Dorna announces Michelin as official tyre supplier for FIM Moto-e World Cup

Dorna has announced Michelin as the official tyre supplier for the upcoming FIM Moto-e World Cup, which begins in 2019.

The supplier for the premier class of Grand Prix racing, MotoGP, Dorna sees Michelin as the ideal collaborator for the new Moto-e World Cup as high-octane racing meets zero emissions.

Pascal Couasnon, Motorsport Director at Michelin, said: “For as long as Michelin has existed, the projects in which it has been involved have sought to take mobility forward, while making it safer, more economical and more respectful of the planet.

“Progress needs all the stakeholders to innovate, not only on the technological front but also in terms of their vision. As motorcycle racing’s first all-electric competition, the FIM Moto-e World Cup’s creation by the FIM [Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme] and Dorna Sports is a concrete, meaningful move in favour of mobility.

“For Michelin, it will provide us with an invaluable laboratory for the development of innovations that will go on to feature on our road tyres. We are consequently delighted to be in at the very beginning of this new championship as a technology partner.”

Pau Serracanta, Managing Director – Commercial Area, Dorna, added: “We are thrilled to extend and strengthen our relationship with Michelin and see them come on board for this new and exciting series.

“The FIM Moto-e World Cup will be synonymous with innovation and we are sure Michelin are the perfect collaborator with whom to embark on this project. Together we will commit to push forward towards a new age of sustainable but thrilling on-track action.”

ThinkSport launches new sport and innovation event ‘The SPOT’

ThinkSport has launched a new event titled ‘The SPOT’ with the aim of uniting the creative imagination and expertise of business, sport, academia, media, IOs, NGOs, as well as the public.

Designed to showcase and promote innovative ideas, products, companies, and best practice, the two-day, international event will engage diverse sectors from Switzerland and beyond, for collaboration, inspiration, and a uniquely enthralling experience.

The inaugural edition of the annual event will take place from 15 to 16 May 2018 at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, and will focus on the following themes:

Connected Sport 
New technology, data analytics, connected venues

New Sport
Latest sporting trends, global expansion of e-sports, e-sports convergence

Performance & Health
Human enhancement & nutrition, latest equipment, materials & design, sporting innovations and knowledge transfer

Media & Marketing
Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, the Cloud, OTT & sponsors, digital security

You can learn more about The SPOT here. There is an early bird rate if you register before 15 February 2018.

Facebook Watch to livestream new WWE series in exclusive deal

Facebook and World Wrestling Enterainment (WWE) have announced a new in-ring series, Mixed Match Challenge, that will be streamed live in the U.S. exclusively on Facebook Watch.

The 12-episode series will air on Facebook’s Watch platform from mid-January and is set to feature WWE Superstars from both the Raw and SmackDown LIVE rosters competing in a single-elimination mixed tag-team tournament.

Each offering is set to feature a progressive approach to production, with elements optimised for mobile consumption, experimentation and social interaction, including the ability for the WWE Universe to engage with Superstars during the show.

Fans will also have the opportunity to select match-ups, match stipulations and more.

Dan Reed, Facebook Head of Global Sports Partnerships, said: “As a leader in entertainment innovation, WWE is an ideal partner to demonstrate how the live sports viewing experience can be reimagined on Facebook Watch.

“Mixed Match Challenge is a new competition produced specifically to take advantage of the reach, interaction and ongoing engagement enabled by our platform.

“Fans will be able to directly influence and interact with the in-ring action, follow the rivalries and storylines in between events, and connect with one another as the drama unfolds.”

Michelle Wilson, WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer, added: “As we continue to expand our strategic partnership with Facebook, this new series, Mixed Match Challenge, jointly reflects our innovative approach to content distribution and fan engagement.

“This show will deliver the action and excitement our passionate fan base is accustomed to while offering new production elements and social experiences that only Facebook can provide.”

READ MORE: Facebook’s live sports strategy – ‘We see ourselves as collaborators with the entire industry’

Jayar Donlan, WWE Executive Vice President, Digital & Social Content, commented: “Mixed Match Challenge demonstrates WWE’s flexibility in creating and producing compelling content across platforms in a media landscape that is evolving each day.

