Member Insights: Local Partnerships ‘Help Us To Create An Authentic Presence’, Says LaLiga’s Digital Strategy Director

With LaLiga returning to action later this week, take a read of iSportconnect’s conversation with Alfredo Bermejo, Digital Strategy Director, about why social partnerships such as their recent agreement with Douyin in China and Sportsnavi in Japan are key for the league.

Tell us about LaLiga and Douyin’s new partnership, how did this partnership come about?

“We first started working with Douyin when LaLiga joined TikTok over a year ago. There was a mutual aim to reach and engage a youthful audience with football content and we’ve been successful in this. A joint campaign we created to celebrate the season kick-off in August had over 61 million views in 108 countries.”

What will this partnership offer you, is it a way to reach a new sector of people and expand the worldwide LaLiga fanbase?

“Douyin is the fastest-growing social network in China and has a very engaged user base. Partnering with the organisation is a great way for us to introduce LaLiga clubs to a Chinese audience, which is increasingly demanding more football content and building its knowledge of other leagues.”

Why is this an important step for LaLiga, is it key to try and engage with the huge market that China provides?

“China has been an important part of our internationalisation programme since the beginning but it is essential that we take a glocal approach, meaning that our campaigns have local relevance. Strong local partners, such as Douyin, can help us expand in markets in the best possible way.”

How can partnerships such as this one, and the Sportsnavi deal you agreed in Japan this past week, help to benefit the league?

“First and foremost, it helps the fans. Being able to access more information about the competition and its clubs, in local language, creates a stronger connection and helps to expand our audience. For LaLiga, it helps us to create an authentic presence in these markets, working with organisations who are based there and share our objectives to grow football’s fanbase globally.”

As people in this market are much less able to watch live LaLiga games, how does your digital strategy change and differ compared to Europe and other regions?

“Our calendar is designed to ensure that as many LaLiga matches as possible can be enjoyed live by our global fans. Every week, between three and four matches kick-off at a convenient time for Chinese followers. But in any case, our digital strategy does not depend only on live football.

“We always aim to adapt our message to the most relevant type of content and platform for each user, something that in the case of China is even more important given the special characteristics of that market. This has led us to get to know our fans better in that market and to be present on the main platforms for them, as is the case with Douyin. Content that explores individual player stories, the latest news and short-form videos, such as TikTok, has proven successful.”

In other LaLiga news

With the return on Thursday the 11th of June for the resumption of the 2019/20 season, to mark the occasion the league has put together a series of national and international initiatives that will raise excitement ahead of the return of football and demonstrate that the competition is #BackToWin. 

There will be 160 initiatives in over 50 countries, including digital and in-person events, media campaigns, prize draws, competitions and influencer campaigns. Activities also include exhibitions of LaLiga club kits hanging above Spanish cities, projecting fan photos onto iconic buildings using video mapping and urban art exhibitions in 12 cities across the world.

“All these initiatives are going to cover five continents which strengthens LaLiga’s global image. They’ll help us tell our fans that we’re #BackToWin and we’re counting on them. The return of LaLiga is a moment that so many have waited a long time for and we’re going to celebrate it in style,” said Oscar Mayo, LaLiga’s director of business, marketing and international development.

Kit canopies above the streets

LaLiga Santander club kits are one of the competition’s identifying features and will be showcased through hanging exhibitions to generate a buzz ahead of the restart. 

Madrid (Calle Preciados), Seville (Calle Tetuan) and Bilbao (Arenal Bridge) will display these exhibitions between 8 and 11 June. The kits, which will carry the #BackToWin message, will create a colourful canopy to get fans in the mood before the competition resumes.

Video mapping projections onto iconic buildings

Also this week, the league will give exposure to the real stars of the competition: the fans. It has invited supporters of LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs to take photos in their respective kits and to share them in order to feature in a unique projection campaign. 

The images will be projected onto important buildings in various Spanish cities using video mapping on 10 and 11 June. These will be accompanied by a video that pays tribute to the fans of LaLiga who represent the soul of the competition.

The Golden Tower in Seville, the Puerta del Sol and City Hall in Madrid, San Mames stadium and the tourist office in Bilbao and L’Hemisfèric in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia are the locations where these images and video will be projected.

