ATP, WTA And ITF Extend Tennis Suspensions

The ATP has extended the suspension of the ATP Tour through to July 31, 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision, made in close collaboration with Tour members, means ATP events in Hamburg, Bastad, Newport, Los Cabos, Gstaad, Umag, Atlanta and Kitzbühel will not take place as scheduled. The extended suspension also applies to the ATP Challenger Tour and to men’s events on the ITF World Tennis Tour.

“Due to continued uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we regret to announce our decision to extend the suspension of the Tour,” said Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman. “Just like tennis fans, players and tournament hosts all over the world, we share in the disappointment the Tour continues to be affected in this way. We continue to assess all of our options in an effort to resume the Tour as soon as it is safe to do so, including the feasibility of rescheduling events later in the season. As ever, the health and well-being of the tennis community and wider public remains our top priority in every decision we make.”

Tournaments taking place from August 1, 2020 onwards are still planning to proceed as per the published schedule. A further update on the ATP Tour calendar is expected in mid-June.

WTA

Following the announcement of the WTA Tour suspension through July 12, the WTA events in Bastad, Lausanne, Bucharest, and Jurmala scheduled for July will not be held, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We regret this is the case but will continue to be guided by medical experts for when it is safe and possible to return to WTA competition. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are hopeful to be back on the court as soon as possible.

A decision regarding the dates in which Karlsruhe and Palermo may be played along with further updates to the WTA calendar will be made in June.

ITF

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has extended the suspension of all ITF tournaments through to July 31, 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

All ITF circuits and event categories scheduled to take place during the newly extended period are suspended, including ITF Juniors, ITF Seniors, UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour, Beach Tennis Tour and the men’s and women’s ITF World Tennis Tour.

ITF President, David Haggerty said, “These are tough and disappointing decisions to make, but health and safety remain our primary concern. We continue to review the global situation and assess all our options to resume international competition the moment it is safe to do so. We are working closely with tennis stakeholders to review the calendar and make the right decisions together.”

While the global pandemic continues to prevent international competition, the partial lifting of government restrictions in some nations has permitted the resumption of recreational tennis and national competitions. The ITF has issued the following Return to Tennis guidelines for the staging of competitions with appropriate integrity, health and safety measures in place and advises recreational players to follow information and instructions from their national federation as they return to play.

NBA And Wilson Agree Multi-Year Partnership, Will Replace Spalding As Ball Manufacturer

The National Basketball Association and Wilson Sporting Goods Co. have announced a multiyear global partnership that will make Wilson the official game ball of the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League.

The partnership will tip off at different times by league. The NBA Wilson game ball will first be used during the league’s 75th anniversary season in 2021-22. The other debuts will be during the 2022 WNBA season, 2021-22 NBA G League season, 2021 NBA 2K League season and the inaugural BAL season.

“This partnership with Wilson returns us to our roots as we plan for the future,” said Salvatore LaRocca, NBA President, Global Partnerships.  “We were partners for 37 seasons dating back to when Wilson manufactured the first official NBA basketballs in 1946, and we look forward to growing the game of basketball together.”

“Our commitment to growing the game of basketball on the global stage is at the heart of Wilson and our new partnership with the NBA,” said Kevin Murphy, General Manager, Wilson Basketball. “Our passion for this game and the league runs incredibly deep, as does our history with it.  And as we start this new chapter in the game, our focus and energy will be on supporting the league and the players, coaches and fans with the most advanced, high-performance game basketballs possible.”

Wilson will manufacture the NBA, WNBA and NBA G League game balls using the same materials, eight-panel configuration and performance specifications as current game balls and will also source the same leather currently used in the NBA. The NBA and its players will work jointly with Wilson to develop and approve the new game ball.

LaLiga Joins Mediapro And Super Sports Media To Create Joint Venture In China

LaLiga, MEDIAPRO Group and Asian sports asset commercialisation giant Super Sports Media have announced the creation of a joint venture in China, which is born with the aim of providing more resources for the exploitation of commercial assets and studying new ways of doing business in the Asian country.

