BT Sport have secured the rights to all 420 games of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the new UEFA Europa Conference League, for a further three seasons until 2024.
IOC + Japan Consortium
The IOC Has Awarded The Japan Consortium the broadcast rights in Japan For the Olympic Games during the period between 2026 and 2032.
Honda + NHL
Honda and the National Hockey League today announced a multiyear renewal of their partnership, which keeps Honda as the NHL’s Official Automotive Partner in the United States and Canada through the 2021-22 season.
Formula E + BBC
Formula E will return to the BBC for its sixth season, with every race available live and free-to-air on BBC online platforms and two races to be shown live on BBC channels.
Heineken + UEFA
Heineken has become the official beer partner of UEFA EURO 2020, as well as extending its UEFA Champions League partnership for another three years.
Wizards District Gaming + Alarm.com
Esports team will wear a jersey patch of Alarm.com
French Tennis Federation + Wilson Sporting Goods
Wilson will become the official ball of the French Open.
Hookit’s latest social media rankings have been published, showing Cristiano Ronaldo as the most highly interacted with athlete on social media platforms once again. View the full video on iSportconnect TV – https://tv.isportconnect.com/en-int/playerpage/88341
Ronaldo dominates once more, nearly doubling the number of interactions second-placed Lionel Messi produces.
Aerial cameras have emerged as a unique and immersive part of sports broadcasting in recent years. But having a high-definition camera flying more than 20 metres above the action is no easy task.
With 11 of its 20 stadiums now using the technology, LaLiga Santander provides more of these cameras than any other football competition. To enable this, a huge team effort has been created across Spain, combining some of the leading audiovisual techniques to ensure the best experience for watching fans.
Aerial cameras can be found this season at the stadiums of Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, CD Leganés, Getafe CF, Sevilla FC, Real Betis, Valencia CF, RCD Espanyol de Barcelona, Athletic Club and Granada CF, while Real Sociedad will soon become the 12th club to install the technology in its Reale Arena stadium.
Making this possible are six expert ‘piloting’ teams from Mediapro, the official producer of LaLiga. Stationed at every match where the aerial camera system is in use, these three-person teams are responsible for managing the huge infrastructure that has been put in place.
First, there is a technician who supervises the structure itself. Provided by Omnicam4sky, the system consists of four pulleys with moving cables and four 160kg motors. If the stadium roof cannot support this weight, four separate lighting towers are required. All of this is installed 21m above pitch level, a recommended ideal height that LaLiga follows.
Second, a camera operator manages the framing, zoom and focus for the match. The high-definition cameras use a 4/3, 14x zoom wide-angle lens, able to cover an area of 155 metres by 44 metres, larger than any standard football pitch.
Working with the third team member, a technical assistant, the camera is then mounted to the cables which can withstand a weight of 980kg, more than adequate for the 40kg device. This allows the camera to fly above the action, piloted by two team members using consoles and corresponding software. The camera can reach speeds of 36 km/h or 10 metres per second, ensuring it can keep up with the on-field action.
The final piece of the puzzle arrives in the form of fibre-optic cables, which transmit the footage from the stadium to a mobile broadcasting unit. This allows directors to share instructions with the camera operators, requesting a players-eye-view of a set-play, a wide-angle image of the entire stadium or a replay of a key incident.
When the stadium is empty, the team carries out its final task of disassembling the camera and transporting it to the next game. It is a significant undertaking on the part of the audiovisual team, but it is one that brings fans closer than ever before to their favourite teams and players, while keeping LaLiga at the forefront of technological innovation.
Continental Tyres and The FA today announced the extension of their partnership to September 2021. This renewal will see Continental Tyres reach their 10-year milestone of continued support for Women’s Football in England since first signing as a founding partner of The FA Women’s Super League.
Continental Tyres now remains the official tyre partner to the England Women’s Senior Team and continues their uninterrupted role as title partner to ‘The FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup’ since the inaugural competition in 2011.
The FA’s Head of Women’s Marketing and Commercial, Marzena Bogdanowicz, said: “We are delighted that Continental Tyres has chosen to continue to partner the Women’s game in England. Since they first supported women’s football, huge strides have been made on and off the pitch and they’ve been an integral part of The FA’s journey to grow the game. Following the record crowd at Saturday’s Wembley Stadium fixture, the future is very exciting, and we’re delighted that Continental Tyres will be a part of it.”