An international return 

These LaLiga initiatives are not restricted to Spain, with over 80 expected to be rolled out globally.

Among these initiatives, urban art commissioned by LaLiga will appear in 12 cities across five continents, including Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Lagos, Hong Kong, London and Paris. These artworks, displaying the colours and values of the competition, are designed to unite different countries and cultures through football and LaLiga.

Support from sponsors

To increase the impact of the competition’s return, these initiatives will be supported by national and international sporting figures, who have already affiliated themselves with some activities and will continue to do so in the coming days. 

Major companies and partners of LaLiga are also supporting the return, such as Banco Santander, PUMA, EA Sports, Budweiser, Rexona, BKT, LiveScore, El Corte Ingles, Samsung, Panini, Deliveroo, Allianz, STIHL, Mazda, Danone, Marques del Atrio, VITALDENT, Mail Boxes and RENFE.

Some of these have released their own campaigns with content that is linked to LaLiga and promotes #BackToWin, ensuring that they are part of this global event. 

An example of one such campaign is #LaLigaBouncesBack, an initiative by PUMA and LaLiga involving 32 sports stars that celebrates the return of the competition. The video features stars from the United States, South Africa and Australia among others as well LaLiga Santander players such as Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann, Santi Cazorla, Marc Bartra, Suso and Jan Oblak.

Member Insights: “Broadcasters Have A Golden Opportunity To Innovate And Come Back Stronger”

Lucille Mari, Marketing Manager at Wildmoka, introduces their StoryBot.


When coronavirus lockdowns were implemented across Europe, sports broadcasters were hit hard. However, with the announcement that Europe’s major leagues are returning this month, broadcasters have a golden opportunity to innovate and come back stronger.


The first league to restart after the suspension was Germany Bundesliga in mid-May. Spain’s La Liga will return on 11th June, the English Premier League on the 17th and Italy’s Serie A on the 20th.


In recent years, football broadcasting has been radically changed by innovations in digital technology and evolving audience tastes. Fans expect content on demand, personalised to their preferences and accessible on any device.


When the different leagues return, there will only be a few weeks of matches to play before the seasons end. This represents a unique opportunity for broadcasters to innovate with their processes and try out new techniques which will match the tastes of today’s audiences.


Football editors must meet huge fan expectations
Have no doubt – football fans are desperate for fresh content about their favourite sport. One survey in the UK found football was the sport people were missing most, and many fans were re-watching classic matches under lockdown because they were so hungry for the sport. As leagues start again, we can expect a surge in demand.


Broadcasters need to meet this demand in a way which corresponds with how football fans now wish to engage with football. Editors need to:


  • Be the first to publish content (on digital OTT and Social Networks)

From goals to match summaries, broadcasters must be the first to get content to viewers. This makes them the ‘go-to’ source for news and wins new subscribers.


  • Produce richer and more relevant content

It is no longer enough to create one single match summary and distribute this to all channels. Fans are seeking more content and they will go elsewhere if you cannot provide it. Broadcasters should explore how they can:


  1. Create clips of various lengths

  2. Complete numerous flavours of match summaries for every individual games

  3. Publish ‘Best of’ content about the top players

  4. Create ‘Battles’ to compare players’ performances

  5. And much more

  • Adapt content to each channel

Sports fans engage with content on multiple platforms. A variety of content types needs to be produced for different channels and formats including your:


  1. Own OTT platform

  2. YouTube channel (longer format summaries of 10 min work well for fans)

  3. Facebook (summaries should last 3 to 5 min)

  4. Twitter (many clips of 10 to 30 seconds are more suitable than long summaries)

Now, sports broadcasters know very well that fan tastes are changing – but without hiring a whole new team of editors before the leagues start again, is it possible to meet these new expectations?


Introducing Wildmoka’s StoryBot


StoryBot is Wildmoka’s AI/ML- automatic content creation tool. It ingests live feeds of football matches and applies artificial intelligence and machine learning to create summaries and highlights of entire games in seconds. Your editors pre-define the kinds of stories they would like produced, and StoryBot does the rest.


For example, you may wish to produce:


  • 15 second clips of each goals to be promoted across social media during the live game

  • 3-minute summaries of the match uploaded to Facebook moments after the final whistle

  • A variety of other highlights distributed on social media and your OTT platform after the match – such as ‘best of’ moments for one player or ‘best of’ all the goal saves.

