Moto GP confirms Michelin as tyre supplier until 2023

Dorna Sports announced a contract extension with Michelin that will see the French marque continue as the sole, official tyre supplier to MotoGP until at least 2023.

The five-year agreement, covering the 2019 to 2023 seasons, was announced at the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, Victoria.

Michelin joined MotoGP as sole supplier in 2016.

As part of the agreement, the Michelin brand will also continue to be featured trackside at each event – and will be the title sponsor of a Grand Prix.

Pascal Couasnon, Director of Michelin Motorsport, said: “After two seasons that have seen tyre performance and strategy make a real contribution to the show delivered by motorcycle racing’s premier series, DORNA Sports has decided to extend its collaboration with Michelin as technical partner and exclusive tyre supplier to MotoGP for five more years.

“We are naturally delighted to have earned the confidence of Carmelo Ezpeleta and his team. Michelin intends to use its continuing association with Dorna Sports to continue developing ever-safer and more competitive racing tyres, as well as innovations that will go on to benefit our road tyres.

“Michelin is also delighted to continue working with the teams and riders who gave us such a warm welcome back after our absence from the championship and also to be able to build on the sense of pride felt by our staff following our successful return to MotoGP.”

Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO Dorna Sports, said: “I am delighted that MotoGP and Michelin will continue their collaboration for a further five years.

“MotoGP has only continued to grow, excite and thrill fans since Michelin came on board as sole tyre supplier in 2016, and we are proud that our partnership will once again form the foundations of a further five years of stunning racing. This is fantastic news for the Championship, teams and riders as we look to the future.”

Lagardère Sports agree distribution deal of new international esports event

Lagardère Sports today announced it has signed an exclusive worldwide deal with RFRSH Entertainment that will see the agency represent the media rights for the global Counter-Strike (CS:GO) tournament BLAST Pro Series.

BLAST Pro Series will be launched by RFRSH Entertainment in Copenhagen this November and the tournament will continue in major cities across the globe, returning to Copenhagen in November 2018.

The tournament aims to be the biggest ever international esports event to take place in Denmark, and will also give the six teams a chance to compete for a $250,000 prize pool.

The BLAST Pro Series format has been created to maximise the audience experience, both live in the arena and through streaming and broadcasts.

Lagardère Sports will use their global network to engage existing fans as well as reaching new audiences.

Nikolaus von Doetinchem, senior vice president media at Lagardère Sports, said: “Lagardère Sports is becoming a leading marketing agency within the esports industry and it was a natural step for us to also start lending our expertise in media rights – particularly with the phenomenal explosion in the esports market and huge surge in spectatorship for live tournaments.

“We’re looking forward to working with RFRSH Entertainment, who as well as creating, owning and producing the groundbreaking format of BLAST Pro Series is an esports front runner when it comes to creative marketing, media and team management. Together with RFRSH, we will commercialise and further professionalise esports media rights.”

Alexander Lewin, VP programming and distribution atRFRHS Entertainment, said: “Esports is the most engaging live entertainment out there and Counter-Strike is by far the most exciting genre.

“Our mission at RFRSH Entertainment is to deliver the greatest moments in esports to fans and our mainstream audience, and we have created a range of engaging and innovative content around the BLAST Pro tournament Series.

“We are delighted to team up with Lagardère Sports to provide our complete tournament package to broadcasters, commercial partners and fans, and look forward to working with the global Lagardère Sports team in our quest to reach millions of homes.”

Northridge, a new sports law firm launches in London

A number of the UK’s most prominent sports lawyers launched a new law firm, Northridge.

Based in London, the top tier team has moved from law firm Charles Russell Speechlys with four founding partners Jonathan Ellis, Ian Lynam, Jon Walters and James Eighteen.

Ellis and Lynam had headed up the Sports Group at Charles Russell Speechlys for the last five years, leading the team’s promotion to tier 1 in both Chambers and Legal 500.

The team’s clients from day one will include The Football Association, leading Premier League football clubs, the Welsh Rugby Union, Premiership Rugby and a roster of high profile sports stars such as Dele Alli, Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Raheem Sterling and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Founding partner Ian Lynam said: “We have been delighted with the response from all of our clients in following us to Northridge. Our focus and scale will enable us to build on our position as the team to turn to in the sports industry when the stakes are highest.”

Jonathan Ellis added: “The quality and depth of our team is what sets us apart. Our associates have market-leading experience, with many of them being trusted advisors to our core clients.

“We will start on day one with 16 fee earners and have ambitious recruitment plans for the coming year. We are committed to repaying the confidence that the team has shown in us by operating an inclusive management structure and by having each member of the team share in the success of the firm.”

