One Week to go Until iSportconnect Broadcast Masterclass London

Today marks the one week to go stage until the next iSportconnect Broadcast Masterclass in London on February 28, 2018 and there is only limited availability for delegates.

The event will take place at K&L Gates’ London office  which is located in the modern iconic premises of One New Change in the heart of the city.

The all-day event will bring together industry thought leaders to focus on new ways for media companies, rights owners and technology partners to prosper, thrive and grow as the digital revolution continues to disrupt the sports broadcasting market.

Broadcasting is dead – and more alive and dynamic than ever before in the digital world. Television and video content is everywhere, with multiple platforms and devices available at billions of fingertips around the globe.

But staying ahead of the curve has never been more difficult, with business models often running to catch up to ever-changing technology and new opportunities coming online every single day.

Confirmed speaker lineup:

Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport

Jonathan Licht, Director of Strategy at Sky Sports

Aarti Dabas, Head of Media Rights, Broadcast & Digital at the International Cricket Council

Shane Warden, Director of Broadcast & Technology at ATP Media

Ian Holmes, Director of Media Rights at Formula 1

Ralph Straus, Commercial Director at the International Equestrian Federation

Stefan Kürten, Executive Director of EBU Sport

Sebastien Audoux, Head of Sports – Canal OTT

Federico de Mojana, Head of Programming at the ‎Olympic Channel

Alex Rice, Managing Director – Rights and Strategic Development at DAZN

Danny Menken, Group Managing Director at ELEVEN SPORTS

Warren Phelops, Partner at K&L Gates

Michael Llewellyn, Senior Associate at K&L Gates

The speaker lineup is set to bring significant value to the content programme, courtesy of extensive expertise in the broadcast space.

Invitation Policy: iSportconnect Directors’ Club is an invitation only event open exclusively for chief executives, chairmen and director level executives from governing bodies, sports teams and sponsorship brands. Sports Agencies, professional service providers & suppliers, please contact us for sponsorship opportunities.

To register interest, please email Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) 

 

iSportconnect announces 2018 Finance Masterclass and adds UEFA and ex Chelsea CEO to the lineup

Working in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, iSportconnect is delighted to announce that we will be staging our Finance Masterclass which shall be taking place on April 11, 2018 at Penningtons Manches LLP.

This exclusive event is invitation-only and will bring together leading experts to tackle topics such as financial fair play, taxation, valuations and cybersecurity.

Andrea Traverso – Managing Director, Financial Sustainability and Research of UEFA, has been confirmed as a guest speaker for the event. He worked as a financial advisor before moving to UEFA in 2001. Traverso is in charge of the development of the UEFA club licensing system and he led the implementation of this important project across all 55 member associations.

Trevor Birch – Managing Director of Duff & Phelps Ltd and ex Chelsea CEO has also been confirmed as a guest speaker. As the CEO of Chelsea FC, he led the £200m sale to Roman Abramovich in 2003 and achieved similar success as the CEO at Leeds Utd FC.

The capacity for this exclusive event is limited to 80 to provide a series of intimate networking sessions which will give key decision makers an opportunity to forge new relationships and discuss potential partnerships in a relaxed atmosphere.

Want to attend? See our invitation policy below:

  • There is no fee to attend this event. However, the Finance Masterclass is open exclusively to senior sports business executives from rights holders, broadcasters and sponsorship brands only.
  • No agencies or press can attend and, as we follow Chatham House Rules, all discussions will remain confidential.

Please contact Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending.

Sports Technology Awards unveils shortlist for 2018

The 2018 Sports Technology Awards revealed the shortlist, featuring all facets of the sports sector. The organizations shortlisted represent 44 sports and 20 countries, including industry giants such as Puma, Juventus, ATP, Audi, Gatorade, BBC Sport and Sacramento Kings, as well as new sector disrupters such as Spalk, Sports Whispers and DNA Fit.

