Italian Rugby Federation partners with Wattbike to improve players’ fitness

The Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) and Wattbike have today announced a new partnership, with the aim of optimising the Italian Rugby Team, Benetton Rugby and Zebre Rugby Club fitness.

Together they are aiming to develop individual protocols for those players who need to improve or maintain their fitness standards whilst reducing their training on the field.

Wattbike, a leader in developing high level indoor cycling trainers, has supplied FIR with four of its Wattbike Pro bikes and will develop the partnership by working closely with FIR and franchise staff.

Pete Atkinson, Lead of Human Performance at FIR, said: “Working with a technology partner such as Wattbike allows us the opportunity to boost the National Team and PRO14 franchise’s physical preparation.

“It helps us be efficient with players who need to offload following a matchday, or those with a background of injury, in order to maintain the highest possible level of fitness.

“The intention is to develop the partnership and use Wattbike’s bespoke knowledge to help us prescribe specific sessions to our athletes. As we develop the partnership, they will send their staff to share information with our staff on cycling and cycling fitness. It represents a great option to be smart, and more and more precise in our training.”

Richard Baker, Managing Director at Wattbike, added: “Wattbike was founded on being the world’s most accurate, reliable and measurable bike ergometer. This, combined with our unique resistance system, offers the complete off feet training tool.

“Over the past five years we have worked with top rugby players and teams from around the world to understand the best ways the Wattbike can be used to enhance player performance.

“Having the opportunity to work with the FIR and be part of their journey to develop the competitiveness of their national team is something we are very proud to be part of. We look forward to sharing our knowledge and training expertise as they seek to take the national team to the next level.”

iSportconnect announces Nielsen Sports as Dubai Summit event partner

iSportconnect is delighted to announce Nielsen Sports as an official event partner for the Dubai Summit.

Sree Varma, founder and CEO of iSportconnect, said: “I am delighted to have Nielsen’s expertise on board for such an important event on iSportconnect’s global calendar.

“I look forward to working with Jon and his team as our wider network of members and partners get their first official glimpse of the Middle East market and learn more about the abundance of opportunities available in the region.”

Jon Long, Nielsen Sports’ Managing Director in the Middle East, added: “Nielsen has a strong network of offices throughout the region through which we provide sports measurement and insight to a growing network of local and global clients.

“We are delighted to be an official partner of the Dubai Summit and look forward to the combination of learning and networking for our experienced Middle East-based team and many of our valued clients.”

The event will be held in the lavish surroundings of Address Boulevard – the newest lifestyle address located in the prestigious Downtown Dubai area – on November 29, 2017.

Ample break-out sessions on the day will give an intimate capacity of 150 top-tier executives an opportunity to take part in captivating conversations, build new relationships and – crucially – discover the local market.

About Nielsen Sports

Our Dubai-based team of sports and entertainment specialists analyse TV, social media and consumer data on all of the major sports in the region – including football, Formula 1, golf, cricket, cycling, horse racing and martial arts – and many of the leading events and entertainment properties.

We are proud to bring our global best practice to the growing sports and entertainment industry in the region. Nielsen has a strong presence in the Middle East and North Africa and our integration is enabling us to provide deeper and more actionable local insights than ever before.

There is limited space for this exclusive event so please email Chris Edbrook (chris@isportconnect.com) to confirm your interest in attending.

ECB announces new six-year media rights deal with beIN Media Group

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced a new six-year broadcast rights agreement with beIN Media Group for international and domestic cricket coverage in the Middle East and North Africa.

The deal will give beIN Media Group rights to screen coverage from all ECB’s home international men’s and women’s series as well as its domestic competitions from next summer through to the end of the 2024 season.

The new deal will also include next summer’s tours by India and Pakistan as well as the next home Ashes series against Australia in 2019 plus action from the T20 Blast, Royal London One-Day Cup, the Specsavers County Championship and the ECB’s new eight-team T20 competition which launches in 2020.

