NBA Launches ‘NBA 360’ In Europe And Middle East

The NBA and Sky Sports have announced the launch of ‘NBA 360’, a single curated, multi-view broadcast that will feature the most exciting moments from multiple live NBA games, starting from midnight on Friday, Oct. 25.

It appears as though the format will be similar to that of the NFL’s Redzone show, where the broadcast alternates between matches depending on where the most action is happening and for crucial, defining moments towards the end of games.

NBA 360 will include expert commentary and live coverage of Friday night’s games, including marquee match-ups featuring the 2019 NBA Champion Toronto Raptors as they take on the Boston Celtics and the local crosstown derby between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets.  This special live broadcast will jump from game-to-game following the best action and the biggest plays of the night.

The iSportconnect Weekly Deals Update

Jeep will pay an extra €25 million each year for their partnership with Juventus. This is due to Juventus’ success in recent years which has increased brand awareness exponentially.

Liverpool Football Club’s official kit supplier from the beginning of the 2020-21 season will be Nike, in a five-year deal. This deal is now confirmed following the club’s court case victory over New Balance.

Manchester City and Nestlé have announced a new multi-year partnership to become the Official Coffee, Vegan and Vegetarian Partner of the club.

The Miami Heat have extended their American Airlines partnership to a worldwide deal. American Airlines are now the team’s official airline and international marketing partner.

Sky Sports Racing has agreed to a multi-year rights partnership deal with the New York Racing Association. Sky Sports will have exclusive UK and Ireland broadcast rights for all races from Woodbine, Saratoga, Aqueduct and Belmont Park Racecourses.

Formula One have agreed a deal with Twitch to show the Mexico Grand Prix weekend. All sessions of the race weekend in Mexico will be live-streamed in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

NBA and Tabcorp combine for multi-year partnership deal. Tabcorp will now become an authorised betting operator of the NBA in Australia.

Eurosport and ATP Tour expand partnership in five European countries, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.

Sportsbet.io expands Flamengo deal. The company had signed a three-month agreement with the club, however they have now extended the deal which will also include shirt sponsorship.

Three startups, WSC, Formalytics and LiveLike, have agreed partnership deals with UEFA. These new deals have come from UEFA’s Start-Up Challenge, which started in January this year.

Dentsu have signed a deal with the Copa America until 2028.

Utah Jazz have signed an additional three-year extension to their jersey sponsorship with Qualtrics.

Barcelona and Supponor agree to multi-year deal.

Red Bee and Spring Media Announce Women’s Football OTT Service.

Andrea Gaudenzi Appointed As ATP Chairman

The ATP has announced that Andrea Gaudenzi will take over as ATP Chairman for a four-year term on the 1st of January 2020.

He replaces outgoing Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode, who had suffered criticism from a number of notable players in the past 12 months, including Novak Djokovic.

Prior to his business career, Gaudenzi is a former professional player on the ATP Tour, reaching a career-high ranking of number 18 in the world, so he is therefore expected to have a very player-friendly model,

Gaudenzi said: “The ATP has played a central part in my life in so many ways, and to be given this opportunity to serve as ATP Chairman is a true honour.

“I look forward to overseeing the future direction of the Tour and building on the sport’s global success and popularity at what is unquestionably one of the most exciting times in the history of men’s professional tennis. I’m very thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to get started in January.”

Novak Djokovic, President of the ATP Player Council, added: “On behalf of the players, I’d like to welcome Andrea as the next Chairman of the ATP. As a former player, he has walked in our shoes and has also become a successful entrepreneur following his playing career. He has all the qualities to lead the Tour and we look forward to working together for the benefit of the players and the sport more generally.”

LaLiga ‘Players Pack’ Aims To Bring Sponsors And Players Closer

LaLiga has begun distribution of a ‘Players Pack’, a brand new initiative to bring LaLiga’s sponsors closer to players, coaching staff and boards of clubs.

The ‘Players Pack’ contains exclusive offers from LaLiga through sponsors Banco Santander, Movistar, Samsung and EA Sports. The initiative has been developed by the LaLiga Players’ Office and is designed to be repeated over the coming seasons.

Special products and offers by Banco Santander, Movistar+ and Samsung are included in the pack. Also included is a gift from EA Sports that contains the case for FIFA 20 with the name and squad number of every LaLiga player. Such initiatives are extending the reach of the sponsors through the networks of LaLiga players and clubs.

Oscar Mayo, LaLiga’s Director of International Development, highlighted the importance of this type of project for everyone at LaLiga: “We’re thrilled with the initial distribution of the Players Pack. This is a clear example of how LaLiga is developing its relationships not only with the biggest stars of our competitions, the players, but also our sponsors by offering them innovative assets,” he said.

On The Move: Latest Job Changes Within The Sports Industry This Week

Nike have announced John Donahoe will take over as the company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer on January the 13th, 2020. He replaces Mark Parker who will become Executive Chairman.

Patrik Frisk will become Under Armour’s Chief Executive Officer on the 1st of January, 2020, taking over from Kevin Plank, who founded the organisation in 1996. Plank becomes will become Executive Chairman & Brand Chief.

