Leadership Masterclass Speaker Spotlight: Keith Pelley

Keith Pelley is the Chief Executive Officer of The European Tour, he will be speaking at iSportconnect’s Leadership Masterclass on the 27th of November in London.

He will be joined by Javier Tebas, President of LaLiga and a number of other speakers at the event later this month.

Bio

Keith became the fourth Chief Executive in the history of The European Tour in August 2015. Prior to joining The European Tour, he was President of Rogers Media in Toronto where he was responsible for leading the overall operations of the company’s diverse portfolio, including Television, Radio, Publishing, Digital Media, The Shopping Channel, subscription-based content services, the Toronto Blue Jays and Rogers Centre.

Prior to that, he was Executive Vice-President of Strategic Planning at CTVglobemedia, President of Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, President and CEO of the Toronto Argonauts Football Club, and President of The Sports Network in Canada, a company he first joined as an Editorial Assistant in 1986.

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 2019 iSportconnect Leadership Masterclass, please contact Joe at joe@isportconnect.com

Invitation Policy: The Leadership 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.

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

PTI Consulting Ungdergoes Rebranding

PTI Consulting has been renamed as PTI Smarter Ventures following the coming together with stadium digital, media and advertising specialist Smarter Venues Ltd.

This will combine technology and commercial expertise across a portfolio of 70+ clubs and venues.  PTI Smarter Venues will comprise of three divisions, each providing expert solutions that are specifically focused on the sports and entertainment venues; PTI Consulting, PTI Media and Advertising and PTI Managed Services.

Mike Bohndiek, Chief Executive Officer at PTI Smarter Venues, says: “We are excited at the opportunity to help clubs drive technological change and deliver immediate commercial return on their investments. smarterVENUES have made steady progress with their media offering in the last six months and now PTI are able to add data, insights and smarter delivery systems to the mix.”

“With our updated portfolio of Consulting, Media and Advertising and Managed Services propositions we can now work with a venue to deliver technological transformation, increase their revenues and manage their technology estate all under one PTI relationship. 

“The convergence between sport, technology and media is ever increasing and now widely acknowledged; so being able to provide all three elements from a single source is a significant step forward.” 

Eurosport Agrees Deal With ITF To Broadcast Davis Cup Finals

Eurosport has announced that it has reached a two-year TV and digital rights partnership with the International Tennis Federation to show the Davis Cup Finals in six countries.

Fans in the UK, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland will be able to watch the new and revamped Davis Cup Finals on Eurosport and Eurosport Player.

This year’s event is set to be extremely interesting, with the format having changed massively from the year-long event, into a one-week tournament between 18 competing nations.

Laurent Prud’homme, SVP Rights Acquisitions & Syndication for Eurosport, said: “There is great synergy between the Davis Cup and Eurosport with both synonymous with passion. The Davis Cup always brings out incredible displays of patriotism in all players representing their home country, while at Eurosport we continue to power people’s passions for tennis by delivering the best events to millions of fans across the continent.

“We are delighted to partner with the ITF and Kosmos for this event, an agreement that serves to reinforce Eurosport’s position as the Home of Tennis in Europe.”

Formula One Extends US Deal With ESPN

Formula One have agreed a new extension on their broadcasting deal with ESPN for the next three years.

The American sports giant will be showing the races without any commercials on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC and all of the practice and qualifying sessions will be broadcast on their network’s platforms either live or on-demand.

ESPN have seen a 19% increase in viewership of Formula One in the USA this year, with the channel also agreeing to continue to show the Formula Two and Formula Three championships.

Burke Magnus, ESPN’s executive vice president of programming and scheduling, said: “When we brought Formula One back to ESPN two years ago, we had faith that Formula One fans in the United States would support the coverage. That faith has been rewarded many times over, and we greatly appreciate how fans have responded in record numbers.”

Sean Bratches, managing director of commercial operations at Formula One, added: “The US is one of our key focuses for growth and ESPN know and understand the US sports audience like no one else. The combination of their dedicated coverage and Formula One’s amazing racing spectacle is a perfect partnership for us to build on our recent success with US audiences.”