Rebecca Hopkins, STA Group CEO, owners of the Sports Technology Awards, said: ‘This is now the fifth cycle of the Awards and the breadth of representation across sports, countries and brands reflects the value the global industry places on them. The range of technology submitted varied widely and offered outstanding levels of innovation – we didn’t envy the judges their task.

“Clichéd as it is to say that being shortlisted is a result in itself, but in this case – given the competition – it is true. Whichever brands win, it will be an amazing achievement, so we look forward to revealing the winners in May.’

John Rhodes, Director of HOK Sport and Entertainment, added ‘This was my second year judging, I was impressed last time, this year I have been amazed. The work on show – almost universally – was incredible but, more than that, you can really see how the entries will change sport – if they aren’t doing so already. The shortlist represents a group of highly visionary companies.’

The full shortlist is available here

In keeping with the tech-forward nature of the Awards, all shortlistees were given a sneak, Augmented Reality preview, 24 hours before the official reveal. This came courtesy of AR app, skignz, who placed a digital announcement in the sky outside successful brands’ offices.

The 2018 ceremony will be hosted at The Roundhouse in London on May 3rd, an experience set to be enjoyed by leading industry figures, innovators and international athletes from around the world. Tickets are available online

iSportconnect adds DAZN and ELEVEN SPORTS to Broadcast Masterclass Lineup

iSportconnect is pleased to announce that two additional guest speakers have been added to the lineup for the Broadcast Masterclass on February 28, 2018.

Alex Rice, Managing Director – Rights and Strategic Development at DAZN will take part in the day’s first panel focusing on the new generation of video platforms. Rice is responsible for the Rights and Strategic Development of DAZN and manages the rights acquisitions across global territories.  

We are also pleased to announce Danny Menken, Group Managing Director at ELEVEN SPORTS. Menken will bring valuable insight from his experience in overseeing activities across ELEVEN’s seven global markets and his role in rights acquisitions and all other strategic decisions. He will take part in the third panel focusing on the new phase ahead in rights competition.

Please contact Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending.

 

Premier League sells UK TV rights to BT Sport and Sky for $6bn

BT Sport has retained UK Premier League rights for three-more years for £295m per season for 32 games.

Meanwhile, Sky has agreed to pay £3.579 bn for a three-year deal to show 128 games per season.

BT Sport will continue to show games at 5.30pm on Saturdays next season and then move to Saturday lunchtime fixtures from August 2019.The channels are available via BT TV and the BT Sport App, to EE customers, on the Sky platform and to Virgin Media customers

Marc Allera, chief executive of BT’s Consumer division, said: “The Premier League is undoubtedly the most competitive and exciting domestic league in the world, so we’re delighted that our customers will be able to continue enjoying Saturday games on BT Sport.

The Premier League is a big part of our live sport line-up, which includes the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, the Emirates FA Cup, MotoGP, boxing, Aviva Premiership rugby and European Rugby Champions Cup.”

“BT Sport is enjoyed by over five million households and pubs and clubs across the UK. We are excited about the opportunity to bring this great content to even more TV and mobile customers as we pursue our strategy of being the best provider of converged network services in the UK.”

 

 iSportconnect is organising a Broadcast Masterclass on February 28, 2018. Please contact Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending.

iSportconnect announces celebration of Women in Sport

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that we will be celebrating Women in Sport for the next three weeks ahead of the International Women’s Day on March 8th.

As part of the celebration, we will be publishing interviews of women working in the sports realm and we will be hosting a celebratory Women in Sport panel at the London Directors’ Club on March 7th.

The International Women’s Day will ​​celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and will also mark a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Panel discussion topics are set to focus on the importance of gender equality, the root of bias & discriminatory behaviour and why it touches all in sport.

iSportconnect Directors’ Club will see the likes of Nuala Walsh, Shelley Alexander, Alison Dalrymple and Jennie Price CBE speaking.

Walsh is set to bring significant value to the content programme, courtesy of her role as Board Member of UN Women (UK). Price will offer delegates expert insight too, having served as Chief Executive Officer of Sport England since April 2007.