Tracey Mortimer, Marketing Director of Continental Tyres UK & Ireland added: “It’s a really exciting time for women’s football, having seen the recent record attendance at Wembley Stadium and massive growth in attendances at domestic matches, the Women’s game in England continues on a fantastic journey. We are delighted to be renewing this commitment to the Women’s game and in particular look forward to continuing support of The FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup, and being part of the Lionesses’ journey towards our 10-year anniversary, and a home UEFA Women’s EURO in 2021”
Formula E will return to the BBC for its sixth season, with every race available live and free-to-air on BBC online platforms and two races to be shown live on BBC channels.
As well as the whole season being broadcast online, Formula E fans will be able to watch both the Marrakesh E-Prix in Morocco on February 29 and Rome E-Prix on April 4 on the BBC’s TV network channels.
Jerome Hiquet, Chief Marketing Officer at the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, said: “We want the ABB FIA Formula E Championship to be accessible to the widest possible audience and with five British drivers on the grid, Formula E fans in the UK will need to choose who they are getting behind when racing returns to London in July next summer.
“The British contingent may outnumber the other famous names in the field, but they face stiff competition with the arrival of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, as well as the current F2 champion Nyck De Vries choosing to join Formula E for the start of the new season.”
Formula E made its terrestrial debut on the BBC last season when the Hong Kong E-Prix was shown live on BBC Two in March, with the early morning race attracting more than half a million viewers across all linear and digital platforms. All Formula E races this season will also be broadcast on Eurosport, with select events also shown live and free-to-air on Quest.
The IOC Has Awarded The Japan Consortium the broadcast rights in Japan For the Olympic Games during the period between 2026 and 2032.
The broadcaster has acquired the exclusive television and digital broadcast rights with a commitment to broadcast its most comprehensive coverage ever across all media platforms, including every single Olympic sport, with unprecedented digital content and Olympic Games coverage on free-to-air national television channels.
IOC President Thomas Bach said: “With the eyes of the world focused on the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo, we are delighted to continue and strengthen our partnership with a long-term broadcast partner which has successfully promoted the Olympic values in Japan since the last time the Olympic Games were in Tokyo, in 1964. Thanks to the Japan Consortium’s sports broadcasting expertise and its passion for the Olympic values, we can ensure outstanding broadcast coverage of the Olympic Games in the years to come. The Japan Consortium’s significant financial commitment over the course of our partnership is great news for the entire Olympic Movement, since the IOC distributes more than 90 per cent of the revenue generated through its commercial agreements to support athletes and develop sport worldwide.”
JBA President Yoshio Okubo further commented: “We are pleased to announce that the Japan Consortium has been awarded broadcast rights for four Olympic Games scheduled for 2026 and onwards. The JC, along with the Japan Pool (JP), its predecessor, has been instrumental in bringing the splendour of the Olympic Games to Japanese audiences over the years, beginning with the Olympic Games Montreal 1976 and the Olympic Winter Games Nagano 1998.
I am confident that the JC, which comprises the public broadcaster NHK and commercial broadcasters, is best equipped, amidst the fast-changing environment surrounding the media and sport, to deliver the Olympic Games to the viewers in Japan with the latest in TV broadcasting technology available. With the new contract under our belt, we are set to forge our relationship with the IOC for 10 more years and beyond. The JC will continue its commitment to the delivery of the excitement generated by the Olympic Games to our viewers through broadcasts and transmissions on other platforms in partnership with the IOC.”
IMG have had a big restructure which has seen Sam Zussman and Adam Kelly appointed Co-Presidents of the now renamed ‘IMG Media and Events’. Meanwhile, IMG’s media activities will now be headed up by new Chairman Ioris Francini, who had been the IMG Media President.
Ben Ladkin has become the Managing Director of MLB Europe.
Mark Alford will take over as the new Director of Sky Sports News when he leaves SkyNews following the upcoming UK General Election.
Andrew Ryan is now the Managing Director of FIBA Media.
