Premiership Rugby to be shown on terrestrial TV for the first time

Premiership Rugby has confirmed that history will be made at Twickenham Stadium later this month with Harlequins vs Northampton Saints set to be the League’s first match to be broadcast live on terrestrial TV.

In a landmark move for the sport, the match will be simulcast on BT Sport and Channel 5, the first of five matches to be shown by the terrestrial broadcaster this season.

The fixture comes as part of a new four-year deal, which includes a Sunday evening highlights programme showcasing the best of Aviva Premiership Rugby.

Channel 5’s coverage will be presented by Mark Durden-Smith and former England prop David Flatman, who said of the upcoming game: “There’s always a huge buzz during the festive period when the fans turn out in big numbers at Twickenham.

“It’s a privilege to see in the New Year with some of the top performers in a head to head battle.”

The Big Game, hosted annually by Harlequins as one of their regular home games, takes place each December at Twickenham.

Channel 5’s coverage at Twickenham Stadium will be produced by Sunset + Vine who has been producing live coverage of the Premiership since 2009.

Commonwealth Games Federation ‘close’ to 2022 host city decision

Birmingham could face an extended wait until next year to find out if it will be chosen to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) said today that they are “confident” a city will be chosen within four weeks before adding the decision deadline is flexible.

Louise Martin, President of the CGF, said in a statement: “When the CGF General Assembly took the difficult decision to reallocate the 2022 Commonwealth Games, it delegated the Federation’s Executive Board the responsibility to award the Games.

“It is essential that we have fully examined all aspects of the cities’ bid submissions and expressions of interest, and that we are fully satisfied that the ultimate host for 2022 is capable of staging a Games that fully delivers for Commonwealth athletes and host communities.

“The CGF is close to making a decision to select the host city of the 2022 Games. We thank all nations who have participated in the process. We are also close to achieving significant Games legacy objectives, however we have been asked to provide a little more time in order for these to be realised, and in the interest of good partnership we have decided to allow this.

“The CGF is confident that we will make a final decision regarding the selection of a host city for 2022 before the year-end, but we will continue to remain flexible and collaborative in a true sense of partnership with potential hosts so that, above all, we have a decision that the entire Commonwealth can get behind.”

The bidding process has been plagued with problems after the South African city of Durban was originally awarded hosting rights before being stripped of the event for not meeting the CGF criteria.

Birmingham’s subsequent bid was also deemed to have failed to meet criteria, leading the CGF to extend the deadline for bids. Last week, the CGF confirmed it had received updates from Australia, Canada and Malaysia – but stopped short of confirming any official bids.

Sony extends title sponsorship of PGA Tour event in Hawaii

The PGA TOUR and Sony Corporation (Sony), which enters its 20th year as title sponsor of the Sony Open in Hawaii, have agreed to extend their partnership by another four years, through 2022.

The new agreement will commence following the 2018 tournament in January. The upcoming Sony Open in Hawaii will mark the 20th year of Sony’s sponsorship, tying it for the third-longest tenured title sponsor on the PGA TOUR.

Kazuo Hirai, President and CEO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Sony Corporation, said: “2018 will be the momentous 20th anniversary of the Sony Open in Hawaii.I am proud to announce that Sony has decided to renew its sponsorship once again, through 2022.”

To us, the Sony Open is not just a golf tournament; it has allowed us to provide continuous support to the local Hawaiian community. Together with everyone involved in organizing the tournament and our charitable partners at The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, we hope to continue contributing to the people of Hawaii.”

PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, said: “As we approach the 20th anniversary of Sony’s sponsorship of the Sony Open in Hawaii, it’s important to recognize the impact Sony has had on the tournament’s stability, success and growth since 1999.

“We congratulate Sony for reaching this milestone in 2018 as one of our longest continuous tournament sponsors, and we thank them for extending this outstanding partnership for another four years.”

The tournament has been held at Waialae Country Club since its debut in 1965. In 1999, Friends of Hawaii Charities, Inc., became the host organization and Sony became title sponsor.

The following year, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc., became the Sony Open’s charity partner. Since 1999, approximately $17 million has been distributed to 350 Hawaii not-for-profit organizations. More than $1 million has been raised annually since 2005.

