Red Bull unveil plans for new global ‘Pump Track’ cycling series

Red Bull has teamed up with Velosolutions to launch new global cycling race series ‘Red Bull Pump Track World Championship’.

The series plans to take pump track racing to a new level and bring a fresh face to bike racing all around the world from New Zealand, USA, Chile, India, France, Japan and in the UK,.

Qualifier events will take place around the world ahead of the grand final in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, which will coincide with the UCI MTB World Championships.

Claudio Caluori said: “We are extremely grateful for all the adventures, new friendships, countries and cultures we have experienced around the world during Velosolutions pump track constructions.

“Through our partnership with Red Bull we can now give something back, The Red Bull Pump Track World Championship gives riders from around the world the chance to be a World Champion and make their country proud.”

BBC agrees deal to broadcast 2018 All England Badminton Championships

The BBC has agreed a deal to broadcast every day of the 2018 All England Championships live on its digital platforms.

The agreement follows the BBC’s commitment to broadcast 1,000 extra hours of live sport a year online.

Adrian Christy, Chief Executive of the Championships’ organisers Badminton England, said: “To have the BBC back on board broadcasting every day of the YONEX All England live is another significant milestone for our sport and one I am sure will play a significant part in inspiring even more than the one million adults who currently play badminton each month in England alone.

“We are in no doubt that there is demand from sports fans right across the UK to have access to a wider variety of sport online and on their TV screens – and live, world class badminton brings all the action, emotion and drama fans expect.”

Badminton was initially one of five sports to lose all its funding for the next Olympic and Paralympic cycle but UK Sport has now altered its stance and announced plans to fund world bronze medallists Gabby and Chris Adcock for the 2020 Olympics.

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London to host new ‘Athletics World Cup’ as part of #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign

London will host a new Athletics World Cup later this year as part of the Mayor of London’s #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign.

The competition format will feature all field and track events up to and including the 1500m will star USA, Great Britain & Northern Ireland, Poland, China, Germany, France, Jamaica and South Africa. The event takes place under floodlights across Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 July at the London Stadium.

Richard Bowker CBE, Chair, UK Athletics, said: “The Athletics World Cup London 2018 will be one of the biggest athletics events in 2018 and as such we’re thrilled to be able to launch it at the London Stadium. This is world-class competition where nation will face nation and fans will see an amazing feast of athletics over two days featuring many of the biggest global superstars in the world of sport.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, added: “It’s fitting that each nation competing in the Athletics World Cup will be captained by a woman as we mark the centenary of the first women securing the right to vote, I am delighted British Athletics has joined me in the #BehindEveryGreatCity campaign to support the continuing success of women and our push for greater gender equality from all backgrounds.”

IAAF president, Sebastian Coe, said: “This is one of the exciting innovative events we are seeing in our sport and our thanks go to British Althletics and the Mayor of London for creating it and hosting it. We have 8 lanes, 8 top nations, 8 teams and a host of world class athletes lining up in each event to win the trophy and prize pot. This will be a fast-paced and exhilarating experience for athletes and fans.”

Formula 1 announces ‘Grid Kids’ in partnership with FIA to make races ‘more relevant’

Formula 1 has announced the introduction of ‘Grid Kids’ in partnership with FIA to make its races more relevant for young fans. The move follows its recent to decision to ban ‘Grid Girls’.

Both Formula 1 and FIA will work alongside Grand Prix promoters ASNs – the FIA-recognised national sporting authorities – to provide a unique opportunity to youngsters and their families to be part of each race weekend.

Sean Bratches, F1 managing director of commercial operations, said: “This will be an extraordinary moment for these youngsters: imagine, standing beside their heroes, watch as they prepare to race, the elite of the elite in motorsport, to be there, alongside them in those precious few minutes just before the start.

“What an unforgettable experience, for them, and their families. An inspiration to keep driving, training and learning so that they can dream of one day being there themselves. What better way to inspire the next generation of Formula 1 heroes.”

FIA President, Jean Todt, added: “Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motor sport and the dream of every young racer competing the junior series that make up the FIA’s single-seater pyramid, from karting all the way to F1.

“We are therefore delighted to bring that dream a little closer by giving the future champions of our sport the opportunity to stand alongside their heroes on the grid in the build-up to the race start.