SAP and WTA introduce real-time tennis analytics for media

SAP and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) today announced a new online portal that provides data and insights to media in real time during WTA tournaments.

SAP Tennis Analytics for media uses innovative technologies and analytics to enhance the sport of tennis for players, coaches, tournament organizers, media and fans.

SAP Tennis Analytics for media will be available exclusively for the WTA credentialed media at the start of the 2018 WTA tour.

The tool applies SAP Leonardo Machine Learning capabilities and SAP Predictive Analytics software to provide deeper analysis and insights based on historical and live data. It includes instant side-by-side player, tournament and career comparisons during live matches.

The software also provides an “alerts” feature that notifies users of any outliers in benchmarked player data and gives media access to stats with context – data accompanied by meaningful insights.

“The role of data in tennis continues to grow in importance across the entire tennis community, and particularly among tennis journalists who play an integral role in storytelling throughout the season,” said Micky Lawler, president of WTA.

“The opportunity now to have access to SAP’s blueprint of real-time insights can take the art of tennis journalism to new heights. Our fabulous partnership with SAP continues to deliver innovations that improve the sport for our fans and all of our stakeholders around the world.”

“We’re excited to bring the same deep level of data and analytics seen in SAP Tennis Analytics for coaches and the Tournament Performance Center to our media partners,” said Jenni Lewis, head of tennis technology at SAP.

“The real-time nature of insights provided by SAP Tennis Analytics for media has the ability to help media create richer content and change the way our audiences utilize data before, during and after tournament play.”

Formula E extends broadcasting deal with Eurosport

The FIA Formula E Championship has extended and broadened its partnership with Eurosport for three years starting on the weekend of 2-3 December 2017.

Eurosport will broadcast live every round of the electric street racing series across Europe, starting with the doubleheader in Hong Kong

From this coming season, Eurosport will hold exclusive and sub-licensing rights across Europe with the exception of the UK, Italy and Spain.

Eurosport will sub-licence a number of rights to free-to-air broadcasters, which will complement its own coverage in selected markets – including France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Formula E, said: “It’s fantastic news to extend our existing partnership with Eurosport and Discovery – as well as expand our broadcast and digital outreach across Europe, which is such a crucial market to the growing popularity of Formula E and increased demand for electric vehicle uptake.

“As the home of the Olympics in Europe – Eurosport and Discovery are perfectly placed to tell the unique story of the electric street racing series and its leading protagonists – the inspiring city-centre locations, renowned teams and manufacturers, along with the faces behind the wheel fighting to be crowned champion.”

Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport, said: “With its unique approach to innovation and willingness to try new things to deepen engagement with passionate motorsport fans, there is a very real symmetry between Formula E and Eurosport’s values.

“Having broadcast the championship on Eurosport for the past two seasons, we believe we’ve played an important part in helping to grow the sport.

“Particularly when you consider our established coverage of motorsport in Europe, we’re thrilled to be able to play a part in bringing the sport to more people and seeing Formula E back on Eurosport’s screens once again for 2017/18.”

New York Yankees invest in esports with new strategic partnership

The New York Yankees announced a partnership with Vision Esports, the single shareholder of three esports-related companies.

The two organizations will manage an “ecosystem” of esports properties that include Echo Fox, Twin Galaxies, and Vision Entertainment.

The New York Yankees and Vision Esports will aim to accelerate the growth and increase the global brand awareness of the three companies.

This includes opportunities for advertising, sponsorships, media rights, merchandise and ticket sales, naming rights and original content programming for both broadcast and streaming distribution.

In addition, the Yankees and Vision Esports will collaborate on marketing and sponsorship initiatives.

“The New York Yankees are thrilled to partner with Vision Esports and its diverse portfolio of esports companies,” said Hal Steinbrenner, managing general Partner and co-chairperson of the New York Yankees.

“Guided by an impressively skilled and sports-savvy leadership team, Vision Esports is transcending the industry with a bold, innovative approach to their business, and we are excited to enter into this dynamic arena as their partner.”

Stratton Sclavos, general partner, at Vision Esports, said: “The New York Yankees brand is synonymous with success, and we are thrilled to welcome the organization to the Vision Esports team.”

“In every business, you are known by the company you keep, and we cannot be more pleased to be a part of the New York Yankees organization. We look forward to exploring synergies between the Yankees and all of our portfolio companies to maximize the opportunity for a successful esports ecosystem for teams, players and fans.”

Booking.com becomes UEFA Official Accommodation and Attractions Booking Partner

UEFA and Booking.com announced a four-year partnership for all UEFA national team football competitions from 2018 to 2022.

The deal includes ten competitions and more than 500 matches over the four years.