Sony extends title sponsorship of PGA Tour event in Hawaii

The PGA TOUR and Sony Corporation (Sony), which enters its 20th year as title sponsor of the Sony Open in Hawaii, have agreed to extend their partnership by another four years, through 2022.

The new agreement will commence following the 2018 tournament in January. The upcoming Sony Open in Hawaii will mark the 20th year of Sony’s sponsorship, tying it for the third-longest tenured title sponsor on the PGA TOUR.

Kazuo Hirai, President and CEO, Representative Corporate Executive Officer, Sony Corporation, said: “2018 will be the momentous 20th anniversary of the Sony Open in Hawaii.I am proud to announce that Sony has decided to renew its sponsorship once again, through 2022.”

To us, the Sony Open is not just a golf tournament; it has allowed us to provide continuous support to the local Hawaiian community. Together with everyone involved in organizing the tournament and our charitable partners at The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, we hope to continue contributing to the people of Hawaii.”

PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, said: “As we approach the 20th anniversary of Sony’s sponsorship of the Sony Open in Hawaii, it’s important to recognize the impact Sony has had on the tournament’s stability, success and growth since 1999.

“We congratulate Sony for reaching this milestone in 2018 as one of our longest continuous tournament sponsors, and we thank them for extending this outstanding partnership for another four years.”

The tournament has been held at Waialae Country Club since its debut in 1965. In 1999, Friends of Hawaii Charities, Inc., became the host organization and Sony became title sponsor.

The following year, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc., became the Sony Open’s charity partner. Since 1999, approximately $17 million has been distributed to 350 Hawaii not-for-profit organizations. More than $1 million has been raised annually since 2005.

BT Sport app to broadcast 360° highlights and instant replays

BT has today announced plans to make 360° highlights and instant replays from a range of major sporting events available on the BT Sport App.

Starting tonight with the UEFA Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, BT Sport will show highlights and replays of a minimum of 20 sporting events in 360° before June 2018.

All of the 360° video can be enjoyed with or without a VR headset. The highlights and replays will be available alongside standard replays in the timeline on the BT Sport App’s award-winning enhanced video player.

This offers viewers the chance to select different camera angles and viewpoints, not normally seen in broadcast, to re-watch key incidents during the sporting events, and is the first time that they will also be able to choose to watch in 360°.

Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer, BT Sport, said: “This is another first for 360° broadcasting. It’s another step forward in broadcast innovation that will give BT Sport the best possible viewing experience and shows BT Sport continues its commitment to be at the heart of this.

“We’re passionate about sport and technology and want to continue to explore new ways to combine them for the benefit of our viewers and bring them closer to the action.”

Broadcasting is dead – and more alive and dynamic than ever before in the digital world. Click here to register your interest in attending iSportconnect’s 2018 Broadcast Masterclass.

TAG Heuer announces Copa Libertadores partnership

Swiss luxury watch brand TAG Heuer has announced a new partnership with the CONMEBOL Libertadores for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

As part of the agreement, TAG Heuer will become the official timekeeper and official watch for all the matches organised by the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores competition, starting January 2018.

CONMEBOL professional referees will be equipped with TAG Heuer Connected watches sporting a special referee application to support them in tracking time during the game.

Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer and President of the LVMH Watch Group Division, said: “Football is the most popular sport in the world. With football, we communicate passion, emotion, team spirit, strategy, victory.

“Values that are also carried by our brand and more importantly by the people who buy and wear our watches. Today, we are proud to announce this partnership which sees TAG Heuer teaming up with the CONMEBOL Libertadores, the most prestigious club competition in South America.”

Alejandro Dominguez, President of CONMEBOL, added: “TAG Heuer has an established heritage in sports, with both a track record of excellence and an attitude that constantly seeks to conquer new challenges.

“We are delighted to announce this partnership for the CONMEBOL Libertadores, a club competition that has inspired South America for decades with values like teamwork, self-belief, and a fighting spirit. Moreover, TAG Heuer’s commitment to accuracy, consistency and technical innovation are values that CONMEBOL seeks to promote in refereeing of all its competitions.”

