FOX Sports And Concacaf Agree Exclusive Three-Year US English Language Rights Deal

The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football and major US network FOX Sports have penned an exclusive three-year English language rights agreement which begins this week with live coverage of the Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifiers.

The tournament – which kicks-off tomorrow – includes current FIFA Women’s World Champions USA, and fellow World Cup participants Canada and Jamaica, as they compete with Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Haiti and St Kitts & Nevis for the two regional spots at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Continuing the road to Tokyo 2020, Fox Sports will also broadcast live the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifiers, taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico, in March.

This new multi-tournament agreement will see English language coverage of the Gold Cup – the region’s flagship men’s international competition – remain exclusively on Fox Sports for the next two competitions (2021 and 2023), continuing a hugely successful partnership that began in 2013.

FOX delivered first-class coverage of the 2019 Gold Cup last summer, including the Final between Mexico and USA which was FS1’s most watched non-World Cup game in the network’s history.

FOX Sports’ commitment to bringing Concacaf competitions to fans in the US also includes the next three editions of the region’s premier club competition: the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.

This elite club knock-out tournament is the only official competition that features competitive matches between the region’s best club sides, including from MLS and Liga MX. It is also the only route for clubs in the region to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup, the revamped format for which will include more clubs from this region, starting with the 2021 competition.

“FOX Sports is an excellent partner for Concacaf and we are extremely pleased they have invested in our rights across so many competitions, beginning with what should be an exciting Women’s Olympic Qualifiers,” said Concacaf President, Victor Montagliani. “They have an outstanding track record of delivering high-quality soccer coverage that reaches big audiences making this great news for fans, international teams across the region and clubs competing in our Champions League.”

“FOX Sports is excited to further its commitment to the sport of soccer through this new agreement with Concacaf,” said Mark Silverman, FOX Sports President, National Networks. “The U.S. Women’s National Team captivated a country with its World Cup victory last summer, and we’re honored to showcase this inspirational team once again as they begin their Olympic journey this week. Furthermore, we look forward to offering more men’s soccer, including the next two editions of the Gold Cup and the U.S. Men’s National Team Olympic Qualifiers.”

Sporting World Pays Tribute As Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianna Die In Tragic Helicopter Crash

Legendary former NBA player Kobe Bryant has died following a helicopter crash in California on Sunday morning.

Bryant is regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time and is the league 4th highest point score ever.

He played all of his 20 seasons in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers and became a figurehead for the league not just in America but all over the world.

Bryant was an extreme competitor and the sadness of his death has been felt across the entire sporting world, with tributes taking over social media throughout Sunday and Monday. His daughter, Gianna, an up-and-coming young player who had aspirations of playing in the WNBA, was tragically also lost in the crash.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement saying: “The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna.

“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning.  He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary:  five NBA championships, an NBA MVP award, 18 NBA All-Star selections, and two Olympic gold medals.  But he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability.  He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna.

“We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Vanessa, and their family, the Lakers organization and the entire sports world.”

He is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three remaining daughters.

 

Verizon Partners With Dignitas Esports For 5G Training Facility In Los Angeles

Verizon and Dignitas have joined forces to launch the nation’s first 5G esports training facility, the Verizon 5G Gaming Center. Located in Verizon’s 5G Lab in Los Angeles, the 5,522-square-foot training facility will serve as Dignitas’ west coast headquarters and home to its League of Legends teams. Dignitas’ 2019 World Championship-qualifying team will train exclusively at this facility and compete in the League Championship Series, which kicks off January 25th in Los Angeles.

By working together at the Verizon 5G Lab, Verizon and Dignitas will identify and develop ways that Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network can enhance player performance, improve recovery, and enable players to connect with fans in new innovative ways.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the largest ownership group in esports, and have our LA Lab be home to the nation’s first 5G esports training facility,” said Nicki Palmer, chief product development officer at Verizon. “With 5G’s fast speeds, high bandwidth and low latency, players will be able to do things like stream high-quality gameplay in real-time, stay connected with fans on-the-go, and experience console quality multi-player gaming on their phones.”

“Partnering with a world innovator like Verizon brings immense new opportunities,” said Michael Prindiville, CEO of Dignitas. “The technologies we are collaboratively building will help us strengthen support for our current and future partners far beyond today’s capabilities. We are honored to be Verizon’s trusted guide into esports and look forward to telling engaging stories through content, social media and experiences in ways esports has never seen before.”

