developing countries trying to attain Olympic qualifying standards,” said Dr. Maglione.

FINA has created and augmented these programmes to express its unwavering commitment to aquatic athletes who continue to endure hardships related to their training and competitive opportunities due to the pandemic. Previously, FINA made an extraordinary commitment to redistribute over a four-year period a substantial portion of its Olympic-related revenue. However, because so many previous plans by the National Federations and Continental Organisations cannot take place due to travel restrictions, FINA has enabled a high level of flexibility in utilisation of its financial support, with strong emphasis on direct assistance to athletes.

Additionally, the FINA Scholarship Programme will include 100 athletes from National Federations that do not currently have athletes with Olympic Qualifying Standards – 80 swimmers and 20 divers – and enable intensive training at FINA Training Centres in Senegal, Thailand, Russia, and the United States. Each athlete is eligible for up to $2000 USD monthly for living and training expenses, with world class coaches in outstanding facilities.

“FINA places great confidence and trust in the National Federations and Continental Organisations to develop creative and effective solutions for athletes who will compete in Tokyo. We have developed a simple and direct process for athletes to receive funding, and we know that this unprecedented level of financial support will enable aquatic athletes to reach their full potential,” concluded President Maglione.

Table Tennis England Partners With British Esports Association

Table Tennis England has teamed up with the British Esports Association to promote the importance of mental wellbeing and exercise.

The partnership brings together traditional sport with esports (competitive gaming) to explore the similarities between the two and promote the benefits of each other’s activities.

Table tennis and esports both offer a great brain workout, can improve cognitive functions, test reaction times and allow people to have fun and relax and socialise with one another.

Both activities have been proven to improve behaviour, concentration and attendance levels in schools, while also having benefits for those at the other end of the age spectrum, including those who have dementia or Parkinson’s.

Both organisations are committed to bringing more participation opportunities to deprived areas of England. They will help promote each other’s activities, help get young people active and push table tennis as a suitable social activity which helps develop key skills also used in gaming.

The campaign will utilise top stars in the fields of table tennis and esports to talk about their mental health experiences and struggles to help reduce the stigma surrounding it, as well as Olympic table tennis players’ thoughts on gaming as a stress-relieving activity.

There will be activations on social media, video platforms and more, with the intention to host physical events in the future when it is safe to do so.

Until then, both organisations will promote the partnership and generate buzz on social media, with a mix of both entertaining and informative content.

Table Tennis England Chief Executive Sara Sutcliffe said: “The importance of good mental and physical health has arguably never been in sharper focus than now, and the positive effects of both table tennis and esports are there for all to see.

“I’m particularly excited by the potential of this partnership to engage people of all ages and encourage them to seek out the benefits of an active lifestyle, both physically and mentally.”

British Esports Association founder and CEO Chester King commented: “We’re delighted to be partnering with a reputable governing body to highlight the positives that both sports and esports promote. We have lots of ideas and hope to get the conversation going around the importance of both physical and mental health.

“Table tennis is also a sport that’s close to my heart and I look forward to seeing us get involved with some exciting activations.”

Newcastle United And FUN88 Agree Long-Term Commercial Extension

Newcastle United are delighted to confirm that FUN88 will remain as the club’s primary partner after a new long-term commercial agreement was reached.

As part of the new agreement, FUN88 – which has been a familiar sight on first team kit since summer 2017 – will continue to feature on the front of players’ shirts and training wear.

Established in Asia in 2008, FUN88 has a significant online following around the world and offers sports betting, live casino, slots and keno games in multiple languages.

The brand has also developed a popular presence on social media with Newcastle United fans, with thousands of Magpies supporters interacting with its accounts and many benefitting from its competitions and ticket and shirt giveaways over the last three years.

Lee Charnley, Newcastle United’s Managing Director, said: “We are delighted FUN88 has renewed its relationship with Newcastle United and committed its support to the club over a number of years to come.

“Building on the success of our partnership to date, we look forward to this next phase and working together to engage fans and grow our collective reach around the globe.”