“The social interaction leading up to and during each show will connect WWE Superstars with our massive fan base on Facebook in more ways than ever before.”

Goodform appointed by Formula E to drive global data growth and fan engagement

Sports-focused data and insight agency Goodform has been appointed by Formula E to drive global data growth and fan engagement.

Goodform will be focused on building a better understanding of the current Formula E audience, while bringing new fans into the sport through strategic data acquisition and engaging communication campaigns designed around the different audiences.

“Formula E has seen impressive growth in a number of areas since its start and is an incredibly progressive organisation that everyone at Goodform is proud and excited to be working with,” says Goodform Marketing Director Joe Kyle.

“Our role will be to take Formula E to the next level in terms of data, insight, and fan communications for season four and beyond.”

The 2017/18 season of the FIA Formula E Championship sparked into life in Hong Kong on December 2 & 3, and will stage 14 races, in 11 cities, including new races in Santiago, Rome and Zurich.

Ben Padley, Marketing & Brand Director at Formula E, said: “It’s fantastic news to be working with Goodform on this exciting new partnership. Goodform has unrivalled knowledge in understanding fan-bases across a variety of sports and with their expertise we look to broaden the electric street racing series to a new audience.”

Formula E join Goodform’s already-impressive client list which includes EFL, British Athletics, Silverstone, Premiership Rugby, and British Cycling. The agency’s core services focus on the use of data and insight to drive tangible growth – whether in revenue, participation or membership – or all three at the same time.

The range of Goodform services can be viewed here.

READ MORE: Hugo Boss joins Formula E as official apparel partner

Juliet Slot joins Great British Racing board

Juliet Slot, Ascot’s Commercial Director, will join the board of Great British Racing (GBR) Limited – the marketing and promotional body for British racing – from 1st January 2018.

Slot replaces RCA Chief Executive Stephen Atkin, who has been a board member since 2007 when the organisation was originally known as Racing Enterprises Limited.

Whilst Atkin is set to step down from the board, he will remain an alternate director, representing all three racecourse board members as required, and will also remain Chairman of the Audit Committee.

Slot said of her appointment: “I am very much looking forward to taking on this post on behalf of all independent racecourses. The work of Great British Racing is of great importance to the industry and I am looking forward to being part of the strategy team.”

Tony Langham, Chairman of GBR, said: “Stephen is one of racing’s nice guys and has made an enormous contribution to the success of Great British Racing. His extensive racing industry knowledge has proven invaluable on numerous occasions and he has represented the racecourses very effectively.

“On behalf of the board, I thank him for his years of service and am delighted he will remain an alternate director to the existing racecourse board members, and stays on as Chair of the Audit Committee.

“We are pleased to welcome Juliet Slot to the board, who brings with her a wealth of experience which will be invaluable to the organisation and in shaping its future direction.”

Atkin added: “It has been a privilege to work with Tony Langham, Rod Street, and the talented Great British Racing team, and to have witnessed at first hand the very significant progress made by GBR and the great promotion it provides for our wonderful sport.

“I am delighted that Juliet has accepted the opportunity to represent the RCA and racecourses on the GBR Board and I know she will make a very substantial contribution. I wish Juliet and the whole GBR team the very best for 2018 and beyond, and I am pleased to be able to continue contributing in the years ahead.”

Rugby Australia launches new Super W Competition

Rugby Australia has launched the ‘Super W’ Competition that will re-define the landscape for Women’s XVs Rugby in Australia, with the five-team competition set to kick off in March 2018.

Australia’s five State representative teams; Queensland, NSW, ACT, Victoria, and Western Australia will compete around the country in a six-week competition which will conclude with a final in April.

The new Women’s National XVs competition, Super W, is the second national Women’s Competition to be launched this year after the successful first season of the Aon University Sevens Series that was held from August to September.

In a further exciting development for Women’s Rugby, Rugby Australia has also confirmed it will bid for the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Outgoing Rugby Australia CEO, Bill Pulver, said: “For a young girl picking up a Rugby ball for the first-time next season, she will now have a clear and accessible pathway to represent her country through the Buildcorp Wallaroos and Qantas Australian Women’s Sevens team.