“For the wider FIA, this is an excellent initiative that provides additional support to our member ASNs in their efforts to grow motorsport worldwide through a unique reward they can make available to youngsters participating in their national series.”

Disrupting sports broadcasting: hidden opportunities for sports streamers

Winter has come for American sports fans in the best possible way, as the weekend’s thrilling Super Bowl will be followed by two weeks of Olympic competition.

I know I am not the only one eagerly awaiting live curling in the pre-dawn hours. Yet, as viewing habits change, more Americans will stream these events instead of watching them on a TV set.

Younger generations are leading the streaming revolution; GfK MRI data shows that 70% of Millennials (+20 points from Americans overall) and 76% of Gen Now (+26 pts) used a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu in the last month.

Streaming is essential to reach and engage younger sports fans, and Millennial sports fans in particular represent a tremendous opportunity for sports broadcasters and marketers.

While 41% say they are willing to pay for sports content (+16 points from Americans overall and +12 points from sports fans overall), only eight percent currently pay for it.

NBC is fully embracing streaming in February. There were 11 hours of streaming content surrounding the Super Bowl, and for the first time the Olympic opening ceremony will be streamed live. NBC is not the only one going all in on streaming: this spring, ESPN Plus will go live, and in the fall, Turner Sports will place most of their UEFA Champions League soccer games on a new streaming service.

Staying ahead of the broadcast 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.

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Interestingly, teams are also shifting to streaming. In a groundbreaking partnership, MLS’s Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) announced this week that YouTubeTV will hold their local media rights. The move by LAFC and Turner Sports makes sense as soccer fans are more likely to use a streaming service than sports fans overall (57% vs 50%).

While it’s clear that broadcasters are boosting the accessibility of streamed sports content to meet the needs of the market and capitalise on the sports rights they own, are they prepared to use engagement to keep fans coming back, and paying, for more?

New research has identified a few ways to capture the opportunity that Millennial sports fans present.

Creating a conversation

Millennial sports fans value online communities, and 62% think that virtual interactions can be as good as in-person ones. So how can streaming outlets foster a community? E-sports platforms like Twitch are a great case study, as they allow online spectators to interact with each other and the players in real time. Perhaps TV networks can provide a way for fans to discuss the starting line-up and other key decisions in real time through their streaming services.

Getting personal

Being able to customise the streaming experience will also help attract and keep Millennial sports fans, as 79% tend to prefer products that are tailored to their needs (+15 points from Americans overall). And personalisation that integrates home technology and digital assistants would be even better, with Millennial sports fans being more likely to describe their home as a high tech zone (42%, +14 points from Americans overall) and 1 in 5 having a home assistant like Amazon Echo in their house. Perhaps in the future, Alexa can help tailor a viewing schedule for fans and I won’t have to go hunting to see what channel curling is on at 4 AM.

The good news is that the engagement of Millennial sports fans can lead to advocacy. Sixty-two percent typically go out of their way to tell others about products and services they like, paving the way for future growth.

While Millennials are a commonly decried as disruptors, they can truly lead the way to new revenue streams in the sports world and hopefully, a life-long relationship with teams and the content providers that connect them.

About the contributor

Adam Swift is a Senior Analyst on the Consumer Life team at GfK

PepsiCo renews UEFA Champions League partnership

PepsiCo has extended its partnership with the UEFA Champions League for the 2018-21 cycle.

The new agreement also includes sponsorship rights for the UEFA Super Cup in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Commenting on the deal, Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Events SA Marketing Director, said: “Since joining the UEFA Champions League partner family in 2015, PepsiCo and its brands have promoted the competition globally and we are pleased to continue our strong relationship into the 2018-21 cycle.

“From innovative digital activations, to on-pack promotions in over 100 markets, PepsiCo is the perfect partner for UEFA as we continue to build interest and awareness of the UEFA Champions League around the world.

“The UEFA Champions League Final Opening Ceremony presented by Pepsi has brought new audiences to the competition and we look forward to another exciting show in Kyiv.”

Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo Global President, added: “PepsiCo has a great, storied history with the game of football, which is why we’re delighted to be renewing our partnership with the UEFA Champions League. Over the past three years this has been a powerful, exciting platform, and we remain committed to bringing the best of football to millions of fans across the world.”