A spokesperson for FUN88 said: “FUN88 is delighted to continue its association with Newcastle United Football Club.

“Together with the club, we live the dream of expanding our fan base across all continents, especially in Asia.

“FUN88 is optimistic that this partnership will assist us in becoming the leading gaming and entertainment platform in countries across the world.”

PTI Digital Appoints iSportconnect To Grow Sports and Entertainment Portfolio In Mainland Europe

London, July 20 2020 – iSportconnect, The World’s Largest Private Business Sport Network, are thrilled to today be able to reveal our newest regional consultancy client, PTI Digital.

PTI are technology and digital experts who drive commercial revenues for 70+ sports and entertainment clients, helping them to Activate Digital Engagement in three core ways:

  1. Advise, producing a digital strategy that delivers bottom line returns and technology roadmaps to activate digital outcomes
  2. Activate, ensuring technology enables smarter campaigns and sponsorship engagement
  3. Monetise, enhancing revenue streams and driving return from digital assets

Speaking on the announcement, Mike Bohndiek, PTI Digital CEO, said: “Having expanded our product offering and client base in the UK, we are excited to be launching into Mainland Europe, with Spain our strategic focus.

“In putting together a launch at this scale, you need excellent local knowledge, a hands on partner set and an ability to cut through the noise. In iSportconnect we have an established partner who can deliver on this and we are already seeing early partnership results.”

iSportconnect CEO Sree Varma commented: “Here at iSportconnect it is fantastic that we are able to announce PTI Digital as our latest consultancy clients.

“PTI’s work is well respected in the industry and we are immensely proud to have been chosen by PTI for this role as the company looks to expand their portfolio within the world of sport and entertainment.”

iSPORTCONNECT CONSULTANCY

iSportconnect’s Consultancy division works to help our clients with commercial development, marketing and communications and business strategy surrounding the world of sport. We help to provide business intelligence, global sports market entry strategy and support and are constantly on hand as advisors 24/7 for our clients. Our consultancy clients include the likes of LaLiga, Sodexo, Tata Communications, Sportradar, Hookit and ATPI.

ABOUT iSPORTCONNECT

iSportconnect was launched in 2010 with the aim of bringing together sports business professionals around the world in a sports business networking community enabling them to meet one another, find information and obtain access to a wide range of relevant services. The platform is now the largest global private network of sport business executives, where membership is exclusive and follows a strict door policy.

RedBird Capital Partners Acquire An 85% Stake In Toulouse FC

Toulouse Football Club and Club owner Olivier Sadran have entered into a definitive agreement with RedBird Capital Partners to sell a 85% majority stake in the Club.  Effective today, Mr. Sadran has stepped down from his current role as majority owner and President, though will retain a 15% stake in the Club and remain an active member of the Board of Directors.

“We are proud and excited to help write the next chapter of Toulouse FC and realize its tremendous potential,” said Gerry Cardinale, Founder and Managing Partner of RedBird Capital Partners. “We are committed to building a sustainable, long-term foundation for the Club’s success by enhancing its on-field sporting performance, business operations and contributions to its community.  We look forward to working closely with Olivier, the City of Toulouse and the Occitanie Region to return Toulouse FC to an elite level and elevate the entire city of Toulouse through its long-term success.”

Also announced today is the appointment of Damien Comolli as President of Toulouse FC, effective immediately.  Mr. Comolli has had a successful career in several senior management roles at various clubs and leagues throughout Europe, including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Fenerbahçe and Saint-Étienne.  In his new general management role at Toulouse FC, Damien will oversee the overall management of the club, including all sporting activities.

Olivier Sadran commented, “I welcome Gerry and RedBird as new partners in an organization and a city that are big parts of my life.  I am also pleased that RedBird has brought Damien to Toulouse as a key member of our leadership team.  Damien is a well-respected colleague in the Football world.  After getting to know Gerry, Damien and the team at RedBird, I am confident that together we have the energy, expertise and resources to take the Club to the next level.  I look forward to working alongside them and sharing the pleasure of winning.”