As part of the agreement, beIN Media Group has announced plans to introduce a dedicated beIN SPORTS cricket channel in the MENA region in 2018. The channel will screen the broadcaster’s portfolio of premium international and domestic cricket, including ECB and Cricket Australia content, as well as original programming, documentaries and magazine shows.

ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison, CEO of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said: “We’re very pleased to welcome beIN MediaGroup to our broader family of broadcast partners and excited by their plans to create their own dedicated cricket channel for the first time.

“Our international and domestic teams are attracting an ever-expanding global audience and this new partnership will give even more cricket fans worldwide an opportunity to follow all the action and excitement from our game.

“With the 2019 home men’s and women’s Ashes series and India’s next tour to England among the highlights viewers can look forward to in the next two years – this is a comprehensive and compelling package of rights which will help give cricket excellent exposure in the MENA region.”

Yousef Al-Obaidly, Deputy CEO, beIN Media Group, added: “Today’s announcement strengthens beIN Media Group’s sports portfolio, bringing more of the world’s best cricket to fans across the Middle East and North Africa.

“We are thrilled to partner with the ECB at such an exciting time for English cricket, building on a similar agreement signed this month with Cricket Australia. Together, these acquisitions and the upcoming launch of our dedicated cricket channel will deliver high quality, in-depth cricket coverage to the rapidly growing audience in the MENA region.

“These agreements are the latest in our ambitious plans to deliver more sports coverage across the region and further enhance our position as the undisputed first choice sports and entertainment broadcaster.”

Vauxhall retains title sponsorship of 2018 international North West 200

Northern Ireland’s International North West 200 motorcycle race has retained the support of Vauxhall for the 2018 event.

“Vauxhall is delighted to return as title sponsor for a sixth year,” said Simon Oldfield, Vauxhall’s Marketing Director. “We are very much looking forward to reaching out to thousands of motorcycle fans through our sponsorship of this great event.”

The securing of the car giant’s continued sponsorship is a huge boost for Event Director, Mervyn Whyte and his North West 200 team as the event moves toward its 90th birthday celebrations.

“We are delighted to have Vauxhall’s support once again as we approach this landmark occasion in the International North West 200’s history,” Whyte said.

“The support we receive from Vauxhall is vital in running an international event which attracts the best road racers in the world each year. The 2017 races culminated in a fantastic superbike race battle between Glenn Irwin and Alastair Seeley that will still be fresh in every fan’s memory.

“With Vauxhall behind us we will be aiming to hit those same spectacular heights next May.”

NFL announces three-year extension to NFL Mexico Game deal

Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism and the National Football League (NFL) have announced an agreement to play three NFL regular-season games in Mexico from 2019 to 2021.

The agreement, which was announced prior to Sunday’s second-ever NFL Mexico Game at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, will be formalised by both parties at a later date.

The Ministry of Tourism highlighted the importance of high impact sporting events for the promotion of Mexico’s tourism both nationally and internationally. This agreement is part of the strategies that are implemented within this sector to increase economic impact.

These events have provided economic benefits to Mexico City and the country as well, by supporting the tourism sector and offering out country a platfom to be promoted internationally within the main markets that generate tourists.

The relationship with the league has served as a platform to significantly boost the tourism industry in Mexico, with fans taking advantage of the opportunity to expand their trips and explore the country.

London fixtures and the Mexico games form the NFL International Series, which has been designed to help the popular North American sport extend its fanbase into other regions.

READ MORE: Alistair Kirkwood on NFL UK’s future, a London-based franchise and Tottenham’s new stadium

Eleven Sports expands offering with launch of fourth channel in Poland

Eleven Sports has today launched a fourth channel in Poland, building on the success the platform has achieved in the market since launch in August 2015.

The new service, Eleven Sports 4, will be available exclusively to nc+ subscribers for the first three months. The channel will be available at no extra charge in the extended basic tier and in other premium plans.