PepsiCo’s deal represents the third partnership extension for the 2018-21 sponsorship sales process for the UEFA Champions League, with Heineken and Nissan signing new deals, while Santander has joined as a new partner.

The San Jose Earthquakes signs CEFCU as official credit union partner

The San Jose Earthquakes has agreed a deal with CEFCU as its official credit union partner.

As part of the partnership, Earthquake and CEFCU will collaborate to come up with exclusive programs for CEFCU members. CEFCU members will further enjoy exclusive opportunities with the Quakes throughout the 2018 season such as a merchandise discount and an exclusive postgame event.

The partnership will also introduce the Movie Night Series at Avaya Stadium and in addition will have a Fan Photo Contest that will offer fans an opportunity to win a VIP package for the series.

Earthquakes chief operating officer Jared Shawlee said: “We are looking forward to collaborating with CEFCU and providing San Jose with unique and fulfilling events together. This partnership has a strong community focus that will give Quakes fans, CEFCU members and the Bay Area opportunities to enjoy Avaya Stadium in new ways, honor local teachers and help prepare kids for school.”

FIBA unveils a new initiative called Fast Break to support basketball healthcare personnel

FIBA has introduced a new quarterly publication called Fast Break to support basketball healthcare support personnel.

The first edition introduces the research on topics like the importance of ball control and self-regulatory skills; the epidemiology of illness at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games; an analysis of sprain injury cases and an evaluation of a shoulder injury prevention program in Wheelchair basketball.

Peter Harcourt, chairman of FIBA’s medical commission, said: “We are delighted to present the first edition of FIBA’s Fast Break, an initiative to support team medical personnel and courtesy of our Canadian friends. This initiative is the outcome of the FIBA Medical Commission’s work and it aims to assist with evidence-based healthcare practice in basketball. We will be publishing Fast Break every three months and plan to distribute it to as many team doctors, physiotherapists and sport trainers as possible.”

Patrick Baumann, FIBA secretary general and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member, said: “I would like to congratulate the Medical Commission for completing this important milestone and thank its members for their great efforts to reach out to the basketball community as well as for providing the highest quality of sports medicine knowledge. This resource will strengthen FIBA’s healthcare program for the benefit of all players.”

 

World Snooker renews its official data partnership with Sportradar

World Snooker has extended its official data partnership with Sportradar.

As part of the deal, Sportradar will continue to  manage official data from the leading snooker events to reach fans across devices, platforms and countries.

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said: “We started our relationship with Sportradar back in 2010 and   we have been continually impressed by the way they have brought  new ideas, growth and value to World Snooker.

They have unrivalled quality of product and the best distribution reach in the industry  and they have supported us on a great journey growing the interest and commercial success of the sport. Working with the team in the UK and beyond, we’re delighted to continue our tie-up as we head towards our second decade of working together”.

Managing director group operations at Sportradar David Lampitt said: “Snooker continues to grow as a sport with die-hard fans, new and young followers and of course growing fanbases in Asia. We are proud that World Snooker continues to see us as the right partner to help them serve those snooker followers and bring them ever closer to the players, the tournaments and the sport in general”.

 

International Federation of Sport Climbing signs Japan Airlines as main partner

International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) has signed Japan Airlines as its main partner.

As part of the partnership, Japan Airlines will support the development of sport climbing in 2018. Sport climbing will feature for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires this year and at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Japan Airlines will be present throughout the 2018 season during IFSC events and activities and will also be represented on IFSC social media.

IFSC president Marco Scolaris said: “We are thrilled to have such a committed partner sharing  the  same  vision  and  passion  for  aiming higher,  especially  during  a  period  of  substantial growth and new opportunities for sport climbing. We are looking forward to flying  into  the  challenges  of  tomorrow with Japan Airlines.”

IFSC vice president sports/events Kobinata Toru said: “It has been wonderful to see the evolution of our sport in Japan, a leader in sport climbing. The depth   of   the   climbing   community   in   Japan   is expanding  as  we  prepare  to  welcome  the  Olympic Games in Tokyo, and this new partnership between Japan Airlines and the IFSC is an example and agent of this positive change.”