Bolsonaro Tweet Ends McLaren And Petrobas Deal

McLaren have agreed to terminate their current sponsorship deal with Petrobas by mutual consent.

The deal had been under threat for past fortnight ever since the Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, tweeted that the deal should be discontinued, after he described it as an “absurdity committed on the taxpayer by the previous government”.

Petrobas’ contract with the Formula One team had been due to last until 2023, however 64% of the company is government-owned, so as soon as Bolsonaro inserted his opinion it appeared only a matter of time until the deal was ceased.

“We see in McLaren a commitment to innovation and also the possibility of future partnerships,” said Roberto Castello Branco, Chief Executive of Petrobas, not entirely dismissing a potential deal again in the future.

Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019 Adds Nitro Circus CEO Andy Edwards As Speaker

Andy Edwards, the Chief Executive Officer of Nitro Circus, has been confirmed as a speaker at this year’s inaugural Regional SportAccord Pan America.

Edwards will participate in a panel session on ‘Rebranding – Opportunities, Challenges and Quick Wins’ at the event on the afternoon of Thursday, 12 December.

He will discuss the development of Nitro Circus from the global action sport collective’s initial focus on the creation of content to the formation of the Nitro Circus live tour and the Nitro World Games.

Edwards, who was appointed Nitro Circus’ CEO in February 2019 after two years as President and 10 years after launch of the organisation, which he co-founded, said: “Nitro Circus has undertaken an extensive development and expansion programme in recent years which has seen it become one of the world’s leading live events brands.

“In this Panel Session at Regional SportAccord Pan America I’m looking forward to sharing our experiences and discussing rebranding beyond the more traditional, simple understanding of an organisation perhaps changing its logo or color scheme. I want to talk about how we can navigate the challenges of expanding an existing brand to diversify without travelling too far away from the ethos of the core brand.”

Malcolm Hardman, Business Development Manager at SportAccord, said: “Nitro Circus is one of the most original and forward-thinking brands in world sport and we are delighted that Andy will bring his experience to the Conference programme at this inaugural Regional SportAccord Pan America 2019.

“Andy’s involvement in Nitro Circus’ transformation over the last decade will be of great interest to any organisations considering how they can adapt and continue to engage with sports fans in a changing world.”  

Only 31% Of Fans Believe VAR Is Benefitting The Premier League, Say Goodform

Goodform have completed their latest Sports Fanel Panel survey, in which they asked fans their opinion on VAR for a second time, to see if their views on the technology had changed after seeing it in action during Premier League games.

Has anything changed?

The early results indicate an overwhelmingly negative view from fans in comparison to how they viewed VAR prior to the season.

Now into the new season, the Sports Fan Panel showed a big drop-off to 31%, from the initial 50%, who thought VAR would have a positive impact on the league. While the amount of fans who felt VAR was negatively impacting the product has now risen to 34%, from 22% who thought this would be the case prior.

From the first 80 games of the season, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited said that there have been 475 incidents checked by VAR. With 59% of people saying VAR had been used well to review goals.

Is there a difference between in-stadium and viewing from home?

Results were markedly worse from match-going fans, with 42% stating it was worsening their experience of the match. They added reasoning to their concerns, 74% feeling that they did not receive enough information and 61% that the decision took too long. In the first survey, the time taken for a decision had been pointed out as a concern, with 85% worried it would take too long. However, 70% of fans do believe that by showing the incident on the big screen to give them more information would help.

But viewing from home the perspective was changed greatly, with 45% of people feeling it was positive and the same percentage believing it was negative. For home-viewers, 63% did say too much time was still being taken over the decision, but 60% felt there was enough information given to them.

The biggest change that could be made in the view of the fans at home, with 78% agreeing on the issue, is that referees and assistants should be mic’d up so that fans are able to hear their decision-making. Fans also were of the opinion that violent conduct and diving should also be reviewed.