After the first three months, Eleven Sports 4 will be available beyond nc+ subscribers, marking the third time in just over two years that Eleven has added a new channel, once more delivering on the promise of increased access for fans.

Eleven Sports 4 will provide fans with improved access to premium action from Bundesliga, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and many other top sports properties – creating space for Eleven to deliver leading content it had previously not been able to show.

Eleven’s existing channels in Poland – Eleven, Eleven Sports and Eleven Extra – will also be rebranded as Eleven Sports 1, Eleven Sports 2 and Eleven Sports 3.

Danny Menken, Group Managing Director, Eleven Sports, said: “The launch of Eleven Sports 4 ensures we steadily increase our market share in Poland while also meeting the growing demand for Eleven Sports among fans by making our world-class sports content more readily available.

“We air more than 20 live matches every weekend in Poland and Eleven’s channels have regularly been named as the best performing sports channels among viewers aged 16 to 49 this season. We are very pleased to step up our offer to fans across the country and extend our valuable partnership with nc+.”

Andrea Radrizzani, Founder & Group Chairman of Aser, and Owner & Chairman of Leeds United Football Club, is a guest speaker at our London Directors’ Club. Click here for more information on the festive event.

Nascar extends Goodyear sponsorship agreement

NASCAR and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company have announced a renewed sponsorship agreement that ensures Goodyear is the exclusive tire of NASCAR’s top three national series.

The newly signed agreement continues Goodyear’s designation as the “Official Tire of NASCAR” and extends an uninterrupted relationship that started in 1954.

Brent Dewar, NASCAR president, said: “We proudly join Goodyear in celebrating our renewed and longstanding partnership.

“For more than half a century, NASCAR and our teams have trusted Goodyear tires. Our partners’ commitment to innovation and excellence plays a key role in our unyielding pursuit to deliver the best racing product in the world.”

Rich Kramer, chairman, CEO and president of Goodyear, added: “We are tremendously proud of the pivotal role Goodyear plays in the best racing competition in the world and excited that NASCAR drivers will be crossing the finish line on Goodyear tires in the years ahead.

“With this new agreement in place, we celebrate our enduring relationship with NASCAR and the continuing value of NASCAR to the Goodyear brand.”

Table Tennis England secures major event for London for first time since 1950s

Table tennis will return to its roots next year when London hosts its first major event in the sport since the 1950s.

Since the International Table Tennis Federation was founded in the city in 1926, England has hosted only a handful of major table tennis-only events. Winning the rights to host the Team World Cup represents a major step for the sport and its governing body, Table Tennis England.

The event, which will take place at the Copper Box Arena in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in February, will mark a welcome return for table tennis to the the scene of the 2012 Olympics.

Sara Sutcliffe, CEO of Table Tennis England, believes that winning the rights to host the event needs to be viewed from an international perspective, given the sport’s huge global footprint.

She said: “Whilst we’re still growing the broadcast audience for table tennis in the UK, the Team World Cup is a huge deal internationally. It is expected to reach a global audience of 500 million households so this is a great example of us being able to host an event in a sport which may not yet have the exposure it deserves at home but which is huge around the world.

“Three hundred and fifty million people play table tennis in China and more than that number of Chinese tuned in for the Olympic tournament in Rio. The sport is a staple in Japan, Brazil, Germany, where the event will also be widely televised. It will be a reminder to people around the world that London is open for business and a great place for sport.”

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, added: “London looks forward to welcoming the very best table tennis players and fans from around the globe to our world-class Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

“I urge Londoners and visitors to take up this opportunity to see this elite tournament in one of our top venues. London is the sporting capital of the world and is building on the success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by creating new memories that last a lifetime.”

Thomas Weikert, President of the International Table Tennis Federation, said: “Everyone at the ITTF is excited about bringing one of our marquee events to the birthplace of table tennis – London.