The new company, which has been established for an initial period of 15 years on a renewable basis, will begin to operate immediately across the territories of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It will work in parallel with LaLiga’s China offices and thus provide a great boost in the Spanish competition strategy in the region.

SFCM has been created in order to increase LaLiga China’s promotion and activation capabilities, which will benefit clubs and sponsors at a local level with exclusive advertising packages, the organisation of eSports tournament and the exploitation of other assets relating to LaLiga.

“LaLiga is joining together with two important partners in the business of sponsorship and licensing: Mediapro China and Super Sports Media, owner of the audiovisual rights for LaLiga in China and AFC (Asian Football Confederation) among other things. We want to continue growing and innovating in this market and working together with these partners will help us to strengthen our strategy and grow in new areas,” said Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga and member of the SFCM board…

To read the full piece and subscribe to LaLiga’s Global Fútbol Newsletter, follow this link: https://newsletter.laliga.es/global-futbol/laliga-joins-mediapro-and-super-sports-media-to-create-a-joint-venture-in-china/rrss

BLAST Closes Latest Investment Round After Raising €12.5M Euros In Funding

BLAST, the global esports media network, has today announced the closing of an investment round of €12.5M Euros ($13.52 million).

The round was led by Johan Gedda, global technology entrepreneur and co-founder of Rocket Software, and Vækstfonden, a financing and investment vehicle with funds from the Danish State and the European Investment Bank. The round was completed with further investment from existing investors leading European VC funds Creandum, Heartcore and Maki.

With offices in Copenhagen and London, BLAST creates world-class esports entertainment through intimate broadcast studio shows, arena events, and online content. BLAST products are broadcast across major global TV networks, leading digital platforms and through BLASTs own broadcast platform.

In 2019, BLAST delivered 7 events across 5 continents with 1 billion minutes of broadcast in 19 different languages. In 2020, BLAST has expanded into DOTA 2 alongside its world-leading Counter-Strike: GO tournament series.

Johan Gedda said ‘the opportunity to combine and create a deeper technology stack that will evolve the future of esports is one of the reasons I am pleased to partner with BLAST. I am impressed by their plans and look forward to leveraging my experience in the technology space to help grow this exciting and fast-moving business.’

During Covid-19, BLAST has increased its output and introduced multiple new lines of tournaments, content series and commercial partnerships. BLAST has a full calendar from 30th April through to 21st June, bringing over 308 hours of world-class esports to fans around the world. Erik Balck Sørensen of Vækstfonden’s department of direct investments: “we have watched the leadership position taken by BLAST across the esports industry in Europe and beyond, and we are proud to support a European growth company as it moves to its next stage.’

The global esports market is on target to grow to over 1 billion USD by the end of 2020. The BLAST business model is centred on targeting the broadest esports and entertainment audience. The model is built around long term partnerships with the best teams, broadcasters, commercial partners and technology leaders.

New Horse Racing League Postponed Until Summer 2021

Championship Horse Racing can confirm that, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the inaugural Racing League has been postponed until summer 2021.

Chief Executive of the Racing League, Jeremy Wray, said: “Although disappointed, we are making the decision now to postpone the Racing League until 2021. We have committed £1.8m prize money to the British Horseracing Authority, and will use the time we now have to work with horsemen, our partners and stakeholders to make the competition a really positive addition to the flat racing calendar for next year.”

The Racing League will comprise 36 races over six consecutive Thursday evening meetings in July and August 2021.

Arena Racing Company (ARC) Chief Executive, Martin Cruddace, said: “Given the current period of uncertainty that everyone across British racing and the wider business world faces, it is of course the sensible decision to postpone the introduction of the Racing League until next summer.

Matthew Imi, Chief Executive of Sky Sports Racing, commented: “We remain excited at the prospect of working with Jeremy and his colleagues to launch the Racing League, albeit a year later than anticipated. The proposition is genuinely innovative and we look forward, as soon as we are able, to previewing next year’s competition and building the narrative across Sky Sports Racing and our digital and international platforms.”