To produce this sheer variety of content manually would require a whole new team of editors trained to produce it. This is intensive, time-consuming yet relatively un-creative work. It is tiring for humans, but the perfect kind of work for the StoryBot.


StoryBot lets you:


  • Harmonise content plans

Your editors become essentially storytellers. They define the scenarios of the stories they want the StoryBot to produce. This is then done automatically and consistently for every single game you broadcast.


  • Reduce human error

Rapidly producing hundreds of clips and summaries of sports matches is mentally exhausting yet uncreative work for editors. StoryBot does not get tired or make mistakes.


With only a few weeks left in the season, this is a unique opportunity for broadcasters to experiment with new technology – with less commitment than investing up front for a whole season.


  • Be the ‘first to market’

StoryBot can produce complete summaries of 90-minute football matches in a couple of seconds and post them to all your digital destinations. When fans see your brand produces content first, you become the ‘go-to’ provider.


  • Immediate regionalisation

European football is a global form of entertainment. And StoryBot allows you to reach your global fans faster – thumbnails, video templates and other information can be immediately duplicated in several languages – from Thai to Turkish. The story created can also differ depending on what the fans prefer in one region versus another.


Most importantly, all these features remain controlled entirely by your editors. They define the length of different clips and summaries, what actions will be included, how it will be decorated, what brandings are overlaid and where these pieces of content are published. This means they still define the ‘story’ of each summary, but can produce hundreds more than they would manually.


Get started with the leading automation tool for football content creation


Wildmoka’s StoryBot is the world’s leading editing automation tool and is already used by several major football broadcasters. And now is the perfect time to see if StoryBot can support you.


With only a few weeks left in the season, this is a unique opportunity for broadcasters to experiment with new technology – with less commitment than investing up front for a whole season. StoryBot can be set up and begin ingesting and producing content for your live games in a matter of days – well in advance of the relaunch of most European leagues.


Contact us today about using StoryBot before the leagues you broadcast start again.

Topics: Social video, Engagement, Social media, social video platform, ai, artificial intelligence

SportAccord 2019 In Gold Coast Recognised At Prestigious Australian Events Sector Awards Ceremony

The 2019 edition of the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit in Gold Coast has been recognised at a prestigious annual award show for the Australian events sector.

SportAccord 2019 was selected as Platinum Award winner for Best Event in Australia at the 2019 Meeting & Events Australia (MEA) and also scooped the overall Government Event of the Year and Queensland’s Event Legacy Award. The winners were announced at the MEALIVE 2019 Award virtual event held at ICC Sydney Studios.

Coming just a year after Gold Coast became the focus of the sporting world when it staged the 2018 Commonwealth Games to great acclaim, SportAccord 2019 benefited from receiving the full support of the Queensland Government via Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) as it welcomed over 1700 delegates to the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre last May.

The 2019 edition of sport’s most important annual gathering featured multiple high-profile networking events, a three-day exhibition, and more than 50 conference sessions with over 100 speakers and panellists from the worlds of sport, business and politics, including H.E. Ban Ki-moon, the former United Nations (UN) Secretary General.

SportAccord and GAISF President Raffaele Chiulli said: “We are grateful that SportAccord 2019 has been recognised by Meeting & Events Australia for what was such a productive and enjoyable week in Gold Coast, Queensland. The recognition only solidifies the value of hosting SportAccord to cities, regions and countries and the legacy impact of our event.”

“The awards are a testament to the dedicated work of the local organisers and the incredible contribution of Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) and the partners, suppliers and volunteers who made SportAccord’s first visit to Oceania such a success. The Gold Coast and Queensland were a magnificent host and its people truly embraced the event.”

The next edition of the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit will take place in Ekaterinburg, Russia from 23-28 May 2021.

As the only global sports industry event attended by all International Sport Federations and their stakeholders, SportAccord brings together organising committees, hosting cities and regions, governments and administrations, rights-holders, agencies and athletes, as well as top-level experts and organisations from the sports media, technology, investment, medical and legal sectors.