BBC and ITV announce World Cup 2018 fixtures split

The BBC and ITV have today announced the games each channel will broadcast to UK audiences for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The two terrestrial stations will split tournament coverage, with the BBC set to broadcast England’s opening two Group G games against Tunisia and Panama.

The Three Lions’ final group match versus Belgium will be shown live on ITV, who will have first pick of fixtures in the last 16.

The BBC will have the first two choices of quarter-final games – including England’s if they progress that far – while both channels Both BBC and ITV will broadcast the final live.

Philip Bernie, BBC head of TV Sport, said: “We’re delighted with our selection of matches, which sees the BBC bring England’s first two games of the competition live to our audiences – as well as their potential quarter final.

“We are also very pleased to be showcasing the skills of the world’s best players, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, in five of their group matches.

“The BBC is proud to be offering such an enticing array of games on football’s biggest stage, as we look to deliver to audiences unprecedented, extensive access to World Cup content across TV, radio, online and social media.”

Niall Sloane, ITV director of sport, added: “Once again, the World Cup starts on ITV with the host country’s opening game on 14 June and we have live coverage of some of most outstanding matches drawn from the group stages with England v Belgium as well as all three of tournament joint favourites Brazil’s games.”

Atlético de Madrid and Caixabank renew their partnership until 2022

Atlético de Madrid and Caixabank have extended their partnership until 2022.

The announcement was made by Enrique Cerezo, president of Atlético de Madrid, and Gonzalo Gortázar, CEO of Caixa Bank in a private event in the Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico and Caixbank have been working together for more than two decades.

Gortázar said: “This renewal reaffirms our commitment to CaixaBank’s strategy to become the bank of football clubs in Spain.

“Maintaining our partnership with Atlético de Madrid allows us to work with one of the great Spanish and European football teams.”

Australian Open appoints Vegemite as official ballkid partner

Vegemite has agreed a deal to become the official ballkid partner of the Australian Open tennis tournament.

The partnership will cover the 2018 Australian Open, which runs from January 15-28 in Melbourne. As part of the partnership, Vegemite has named Australian player Ashleigh Barty as Vegemite ambassador for the ballkids.

The ballkid squad includes 304 Victorians, 18 from elsewhere in Australia and 28 from France, China and Korea.

Adam McNamara, general manager of Bega Foods and Vegemite, said: “Vegemite can’t wait to kick off the partnership with the Australian Open ballkid squad, who are one of the most visible assets of the entire tournament.

“The Australian Open is such an iconic event and by fuelling the ballkids we will also be showcasing Australia’s most loved spread to the world.

“The Vegemite brand is focused on vitality, with Vegemite being one of the richest sources of B Vitamins, we are thrilled to be helping fuel the AO ballkids in 2018.”

Catapult signs league-wide deal with Rugby Football League

The Rugby Football League (RFL) has partnered with Catapult Sports to enhance its existing innovation credentials.

As part of the agreement, Catapult will supply 390 S5 tracking units and integrate athlete performance monitoring platform amongst all twelve teams in the Super League and the England National Rugby League team. These will be used in both training and matches throughout 2018.

The partnership will also explore live match-day tracking using Catapult’s ClearSky technology. The RFL and Catapult will further investigate data commercialisation opportunities to use live metrics supported by Catapult for the 2018 Super League season.

Roger Draper, RFL’s chief commercial officer, said: “Catapult’s wearable analytics will be deployed to all twelve of our Super League teams, having already been used by the England Men’s National Team at the Rugby League World Cup 2017.

“The RFL have long been associated with technology innovation and our partnership with Catapult enhances our technology credentials as we explore new opportunities for live match-day tracking and grassroots wearables.

“We selected Catapult for their analytics platform capabilities, their service model and the opportunity to explore new commercial opportunities. We are extremely excited about the partnership for the Super League and our teams.”

Joe Powell, Catapult’s chief executive officer, added: “We’re delighted to be able to work in partnership with the RFL and the Super League as they ramp up their use of innovative technology to enhance performance amongst their athletes and teams.

“We’re equally excited to explore potential data broadcast opportunities, following the success of this year’s State of Origin project. The pursuit of league-wide deals continues to be a key focus for us here at Catapult and we’re grateful to RFL for the opportunity to partner.”