Shakhtar Donetsk Links With HYPE Sports

Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk has teamed-up with Israel-based HYPE Sports Innovation to become an accelerator of sports start-ups.

The Ukrainian side will launch the SPIN accelerator, a programme aimed at inviting Ukrainian start-ups to propose innovative solutions in areas related to sport, such as fan engagement, big data, smart stadium, and more.

The start-ups selected during the selection process will then be invited to become partners of Shakhtar FC.

Tel Aviv-based HYPE runs a network of 8 SPIN Accelerators around the world as well as activities with federations and brands, connecting them to thousands of sports start-ups.

The company’s activities are aimed at leading to investment and implementation of innovation in the various leading sports sectors globally.

“Thanks to the operation of the accelerator, the Ukrainian sports start-ups will be able to become a part of the global sports and IT market for the first time ever and to receive funds for their development,” said Yuriy Sviridov, FC Shakhtar Communications Director.

He added: “Shakhtar is interested in new technology that will enable the club to raise the fans’ interest in attending matches and help the team to win every game and claim trophies.”

Amir Raveh, HYPE Sports Innovation’s Founder and President, said: “It’s our honour to partner with Shakhtar, a team that has such impressive achievements on local and European level.”

AS Roma Teams With EA Sports

Serie A club AS Roma has a new partnership with video game developer Electronic Arts.

Under the two-year agreement, EA Sports and AS Roma will offer each other significant visibility on their communication channels, and will jointly develop exclusive content for the next EA Sports FIFA 19 game, which will be released on 28 September.

AS Roma will also be among the available teams in the FIFA 19 demo.

Juventus Debt Burden Doubles

Serie A club Juventus has reported a big increase in its debt load as part of a disappointing annual report including a loss for the 2017-18 financial year.

Debt rose to €309.8 million, an increase of 90.7% from the previous year.

The Turin-based club, which won its seventh league title in a row and 36th in history last season, reported a loss of €19.2 million for the year ending June 30, after showing profits of €42.6 million in the 2016-17 financial year.

This negative result reflects a 10.3% decrease in overall revenues to €504.7 million.

However, sponsorship and other commercial revenues rose 16.2% to €86.9 million.

The club also trimmed operating costs by 4.3% to €383.2 million from €400.6 million the previous year).

Juventus Chairman Andrea Agnelli (in photo) will preside over a Shareholders’ Meeting to approve the results on October 25.

The Juventus Shareholder’s Meeting is called for 25 October 2018.The seven-time Serie A champion will be expecting the commercial power of new signing Cristiano Ronaldo to help turn the tide this season.

That has been reflected in the share price of the club, which has doubled since the signing of the Portuguese star during the summer.

The report said: “The 2018/2019 financial year, currently forecast to end in a loss, will be as usual strongly influenced by the performance of sports results and in particular the UEFA Champions League.”

Coca-Cola Becomes Premier League Sponsor

Coca-Cola will be a sponsor of the English Premier League (EPL) as of January 2019.

The U.S. beverage manufacturer has signed a three-year contract with the league to promote a variety of products including fruit drinks, with low or zero sugar options

Coca-Cola joins Barclays, Carling, Cadbury, Nike, Tag Heuer and EA Sports as EPL sponsors.

Under the terms of the agreement, Coca-Cola will also launch a nationwide Premier League Trophy Tour, to get English football fans closer to the league and to the brand’s products.

Richard Masters, managing director of the Premier League, said: “We are excited that this is Coca-Cola Great Britain’s first portfolio-wide partnership and they will be bringing it to life across a range of brands.”

Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola Great Britain and Ireland, said: “The Premier League is one of the most diverse leagues in the world and unites people with a shared passion for football and we’re looking forward to working together to help bring fans to closer to the action.”

New Speakers Confirmed For 2018 Lausanne Summit Powered By PwC

iSportconnect is pleased to announce that Sportradar and Riot Games have joined the speaker lineup for the 2018 Lausanne Summit, powered by PwC and in association with ThinkSport, taking place on September 25th, 2018.