Registration is open now for SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021, which will be held at the IEC Ekaterinburg-Expo convention centre. Organisations can become an official partner or exhibitor and discuss these investment opportunities with sales@sportaccord.sport. Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord and keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

Extreme E Reveals Virtual Hospitality Plans

Extreme E, the revolutionary new electric SUV off-road racing series, has today confirmed it will provide a host of virtual hospitality opportunities around all of its races, with the aim of bringing the Extreme E experience to guests remotely in their homes, offices and other suitable venues.  

As a series that is ever-mindful about its footprint and maintaining minimal on-site attendance, Extreme E has always concentrated on innovative solutions and alternatives to how traditional sports events are run. The current pandemic has highlighted this need more than ever. 

The packages will include a unique and immersive viewing experience featuring a VIP access portal, live-streaming service, garage tours, race director cuts, chat platform, access to team and driver radios and a live DJ stream, amongst other exclusive benefits. 

And the Virtual Reality (VR) doesn’t stop there. VR goggles will be sent to guests so they can watch footage filmed with 3D cameras and access driver interviews, track walks, drone laps and hot laps. There will also be the opportunity to put questions to drivers and celebrities at the races. 

In addition, a VIP culinary experience will be on offer whereby a personal chef will arrive at your own home or office to create a themed menu based on the Extreme E race location. Guests won’t need to worry about a thing, as chefs bring everything from food to culinary gifts. 

There will also be the option to order VIP hamper boxes including signed merchandise, a signature drink mix from the race location and climate warrior bracelets. 

Alejandro Agag, Extreme E Founder and CEO, said:  “As a championship, we are always looking to innovate and offer the best access and experiences to our teams and partners. If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it is that there is technology in place to allow us to do pretty much anything remotely.  

“Virtual Reality is becoming more and more prevalent in society, and it is something we are taking very seriously here at Extreme E. The aim of the virtual hospitality packages will be to provide a memorable and immersive experience for guests without needing to travel thousands of miles. It is a fantastic opportunity for our partners to really show their employees what they are supporting and fully engage them in the culture of the championship and the remote locations Extreme E visits.”

Ania Porzuczek, Hospitality Manager at Extreme E, commented: “It is fantastic that we have access to so many new technologies and services to allow us to bring our guests as close to the action as possible without leaving their home. This is a new challenge for Extreme E but we are all about making the impossible possible.”

More details of how to book these packages will become available as the inaugural 2021 season draws closer. 

To learn more about Extreme E, visit – www.Extreme-E.com 

PGA TOUR And Twitter Announce New Fan Engagement Initiative

To mark the PGA TOUR’s return to competition at the Charles Schwab Challenge, June 11-14 at Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth, Texas, the TOUR and Twitter today announced a global live content execution that will be a first-of-its kind for the social media platform.

“Twitter Multicast” will take place on Thursday, June 11, from approximately 1-2:30 pm ET and will showcase athletes, celebrities and other personalities creating their own live, audio/video commentary in conjunction with PGA TOUR LIVE Featured Groups coverage during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Twitter Multicast will feature the likes of Danny Kanell, Dude Perfect, Darren Rovell, Darius Rucker, Annika Sorenstam, Golden Tate and others.

“The PGA TOUR is proud to be among the first major sports leagues to return to competition,” said Rick Anderson, Chief Media Officer of the PGA TOUR. “With no spectators on site, we want to work harder than ever to connect our fans to the event, across numerous platforms and devices in addition to the PGA TOUR LIVE, Golf Channel and CBS broadcasts. Working with Twitter on this all-new fan engagement initiative is a nod to how important fans are to the TOUR and our players.”

The Charles Schwab Challenge features the top-five ranked players in the world and 17 of the top 20 in the FedExCup Standings. The Twitter Multicast will offer nine versions of the live stream with distribution from more than 20 different Twitter accounts. The video streams will cover pre-game, practice sessions, and the first two holes of competition of players such as Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. Each stream will carry PGA TOUR LIVE featured groups coverage complemented with live audio/video commentary from commentators who will provide their point of view on the return of the TOUR.

