On The Move: Latest Community Job Updates

Maikel Oettle has left his role as Vice-President of strategic partnerships at IMG to become AC Milan’s Head of Sponsorship Sales.

Lou Garate will be the Global Head of Sponsorship Sales at Twitch.

Kahlen Macaulay is Snap Inc’s Manager of International Sports Partnerships, he was previously Senior Manager, Digital Partnerships at the IOC.

Maik Matischak, who has left his role as Senior Director Communications – EMEA for the NBA, is now Head of European Sports and Partnerships at The Story Mob.

Sue Storey has taken up her position as CEO for Volleyball England.

Danny Lynch has become Head of Communications at the Irish Football Association.

Jose Garnes is the new Head of Content at SailGP, after being Senior Digital Producer at Sunset+Vine.

Karim Lahleh will be Marketing Rights Delivery Manager at FIFA.

Tim Dignard has become Coca Cola’s Global Sponsorship Manager – Olympics.

David Morgenbesser is now Servus TV’s Head of Sports Rights and Content Distribution.

Danny Paiser has joined IMG as VP Strategic Partnerships – Football.

Robert Faulkner is European Athletics new Head of Communications.

Pedro Belaunzarán is new Sponsorship Director of Mad Lions Esports Team.

Hugo Sharman has been announced as new Chief Executive of Stream AMG.

If you are changing jobs and want to be featured in next Thursday’s On The Move, please contact ben@isportconnect.com

LaLiga And Renfe To Allow Passengers To Stream Fixtures

Spanish rail company Renfe will now offer free streaming of LaLiga fixtures to all of their passengers.

This is the first initiative of its kind and the sponsorship agreement which makes Renfe the ‘Official Transport’ of LaLiga for the 2019/20 season.

Supporters will be able to watch the live matches via the PlayRenfe entertainment system. It shows all matches from both the LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank competitions, as well as European club competitions.

Juan Carlos Díaz, director of sponsorship and sales at LaLiga, said: “It’s exciting to broadcast our global competition in such a unique way. The partnership with Renfe helps add a new and exciting dimension to Spanish train journeys and helps more football fans to discover LaLiga.”

Manuel Sempere, director of marketing at Renfe, said: “We want to push the boundaries of innovation in our sector and with LaLiga we have a partner that shares this approach. The response from our passengers to having live football available has been fantastic. For the transport sector as a whole, we hope that this agreement sets a trend that others will follow in the years to come.”

NFL, Nike And Fanatics Make Partnership Worldwide

Nike, the NFL and Fanatics have agreed to extend their US deal worldwide.

As per the terms of the deal, Nike will remain the exclusive supplier of on-field and side-line apparel for NFL teams, while Fanatics will manufacture all Nike NFL gear sold at retail.

Fanatics now have exclusive consumer product licensing rights to manufacture and distribute all Nike NFL adult products worldwide, and this new long-term global deal is an enhancement to the ground-breaking US deal signed in 2018.

Commenting on the deal, Damani Leech, COO of International for the NFL, said: “We’re excited to expand our relationship with Nike and Fanatics, and with it a cutting-edge model for licensed merchandise to benefit fans and retailers around the world.

“Now our growing fanbase in cities such as London and Shanghai will have the same quick access to the widest selection of the latest merchandise as their counterparts here in the United States.”

“This innovative partnership with the NFL and Nike is based on the premise that all three organizations are committed to providing fans with the best possible experience, quality and choice of officially licensed merchandise,” added Steve Davis, President of Fanatics International. “This expanded global deal, coupled with our vertical commerce model will allow us to reach more fans and retailers across the globe than ever before, with a greater assortment of merchandise which is consistently stocked and replenished.”

Lagadère To Fight CAF Decision To Cancel Sponsorship

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have decided to permanently end their billion-dollar agreement nine years before its planned conclusion.

Lagadère had signed a 12-year agreement with CAF in 2016, but the federation have now ceased the deal, which had seen the agency cover CAF’s media and sponsorship sales rights globally until 2028.

CAF have cancelled the deal after an investigation started in 2017 by Comesa (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) Competition Commission (CCC) surrounding alleged anti-competitive agreements between stakeholders and CAF.

Lagadère released a statement on the announcement, saying: “Lagardère strongly contests this decision, which, in its view, is unlawful, unreasonable and unjustified.

“Lagardère maintains that there is no reason – including the ongoing investigation by the COMESA Competition Commission (CCC), which has yet to issue its decision – to cancel the agreement at this stage.

“Lagardère deeply regrets this situation and has asked the CAF to adopt a more reasonable position and honour its commitments.

“Failing this, Lagardère will take any and all action to defend its interests and obtain compensation for any harm it may suffer.”

Italian Football’s Supercoppa Returns To Saudi Arabia

Italian Football’s Supercoppa will go to Saudi Arabia for a second consecutive season in Decemeber.

Lazio and Juventus will face off for the title, which pits the winner of Serie A and the Coppa Italia against one another, on the 22nd of December.

The match will be hosted at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, after Lega Serie A agreed a deal in 2018 to host three of the next five fixtures in the country.

Juventus and Lazio had been urged to boycott the match by Italian Broadcaster Rai, citing human rights concerns, however the match has now been confirmed.