Success Of LaLiga Santander Challenge Demonstrates ‘Untapped Potential’ Of Traditional And Esports Convergence

New Insight has revealed the success of the #LaLigaSantanderChallenge, which saw players from 18 of Spain’s 20 top-flight football clubs take part in an online EA Sports FIFA20 tournament across the weekend of March 20-22.

The virtual tournament, organised by Spanish esports personality Ibai Llanos and LaLiga Santander, took place against the backdrop of worldwide lockdown measures to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, which have led to the vast majority of sporting events being postponed, suspended or cancelled.

The performance of the event was analysed across four mediums: the esports streaming service, Twitch; live TV broadcasts; online news coverage; and social media mentions and engagement.

The data, brought together by Nielsen Sports, specialists in sports industry analytics, shows that the tournament performed strongly on Twitch, with the number of viewers growing consistently each day, reaching a minute average of 123,000 on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd. The final, which saw Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio beat Leganés’ Aitor Ruibal 4-2, attracted a peak audience of 173,000 on the platform.

The event was also shown across mainstream broadcast channels Movistar Deportes 1, Gol and #Vamos, attracting a cumulative audience of more than 205,000 over the weekend. The total broadcast coverage lasted more than 23 hours, with the high viewership figures suggesting there are opportunities for brands to capitalise on the enthusiasm of traditional and esports fans via both streaming services and mainstream television.

The data also suggested that traditional sports and associated brands can utilise esports to generate online news coverage in the absence of live, traditional sports. Online news outlets were a significant source of exposure for the event, with interest remaining high from the announcement of the tournament, through to the official draw, line-ups and the event itself. In total, more than 1,100 pieces of online news coverage were generated around the #LaLigaSantanderChallenge, across national and international sports and non-sports media.

The support from traditional broadcasters and high levels of online news coverage, coupled with the large pool of esports enthusiasts tuning in on Twitch, helped drive high levels of social media engagement around the event, particularly on Twitter. The confirmation of an impressive line-up of clubs and individual players helped raise interest further, with the likes of Real Madrid harnessing their huge Twitter following of 33.97m to drive more engagement.

In total the event generated more than 35,000 tweets and retweets, with engagement levels rising consistently over the course of the weekend, peaking during the final. This LaLiga Santander Challenge data was collated by Nielsen Sports, who produced this report on the event.

Umbro Will Become The Official Technical Kit Partner To Bristol Bears

Umbro and Bristol Sport are delighted to confirm a new long-term partnership that will see the English sports brand become Bristol Bears’ Official Technical Kit Partner.

The Partnership between Umbro and Bristol Bears starts on the 1st July 2020, with the English sports brand providing match day kit, training kit and off field wear for the men’s, women’s and Academy teams.

The announcement follows the news that Umbro has become the Official Technical Kit Partner to England Rugby; supplying all match day and training kit, as well as off field wear.

Bristol Sport chairman and Bears director Jon Lansdown said: “We are very proud of the kits that Bristol Sport have produced, over the past six years. Since the Bears rebrand, the innovation shown in designing and creating the team’s jerseys has led to record sales.

“It was important for us to maintain that individual appeal, but also to push on to the next level, which is why the partnership with a globally recognisable brand like Umbro is a great fit.”

“Umbro has been designing performance products for almost a century. Their expertise in logistics, resourcing and scale is going to be a huge asset in helping us to meet demand and to grow the Bears identity and vision.”

Sam Lucas, Head of Sponsorship – Umbro UK, added: “We have stated our intention to credibly support rugby through our partnership with England Rugby. Joining forces with Bristol Bears; an exciting club, on a journey to great things, compliments this on a domestic and regional level. At the same time, the partnership helps us to deepen our connection with the sport, its fans and the wider rugby community.

“The club’s rich history echoes our own. Over the years we have created elite level products and are looking forward to bringing this experience to bear through our relationship with the club.”

