Facebook Invests $5.7 billion in India’s Jio Platforms

A New Collaboration to Accelerate India’s Digital Transformation

Today we are announcing a $5.7 billion, or INR 43,574 crore, investment in Jio Platforms Limited, part of Reliance Industries Limited, making Facebook its largest minority shareholder.

This investment underscores our commitment to India, and our excitement for the dramatic transformation that Jio has spurred in the country. In less than four years, Jio has brought more than 388 million people online, fueling the creation of innovative new enterprises and connecting people in new ways. We are committed to connecting more people in India together with Jio.

India is in the midst of one of the most dynamic social and economic transformations the world has ever seen, driven by the rapid adoption of digital technologies. In just the past five years, more than 560 million people in India have gained access to the internet.

Our goal is to enable new opportunities for businesses of all sizes, but especially for the more than 60 million small businesses across India. They account for the majority of jobs in the country, and form the heart and soul of rural and urban communities alike. In the face of the coronavirus, it is important that we both combat this global pandemic now, and lay the groundwork to help people and businesses in the years to come.

One focus of our collaboration with Jio will be creating new ways for people and businesses to operate more effectively in the growing digital economy. For instance, by bringing together JioMart, Jio’s small business initiative, with the power of WhatsApp, we can enable people to connect with businesses, shop and ultimately purchase products in a seamless mobile experience.

India is a special country for us. Over the years, Facebook has invested in India to connect people and help businesses launch and grow. WhatsApp is so ingrained in Indian life that it has become a commonly used verb across many Indian languages and dialects. Facebook brings together friends and families, but moreover, it’s one of the country’s biggest enablers of growth for small businesses. And Instagram has grown dramatically in India in recent years as the place where people follow their interests and passions.

We are excited about furthering our investment in India’s vibrant digital economy. Our efforts with Jio will be focused on opening new doors and fueling India’s economic growth and the prosperity of its people. We look forward to working with Jio, and to future collaborations in India to advance this vision.

The Solidarity Gestures of LaLiga clubs to fight COVID-19

  • LaLiga clubs have donated medical supplies, made significant financial contributions and promoted various campaigns
  • The acts go as far as offering use of stadiums and volunteering to work with medical services.

Every gesture, no matter how small it may seem, is important when fighting a global pandemic. In the time of COVID-19, it is essential for communities to be pulling in the same direction and to working together, firstly by staying at home and secondly by finding other innovative and thoughtful ways to contribute.

The clubs of LaLiga have been quick to rise to the challenge, through a variety of different public health initiatives. From financial donations to the supplying of essential materials or even blood, the football industry has been decisive in its response.

The current initiatives of LaLiga clubs are as follows:

AD Alcorcón: Together with its official fan clubs, the LaLiga SmartBank side has joined forces to launch a fundraising event in support of the Fundación Alcorcón University Hospital.

Athletic Club: Via its Twitter account, the Basque Health Service, Osakidetza, recently confirmed, without revealing specific details, that the Bilbao club have made a valuable contribution through its players and coaches from both the men’s and women’s teams.

Athletic Club has also paid tribute to all the health personnel who work tirelessly in the fight against the coronavirus, illuminating the stadium in blue and projecting a message of thanks in San Mamés: “You give your soul for us, thank you very much from the heart”, the message reads.

Atlético de Madrid: “The health personnel are our team and they need basic protective equipment. They are ours. ” This is the message of Diego Pablo Simeone, coach of Atlético de Madrid, in the charity campaign of the rojiblanca entity #LoDamosTodo led by the coach in support of the club’s foundation and the Red Cross. The objective of this solidarity initiative is to raise funds for the acquisition and distribution of medical equipment for the health workers who are intervening in this crisis.

CA Osasuna: The Pamplona-based club has offered its Tajonar training facilities, to the Government of Navarra in case they can be of use.