Overall, while these results are not overly positive, there is still a long time for VAR to improve, having only been introduced into the Premier League this year. It will remain to be seen whether fans will warm to it over time.

Athlete-Centred Sports Strategies Bolstered By IF Forum

SportAccord and GAISF President Dr. Raffaele Chiulli says best practice strategies discussed at the International Federation (IF) Forum 2019 can act as a launchpad for positioning athletes at the heart of sports development.

Speaking in Lausanne at the conclusion of the three-day gathering, which is organised by SportAccord for International Sport Federations and supported by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Dr. Chiulli said that the vital topics discussed at the IF Forum would help to strengthen links between sport’s decision-makers and athletes.

“Working together with our athletes is clearly the most effective way for us to develop our sports all over the world,” Dr. Chiulli said. “This involves working side-by-side with the athletes, listening to them and ensuring that our actions are helpful to them. Whether it is looking at the events calendar, empowering our athlete commissions or improving facilities for our competitors, I believe there is something we can all do.”

He added: “I hope that our discussions will not end here. We will continue to work together for the good of sport worldwide, because we are the united voice of sports. The lessons here can be passed on to National Federations, to ensure alignment throughout sports. Good governance requires us to lead by example.”

How RCD Mallorca Rebounded To LaLiga With NBA Links

Two years ago RCD Mallorca were playing in the third tier of Spanish football, however following back to back promotions they have taken a huge league back up into LaLiga, Spain’s premier division.

The club has last competed in LaLiga in the 2012/13 season, but a new management model from CEO Maheta Molango has turned the club around.

Former NBA superstar Steve Nash, a lifelong football fan, joined up with Robert Sarver and Andy Kohlberg, owners of the Phoenix Suns NBA franchise, to buy Mallorca in 2016 and instigate this turnaround.

“The bridge between the best league in the world in terms of football, which is LaLiga, and the NBA, I think makes us a very special club,” Molango said of the Phoenix Suns connection.

Mallorca have taken the NBA model to create their own fan zones around games, with entertainment outside beforehand, as well as a ‘VIP corner’ in the stadium. This is used in a similar way to courtside seats in the NBA, where fans sit right next the court. At Mallorca, fans can watch the games from special VIP sections next to the pitch, rather than standard hospitality up in the main stand.

“We try to be ahead of the curve, we want to be innovative,” Molango said of these ideas, “We understand that the stadium doesn’t have to just be a place to watch football every two weeks, but it’s a place to hold events and conferences and those sorts of things. We believe that the experience of the stadium should be good and we have implemented some very creative things like the VIP Corner.”

The full story: RCD Mallorca: How the LaLiga island club put itself back on the map

World Sailing Sanctioning Deal Agreed With America’s Cup After CEO Disagreement

Emirates Team New Zealand have stated they have a sanctioning deal in place with World Sailing for the 2021 edition in Auckland.

World Sailing’s CEO Andy Hunt had been accused of “circumventing the process by contacting the New Zealand government” by Emirates Team New Zealand, before Hunt was announced to be leaving World Sailing at the end of this calendar year.

Thanks to this new agreement they will be able to pay World Sailing in order to use their rules and officials, with World Sailing said: “The agreement sees the America’s Cup re-established as a member of World Sailing’s family of special events. World Sailing will continue its role in ensuring the fairness and integrity of the America’s Cup through the appointment of race officials, the approval of the specialist Racing Rules of Sailing (America’s Cup Edition) and management of the anti-doping programme.

“World Sailing, the Defender and Challenger of Record will also work together on implementing sustainability programmes throughout the Cup, Prada Cup Challenger Selection Series and other preliminary events. The organisations will also work closely together on promoting and enhancing the media coverage of the sport globally.”

Kim Andersen, the World Sailing president, commented: “As one of the pinnacle events within the sport, it is vital that World Sailing and the Defender and Challenger of Record work collaboratively to ensure a fair competition on the water.”