“Table Tennis England are doing a fantastic job preparing this event, and we are sure that it is going to be a fantastic spectacle for all the fans in England and across the world.”

ATP announces two new deals with Amazon Prime Video

ATP and ATP Media today announced two new deals with Amazon Prime Video – live and on-demand distribution rights to the ATP World Tour in UK and Republic of Ireland, and the availability of Tennis TV on Amazon Channels in the US.

Amazon Prime members in the UK and Republic of Ireland will have access to 37 ATP World Tour events on Amazon Prime Video from 2019 to 2023.

As part of the agreement, Amazon have full exclusivity, outside of Tennis TV, to all ATP World Tour Masters 1000s, twelve of each of the 500s and 250s, and the Next Gen ATP Finals.

Amazon will also become the ATP’s exclusive third-party pay-TV partner for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 in London and the Eastbourne International, with the latter two starting in 2018.

In addition to live coverage, Prime members will have on-demand access to completed matches, highlights, tournament review shows, press conferences, and additional original content.

Tennis TV on Amazon Channels

Tennis TV, ATP Media’s direct to consumer streaming service, can be subscribed to via Amazon Channels for Prime members in the US on a non-exclusive basis starting in 2018.

Subscribers to the Tennis TV service via Amazon Channels will be provided with the ability to watch over 2000 live matches from the ATP World Tour, as well as a wide variety of on-demand content including classic matches and highlights.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “We’re thrilled to work with Amazon across these two agreements, including a landmark UK rights deal from 2019, as it marks a pivotal moment in our sport. Our agreement with Amazon allows us to open up a digital space that is only becoming increasingly important in the world of sport & entertainment.”

Mark Webster, CEO ATP Media, added: “To be able to bring a household name and global brand such as Amazon to the world of tennis is hugely exciting and the move from traditional linear TV to an OTT offering shows tennis remains at the cutting-edge of global sports media.”

“Our goal is to deliver compelling content to Prime members,” said Jim DeLorenzo, Head of Sports, Amazon Video. “We are excited to bring our customers in the US, UK, and Ireland more tennis with the ATP World Tour and Tennis TV.”

Stuart Watts, COO ATP Media, said: “The UK deal is a first in the UK for sports broadcasting on this scale and we are delighted to work with Amazon to provide more coverage than ever of the very best of the ATP World Tour. The synergies between a global brand such as Amazon, the ATP and ATP Media are clear for all to see, making this an exciting development for us.”

READ MORE: New players vs traditional giants: what’s next for the sports media rights landscape?

Arsenal announces WorldRemit as first-ever official online money transfer partner

Arsenal Football Club has announced WorldRemit as its first official online money transfer partner.

The digital money transfer business has joined forces with the north London club to accelerate their growth and help more people save money on international transfers.

The global partnership is set to support WorldRemit’s ambitious growth plans by generating awareness at Premier League matches at Emirates Stadium while also connecting with the club’s vast following on social media.

As part of the agreement, WorldRemit will work with first-team players to create unique content to engage fans and potential customers around the world.

Vinai Venkatesham, Arsenal’s chief commercial officer, said: “This is an exciting new partnership with WorldRemit who, under their inspirational CEO, are looking to transform the way people can transfer money to family and friends around the world.

“We share mutual values and look forward to working together to build their global presence through our broadcast, social and digital channels, which reach millions around the world. We look forward to a long and successful partnership.”

Ismail Ahmed, WorldRemit chief executive officer, added: “Football is a language that everyone understands. Growing up in Somaliland, you would always see kids playing football – even during the war.

“It’s a passion which connects people all over the world and we are proud to sponsor a club whose values are so closely aligned to our own and those of our customers. This partnership with Arsenal creates opportunities for us to thank and reward our loyal customers and to connect with new audiences around the world.

“We look forward to using the power of football to support and inspire young people to fulfil their potential and to the opportunities which we can create together.”