Cádiz CF: the Andalusian club has contributed by buying 50 coils of PLA filament to manufacture sanitary protection screens that will be donated to Andalusian hospitals. In addition, the winger Iván Alejo, loaned this season from Getafe CF, has donated €10,000 to his home hospital, the Hospital Clinico Universitario de Valladolid.

CD Leganés: the Madrid club, through its foundation and in collaboration with the city council, has donated €200,000 to the Severo Ochoa Hospital with the aim of obtaining gowns, tests, water, disinfectants, blankets, masks and all the necessary and useful material that the hospital currently needs.

To read the full article and subscribe to the LaLiga Global Fútbol Newsletter –  https://newsletter.laliga.es/global-futbol/the-solidarity-gestures-of-laliga-clubs-to-fight-covid-19/rrss

Esports Gambling Revenue Set To Double To $14 Billion Globally In 2020

Esports gambling revenue is set to double from $7 billion in 2019 to $14 billion worldwide in 2020, reveals new research from global consumer research agency 2CV and market researcher ProdegeMR, as gamblers seek to shift spend away from other forms of gambling impacted by the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 virus.

2CV and ProdegeMR conducted a survey of 1,028 gamblers aged 18-64 looking at how the current climate, which has been impacted by COVID-19, is affecting gambling in the UK and the potential role that Esports could play in becoming a new revenue driver for the industry.

The survey found that 59% of gamblers have reduced spend in gambling, with 32% agreeing that they have actively looked for new things to bet on and 24% having already shifted spend on other forms of gambling. The most impacted form of gambling was sports – in which 69% of respondents said that they had reduced spend, whilst 54% stopped spending on sports gambling altogether.

The research also reveals a shifting interest among gamblers towards other forms such as Esports with 36% of gamblers having made a bet on Esports in the last 3 months, and 30% of consumers betting on esports having started only within the last month. Moreover, 22% of gamblers who have not tried betting on Esports before revealed that they will consider betting on Esports within the next three months, with the most popular forms being football, motor sports and tennis.

The most popular responses as to why gamblers are not already investing in Esports was that they needed more information (62%), Esports did not have enough sport-based games (45%) and the assumption that they were more inclined to being fixed (45%).

Moreover, 2CV and ProdegeMR looked at the differences between sports and Esports gamblers. The study revealed that the top reasons that betters were more inclined to gamble on sports or esports were due to the following factors:

  • Ability to cash out: 73% sports; 67% esports
  • Best odds: 72% sports; 62% esports
  • Large variety of games: 51% sports; 48% esports
  • In-play betting: 44% sports; 49% esports
  • Detailed stats on players and teams: 40% sports; 50% esports

Martin Bradley, Research Director in Technology and Entertainment at 2CV, said: “By 2022, the number of esports viewers is estimated to rise to 644 million worldwide, this is up from 454 million viewers in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many forms of sports associated with gambling being cancelled or postponed, but is also a big opportunity for esports to get in front of this audience. Short-term growth is likely to come from sport-based games, but there are huge opportunities to make this more long-term, as long as consumers are educated properly on esports and what it can offer, as well as considering which kinds of events are best suited to a particular audience.”

Microsoft Join NBA As Official Technology Partner

As part of a multi-year partnership announced on Thursday, the NBA and Microsoft are teaming up to re-imagine the way that fans experience the NBA and to do so in a much more personalised way.

From radio and newspapers, to television and digital, to streaming and social media, the way that fans consume and interact with basketball is constantly evolving as new technology and products arise.

“This partnership with Microsoft will help us redefine the way our fans experience NBA basketball,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “Our goal, working with Microsoft, is to create customized content that allows fans — whether they are in an NBA arena or watching from anywhere around the world — to immerse themselves in all aspects of the game and engage directly with our teams and players.”

At the core of this partnership, Microsoft and NBA Digital — which is co-managed by the NBA and Turner Sports — will develop a new direct-to-consumer platform on the Microsoft Azure cloud service that will use machine learning and artificial intelligence to deliver personalized game broadcasts as well as other content offerings that will allow the NBA’s global fanbase to customize and localize their experience.