Meanwhile, Alexander is the Lead for Diversity & Women’s Sport at BBC Sport and Alison’s career has focused upon harnessing technology for the sports industry.

Stay tuned for further information.

iSportconnect adds Tencent Sports, CGX Management and Tianrong Group to iSC Beijing Summit speaker lineup

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that three additional guest speakers have been added to the lineup for the iSC Beijing Summit.

Tim Shi, Director of Operations and Event Development Departments at Tencent Sports, Julia Cui, Founder and Partner of CGX Management, and Li Haojie, committee member of F1 committee of Union Internationale Motonautique & Board Chairman of Tianrong Group, will collectively bolster an already stellar list of participants.

Shi has played a key role at Tencent since 2009, having overseen content operations at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2012 Olympic Games and 2014 FIFA World Cup. He has also led the organisation’s ambitious NBA project since 2015, following Tencent’s acquisition of an exclusive digital broadcasting rights package with the North American league.

Cui boasts two decades of experience in sports marketing and mass events, having held positions at Octagon and the Chinese Athletic Association. She has developed marketing strategies for high-profile sports properties such as the Chinese Olympic Committee, Badminton World Federation & Asian Beach Games and has also managed sponsorships for major brands including China Telecom, BMW, Red Bull and Li-Ning. Her current focus is on the road running events industry, with the aim of boosting health, tourism and the economy in China.

Haojie has overseen the impressive rise of the UIM F1H2O World Championship – the ‘flagship’ international series of single-seater inshore circuit Formula 1 Powerboat Racing.

The two-day event, which is set to be held at the iconic Water Cube, will incorporate panel discussion topics including football & grassroots development, the future of winter sport, tourism in China and the ‘one belt one road’ initiative.

Tom Glick, Chief Commercial Officer at City Football Group, will deliver a presentation highlighting how he has helped propel the organisation to the pinnacle of the footballing world.

Confirmed speaker lineup:

Rouven Kasper, Managing Director of FC Bayern Munich China

Yang Yang, IOC Member

Tom Glick, Chief Commercial Officer at City Football Group

Tim Shi, Director of Operations and Event Development Departments at Tencent Sports

Julia Cui, Founder and Partner of CGX Management

Li Haojie, committee member of F1 committee of Union Internationale Motonautique & Board Chairman of Tianrong Group

 

Additionally, a series of workshops will give delegates an opportunity to develop best practices in regards to sponsorship, fan engagement, social media and international events.

Chatham House Rules will be strictly adhered to, helping to produce a relaxed environment in which to discuss potential partnerships and consider business opportunities.

The full lineup of speakers will be confirmed in due course.

Please contact Niren Hirani (niren@isportconnect.com) for further information on ticket prices and remaining packages.

What makes the iSportconnect Summit so special?

∙ The Summit is open exclusively to Director/C-Suite level executives at sports rights holders, sponsorship brands and broadcasters.

∙ Event capacity is capped at 150 delegates allowing intimate access to key decision makers in the sports industry.

∙ No agencies or press in attendance and as we follow Chatham House Rules, all panel discussions will remain confidential.

 

 

EPCR announces plans to relocate headquarters to Lausanne

The European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) has announced plans to relocate its headquarters to the Swiss city of Lausanne.

The move will take place in July 2018, with all EPCR staff transferring permanently to new offices on Boulevard de Grancy in the heart of the city.

EPCR also plans to accelerate its development through strategic relationships and partnerships in the city, which is already home to 57 sporting organisations.

EPCR Chief Executive, Vincent Gaillard, said: “We are proud that EPCR will join such an illustrious list of sporting organisations in Lausanne and across the Canton of Vaud which is the latest step in our continued and exciting evolution.

“We have established firm foundations in Neuchatel with valued support from the local authorities, for which we warmly thank all involved. We are now looking forward to being part of a dynamic sporting community which logistically provides us with a great base from which to create outstanding rugby experiences across Europe.”