Speakers from Hofstede Insights and UK Sport will also participate in the event at the Olympic Museum.

The new speakers are:

  • Felix Blank, Director of Digital Platforms, Sportradar
  • Mo Fadl, Head of eSports, Riot Games UK
  • Diego Gilardoni, International Consultant, Author and China Specialist, Hofstede Insights
  • Simon Morton, COO, UK Sport

Felix will join the cutting-edge discussion on the media-focused panel on The Search for New Models, tackling questions like where will the rights market be in five years? Is the market more affected by the shift from traditional TV to digital channels, or from live to on-demand consumption? How will traditional media partnerships evolve? What role with the newcomers play?

At Sportradar, he is responsible for all platforms which come under the LAOLA1 brand—which includes LAOLA1.tv and LAOLA1.at—as well as the Sportradar OTT (Over-The-Top) solution, which the company provides to a wide range of sports federations, leagues, clubs as well as broadcasters around the world. He started his career back in 2000 at ORF, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation. Felix completed a Masters in International business administration from the University of Vienna.

Mo is responsible for building a strong and healthy UK eSports ecosystem for League of Legends. In his role, he works closely with players, teams and partners to create a thriving competitive environment for the UK. Prior to his time at Riot Games UK, Mo spent 5 years at Wargaming, where, as Global Head of eSports, he moulded World of Tanks into one of the industry’s leading games. Earlier in his career, he also worked for Blizzard and NCsoft.

Diego, a former journalist turned international consultant with professional experience in Europe, US, Asia and Africa, advises companies faced with the communication and cultural challenges associated with operating in an increasingly complex global business environment. An expert on China, he is the author of Decoding China: Cross-cultural Strategies for Successful Business with the Chinese (Itim, 2017).  He also an international speaker specialised in global business, corporate diplomacy and reputation. He has given a TED Talk on international business communication and has spoken at international conferences such as the Istanbul Leadership Summit, the World Communication Forum in Geneva and the High-Forum for Intercultural Business Communication in Beijing. A graduate in History from the University of Fribourg, he holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Global Business from the University of Oxford and an Executive Certificate in Advocacy in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.

Simon joined UK Sport in 2005 and has been responsible for leading the UK’s major events hosting strategy, providing support that has enabled the UK to secure and stage many of the world’s biggest international sporting events. As Chief Operating Officer he is also responsible for UK Sport’s international relations strategy, which ensures that the UK has a strong and supportive voice in global sporting matters. He leads UK Sport’s governance work including the implementation of the UK’s new Code for Sports Governance and has recently introduced a new Integrity function within his organisation. Simon has worked in elite international sport for almost 20 years and was Head of Marketing for the International Badminton Federation.

They will be joined at the 2018 Lausanne Summit by:

  • Joey Tan, Head of Global Strategic Initiatives, Alibaba
  • Stephane Fillastre, Head of Brand, Licensing & Retail, FIA
  • Sébastien de Chaunac, Head of Communication and Brand Activation, Formula E program, ABB
  • Andrew Ryan, Executive Director, ASOIF
  • Sébastien Audoux, Head of OTT Sports, Canal+
  • Daniel Marion, Chief of Information and Communication Technology, UEFA
  • Brent Barry, Head of eSports, Logitech
  • David Dellea, Head of Sports Business Advisory, PwC
  • Marco Tinnirello, CEO, Eurovision Media Services
  • Candice Mudrick, Senior Client Director, Newzoo

 

iSportconnect’s 2018 Lausanne Summit will bring together some of the key leaders from the world of sport business, to debate the topics that are currently transforming the industry. 

The 2018 Lausanne Summit will be an opportunity for top-tier executives to experience and enjoy the unique learning and networking benefits available at this exclusive invitation-only event. All discussions will remain confidential under the Chatham House Rule.