“First and foremost, we want to make it easy to be an NBA fan,” said Chris Benyarko, NBA Executive Vice President, Direct to Consumer. “By creating a new platform that brings together all the things that make up being an NBA fan — whether that’s watching games, buying a ticket, participating in fantasy or buying merchandise, we can use that platform to re-imagine and diversify what it means to be an NBA fan. One of our key focus areas will be to innovate and rethink how we present NBA games to fans and to really leverage technology to personalize and deepen those experiences and make them more engaging.”

Through its current League Pass offering, the NBA has experimented with different camera angles; multiple game audio options, whether that was in the form of an influencer calling the game or listening to the game in a different language; and interactive trivia and questions during game telecasts.

“Imagine all of those features now being on a platform that’s able to use deep machine learning artificial intelligence capabilities to serve those up to a user; so instead of the fan having to pick and choose and turn them on or off one by one, the platform is now starting to behave like a game producer, automatically selecting and presenting the game in a different way,” Benyarko said.

In addition to delivering live and on-demand game broadcasts through the Microsoft Azure platform, the NBA’s vast offering of statistics, data and historical video archive will be curated and presented to fans through state-of-the-art machine learning, cognitive search and advanced data solutions. This will create a more personalized fan experience that tailors the content to the preferences of the fan, rewards participation, and provides more insights and analysis than ever before.

Deb Cupp, Corporate Vice President of Enterprise and Commercial Industries at Microsoft, gave an example of a fan frequently searching for statistics while watching games on the platform and how the new platform’s artificial intelligence would use that behavior to enhance the fan experience.

“The AI eventually learns that I like to learn about stats, so it’s going to start presenting me more information about stats as I go into the game,” Cupp said. “It’s this experience where instead of just watching a game, it actually has the opportunity to interact in a way that matters to me as that fan; it’s enriching the experience and frankly just makes it more valuable to me.”

Fans will be able to set up an account and enter their preferences — whether it is favorite team, favorite players, interest in statistics, history, trivia, gaming and more — in order to provide some direction to the content the platform provides, while it also learns from your viewing habits.

“It allows you to tell the platform what you like and also the platform will learn what you like by what you do,” Cupp said.

If a fan is traveling or unable to follow the games on a particular night in real time, the platform will quickly catch up the fan on games and information that mean the most to that fan, without having to search through all of the scores, headlines and highlights available.

“Things like that, to me, is what describes the fan engagement,” Cupp said. “It allows me to interact the way I want to interact, at the time I want to interact.”

This is especially important for the NBA’s global fanbase that consumes the game differently than fans in America due to distance and time zone differences. A fan in London or Australia may have a much different type of fandom than a fan in New York or California. Even fans that live next door to one another could have different interests and thus want a different experience. By personalizing their content, the NBA looks to serve all of its fans equally.

“If we’re able to solve the needs for all different people with varying interests, then we’ve done a great job,” Benyarko said.

The visible efforts for the 2020-21 season will be the league’s collaboration with Microsoft around the creation and presentation of NBA stats in the league’s telecasts. Also beginning next season, Microsoft will become the Official Artificial Intelligence Partner and an Official Cloud and Laptop Partner for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, and USA Basketball.

“We are thrilled to serve as the official AI partner of the NBA,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a statement. “Together, we’ll bring fans closer to the game and players they love with new personalized experiences powered by Microsoft Azure.”

ELEVEN SPORTS Sees Huge Boost From Live Sport In Taiwan

ELEVEN SPORTS Taiwan has been providing sports fans around the world with a rare offering of LIVE SPORT this week, with action from the Taiwan Super Basketball League & Chinese Professional Baseball League.

Matches have been streamed globally via Twitter, while ELEVEN SPORTS Taiwan also shared all the action locally across their linear and OTT platforms and on Twitch.

The broadcasts have enjoyed record breaking audiences, with fans starved of live sport tuning in from around the world to watch both competitions.