“Super W will allow our Women’s XVs players the opportunity to play in a high-quality competition, fully entrenched within the professional programs at each state giving them access to elite Coaching and High-Performance facilities. This will make the Buildcorp Wallaroos a significantly stronger outfit moving forward.

“The pathway is now complete in both with the Aon University Sevens Series and Super W working in tandem to provide elite opportunities for players in both formats of the game.

“Bidding for the Women’s Rugby World Cup I hope signifies to the community how serious we are about making Rugby a game for all and growing female participation. If we are successful with our bid, it will have an immediate and significant impact on Women’s Rugby.

“The Australian Rugby community has been incredibly proud of the growth of the Women’s Game in recent times and I know that this crucial competition is going to supercharge this growth in future years.”

Three exclusive new events for Betting on Football 2018

Betting on Football 2018 will feature three exclusive new events targeting those involved in affiliate marketing, esports and football based sponsorship.

To mark the fifth edition of the largest international football and betting trade conference, held at Stamford Bridge from 20-23 March, SBC Events will launch the Affiliate Insider Bootcamp, Esports Insider Super Forum and SBC Sponsorship Forum.

The AI Bootcamp (21 March) is a set of sessions for delegates in the affiliate space, with content ranging from digital marketing hacks to the latest innovative technologies.

Lee-Ann Johnstone, the Digital & Affiliate Marketing Jedi behind the AI Bootcamp launch, said: “The Affiliate Insider Bootcamp provides a mix of great networking, tangible insights and in-depth knowledge sharing that is generally unavailable at larger scale events.

“Affiliates and Operators will come together to learn about digital disruption and how to harness this change within their own business to promote long term growth. This event provides intense learning and the ability to gain detailed commercial insight that will spearhead growth in any sports betting affiliate focussed business.”

Featuring six panels and workshops comprising more than 30 esports experts, the ESI Super Forum has been confirmed for the second full day of #bofcon2018 (22 March).

It has been designed to focus on the opportunities and challenges that exist within the worlds of traditional sports and esports, as the two become increasingly intertwined.

Sam Cooke, Editor-in-Chief at Esports Insider, commented: “We’ve built on the success of the recent ESI Forum Series by focusing the ESI Super Forum on a key area which we feel has not been amply attended to in the esports conference space – that is the where traditional sports and esports meet.”

The day two agenda will also include the invite-only SBC Sponsorship Forum, managed by former AC Milan Chief Commercial Officer Jaap Kalma, which looks to bring clubs and betting brands together to discuss opportunities in football.

Kalma added: “Sponsorship is the main marketing expenditure for bookmakers, and betting has become the single largest sponsor category for football clubs. And things aren’t standing still; markets are being regulated, expenditures are growing, and the use of sponsorship has much evolved.

“With such important shared interests, it is not surprising to hear there is a strong need for a dedicated forum where bookmakers and clubs can meet each other. To learn from best practice, to network with other experts, and to find business opportunities. The SBC Sponsorship Forum during Betting on Football has been organized for just that purpose.”

The AI Bootcamp, ESI Super Forum and SBC Sponsorship Forum all double up as stand alone events and individual tracks as part of the wider conference agenda.

The others five tracks are World Cup and beyond, Global Market Profiles, Leadership, Customer Journey and Betting on Innovation, a series of presentations by companies attempting to grow their business by bringing an innovative product to market.

Don’t miss out on the current 25% Early Bird Discount on tickets for Betting on Football 2018 – Go HERE to get it!
There are also still sponsorship and exhibition opportunities available – for enquiries about these please contact us on sales@sbcnews.co.uk.

Manchester City becomes first Premier League club to launch Facebook Messenger instant games

Manchester City has become the first Premier League club to explore instant games on the Facebook Messenger platform as a means of providing fans with another unique digital experience.

Commenting on Manchester City’s commitment to uncovering innovative fan engagement opportunities, Nuria Tarre, Chief Marketing Officer for City Football Group, said: “We are constantly introducing unique ways for our local and global fan base to connect with Manchester City via exclusive content across a broad spectrum of digital platforms.