Please contact Chloe McCombie (chloe@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending the 2018 Lausanne Summit.

Sandoz Foundation (Lausanne Palace) is our Hotel Partner for the 2018 Lausanne Summit. In order to book your accommodation for the event at a special rate, please click here.

Invitation Policy: The 2018 Lausanne Summit is an invitation-only event. Complimentary invitations will be overseen by PwC at its own discretion. If available, iSportconnect may issue a limited amount of tickets for purchase on a first come first serve basis. Invitations are personal and cannot be transferred.

For limited partnership opportunities, please contact Hugo Millns (hugo@isportconnect.com)

Formula 1 Opens Up For Fan Engagement

Formula 1 has entered a new era of fan engagement this season with a range of initiatives aimed at widening the excitement of race weekends beyond the actual tracks and opening up the sport to more fans.

Fan festivals in host cities are now a regular part of the entertainment experience reaching new fans. At the events, there’s more access to the previously VIP-only paddock areas.

The outreach extends into social media too, with a new policy of more open communication that has resulted in a big increase in views.

F1’s Global Research Director Matt Roberts talks about the new approaches to fan engagement with Alexandra Kyrke-Smith, Head of Research and Insight at Goodform, which specialises in connecting sports with customers to engage with them more effectively and profitably through innovative CRM, Data, Insight, Membership, and marketing activities.

SportAccord.sport Lifts Off Online

SportAccord has been awarded exclusive use of the ‘DotSport’ domain extension ‘sportaccord.sport’ following the successful launch of the new .sport digital ecosystem, managed and delivered by GAISF (the Global Association of International Sports Federations).

A .sport domain name is seen as a positive endorsement of any organisation operating in the world of sport. GAISF’s ownership of the domain protects the integrity of .sport by ensuring that only properly qualified organisations and individuals can use it. These include sports governing bodies to events, companies and clubs.

Nis Hatt, Managing Director of SportAccord, World Sport & Business Summit (left in photo shaking hands with GAISF President Patrick Baumann), commented: “We are delighted to take advantage of this new opportunity and have applied the SportAccord.sport domain extension to key digital platforms and collateral. This will further help to enhance the SportAccord brand across the global sports and business sectors.

“We are proud to be part of this community-led initiative and fully support the values, culture and principles it represents for sport.”

SportAccord joins other organisations who have been awarded the .sport extension including several of the international sports federations, Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games and the
International Testing Agency.

GAISF Head of Digital Pierre Germeau said: “This digital transformation is proving to be a game-changer, not just for IFs but for all reputable sports stakeholders that work hard to promote the best image of sport. Each domain offers stakeholders a significant and respected online presence, tailored specifically to their individual needs.”

SportAccord is host to the annual general assemblies and official meetings for event stakeholders, with representation from all the GAISF international sports federations, associates and observers in attendance.

SportAccord 2019 will take place in Gold Coast, Australia from 5-10 May 2019 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre and will welcome the sporting business community for the 17th edition of the World Sport & Business Summit.

Paris Saint-Germain Signs Blockchain Partnership

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has signed a partnership with the blockchain platform Socios.com that will enable the Ligue 1 club to launch a Fan Token Offering (FTO).

The new FTO gives fans access to tokens, which come with voting rights and can also confer VIP status to their holders.

Fans of the reigning French champions will also be able to vote on marketing decisions (such as choosing the club’s jersey colour, the stadium music and even the club logo) as well as certain decisions in the sporting areas (like Player of the Match or the Month, summer tour or charity line-ups).

PSG fans tokens will be tradable on the marketplace of socios.com  — but only using the cryptocurrency of the blockchain venture chiliZ.

Malta-based chiliZ announced in June that it reached its goal of raising $65 million through a global private placement of its tokens ($CHZ).