World Golf Group Reveals Proposal For Competitor Tour, The Premier Golf League

Plans for a potential Premier Golf League have now been revealed by the company behind the creation, World Golf Group.

World Golf Group are aiming to start a new tour which would compete with both the PGA Tour and European Tour, with each tournament’s prize money exceeding $10 million.

However, they state that Premier Golf League would like to work with both tours in order to make this happen, while both current organisations have refused to engage with this possible competition.

The PGA Tour told Reuters: “We don’t comment on the business of other tours, real or hypothetical. We’re focused on our business.”

Premier Golf League said in a statement: “If you want the world to watch, you have to showcase your best product, week-in-week-out. Golf doesn’t do that currently.”

“If you had the chance to start again you wouldn’t create professional golf as it exists today. The League is that chance.

“We believe we’ll succeed because the League is what fans, sponsors and broadcasters want — and the best players deserve. It will revitalise the sport for this and future generations.”

Announcement: iSportconnect Esports Masterclass – BLAST Premier, Burton Kligerman Esports’ Owner Join Lineup

iSportconnect’s Esports Masterclass will be taking place on the 20th of February at Withersworldwide in London.

We are happy to announce our latest two speakers for the day’s events, Leo Matlock, Commercial Director for Blast Premier, and Parker Kligerman, professional NASCAR racing driver in the United States and owner of Burton Kligerman Esports.

They join current speakers Alban Dechelotte, Head of Sponsorships and Business Development at Riot Games, Charlie Allen, Director of Global Brand Partnerships for ESL and Julian Tan, Head of Digital Business Initiatives and Esports at Formula 1.

With a maximum of 150 invite-only delegates, iSportconnect provides a media/agency free opportunity to network with influential senior-level sports business executives. We are famous for our intimate and relaxed environment, encouraging ideas exchange and helping to introduce you to the right new connections.

To register your interest in attending the 2020 iSportconnect Esports Masterclass, please contact Theresa Muller at theresa@isportconnect.com

Invitation Policy: The Esports Masterclass is a complimentary event for iSportconnect members who are from governing bodies, sports teams, brands and broadcasters. There is no fee to become an iSportconnect member. No sports agencies, professional service providers & suppliers are allowed at our Masterclasses.

For limited partnership opportunities, please contact brandon@isportconnect.com

LaLigaTV Becomes Available In Ireland

There’s more great news for football fans as Sky Ireland today confirms that from Wednesday 29 January, LaLigaTV, the new dedicated channel showing all live content from Spain’s top-flight LaLiga Santander including Saturday 3pm games, will be available at no extra cost to Sports Extra customers. 

It means that football fans who take Sports Extra alongside Sky Sports will now be able to enjoy all live matches from Spain’s top international football league including the next El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Sunday, 1 March at 8pm alongside every single live English Premier League game, all in one place. 

On top of every available live match and expert analysis, LaLigaTV will also broadcast daily studio shows, archive footage, features and documentaries on Spanish football, and much more. The new channel is available on channel 435 on Sky. 

JD Buckley, CEO Sky Ireland, said: “This is fantastic news for sports fans who want all the action in one place. We are delighted to be able to offer Sports Extra customers top class LaLiga fixtures via LaLigaTV on top of a wealth of football action on the Sports Extra pack.”

Activision Blizzard Relocates To YouTube From Twitch, Also Partners with Google Cloud

Activision Blizzard and Google have revealed a multi-year strategic relationship to power new player experiences.

Google Cloud will serve as the preferred provider for Activision Blizzard’s game hosting infrastructure and YouTube as its exclusive streaming partner worldwide, excluding China, for live broadcasts of its popular esports leagues and events — including Overwatch League, Call of Duty League, Hearthstone Esports, and more.

With hundreds of millions of monthly active users around the world, Activision Blizzard sought a partner to help enhance its gaming infrastructure, as well as deliver superior, low-latency player experiences. The company turned to Google Cloud because of its highly reliable global footprint, advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, and commitment to open source, creating a platform for building future gaming innovations.

Players will benefit by experiencing premium network quality-of-service, including low latency and packet loss when playing high-fidelity games on any device. They will also have optimal personalized interactions, as Activision Blizzard can tap into Google Cloud’s AI tools to offer curated recommendations for in-game offers and differentiated gaming experiences.