A full list of the guest commentators across nine video streams:
CBS Sports:                                     Charles Davis (@CFD22) and Danny Kanell (@dannykanell)
SKY Sports/NBC Sports:                Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) and Conor Moore (@ConorSketches)
Discovery/GOLFTV:                       Henni Zuel (@hennizuel) and Eddie Pepperell (@PepperellEddie)
Golf Digest:                                     Hally Leadbetter (@hallylead) and David Leadbetter (@davidleadbetter)
The Action Network/GolfBet:     Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell), Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) and guest
LPGA:                                               Annika Sorenstam (@ANNIKA59) and Brittany Lincicome (@Brittany1golf)
Celebrity Stream:                          Darius Rucker (@dariusrucker) and Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate)
Celebrity Stream:                          Dude Perfect (@DudePerfect)
Celebrity Stream:                          Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) and Wells Adams (@WellsAdams)

“This first-ever Twitter Multicast will give golf fans a viewing experience they won’t find anywhere else,” says TJ Adeshola, head of U.S. sports partnerships for Twitter. “By adding conversation and commentary from a range of Twitter notables to premium golf content, the Multicast will have something for everyone, regardless if you’re looking for real-time reactions, analysis or just some laughs to pair with live footage from Colonial. This is a prime example of how to create a richer, more customized fan experience through the power of Twitter.”

The PGA TOUR and Twitter initially teamed up to live stream tournament coverage when portions of PGA TOUR LIVE’s premium window was streamed during the opening rounds of the first two events of the 2016 FedExCup Playoffs. The two companies formalized their live stream relationship in January 2017 when they began offering PGA TOUR LIVE coverage from select events during the 2016-2017 PGA TOUR Season, expanding the agreement in 2019 to include live daily coverage on Twitter during every PGA TOUR event.

BLAST’s Bounty Hunt Tournament To Be Broadcast In 29 Territories

BLAST, the global esports media network, has confirmed a diverse and far-reaching list of broadcasters to show its inaugural DoTa 2 tournament around the world.

32 hours of BLAST Bounty Hunt action will be shown in 11 languages and broadcast in 29 territories across five continents, helping to further extend the esports brand’s global reach. Among others, DoTa fans will be able to watch matches in English, Chinese and Russian ranging to Portuguese, French, Polish and more.

Last month BLAST announced its first foray into DoTa 2 with the introduction of Bounty Hunt – the new online competition will feature the best teams from across Europe. The tournament will be held across five consecutive days from today, where teams will compete for a prize pool of $150,000.

In 2019, BLAST delivered seven Counter-Strike events across five continents with 1 billion minutes of broadcast watched in 19 different languages. During a time when the fanbase is predominately at home, this output has increased with the introduction of multiple new lines of tournaments, content series and commercial partnerships. From 30th April through to 21st June, BLAST is bringing to life over 308 hours of world-class esports to fans all around the world.

Alexander Lewin, VP Distribution and Programming, said: “We are delighted to start our first DoTa tournament and are thrilled to have partnered with a global, who-is-who, of linear and online broadcasting for Bounty Hunt. This confirms the desire for a BLAST DoTa 2 product that we have been working so hard to make happen over the last few months.”

A dynamic prize pool and an interactive fan prediction game, where fans will win $5,000 of the prize pool, are two innovative new features that will be introduced in BLAST Bounty Hunt. These features have been created and brought to the fans by BLAST in collaboration with the competing teams.

Teams involved include OG Esports, Team Secret, Nigma, NIP, Alliance and Team Liquid playing BO3s until the Championship Final BO5. Teams will seed each other and play in double elimination brackets to reach the final two. Seeds 3-6 will playoff with the winners moving on to play seeds 1-2 for a place in the final.

SportAccord 2019 In Gold Coast Recognised At Prestigious Australian Events Sector Awards Ceremony

The 2019 edition of the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit in Gold Coast has been recognised at a prestigious annual award show for the Australian events sector.

SportAccord 2019 was selected as Platinum Award winner for Best Event in Australia at the 2019 Meeting & Events Australia (MEA) and also scooped the overall Government Event of the Year and Queensland’s Event Legacy Award. The winners were announced at the MEALIVE 2019 Award virtual event held at ICC Sydney Studios.

Coming just a year after Gold Coast became the focus of the sporting world when it staged the 2018 Commonwealth Games to great acclaim, SportAccord 2019 benefited from receiving the full support of the Queensland Government via Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) as it welcomed over 1700 delegates to the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre last May.