“Paris Saint-Germain is determined to leverage the opportunities that cryptocurrency can provide. This revolutionary technology will have an important impact on the club’s overall business strategy and the way we engage with our fanbase,” said PSG’s Chief Partnership Officer, Marc Armstrong.

After having dominated the league in recent years, Paris Saint-Germain was recently voted as the most popular club in France.

Olympic Channel Joins Speaker Lineup At 2018 Digital Rights Holders Masterclass In Lausanne

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that the Olympic Channel has joined the speaker lineup for the 2018 Digital Rights Holders Masterclass, taking place in Lausanne, Switzerland on September 24th.

Federico de Mojana, Head of Programming at the Olympic Channel, is the latest addition to the speaker lineup.

Federico is responsible for the content strategy of the Olympic Channel, including the creation of content partnerships with production companies, rights-holding broadcasters and international federations. Prior to the Olympic Channel, Federico was General Manager of the Italian operations at Eurosport, where he was in charge of production, distribution, advertising sales and digital. He also worked for Eutelsat, with responsibilities for commercial planning and new business development, and Canal+, where he was in charge of the Spanish market.

Federico joins several other notable industry names who are speaking at the 2018 Digital Rights Holders Masterclass in Lausanne, including:

  • Rüdiger Müller: Head of Digital Communications, FIFA
  • Daniel Marion: Chief of Information and Communication Technology, UEFA
  • Claudio Borges: Global Director of Digital Planning, adidas
  • Sébastien Audoux: Head of OTT Sports,Canal+

 

iSportconnect events operate under the Chatham House Rule, promoting a friendly collegial environment where attendees can forge new relationships, discuss potential partnerships and business opportunities.

To register your interest in attending the 2018 Digital Rights Holders Masterclass, please contact Chloe McCombie: chloe@isportconnect.com

Invitation Policy:  The 2018 Digital Rights Holders 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. If you are not currently a member but would still like to attend the event, please register your interest. No sports agencies, professional service providers & suppliers are allowed to attend.

For limited partnership opportunities, please contact Hugo Millns: hugo@isportconnect.com


Formula 1 And Riot Games To Speak At 2018 Brands Masterclass In London

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that Formula 1 and Riot Games have joined the speaker lineup for the 2018 Brands Masterclass, taking place on 18th September in London.

Ellie Norman, Director of Marketing & Communications at F1, and Mo Fadl, Head of eSports at Riot Games UK, are the latest names added to the lineup.

Ellie is a marketing professional with an extensive Automotive and Media background who has spent several years in both agency and client-side roles in global, regional and local functions. In 2004, Ellie was headhunted to join Honda Motor Europe as Communications Manager from agency-side where she received several accolades. In 2012, Ellie later joined Virgin Media as Head of Advertising where she led the evolvement of all brand campaigns. Following the recent change in ownership at F1, Ellie was asked to join the management team as the company’s first ever Director of Marketing. The role’s main purpose is to lead the sport and grow its existing fan base whilst attracting a younger audience. Ellie’s current position also encompasses F1 Customer Service and Communications.

Mo Fadl is the Head of eSports at Riot Games UK where he is responsible for building a strong and healthy UK eSports ecosystem for League of Legends. In his role, Mo works closely with players, teams and partners to create a thriving competitive environment for the UK. Prior to his time at Riot Games UK, Mo spent 5 years at Wargaming, where, as Global Head of eSports, he moulded World of Tanks into one of the industry’s leading games. Earlier in his career, he also worked for Blizzard and NCsoft.

More than ever, brands are at the heart of the business of sport. The 2018 Brands Masterclass will engage thought leaders in what is proving to be a challenging and ever-changing global industry.

The programme for discussion will feature topics such as Embracing Transformational Tech, Brands & the eSports Phenomenon and Making New Deals & Making Them Work.

Other confirmed speakers for the 2018 Brands Masterclass include:

To register your interest in attending the 2018 Brands Masterclass, please contact chloe@isportconnect.com

Invitation Policy: The 2018 Brands 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 to attend.

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