“We’ve worked closely with Activision Blizzard for the past few years across mobile titles to boost its analytics capabilities and overall player experience,” said Sunil Rayan, Head of Gaming, Google Cloud. “We are excited to now expand our relationship and help power one of the largest and most renowned game developers in the world.”

“We’re excited to partner with Google to drive the next generation of gaming innovation for the industry. Google Cloud’s best-in-class infrastructure gives us the confidence to deliver great entertainment to our fans around the world,” said Jacques Erasmus, Chief Information Officer, Activision Blizzard.

Beginning this week, YouTube will host the official live broadcasts of Activision Blizzard’s popular esports leagues and events including the newly created Call of Duty League, Overwatch League, Hearthstone Esports, and more. The inaugural Call of Duty League season kicks off on Friday, January 24, with 12 teams competing in Minnesota, and the Overwatch League’s 2020 season will follow on February 8. All competitions will be livestreamed on each league’s YouTube channel and will include archived and other special content.

“With more than 200 million gamers a day watching more than 50 billion hours of gaming content per year, YouTube provides gamers and their passionate fans with the most popular video gaming platform in the world,” said Ryan Wyatt, Head of Gaming, YouTube. “Both the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League are the quintessential examples of world class esports content. As a former Call of Duty esports commentator myself, I couldn’t be more excited for Activision Blizzard to choose YouTube as its exclusive home for the digital live streaming of both leagues. This partnership further demonstrates our dedication to having a world class live streaming product for gaming.”

“This is an exciting year for Activision Blizzard Esports as we head into the inaugural season of Call of Duty League and our first ever season of homestands for Overwatch League all around the world,” said Pete Vlastelica, CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports. “It’s our mission to deliver high-quality competitive entertainment that our fans can follow globally, live or on-demand, and to celebrate our players as the superstars that they are. This partnership will help us deliver on that promise at new levels, by combining our passionate communities of fans and players with YouTube’s powerful content platform and exciting history of supporting next-generation entertainment.”

This collaboration with Activision Blizzard represents Google’s ongoing commitment to supporting game developer success around the globe. Across its business units, Google offers comprehensive solutions for game developers, empowering them to create great games, connect with players, and scale their businesses.

Athletes Star In Global Sports Week Programme Update

Organisers of Global Sports Week Paris have published a new programme update, confirming the participation of key athletes in the inaugural event.

Stars set to participate include Olympic champion swimmer and ISL star Florent Manadou (FRA), alongside eight-time Olympic swimming champion Matt Biondi (USA), who will offer inter-generational and inter-continental perspectives on the evolving role of the athlete at a time of rapid technological and societal change.

The transatlantic gold medal winners will be joined by Red Bull ambassador, surfer Justine Dupont ahead of the sport’s Olympic debut in this summer’s Tokyo 2020 Games. The big wave superstar is President of the ISA Athletes’ Committee and a vocal athlete campaigner on the issue of ocean protection.

Finally, Nadia Nadim, Afghanistan-born Danish star of the Paris Saint-Germain team, will address the future of sport from her perspective as a refugee-turned-professional footballer.

The four stars will join international sports chiefs, business, government and cultural leaders for the first-of-its kind summit in Paris, which is part of French-led efforts to increase sport’s presence in global economic and societal debate.

Global Sports Week will take place at the Carrousel du Louvre between February 5th and 7th 2020, organised under the patronage of UNESCO and the high patronage of M. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic.

The English-language summit – and its off-festival featuring debates, parties, exhibitions and innovation contests – is designed to provide a platform for knowledge-exchange and collaboration with the aim of finding innovative and sustainable solutions to the major challenges facing sport and society.

It comes as France prepares for a decade in the global sports spotlight, as the host of events including the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and 2023 Rugby World Cup as well as the NBA Global Games regular-season fixtures, which make their debut in Paris this weekend after almost a decade in London.

New, high-profile speakers will be added each day between now and start of the event, which begins at the Carrousel du Louvre on February 5th. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAMME NOW: https://lnkd.in/e-EnvJn

UK Athletics Names Interim CEO

UK Athletics has today announced the appointment of Nic Coward as Interim CEO.