TV4 Media To Broadcast UEFA Champions League In Sweden And Finland From 2021

TV4, C More and MTV, which are owned by Telia Company, have acquired exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League in both Sweden and Finland for the period of 2021-2024. “This is the world’s best tournament within the biggest sport in the world. We are extremely proud to be able to offer the UEFA Champions League to our audience. It is a property we know will attract great interest and gather a large audience,” says Casten Almqvist, Head of TV/Media at Telia Company.

TV4 and C More are now further strengthening their sports offering with the world’s premier club football. The tournament with the best teams from Europe’s leagues will be broadcasted exclusively on C More and TV4 in Sweden from autumn 2021. In Finland, MTV has extended its current agreement with UEFA to show the UEFA Champions League until spring 2024.

“The UEFA Champions League has been at the top of our wish list of sports rights for a long time. This is the first example of how TV4 Media with Telia as our owner will raise the bar. The UEFA Champions League will be an important ingredient in creating Sweden’s and Finland’s best TV experiences,” says Casten Almqvist.

All UEFA Champions League games
The UEFA Champions League is one of the world’s strongest sports brands. The rights include all games from the UEFA Champions League such as the play-offs, the group stage and the knockout-stage, including the final. In addition to this, TV4, C More and MTV will broadcast the UEFA Super Cup played between the UEFA Champions League winner and the UEFA Europa League winner, as well as the UEFA Youth League tournament.

Sport is an attractive part of the total offering of TV4, C More and MTV and there is a strong interest in both international and national sports among customers and users. TV4 and C More already broadcast international top football and also have exclusive rights to Sweden’s best hockey league, SHL, until spring 2024. MTV in Finland already broadcasts UEFA Champions League and also has exclusive rights to Finland’s best hockey league, Liiga.

Eurovision Sport Launches New Free To Air ‘Sharing Channel’

Eurovision Sport has launched its new Sharing Channel for EBU Members, with a full slate of top sports content available for our Members to download free of charge, and, in many cases, with the rights already cleared on their behalf.

The initiative comes with European countries still subject to lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning a continuing freeze on hosting international sports events in most territories. However, rights owners are being encouraged to consider using the channel to gain visibility for their national events, as they come back on stream. These could include innovative new formats, such as e-Sports competitions.

Content available between 11 and 15 May includes a range of Olympic sports such as cycling (classic stages of the 2011 Tour de France, plus highlights from recent UCI BMX World Championships), athletics (highlights from the 2019 World Championships), swimming (highlights from the inaugural edition of the International Swimming League), canoeing (ICF World Cup highlights) and a variety of sport-themed shows.

Other themed content includes sports less familiar to the Eurovision Sport portfolio, such as motor sports (FIA Formula Regional International Championship Europe ), with touring car racing, women’s sport and extreme and e-Sports strands also in the pipeline, plus a range of other top Olympic sports content, including triathlon, gymnastics and equestrian sport.

EBU Members are being encouraged to contribute to the channel with content ideas, including:
•    Their two best sports documentaries (Eurovision Sport would assess and clear any rights required for pan-European exploitation);
•    The best and most innovative formats they have used over the past weeks to exploit sport content.

Meanwhile, access to the platform of WOCHIT, Eurovision Sport’s technical partner, has been extended to all EBU Members, giving them the opportunity to browse dedicated short clips and relevant sports content for Social Media.

Rights owners including LEN, the European Swimming Federation, and ÖSV, the Austrian Skiing Association, have shared short-form content from their top athletes on the platform in recent days.

An Editorial Board including EBU Members and EBU permanent services (from Eurovision Sport, Eurovision News and Eurovision Services) has been created in order to:
•    Drive the mid- to long-term programming of the Eurovision Sport Sharing Channel;
•    Offer relevant additional content from Members, such as national sporting events and documentaries;
•    Stimulate the exchange of technical solutions to adapt and enrich content, such as remote editing, commentary, etc;
•    Stimulate an exchange of programme formats and ideas on how Members can engage audiences through archive usage.