“With over 27 million followers on Facebook, our social media network represents one of our most important means of reaching our fans and providing them with the content they want to enjoy. Facebook Messenger Instant Games is another way for us to connect with our fans and we look forward to seeing how this new digital offering could grow.”

Manchester City Football Striker, exclusive to Facebook and accessible to all across the globe, allows supporters to challenge fellow City supporters – and their friends – at home and on the go.

Game features include a cartoon footballer in action on the Etihad Stadium pitch and puts fans in control of the action. Fans get the chance to play as different Manchester City players with the aim of accurately striking as many bouncing balls as possible to advance in competitions, earn coins and unlock more players.

Fans can play anytime, anywhere, to have their high score added to the leader board. This means fans in the UK can now easily compete against their counterparts in Europe, Asia, the US and beyond.

READ MORE: ‘The tip of the iceberg’: Facebook’s Jerry Newman talks sports broadcast strategies, recurring audiences and OTT

Bozena Rezab, CEO and Co-founder of Gamee, who collaborated with Manchester City on the production of the Club’s new Facebook Instant Game feature, added: “Manchester City’s commitment to digital innovation is truly making a mark on the world of sport.

“To see a football club offer a suite of engaging apps, push the boundaries with VR and even host hackathons is unheard of. It was a fantastic experience to work with such an innovative team; Manchester City is definitely one to watch and I am looking forward to seeing what they do next.”

Manchester City’s Facebook Messenger Instant Game comes following a successful couple of seasons in which the Club not only introduced official platforms on Apple News, Amazon Fire TV and Dugout, but launched a new, global fan engagement platform and continued to see its esports activity develop and progress around the world.

Olympic Channel announces six new federation partners

The Olympic Channel has today announced that it has reached cooperation agreements with the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS), and the international governing bodies for fistball, muaythai, polo, powerlifting and tug of war to collaborate on content for the multi-platform global media destination.

The agreements with AIMS, International Fistball Association (IFA), International Federation of Muaythai Amateur (IFMA), Federation of International Polo (FIP), International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) and Tug of War International Federation (TWIF) bring the number of partners who have announced similar agreements with the Olympic Channel to 63.

Federation partners include international sports federations (IFs), recognised federations and organisations, multi-sport organisers and non-recognised federations.

“We are excited to welcome these organisations to the Olympic Channel’s robust family of federation partners,” said Mark Parkman, general manager of the IOC’s global Olympic Channel.

“As we look ahead to 2018, we are in a great position to promote all sports and athletes within the Olympic Movement, and help to distribute their content and grow their audiences worldwide.”

In addition to live event streaming, the Olympic Channel works with its federation partners to present event coverage, highlights, magazine shows, news coverage and original programming providing an additional platform to distribute content that are complementary to current broadcast and distribution arrangements.

The Olympic Channel is a multi-platform destination where fans can experience the power of sport and the excitement of the Olympic Games all year round, and is available worldwide via mobile apps for Android and iOS devices and at olympicchannel.com.

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iSportconnect adds Sky Sports and ICC to Broadcast Masterclass lineup

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

Jonathan Licht, Director of Strategy at Sky Sports, and Aarti Dabas, Head of Media Rights, Broadcast & Digital at the International Cricket Council, will bring significant value to the content programme, courtesy of extensive expertise in the broadcast space.

Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport, has also been confirmed as a guest speaker for the event, which 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.

Staying ahead of the broadcast curve has never been more difficult, with new opportunities coming online every single day, and the event offers a unique opportunity for leading executives to learn more about a crucial sector of the sports industry.

Debates are set to include a number of crunch topics, including the rise of OTT and the future of the broadcast rights landscape, while a series of networking sessions will ensure those in attendance are able to share experiences and best practises.

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

No agencies or press will be in attendance and, as we follow Chatham House Rules, all panel discussions will remain confidential, allowing delegates to forge new relationships in a relaxed atmosphere.

A full speaker lineup for the event will be confirmed in due course. Please contact Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to register your interest in attending.