The 2019 edition of sport’s most important annual gathering featured multiple high-profile networking events, a three-day exhibition, and more than 50 conference sessions with over 100 speakers and panellists from the worlds of sport, business and politics, including H.E. Ban Ki-moon, the former United Nations (UN) Secretary General.

SportAccord and GAISF President Raffaele Chiulli said: “We are grateful that SportAccord 2019 has been recognised by Meeting & Events Australia for what was such a productive and enjoyable week in Gold Coast, Queensland. The recognition only solidifies the value of hosting SportAccord to cities, regions and countries and the legacy impact of our event.”

“The awards are a testament to the dedicated work of the local organisers and the incredible contribution of Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) and the partners, suppliers and volunteers who made SportAccord’s first visit to Oceania such a success. The Gold Coast and Queensland were a magnificent host and its people truly embraced the event.”

The next edition of the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit will take place in Ekaterinburg, Russia from 23-28 May 2021.

As the only global sports industry event attended by all International Sport Federations and their stakeholders, SportAccord brings together organising committees, hosting cities and regions, governments and administrations, rights-holders, agencies and athletes, as well as top-level experts and organisations from the sports media, technology, investment, medical and legal sectors.

Registration is open now for SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 2021, which will be held at the IEC Ekaterinburg-Expo convention centre. Organisations can become an official partner or exhibitor and discuss these investment opportunities with sales@sportaccord.sport. Follow developments and updates via Twitter @sportaccord and keep up-to-date via LinkedIn and Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

Extreme E Reveals Virtual Hospitality Plans

Extreme E, the revolutionary new electric SUV off-road racing series, has today confirmed it will provide a host of virtual hospitality opportunities around all of its races, with the aim of bringing the Extreme E experience to guests remotely in their homes, offices and other suitable venues.  

As a series that is ever-mindful about its footprint and maintaining minimal on-site attendance, Extreme E has always concentrated on innovative solutions and alternatives to how traditional sports events are run. The current pandemic has highlighted this need more than ever. 

The packages will include a unique and immersive viewing experience featuring a VIP access portal, live-streaming service, garage tours, race director cuts, chat platform, access to team and driver radios and a live DJ stream, amongst other exclusive benefits. 

And the Virtual Reality (VR) doesn’t stop there. VR goggles will be sent to guests so they can watch footage filmed with 3D cameras and access driver interviews, track walks, drone laps and hot laps. There will also be the opportunity to put questions to drivers and celebrities at the races. 

In addition, a VIP culinary experience will be on offer whereby a personal chef will arrive at your own home or office to create a themed menu based on the Extreme E race location. Guests won’t need to worry about a thing, as chefs bring everything from food to culinary gifts. 

There will also be the option to order VIP hamper boxes including signed merchandise, a signature drink mix from the race location and climate warrior bracelets. 

Alejandro Agag, Extreme E Founder and CEO, said:  “As a championship, we are always looking to innovate and offer the best access and experiences to our teams and partners. If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it is that there is technology in place to allow us to do pretty much anything remotely.  

“Virtual Reality is becoming more and more prevalent in society, and it is something we are taking very seriously here at Extreme E. The aim of the virtual hospitality packages will be to provide a memorable and immersive experience for guests without needing to travel thousands of miles. It is a fantastic opportunity for our partners to really show their employees what they are supporting and fully engage them in the culture of the championship and the remote locations Extreme E visits.”

Ania Porzuczek, Hospitality Manager at Extreme E, commented: “It is fantastic that we have access to so many new technologies and services to allow us to bring our guests as close to the action as possible without leaving their home. This is a new challenge for Extreme E but we are all about making the impossible possible.”

More details of how to book these packages will become available as the inaugural 2021 season draws closer. 

To learn more about Extreme E, visit – www.Extreme-E.com 

Everton Name Cazoo As New Main Partner

Everton and Cazoo, one of the UK’s fastest-growing new ecommerce businesses, have agreed a multi-year partnership that will see the innovative online car retailer become the Premier League club’s new main partner.

The Cazoo brand will feature on the front of Everton’s first team playing and training kits for the men’s team from the 2020/21 season – signalling an exciting new partnership for the Club with the pioneering UK business.