Today’s Chinese Professional Baseball League match between FubonGuardians and Rakuten Monkeys has recorded over 1M views on @ElevenSportsTW.

For the Super Basketball League Playoff on between Yulon and Pauian on Thursday, more than 430,000 fans tuned in live, with over 200,000 watching the replay.

Across ELEVEN Taiwan’s week of sport, live and replayed shows racked up more than 3million views in total. Among those tuning in was Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who tweeted a picture of her enjoying a Chinese Professional Baseball League game from her living room.

ELEVEN SPORTS Taiwan launched in 2016 and offers fans a package of local baseball and basketball in addition to premium international rights including the English Premier League and NBA.

European Tour Cancels Two Key Season Events In Germany And France

The European Tour today confirmed the cancellation of the BMW International Open and the Open de France and the postponement of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, a Rolex Series event, due to the continuing threat posed by the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The BMW International Open, which has been played every year since 1989, was due to take place from June 25-28 at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried, in Munich, Germany. The Open de France, continental Europe’s oldest national Open, was scheduled to take place a week later, July 2-5, at Le Golf National, near Paris. It has been cancelled following the French government’s decision to cancel all mass public gatherings and events until mid-July.

Meanwhile, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, one of eight Rolex Series events announced at the start of the 2020 season, was scheduled to return to The Renaissance Club in North Berwick from July 9-12. Discussions are ongoing to reschedule the tournament.

Keith Pelley, European Tour Chief Executive, said: “The decision to cancel the BMW International Open, which has been a cornerstone of the European Tour calendar for three decades, and the Open de France, one of our most historic national Opens was made in consultation with our long-term partner BMW and the French Golf Federation respectively with public health and well-being the absolute priority for all of us.

“Both Germany and France have been significantly impacted by Coronavirus, and our thoughts go out to everyone affected in both countries, as well as elsewhere around the world.

“In consultation with Aberdeen Standard Investments, VisitScotland and Rolex, we have also decided to postpone the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, which is part of our prestigious Rolex Series. Discussions about the possibility of rescheduling this event will continue as we look at a variety of different scenarios for our schedule for when it is safe and permitted to resume playing. We will only announce details of these plans when we have clarity on the global situation.”

PDC Secures Nine-Country Broadcast Deal With DAZN For StreamAMG Produced PDC Home Tour

Live sport is returning thanks to the PDC and StreamAMG. The PDC Home Tour will be streamed to PDCTV, broadcasters and other partners by sports streaming specialists StreamAMG, offering fans live elite sport for the first time since widespread Coronavirus measures were put in place.

The PDC has also now agreed a nine-country rights deal with DAZN which will see this new competition, to keep darts running during COVID-19, broadcast in the USA, Germany, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Canada, Japan, Austria and Switzerland.

However, in an entertaining twist, Gary Anderson, ninth on the PDC’s current Order of Merit, and Daryl Gurney will not be able to take part after his Wifi was deemed not strong enough for the live broadcast.

Starting tonight at 1930 BST, elite level darts players will compete from their living rooms via live video calls in a nightly league format for 32 consecutive nights. The broadcasts will include live score graphics on screen and commentary from darts commentator Dan Dawson.

To bring the competition from the player’s homes to fans worldwide, StreamAMG is managing each stage of distribution to PDCTV, PDC social channels and broadcast partners, as well as a series of bookmakers’ websites. Production is being handled remotely, with live delivery and distribution to partners through the BT Tower and StreamAMG’s cloud distribution network.

StreamAMG is a long-standing partner of the PDC and has operated the PDCTV service since 2016. The company also streamed Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz Jr. II to the Indian Subcontinent in December 2019 for Matchroom Boxing, and is developing a multisport OTT platform for Matchroom Sport.

Viewers can register for free to watch the live matches on the dedicated PDCTV OTT service, as well as via multiple partner broadcasters across the globe.