Andrea Gaudenzi has been appointed as ATP Chairman, to replace the outgoing Chris Kermode on the 1st of January, 2020.

Michael Dowse will become Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the United States Tennis Association, also commencing on the 1st of January, 2020.

Other Job Updates

Charlie McEwen has been named CEO, Rugby and Special Projects at CSM.

Emre Omer is to become Chief Financial Officer at the International Olympic Council.

Helen Phillips will be the first female President of British Gymnastics.

Ian Baynes is the new Commercial Director at SIS.

Twitch has appointed Doug Scott as Chief Marketing Officer.

Werner Becher was appointed SportRadar Managing Director of U.S. Betting.

Richard Bryan will be the new Player Welfare Director at the Rugby Players Association.

Matthew Bailey is now Senior Director of Sponsorship, Sales and Services at Misfits Gaming.

If you are changing jobs and want yours featured, please email ben@isportconnect.com 

Manchester City Announce New Partnership With Nestlé

Manchester City and Nestlé have announced a new multi-year partnership to become the Official Coffee, Vegan and Vegetarian Partner of the club.

This new collaboration means that Nestlé will now have their new plant-based Garden Gourmet burger, Nescafé Azera coffee and YES! nut, fruit and vegetable bars added to the matchday food and beverage offering at the Etihad and Academy Stadiums.

Damian Willoughby, Senior Vice President of Partnership at City Football Group, said: “Manchester City prides itself on partnering with some of the world’s leading organisations, so we are thrilled to be announcing this exciting new partnership with Nestlé Professional®. By enhancing the vegan options throughout our stadiums, we are offering fans an even wider selection of high-quality food and beverage options.

Katya Simmons, Managing Director at Nestlé Professional®, added: “The partnership with Manchester City, the Premier League champions, will help further boost the value we offer as a leading food and beverage company. This strategic collaboration aligns to Nestlé Professional® and City’s shared values to create new opportunities to nurture talent, make more possible and help communities”.

Juventus Increase Jeep Sponsorship Value Due To High Performance

Juventus and Jeep have revealed that the car company will pay an extra €25 million for their sponsorship of the club for the rest of the current 2019-20 season and the upcoming year in 2020-21.

This has come about following Juventus’ high performance over the past couple of years, which has increased the Juventus brand awareness at a worldwide level.

The club and Jeep have also agreed to start contract renegotiations already.

 

Formula 1 To Stream Mexico Grand Prix On Twitch In Six Countries

For the first time Formula 1 will stream an entire race weekend via streaming service Twitch, to be available in six European countries.

All sessions of the race weekend in Mexico will be live-streamed for free via the Twitch website in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

As part of the deal, interactivity and gaming elements will be added to the broadcast to really drive engagement from the community. F1 will also include a data extension alongside the broadcast that allows users to predict the performance of drivers during 10-minute segments of the Grand Prix. The predictions will then be ranked and displayed according to their accuracy, providing an interactive gaming element to the broadcast.

Frank Arthofer, Director of Digital and Licensing, said: “We are really excited to be partnering with Twitch to live stream content from the Mexican Grand Prix. Audiences in Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden will be able to visit Twitch’s website and app and tune in to all the action from practice, qualifying and the race itself. Twitch has incredible reach, a unique creative spin on sports media coverage and an engaged digital audience; they are a perfect partner for us to be working with on this project.”

Full information: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.formula-1-to-stream-2019-mexican-grand-prix-weekend-via-twitch.6i0f7OseQL0KfDMgKDJsu1.html

Chinese State Broadcaster Refuses To Show NBA Opening Night Fixtures

China’s State Broadcaster has continued it’s blanking of the NBA since Daryl Morey’s tweet in defence of Hong Kong, by not showing Tuesday’s opening night fixtures.

However, despite Chinese State TV holding the exclusive television rights in the country, Tencent, the NBA’s digital partner in China, with a deal worth a reported $1.5billion, did show the LA Lakers vs the LA Clippers.

The NBA’s issue with China and, more importantly, their business within the country, still appears to be up in the air as we enter this new season.

Sky Sports Racing Agrees Deal With New York Racing Association

Sky Sports Racing has agreed to a multi-year rights partnership deal with the New York Racing Association.

The new agreement means Sky Sports will have exclusive UK and Ireland broadcast rights for all races from Woodbine, Saratoga, Aqueduct and Belmont Park Racecourses.

Matthew Imi, Chief Executive, At The Races said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with two racing organisations as forward-thinking and respected as NYRA and Woodbine. Their venues host high quality racing and their East coast locations are increasingly attracting British and Irish trained horses. This complements our offering of the world’s best international racing, and we’re excited about promoting and showcasing NYRA and Woodbine racing in the UK and Ireland.”

Tony Allevato, Chief Revenue Officer, NYRA said: “Partnering with Sky Sports will expand the reach of NYRA’s acclaimed television simulcast program and provide viewers in the UK with high quality daily coverage of Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course. To be featured prominently on Sky Sports Racing and its digital At The Races channels will benefit New York’s horsemen and grow the sport.”