Cazoo, founded by renowned British entrepreneur Alex Chesterman OBE – the digital innovator behind LoveFilm and Zoopla – is a digital platform that makes buying a car as simple as purchasing any other product online. Since its launch in late 2019, UK consumers have embraced the simplicity of buying cars online and having their new vehicles delivered to the door. Becoming Everton’s new main sponsor underlines Cazoo’s commitment to securing its place as the UK’s best-known online car retailer.

Everton Chief Executive, Denise Barrett-Baxendale said: “We are delighted to welcome Cazoo as our new main Club partner and shirt sponsor. We have been impressed with the approach that Cazoo has taken and are confident that they will be a great partner for the Club and our fans in the years to come. We are looking forward to working closely with them and are in no doubt that the values of Cazoo and the company’s focus on innovation and future development complement perfectly our own ambitions as we embark on an exciting new chapter for the Club.”

The partnership between Everton and Cazoo will commence at the end of the 2019/20 season. The relationship with Everton is at the forefront of Cazoo’s extensive growth plans as it seeks to accelerate the nation’s shift to online car buying. As well as Cazoo’s eye-catching branding taking pride of place on the shirts of the Everton senior men’s squad and Under 23s side, the logo will be prevalent across Goodison Park, official club merchandise, all of the Club’s digital platforms and on Everton’s media backdrops.

The partnership complements Everton’s commercial development strategy and means that, for the first time since the 2003/04 season, replica kits featuring the Club’s main partner branding will be available to purchase in junior and children’s sizes.

Alex Chesterman, the founder & CEO of Cazoo, is one of the UK’s leading digital entrepreneurs and investors. He has been named the UK’s Entrepreneur of the Year and was awarded an OBE for services to digital entrepreneurship in 2016. He said: “We are really excited to be partnering with Everton, a family club with a rich heritage and a passionate and loyal fanbase. This opportunity will help significantly enhance our brand awareness as we look to make Cazoo a household name. We look forward to working closely with the Club as part of our mission to provide the best possible car buying experience to UK consumers.”

Cazoo will replace SportPesa on the front of the Everton shirt for the 2020/21 season and is set to be the only British owned brand as the main sponsor of a Premier League club next term.

Sasha Ryazantsev, Chief Finance & Commercial Officer at Everton Football Club, said: “In our search for a new partner, we were hoping to find a dynamic brand with strong growth potential and we have certainly found that with Cazoo.

”As a disruptor brand in their industry, Cazoo represents the best of British in terms of innovation and agility, and these values really resonate with Everton and our fans.

“Despite only launching last year, Cazoo is already transforming the way consumers purchase cars and has also proven its resilience through the coronavirus pandemic. Our partnership will help Cazoo extend its reach and audience significantly to continue its impressive growth trajectory. We have been really impressed by Alex and his team and look forward to working with them over the coming years.”

Cazoo owns and fully reconditions all its cars before offering them for sale and delivering them to customer’s doors across the UK within as little as 72 hours. Buyers can purchase or finance a Cazoo car entirely online – as well as getting an instant offer for any part exchange. Every Cazoo car comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee and free comprehensive 90-day warranty and roadside assistance.

LaLiga Bringing Broadcast Innovations For Resumption Of Play, PUMA And LaLiga Celebrate The Competition’s Return, League Wins Anti-Piracy Ruling In Russia

A few days before the competition returns, LaLiga has announced new broadcast experiences that will be part of the remaining eleven matchdays of the 2019/20 season. 

Due to the unprecedented situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank matches will look and sound different than they did before the league was postponed.

The innovations have been implemented in two main areas: virtualisation of stands and fan audio as well as new camera positions and the images they will offer to viewers. Both will be carried out with the help of partners and implemented by Mediapro, the official production partner of LaLiga.

“We have made these broadcasting changes so fans can enjoy LaLiga,” said LaLiga President Javier Tebas. “We work with global partners to offer a great viewer experience. We are in an exceptional situation, but for us it has been important to be able to adapt and offer a compelling, cutting-edge broadcast to our fans.”

Virtualised stands and fan audio for television broadcasts

The biggest change for the return of the competition is the virtualised broadcasting that LaLiga will offer to international broadcast partners, which will allow matches to be seen in an attractive way that closely resembles how they looked and sounded before the competition was postponed.

For these broadcasts, the stands will be virtualised and will always offer to-scale images of seated fans wearing the colours of the home club. To develop this digital experience, LaLiga collaborated with Norwegian company VIZRT, which also works with other European leagues.