“StreamAMG have been instrumental in helping us launch our first home-staged event to bring live darts to fans in these unprecedented times,” said Professional Darts Corporation Chief Executive Matthew Porter.

Matt McKiernan, Chief Operating Officer, StreamAMG, said: “To be involved in bringing back live sport is massively exciting. We’re looking forward to delivering the Home Tour and helping the PDC bring live action to sports fans worldwide.”

FC St. Pauli And Principal Sponsor Congstar Extend Partnership

Powerful message in difficult times: FC St. Pauli and principal sponsor congstar have agreed to extend their successful partnership to the end of the 2021/22 season.

The relationship goes beyond traditional shirt sponsorship and advertising at Millerntor Stadium in that congstar will continue to support FC St. Pauli in the development and establishment of eFootball in the Virtual Bundesliga (VBL). Accordingly, congstar is our official principal sponsor in the VBL, featuring on the shirts of our eFootballers since day one of the season. Team members Noah Maurice Itgen and Tom Köst are able to train in the congstar box at Millerntor Stadium, which has been specially kitted out for this purpose. If the situation allows, St. Pauli and congstar also aim to organise the 2nd Mobile Gaming Festival in Cologne this autumn, thus building on the successful launch last year.

“For congstar, the cooperation is more than a traditional sponsorship arrangement, it is a genuine partnership. This is demonstrated by the decision to extend the agreement despite the exceptional circumstances surrounding the coronavirus – something that is anything but self-evident,” said Bernd von Geldern, Director of Sales at FC St. Pauli.

Director of Marketing Martin Drust added: “It is because of congstar that we’ve been able to get involved in eFootball. We couldn’t wish for a better partner and look forward to stepping up our eFootball activities and carrying over our values to eFootball along with congstar.”

Dr Peter Opdemom, Director of Marketing, Sales and Service at congstar, said: “The district, the stadium and the liberal, cosmopolitan club and fan culture make FC St. Pauli an unmistakable brand in Germany. Its cosmopolitan stance and general attitude, in particular, are things we can fully identify with as a company. As a result, FC St. Pauli is really close to our hearts and we’re proud to continue our relationship. In times like these, it’s particularly important for us as a longstanding partner to commit to FC St. Pauli in the role of principal sponsor.”

The Apps Keeping LaLiga Fans Engaged And Entertained Around The World; LaLiga Apps Pass 110 Million Downloads

The apps keeping LaLiga fans engaged and entertained around the world
  • There have been 110 million downloads of LaLiga’s various apps and users are increasing during this period of COVID-19 shutdown.
  • Options include football skill challenges or educational games for children.

With the majority of global sports competitions temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans are searching for other means of entertainment. This has led thousands of people around the world to discover the family of apps that are run by LaLiga.

More than simply providing information on fixtures, clubs and players, the competition has developed several gaming and educational apps over recent years that allow users of all ages to discover the competition in a new way. The initiative has led to more than 110 million downloads, 80 percent of which come from outside Spain.

“At LaLiga we decided to launch as many apps and especially games as necessary to maximise the audience we reach and the engagement we get with our fans,” said Daniel Vicente, head of applications and games at LaLiga.

“We make different products available to fans, some with information about matches such as the Official App, others for fans more loyal to the competition such as LaLiga Fantasy Marca, for the little ones in the house, such as Educational Games or for the most casual fans around the world like Head Football LaLiga.”

Over 40 educative games
At a time when schools have been closed in many different countries, LaLiga’s approach has proven particularly relevant. The league’s Educational Games app is currently experiencing a surge in popularity as parents and carers look for new outlets to keep youngsters entertained in a productive manner.

Aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 11, the app, which was created alongside Edujoy, contains more than 40 games of varying difficulty, from maths puzzles to jigsaws to mazes to memory games.

There are nearly 3 million downloads already, with the highest percentage of users coming from Brazil. Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Mexico are among the other countries with the highest number of downloads.