Oscar Tosato, Municipal Councillor for Sport and Social Cohesion of the City of Lausanne, added: “We are delighted that EPCR has chosen the Olympic capital to set up its headquarters. We are looking forward to welcoming them within our growing international sport community.

“The City of Lausanne is proud to be the home of international sport and the addition of EPCR, who continuously work to develop rugby, is proof that our efforts to provide an environment that is conducive to the development of sports organisations are effective.”

European Handball Federation add integrity to Sportradar partnership

The EHF and Sportradar have agreed an extension to their existing agreement, first announced in June 2017, with the company to provide additional integrity services to the federation and its competitions.

The multi-year deal will supplement the existing relationship between the EHF and Sportradar, which already sees the company provide a range of data, streaming, marketing and digital services across European Cup club competitions.

In this new development, Sportradar’s Fraud Detection System will be employed to safeguard a range of EHF competitions, including the VELUX EHF Champions League, Women’s EHF Champions League and EHF EURO events, from potential threats through the use of its world-leading monitoring tools.

The EHF will also be able to call on Sportradar’s Intelligence and Investigation services, which utilise a team of dedicated intelligence experts to help investigate any organisations or individuals who may be targeting European competitions.

Sportradar’s monitoring tools have been implemented since the start of the year. The Men’s EHF EURO 2018 in Croatia in January 2018 being the first major international EHF event to be monitored.

The company also provided further information on its services during the EHF EURO, with a seminar for delegates and referees held during the event’s final weekend.

Commenting on the new agreement, the EHF Secretary General, Martin Hausleitner, said: “The EHF is committed to protecting the integrity of its flagship club and national team competitions. This further extension to our cooperation with Sportradar brings us in line with many other leading sports organisations and will provide us with the tools and support to be able to maintain European handball’s reputation worldwide.”

Sportradar’s Managing Director of Integrity Services, Andreas Krannich added: “We are very pleased to be able to provide our integrity services to the EHF as we forge an ever-stronger bond with this forward-thinking federation.

“Our expert team has been monitoring matches from the start of the year, using our unique and world-class intelligence and detection systems to flag any attempts to manipulate or corrupt this incredible sport.”

Discovery announces Turkish Airlines as sponsor of Eurosport’s Winter Olympics coverage

Discovery Communications and Turkish Airlines have announced that the national flag carrier airline of Turkey will be the exclusive airline sponsor of Eurosport’s coverage of the Olympic Winter Games 2018 PyeongChang*.

TV adverts for Turkish Airlines will be shown on Eurosport across 48 markets around the opening and closing ceremonies, live coverage, highlights, repeats, and daily news bulletins showcasing every moment from PyeongChang 2018, taking place in South Korea from 9-25th February.

Positioning Turkish Airlines as the exclusive airline sponsor of Eurosport’s Games coverage, the campaign extends its long-standing association with premium sporting events.

The partnership gives Turkish Airlines a prominent position across Eurosport’s comprehensive coverage of the Games as the home of the Olympics in Europe.

With more than 4,000 hours and 100 events, including 900 hours of live action, PyeongChang 2018 will be the first fully digital Games across Europe with every minute, every athlete and every sport available to watch on Eurosport Player.

Jonathan Davies, MD Advertiser Partnerships, Eurosport & Discovery Networks International, said: “We are delighted to partner with Turkish Airlines for our comprehensive coverage of the Olympic Winter Games, which positions them as our exclusive airline sponsor.

“By partnering with just one media owner in Eurosport, Turkish Airlines will bring its long-standing association with sport to life for millions of passionate and engaged fans across 48 European markets.”

Seda Kalyoncu, SVP, Corporate Communications of Turkish Airlines, said: “We are excited to partner with Eurosport for their extensive coverage of the prestigious Olympic Winter Games from PyeongChang 2018.

“The Europe-wide partnership immerses Turkish Airlines into Eurosport’s coverage and is a great fit for our brand which stands out as the airline that flies to more countries than any other.”

*Excludes France 2018-2020. Excludes Russia. Eurosport is an Official Broadcaster in the UK for 2018 and 2020.