In moments when the game is stopped, this image of fans can be transformed into a canvas that matches the colour of the home team and will carry institutional messages among other offerings.

This innovative broadcast will also feature virtual sound, which has been obtained through collaboration with EA SPORTS FIFA, in a project called Sounds of the Stands. Through this, the audio library of LaLiga official sponsor EA, which was recorded in real stadiums, has been used and has been digitally adapted so that it can be implemented in real time during the match. It will be adapted to the flow of the game as certain situations occur, such as a goal or a foul, creating what is known as Atmospheric Audio.

Cameras: New angles to bring action closer to fans

The match itself will also be seen differently due to new camera positions. 

Some cameras will shift their location to positions where they would previously have affected the sightline of fans in the stands. Among other examples, the aerial camera will modify its flight path to offer new shots, the bench camera will be moved to the opposite stand, while robotic cameras will be used in the tunnel for reasons of health safety.

All of these changes, which will be maintained as long as matches have to be played behind closed doors, continue LaLiga’s commitment to bring fans at home the best experience.

LaLiga And Puma

LaLiga is celebrating the imminent return of the football season with a new campaign that captures the excitement being felt by the league’s global fanbase in collaboration with its official partner PUMA.

The campaign, titled #LaLigaBouncesBack, launches with a video featuring an array of global sports stars, including LaLiga Santander players Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann and Jan Oblak, who are seen passing LaLiga’s official match ball, designed by PUMA. The ball is passed through nine different countries before arriving back in Spain, ready for competition to resume on 11th June.

Marc Bartra of Real Betis and Suso of Sevilla FC, who will face each other in El Gran Derbi to mark the return of LaLiga competition, also appear in the video.

In line with the #BackToWin campaign, launched by LaLiga and Movistar, the video conveys the message that restarting the competition is not only important for LaLiga and its clubs, but also for the millions of fans who follow the competition worldwide, as well as the wider sports industry.

Reflecting the international audience of LaLiga, the ball passes through  the USA (via Fafa Picault of FC Dallas and Juan Pablo Torres of New York City FC), Singapore (including Raihan Rahman of Tanjong Pagar United), South Africa (including Themba Zwane of the Mamelodi Sundowns) and Mexico (including Rogelio Funes Mori), all of which are countries where LaLiga has already established global offices. 

In addition, Japan (Louis Yamaguchi of Extremadura UD), Australia (including freestyler Jed Hockins), Indonesia (including Otavio Dutra of Persija Jakarta) and Philippines (Carlo Dorin, U18 National Team player) are included, while LaLiga Santander ambassadors Diego Forlan, Fernando Morientes and Christian Karembeu also feature.

LaLiga Wins Anti-Piracy Ruling In Russia

LaLiga has won a ruling at Moscow City Court that will see all LaLiga Santander content removed from three Russian websites that had been illegally streaming matches from the competition.

The domains mou.su, hdtennis.ru and liveball.ru were found guilty of showing pirated broadcasts of LaLiga Santander matches in Russia during 2020. In total, these websites were receiving over 1.14 million visits per month.

Having noticed the illegal activity, LaLiga’s in-house antipiracy department, consisting of over 25 technical experts, filed the complaint to the Moscow City Court and compiled the evidence against the three websites, assisted WebKontrol Ltd.

In accordance with Paragraph 4 Article 1253.1 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the court ruled in favour of LaLiga and ordered the immediate removal of all LaLiga Santander matches from the three websites.

LaLiga has made significant investments in tackling anti-piracy on a global level in recent years, partnering with industry bodies and other rights holders in the process. Through these efforts it has successfully defeated pirate services in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Denmark, Senegal and Indonesia to name a few.

The antipiracy team has also developed a range of in-house tools for detecting and acting against piracy which have been shared with other competitions including Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League and Dorna Sports, the rights holder to the world’s top motorcycling events.

Commenting on the ruling, LaLiga’s Audiovisual Director Melcior Soler, said: “Every ruling against piracy is another step towards removing this illegal practice from the industry. Our global team is able to detect cases across the world and successfully pursue legal action, leading the fight against those who are trying to cheat the rights holders, legitimate broadcast partners and fans.”