Russell Scibetti has joined the New York Giants as Vice President, Strategy and Business Intelligence.
Laurie Dalrymple is now Harlequins Chief Executive.
Sanjay Gupta has joined Google to be their Country Manager for India.
Six Nations Rugby have announced Rupert Hunter as Chief Commercial Advisor.
Onefootball have appointed Edward Desbois as Head of UK Sales.
Right Formula have announced Luke Organ as their new Managing Director, Commercial.
Jason Johns is Applicaster’s new VP of Sales, EMEA and APAC.
The Sports Bureau of Macau SAR Government has renewed its long-running Gold Partner status at SportAccord’s World Sport and Business Summit for the 2020 edition of the international sports movement’s most influential global gathering in Beijing, China.
As a Gold Partner once again next year, the Sports Bureau will be provided with a prestigious platform to connect with attendees from across the sporting world who will come together for a week of high-level meetings, engaging conferences and a bustling exhibition, from 19-24 April, 2020.
Nis Hatt, Managing Director, SportAccord, said: “The Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government’s unwavering support for 13 uninterrupted years illustrates the organisation’s commitment, not only to SportAccord and the World Sport and Business Summit, but also to staying at the forefront of the international sporting community’s minds.”
“With a strategy that enables people to participate in sport from grassroots to elite levels, as well as hosting international sport events, Macau is a key contender as an international sports destination.We are grateful for their continued involvement and support as they build on a relationship with SportAccord that is becoming closer every year.”
Pun Weng Kun, President of the Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government added: “We are honoured to return again as one of the Gold Partners, as we look forward to enhancing Macau’s profile as an active sport city, making contributions to the positive growth and development in the global sport industry and being a significant part of the success of the SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit.”
Heineken has become the official beer partner of UEFA EURO 2020, as well as extending its UEFA Champions League partnership for another three years.
They will now be sponsoring the UEFA Champions League until 2024 and will continue to expand their successful combination with UEFA by joining them for UEFA EURO 2020 next summer.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA Events SA, said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for football in Europe. UEFA EURO 2020 will be hosted by 12 countries for the first time as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the competition, and the UEFA Champions League is going from strength to strength – firmly establishing itself as the world’s premier club competition.
“We know the value Heineken brings through its outstanding engagement with fans of the UEFA Champions League across the globe and we are delighted to extend this partnership for another three seasons. We are also extremely excited as we will be able to call on Heineken’s experience and innovative marketing campaigns in the build-up to and during UEFA EURO 2020.”
In addition to the UEFA Champions League, Heineken’s renewed three-year agreement as a UEFA club competitions partner will include sponsorship rights for the UEFA Super Cup from 2021 until 2024.
“Heineken has enjoyed an unrivalled relationship with football fans through our sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League,” said Heineken global sponsorship director, Hans Erik Tuijt.
“We are excited to be able to build the relationship further with the UEFA EURO 2020 partnership, meaning we will be involved in the leading European club and international tournaments. UEFA EURO 2020 will enable Heineken to create even more engaging experiences for fans across Europe and around the world. This partnership complements our other unique global platforms: Rugby World Cup, Formula One, and James Bond.”
David Levy and the Brooklyn Nets have agreed to mutually part ways after only two months.
Levy was named CEO of the NBA franchise in only September, with the reasoning for his exit yet to be determined. He had previously held the role of President at Turner Sports.
Joe Tsai, owner of the Nets, tweeted this following the announcement.
David Levy is a respected media executive and a friend. Truly appreciate his efforts in the past few months. I wish him well in his next endeavors.
Oliver Weisberg, Chief Executive Officer of J Tsai Sports and NBA Alternate Governor of the Nets, has been named interim Chief Executive Officer of the Nets and Barclays Center.
Commenting on Levy’s exit Weisberg said: “I want to thank David for his collaboration over the past several months and wish him well in his future endeavors. As we enter an exciting next chapter of our organization, it’s important that ownership and management are completely aligned on our plan. We are proud of the culture of the Brooklyn Nets under the leadership of General Manager Sean Marks and Head Coach Kenny Atkinson, and we look forward to continue bringing the best experience to our fans.”