Coward, who has extensive sport leadership experience, will lead the National Governing Body until such time as a permanent appointment is made through the ongoing CEO recruitment process.

As former General Secretary of the Premier League and CEO of the British Horseracing Authority, as well as twice acting CEO of the Football Association, he has considerable experience navigating the complexity of international and domestic stakeholders within the sporting landscape.

In recent years he has been a director and consultant in sport and other sectors. Current roles include Chair of England Golf and the England and Wales Cricket Board Regulatory Committee in addition to advising sports in India and China. 

Nic Coward said:

“I’m delighted to be joining UK Athletics as interim CEO. Athletics is a sport that captures the nation’s imagination each and every year, but Olympic and Paralympic year is even more special.

“I’m looking forward to working with the board and all the team, across the organisation, at such an important time for the sport.”

Chris Clark, Chair of UK Athletics said:

“Olympic and Paralympic year is always hugely important for the sport and it’s essential we continue to make progress in these final few months in the approach to the Games.

“Appointing an interim CEO is the first important step to ensure we have strong leadership for the sport working alongside our management team and the board, and ultimately supporting our world class programme so they all give their very best in Tokyo.

“Nic is a highly experienced sport executive and will provide an important leadership role until such time our next CEO, currently being recruited, can start.”

Lancashire Cricket Claims To Be First UK Sports Organisation To Activate Blockchain Secure Ticketing

Lancashire Cricket is leading the way in ticketing technology after becoming the first organisation in the UK, in any industry, to activate blockchain secure mobile tickets for all domestic and international fixtures at Emirates Old Trafford in 2020.

The Club will be using TIXnGO, a new blockchain mobile tickets platform, after successful trials took place during the 2019 season. The benefits of blockchain mobile tickets will be numerous for Lancashire Cricket as it will this ensure that genuine supporters are more likely to get tickets. It also eliminates the possibility of fake tickets, which will give Lancashire Cricket greater control over who gains access to Emirates Old Trafford for domestic and international fixtures.

Furthermore, the Club has also introduced a number of different ticketing technology initiatives over the past 12 months to enhance the overall Member and supporter experience. They include an official new resale platform and offering the use of PACIFA technology which shows supporters a 3D view from their seats before purchasing International and Vitality Blast tickets at Emirates Old Trafford.

The resale platform, which went live during the summer of 2019, has been jointly developed alongside Lancashire’s Ticketing Service Provider, SecuTix, and provides supporters a simple, user-friendly system to sell unwanted tickets up to face value throughout the season.

The Lancashire website also now features a 3D virtual stadium, providing ticket buyers with a high-quality panoramic view of Emirates Old Trafford and a view expected from each seat ensuring that they are able to choose the best seat possible from which to watch the Red Rose and England. The technology has now been used across the whole of Emirates Old Trafford, and features hospitality suites and hotel boxes including the award-winning Point.

Lancashire’s Head of Ticketing and Digital Systems, Jonathon Nuttall, said: “I’m delighted that the Club has become the first organisation to use the new blockchain secure mobile tickets technology, as well introducing and developing a number of further enhancements to our ticketing operation at Emirates Old Trafford.

“During the 2019 season, over 80 per cent of tickets bought at Emirates Old Trafford have been made online, compared to less than 50 per cent in 2018 so it’s vitally important that we continue to improve the digital ticking technologies to ensure we make things as easy, and as enjoyable, as possible for those supporters booking with us.

“We’ve been working with SecuTix for nearly 18 months now and they are a developer who commit to the ticket buyer in a continual pursuit of delivering an amazing customer journey making ticket purchase a key part of the main event. We’re excited to continue developing our ticketing technologies alongside an organisation that shares our values regarding customer experience.”

Lancashire Cricket’s move to SecuTix, which was announced in March 2018, focused on ensuring that the Club’s ticketing system was capable of maximising the growth in mobile transactions and usability, whilst maintaining a robust and customer focused offering for its traditional supporter.

David Hornby, UK MD of SecuTix, commented: “Blockchain technology addresses many of the ticketing issues that both sports organisations and fans alike face. TIXnGO creates a unique, encrypted ticket for smartphones that is completely traceable, removes the risk of counterfeit tickets and simplifies the process of transferring or reselling tickets for the customer. It easily plugs into Lancashire’s existing ticketing system to give fans a better and more secure digital mobile tickets experience.”