 

IOC And Airbnb Reportedly Agree On Nine-Year Deal

The Sports Business Journal reports that the International Olympic Committee and Airbnb are set to reveal a new worldwide sponsorship deal.

This deal would be for nine years and run until the end of the Los Angeles games in 2028.

They would be introduced into the IOC’s TOP programme and become the 14th partner to be confirmed into that elite group of IOC sponsorship.

NBA TV Network Will Launch Subscription Service

Partnering with Turner Sports, NBA TV will now be available for customers via a subscription offering.

They will now be the first league TV channel to offer a direct-to-consumer subscription. The channel will broadcast over 100 live matches, and allow users to view NBA TV content on mobile, with it now being accessible through the NBA app.

Chris Benyarko, the NBA’s senior vice president for DTC, said: “NBA TV is the ultimate destination for around-the-clock access to premium NBA games and programming. We are thrilled to offer more ways than ever to access NBA TV and provide a preview of the future live game viewing experience.”

“Innovation has always been at the core of our NBA Digital partnership. The launch of this direct-to-consumer product, paired with new content initiatives, will provide NBA fans even greater opportunities to engage with NBA TV and our collective portfolio of brands,” Executive Vice President and General Manager of Turner Sports, Tina Shah, commented.

One Month To Go: iSportconnect Dubai Summit

There is now just one month until the iSportconnect Dubai Summit!

We are looking forward to hosting the event, which will take place at the Dubai Sports Council‘s headquarters, on the 5th of December.

iSportconnect are also delighted to reveal that H.E Saeed Mohammed Hareb, General Secretary of the Dubai Sports Council, will be giving an opening to the day’s events.

We can also announce that Kinda Ibrahim, Director of Partnerships – MEA, Pakistan and Russia at Twitter and Arjoon Bose, Europe-Australia Head of Brands Experience, Creative and Partnerships at General Mills.

This adds to our fantastic list of speakers who are already confirmed to take part in the event. They are Manu Sawhney, CEO of the International Cricket Council, Brett Gosper, CEO of World Rugby, Alexander Brown, Commissioner of Major League Lacrosse, Christian Volk, Director of eFootball and Gaming at FIFA, Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, and Juli Ferre, Commercial and Marketing Officer at AS Monaco.

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 Dubai Summit, please contact Joe Condon at joe@isportconnect.com

Invitation Policy: The Dubai Summit 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

Bruin Sports Capital Gets $600m Boost

Bruin Sports Capital has announced a wide-ranging, long-term strategic partnership with renowned private equity firms CVC Capital Partners and The Jordan Company.

The deal gives Bruin access to billions in capital, plus a global network of resources from the partners beginning with an initial combined investment for $600 million.

George Pyne, Founder and CEO of Bruin Sports Capital, said: “We are extremely proud to have the partnership and support of CVC Capital Partners and The Jordan Company, not only for what it says about our progress but also what it means for our businesses and future opportunities.

“To be able to say to a partner that on top of our track record and user-friendly model, we can tap into all the capital and global resources necessary to accelerate their business is quite powerful. As we enter this next chapter for Bruin, and with our partners, we will be even more bold and aggressive in building the platforms that lead the sports and entertainment industry forward.”

Chris Stadler, Managing Partner at CVC Capital Partners, added: “George and his team have built an impressive franchise, and we are delighted to be partnering with them to invest in and develop high-growth, high-performing global sports and entertainment companies. Our extensive European network and deep experience in sports, media, and entertainment ideally complement Bruin’s impressive existing platform.”

“We are excited to partner with George, an extremely talented leader with an exceptional track record of business transformation, that continues with Bruin Sports Capital,” said Rich Caputo, Chief Executive Partner of The Jordan Company. “In a sector undergoing fundamental shifts to the way it does business, he and the team have demonstrated a unique ability to uncover potential and turn it into significant value. We are going to provide the full gamut of our resources to Bruin and the partnership, and we look forward to great things ahead.”

Susanna Dinnage To Step Down From Discovery

Global President of Animal Planet at Discovery, Susanna Dinnage, will be leaving her role at the company.

This news comes less than 12 months after Dinnage turned down joining the Premier League as Chief Executive to replace Richard Scudamore, after reneging on an agreement to take up the role.

Discovery will be undergoing a restructure which will see Discovery and Factual’s Chief Brand Officer take control of Animal Planet.

David Zaslav, Discovery President and Chief Executive, said: “As we thought about this new structure, we arrived at the difficult conclusion that there is no longer a need for a standalone president role for Animal Planet. Susanna Dinnage, who has been an integral and deeply valued member of our leadership team for a decade, is supportive of this decision and will step down from her role as global president of Animal Planet and leave Discovery at the end of the year.

“Susanna has made enormous contributions here, first in her role overseeing Discovery’s 14 UK brands and businesses and steering the London-based production and development department and, most recently, leading Animal Planet.”

Dinnage added: “I have had an incredible decade at Discovery and been privileged to be part of such a purpose-driven, and truly global, company. As the world looks ever more closely at conservation, the past two years at Animal Plant have been particularly rewarding. It’s a very exciting time to be in the world of media and content and I look forward to the future.”