To read the full piece and subscribe to the LaLiga Global Fútbol Newsletter, follow this link: https://newsletter.laliga.es/global-futbol/the-apps-keeping-laliga-fans-engaged-and-entertained-around-the-world

‘One World’ Global Special To Air On ELEVEN SPORTS

ELEVEN SPORTS will be broadcasting One World: Together At Home – a globally televised and streamed special in support of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic – across our global network in Poland, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Myanmar and Taiwan this weekend. 

Launched by international advocacy organisation Global Citizen, and the World Health Organization, One World: Together At Home will show unity among all people who are affected by COVID-19 and will also celebrate and support brave healthcare workers doing life-saving work on the front lines.

Curated in collaboration with Lady Gaga, the One World: Together At Home broadcast special will include performances and appearances by Alicia Keys, Amy Poehler, Andrea Bocelli, Awkwafina, Billie Eilish, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Burna Boy, Camila Cabello, Celine Dion, Chris Martin, David & Victoria Beckham, Eddie Vedder, Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John, FINNEAS, Idris and Sabrina Elba, J Balvin, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Kerry Washington, Lang Lang, Lizzo,  LL COOL J, Lupita Nyong’o, Maluma, Matthew McConaughey, Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Pharrell Williams, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sam Smith, Shah Rukh Khan, Shawn Mendes, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, and Usher.

Leading up to the global broadcast special, there will be a six-hour streamed event in selected ELEVEN SPORTS territories. The streamed event will include performances and appearances from Adam Lambert, Andra Day, Angèle, Anitta, Annie Lennox, Becky G, Ben Platt, Billy Ray Cyrus, Black Coffee, Bridget Moynahan, Burna Boy, Cassper Nyovest, Charlie Puth, Christine and the Queens, Common, Connie Britton, Danai Gurira, Delta Goodrem, Don Cheadle, Eason Chan, Ellie Goulding, Erin Richards, FINNEAS, Heidi Klum, Hozier, Hussain Al Jasmi, Jack Black, Jacky Cheung, Jack Johnson, Jameela Jamil, James McAvoy, Jason Segel, Jennifer Hudson, Jess Glynne, Jessie J, Jessie Reyez, John Legend, Juanes, Kesha, Lady Antebellum, Lang Lang, Leslie Odom Jr., Lewis Hamilton, Liam Payne, Lili Reinhart, Lilly Singh, Lindsey Vonn, Lisa Mishra, Lola Lennox, Luis Fonsi, Maren Morris, Matt Bomer, Megan Rapinoe, Michael Bublé, Milky Chance, Naomi Osaka, Natti Natasha, Niall Horan, Nomzamo Mbatha, P.K. Subban, Picture This, Rita Ora, Samuel L Jackson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sebastián Yatra, Sheryl Crow, Sho Madjozi, SOFI TUKKER, SuperM, The Killers, Tim Gunn, Vishal Mishra and Zucchero. 

Luis Vicente, CEO, ELEVEN SPORTS, said: “At ELEVEN we are committed to supporting the World Health Organisation in any way we can in these unprecedented times. This historic show will transcend our usual sports offering to bring entertainment and inspiration to our viewers around the world, as well as helping to raise vital awareness for the World Health Organisation’s lifesaving work. We hope everyone enjoys what will be an historic event!”

One World: Together At Home is not a telethon – it is a historic, first-of-its kind global broadcast event to celebrate the heroic efforts of community health workers, and to support the World Health Organization in the global fight to end COVID-19. The broadcast will feature stories from frontline healthcare workers on the COVID response, commitments from philanthropists, governments and corporations to support and equip frontline healthcare workers around the world, with masks, gowns and other vital equipment, and to local charities that provide food, shelter, and healthcare to those that need it most. 

ELEVEN SPORTS’ parent company Aser Ventures is working closely with the World Health Organisation to promote key health messages across its network of global media platforms. ELEVEN SPORTS, Leeds United, Whistle and LIVENow have all joined the effort to raise awareness of WHO campaigns, as well as giving financial, logistical and promotional support to a range of local causes.