Damien Comolli added, “I am thrilled and honored to lead Toulouse FC as its new President. Toulouse is an extraordinary city with a football club that has the opportunity and ability to succeed.  We recognize the unique talent this city has and plan to commit continued focus towards youth development throughout the region. The Club has great potential and I am looking forward to working with our players, staff and RedBird to execute upon our plan to build a stronger future for the Club.”

Betcris Teams Up With IMG ARENA To Bring New Virtual Sports Content

Betcris, one of the leading sports betting operators in Latin America, has signed a partnership with IMG ARENA to provide virtual sports and gaming solutions.

The content will be available to players at Betcris’ online sportsbook and casino as well as at the 100-plus venues it runs across Central and South America.

This new partnership includes 3D Slots, 3D Table Games, Scheduled Sports (including soccer, tennis and more), Instant Sports, Casino and others. The different products will be rolled out over time, giving Betcris the ability to provide maximum oversight of their integration into its platforms.

IMG ARENA’s virtual sports portfolio harnesses cutting-edge, 3D motion technology from Leap Gaming to capture and recreate ultra-realistic versions of some of the world’s most popular sports.

The product suite offers a variety of virtual, high-end and customisable gaming alternatives to both online and retail operators. The content enables Betcris to significantly broaden its offering and appeal to players looking for different forms of entertainment, and brings some of the most sought-after gaming solutions to greater parts of the Latin American gaming market.

JD Duarte, Betcris CEO, said: “The global gaming scene is constantly changing. Offering fresh, innovative content helps to ensure that gaming and sports gambling operators can stay on top of the market while continuing to enhance the customer experience with creative products.

“The agreement with IMG ARENA is one more step in our plan to bring new entertainment options to our customers, hand in hand with the best providers in the industry. The response to the new games has been very positive and every day we see more of our players enjoying this new category.”

Max Wright, SVP Commercial at IMG ARENA, said: “We are extremely excited to have launched our virtuals with Betcris, an operator that has invested significantly in bringing innovation to their players and has chosen the perfect way to boost engagement using our virtuals.

“This deal marks an important stage in the growth of our virtuals offering, securing IMG ARENA a leading position in the Latin American market.”

Providing variety is one of the key focuses Betcris continues to promote within the organisation, with an ongoing commitment to deliver user-requested content from multiple channels. In addition to the ability to give existing customers a greater selection of activities from which to choose, the diversification of its product offering enables the operator to increase its customer base and offer increased operational and commercial security.IMG

Liverpool FC Launches Global Partnership With Mauritius

Liverpool FC has today announced a new global partnership with the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and Economic Development Board Mauritius as the club’s official tourism and economic development partner.

The deal forms part of the country’s drive to become a leading global tourist destination and business hub of Africa. The three-year partnership will see Mauritius benefit from a range of LFC digital, social media and marketing assets.

As well as being one of the top premier luxury holiday destinations in the world with one of the highest rates of return visitors, Mauritius is also one of the most business and investment-friendly locations in the world. The island has been an established centre for international banking and finance for at least 20 years and plans to grow this reputation for business around the world.

Billy Hogan, managing director and chief commercial officer at Liverpool FC, said: “This is an exciting partnership and we’re delighted to build on our existing relationship with Mauritius following the opening of the LFC International Academy on the island in July 2019.

“We have a large, passionate fan base in Mauritius, and we’re pleased to be able to bring our supporters closer to the club through this partnership.

“We look forward to working with Mauritius Tourism and its Economic Development Board to support their ambition to further establish the country as a leading tourist destination and economic forum.”

Honourable Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, prime minister of Mauritius, added: “Mauritius is proud to be an official partner of Liverpool Football Club, a global football elite and Premier League champions.

“We both share common values of dedication, determination and unity. This collaboration aims at strengthening and propelling Mauritius as a thriving economic powerhouse and a world-class tourism destination.”