Eurovision Sport’s goal is to maintain the Editorial Board in the future to continue exchanges of best practice.

Franck Choquard, Eurovision Sport’s Head of Content & Servicing, said: “With no more live international sports events scheduled in the next few months, the Eurovision Sport Sharing Channel has been created to provide a resource for alternative sports scheduling content on behalf of our Members. With a range of themed sports programming scheduled, plus some unique sports documentaries, the channel offers both rights-owners and our Members the chance to air sports content that will continue to engage audiences across Europe.

“What’s more, we hope that this initiative will provoke an exchange of content, ideas and best practice between Members and the sports community that will continue to be of value long after the present crisis has abated.”

Runar Østmo, Chair of the EBU Sports Committee, added: “At this special and critical time, with populations across Europe subject to lockdown, the ability of Public-Service media to reach into every home has never been clearer. On behalf of EBU members, I welcome the Eurovision Sport Sharing Channel initiative, which underlines the value of being part of our union, enabling us to share top sports content at a time when live coverage is unavailable. I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank all of our partner federations who have agreed to share their valuable archives with Eurovision Sport to make this happen.”

Cédric Rampelberg, Head of Media Rights at ASO, owner of the Tour de France and other top cycling races, said: “It is our pleasure to provide, in collaboration with INA, access to our comprehensive video archive of cycling’s most historic and prestigious race to our friends and partners, the Members of the EBU. Through public service media, we can be sure that exciting and unforgettable moments from classic stages of the Tour de France are shared as widely as possible across Europe, and continue to provide inspiration and consolation to TV audiences at this difficult time.”

Twitch Co-Founder A New Investor In Sleeper As App Launches New Esports Fantasy Game

Twitch co-Founder Kevin Lin and Juju Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers wide-receiver, have joined the likes of NBA superstar Kevin Durant in investing in Sleeper.

At the same time the company has also announced they are expanding to release a brand new Esports fantasy game covering the League of Legends platform.

A statement released by Nan Wang, Sleeper’s Co-Founder and CEO, said:

“Sleeper has been the fastest organically growing sports app in the U.S. over the last two years, despite only previously offering one game—fantasy football. We surpassed 1 million active players on the platform in 2019, and the tremendous response has energized us to keep rolling out new sports.

“To turn this vision into reality, we raised a new $20 million investment led by Andreessen Horowitz and with participation from some of the best in business and sports.  New and existing investors also include 10x NBA All-Star and 2x NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant and Thirty Five Ventures co-Founder Rich Kleiman, 2x NBA All-Star Baron Davis, NFL Pro Bowler JuJu Smith-Schuster, ESPN basketball analyst Ros Gold Onwude, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund, and prior investors General Catalyst, Birchmere Ventures, and Rainfall.

“The new investment allows us to grow our team and continue bringing new games onto the platform. We already started working on fantasy basketball for the NBA and a tournament game for March Madness. However, like much of the world these days, we’ve had to adjust our plan.

“Fantasy esports was always on our roadmap. Most of the team at Sleeper are avid gamers and esports fans. With traditional sports on hold, we decided to hit fast forward and launch a fantasy game for the upcoming League of Legends season.

“The launch of fantasy League of Legends is an exciting milestone for our company. LoL is the third-most popular professional sports league in the U.S. among 18-34-year-olds, yet a fantasy experience does not exist. We see tremendous opportunity to define this experience on a platform that will feel familiar to gamers. Staying connected has never been more important, and we hope fantasy esports will provide users with a fun new outlet to spend time with family and friends.

“The new investment means that Sleeper will be here as a place for you and your friends to connect, both today as you explore a new world of fantasy esports, and in the future when traditional sports return.

“We’d like to close with a heartfelt thank you to all of our team, our users, and our investors for supporting Sleeper’s mission to help people build genuine friendships through sports, and now esports as well.”