The National Basketball League (NBA) and Intel Capital have announced a multi-year sports and entertainment investment partnership.

The NBA + Intel Capital Emerging Technology Initiative will look to identify technologies from global companies that have the potential to impact the future of both industries, from an athlete and fan perspective.

The collaboration will focus on US-based start-ups that both parties can evaluate for potential partnership and investment opportunities.

Intel Capital is a division of Intel Corporation which manages corporate venture capital, global investment, mergers and acquisitions.

Wendell Brooks, Senior Vice-President of Intel Corporation and President of Intel Capital, said of the agreement: “Venture investments in sports reached $1.5BN (£1.1BN) in 2017, and the next five years in sports will be defined by even more technology disruption. With this new initiative, the NBA and Intel Capital aim to bring extensive human and technology resources into companies we believe will lead the next wave of transformation in sports and entertainment.”

“We look forward to tapping into Intel Capital’s infrastructure and 27-year track record of identifying successful start-ups,” Amy Brooks, President of Team Marketing and Business Operations at the NBA, added. “Together, we will identify and support the next generation of innovative sports and entertainment technology companies to find and develop new ways to enhance the game on the court and the fan experience.”

The creator and Chief Executive of Formula E has put forward a €600M (£527M/$716M) bid to acquire full ownership of the company.

According to the all-electric series, Alejandro Agag, has written to the Chairman of the Board of Directors, outlining his plans for the sport.

“I strongly believe in the future of Formula E and this offer is an expression of that confidence,” the Spanish entrepreneur wrote in his letter.

“For this reason, I would like to make a proposal to buy all the shares in the company at a value of €600 million euros equity value.”

Formula E’s shareholders include Liberty Global and Discovery Communications.

Irish subscription channel eir Sport has agreed a three-year deal with PRO14 to show all their rugby matches from next season.

A total of 152 games will be broadcast across Ireland, with fixtures, post-match analysis and highlights shows included in the 30-hour weekly programming.

PRO14’s Chief Executive, Martin Anayi, described the deal with eir Sport as “impossible to turn down.”

“The arrival of eir sport alongside Premier Sports in the UK will be a game-changer for the Guinness PRO14. It is another bold step in raising our Championship to new levels and unlocking its vast potential,” he said.

Dermot Rigley, Commercial and Marketing Director of PRO14 Rugby, added: “The vision eir Sport has for the Guinness PRO14 is going to smash all previous expectations for our teams and their supporters.”

This season’s Pro14 Final will take place on 26^th May at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.

Spanish football champions Barcelona have joined forces with Beko and UNICEF to raise €1m ($1.21m/£879,000) as part of a new campaign to tackle childhood obesity worldwide.

The LaLiga giants have teamed up with the Turkish appliance brand and United Nations programme, to launch ‘Eat Like a Pro’ (ELAP). The scheme will encourage people across the globe to share their healthy eating habits on social media. For each #EatLikeAPro post that appears on Instagram or Twitter, Beko will donate €1 ($1.21/£0.88p) to UNICEF.

The ELAP campaign will grant families access to the eating habits of the Barcelona players while educating parents and children about the importance of a healthy diet and a balanced lifestyle.

Beko will also give up its brand visibility on the Barcelona players’ sleeves during this weekend’s El Clásico, in a bid to highlight the healthy eating initiative.

“Childhood obesity is a worldwide issue and we are delighted that three leading global brands are uniting to help tackle the challenge,” said Beko US President Hasan Yardimci.

“In all our programs that use the FutbolNet methodology, and that are reaching 120,000 children and youth around the world, we use the physical activity and the value of respect, in this case respect towards oneself, to reinforce healthy habits,” added Jordi Cardoner, Vice President of Barcelona and the Barça Foundation.

If current worldwide trends persist, 70 million children will be overweight by 2025.

New York Cosmos owner, Rocco Commisso, has offered a half-a-billion dollar (£366m) cash boost to the North American Soccer League (NASL) over a 10-year period, provided he receives certain guarantees from the federation.

It’s reported Commisso wrote a letter to the new president of US Soccer, Carlos Cordeiro, earlier this month, outlining his investment plans for the NASL, which the Cosmos have played in since returning to competitive action five years ago. The investment deal would include $250m (£183m) of Commisso’s own cash, with the other half to be raised from other investors.

The proposal is dependent on US Soccer guaranteeing the NASL a ten-year window to align with the federation’s division regulations. Commisso also wants the governing body to restructure itself to remove what he sees as favouritism towards Major League Soccer (MLS) and its player development partner the United Soccer League (USL).

Commisso’s offer comes in reaction to US Soccer’s decision to revoke the NASL’s Division 2 status at the end of last year when the league failed to meet standards for that tier. The NASL then announced that it was cancelling its 2018 campaign after Commisso’s legal attempt to reinstate its Division 2 status failed.

Commisso’s investment would provide funding for updating stadiums and allow 10 teams to play as soon as next year.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appointed Sébastien Gillot as Director, European Regional Office and International Federation Relations.

Mr Gillot, who is currently Head of Communications for the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), will begin his new role on 13th August. He will be based at WADAs offices in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Mr.Gillot will replace Benjamin Cohen, who is leaving WADA in the coming weeks to become the first Director General of the new International Testing Agency (ITA).

The Frenchman departs UCI after 4 years. He previously held various senior positions in the sports industry including Director of Public Relations and Communications for the International Boxing Association (AIBA), from 2011 until 2014.

Dugout is to expand into the Middle East and North Africa region after receiving £8.275m ($11.6m) in fresh investment.

The digital football media company received the cash injection from an investors group led by US businessmen David and Frank McCourt. David McCourt is chief executive of tech investors Granahan McCourt Capital and also the founder of ALTV.com, one of the fastest growing free streaming services in the MENA region. Meanwhile his brother, Frank, is chairman and chief executive of McCourt LP and McCourt Global.

Dugout are keen to grow their brand in the MENA market, with Arabic to be added to its language base shortly.

Elliot Richardson, founder and chairman of Dugout, said: “This investment keeps the momentum going and partnerships with innovators like ALTV and Alchemy Media both enhance our technology offering and open up key markets like the Middle East and North Africa, where we know our club partners have such huge support.”

David McCourt, of Granahan McCourt Capital, added: “Dugout represents an excellent opportunity to capitalise on two significant global trends. Firstly, the huge demand for great, original and highly-personalised content. Secondly, the soaring popularity of football in practically every market.”

Dugout is the only media company to be run by nine of the world’s richest football clubs including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.