Booking.com will help football fans make the most of their football-inspired travels, offering a diverse range of over 1.4 million places to suit every accommodation and entertainment need.

EFA Events SA Marketing Director Guy-Laurent Epstein said about the new partnership: “We are excited to announce this groundbreaking partnership with Booking.com for UEFA’s national team competitions.”

“The way that people organise their travels has drastically changed over recent years ─ and in this fast-evolving environment, Booking.com has established itself as the market leader in online accommodation services, as well as one of the world’s strongest digital marketplaces.”

“This partnership will bring this experience to a different level, by helping fans to easily plan and organise their trips around what will be an incredible sporting and cultural event in 13 host cities across Europe.”

Pepijn Rijvers, chief marketing officer at Booking.com, added: “Nothing beats the adrenaline and excitement of watching your national team play live, whether you’re cheering them on in person in the stadium, or gathering together with your friends and family at home.

“We’re thrilled to be working together with UEFA for the next four years, as the partnership celebrates two things that we and our customers absolutely love– that’s football and travel.

“Together, we can inspire more people to take a trip to see their favourite team play and enjoy one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences for themselves.”

Sportradar brings CEV Champions League Volleyball across Asia and Africa

Sportradar, working on behalf of its partner European Confederation of Volleyball (CEV), has agreed to two deals which will see the CEV’s Champions League broadcasted within over 60 territories across Asia and Africa.

The deal brings the list of territories covered by the CEV-Sportradar partnership to 133 via over 20 client relationships.

Kwesé in Africa has expanded their previous relationship so a total of 49 countries will now be able to watch one of the top volleyball competitions in Europe.

The Asia multi-year deal was signed with Eurosport Asia and will deliver CEV Champions League volleyball coverage to Australia, as well as to territories such as Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, India and the Indian sub-Continent, as well as South Korea.

Sportradar Senior Director Media Rights Lutz Tigges said: “The CEV is a key part of our audiovisual rights offering worldwide and these two deals could not have come at a better time, with the industry heading to Monaco.

“In the wake of recent multi-territory deals with Sportklub and Digisport in Europe, these two further deals have enabled us to ensure that the number of passionate fans that the CEV will be able to get their premium competition in front of grows and grows.”

Sydney FC signs two-year partnership deal with The Star Sydney

Hyundai A-League Champions Sydney FC and The Star Sydney have signed an agreement for the five-star luxury hotel and entertainment complex to become the Sky Blues new principal partner.

The two-year deal will see The Star Sydney’s logo appear on the front of all Sydney FC’s shirts.

The Sky Blues will also bear the name on their Westfield FFA Cup shirts when they take part in their second consecutive FFA Cup Final next month.

Sydney FC Chairman Scott Barlow said: “I am delighted to be announcing this partnership and to be welcoming The Star Sydney into the Sky Blues family for the next two years.

“We are two of Sydney’s most iconic brands coming together. The Star and Sydney FC are companies dedicated to providing premium entertainment to all Sydneysiders.

“We believe it is a great fit and we’re excited by the opportunities it presents.”

The Star Managing Director Greg Hawkins said: “Sydney FC is an iconic Sydney brand and we are thrilled to be supporting the Sky Blues as principal partner.

“This partnership is an extension of our commitment to support the sporting and cultural spirit of Sydney as we continue to grow our position as Sydney’s premier destination for entertainment.”

The Sydney FC and The Star partnership begins immediately with the logo featuring on the club’s shirt in Saturday’s first Sydney Derby of the season against Western Sydney Wanderers.

ESPN, FourFourTwo and the Guardian agree commercial deal for 2018 FIFA World Cup

ESPN, FourFourTwo and the Guardian have announced a commercial partnership for the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.

The deal will offer advertisers a new level of scale and reach to smart and engaged football fans during the tournament.

The media outlets will offer brands collaboration around a range of branded content solutions for partners that will live across all three platforms.The combined reach of the three platforms stands at 26.5 million unique users per month, of which 61% are in the key ABC1 demographic, according to Comscore.

The partnership will work with advertisers on a compelling bespoke campaign, which includes opportunities for video content, social, podcasts and live events.

Sam Coleman, ESPN advertising sales director, said: “To be able to bring together three of the biggest brands in football content and offer this service to our clients under one commercial and editorial partnership is hugely exciting.

“The commercial model of the future is far more collaboration-based in order to drive more meaningful results for marketers, so we are confident clients will be highly receptive to this exciting new partnership.”

Natasha Murray, director of client partnerships, Guardian News and Media said: “The Guardian’s football coverage is world-class and attracts a large and loyal following. We have pioneered the sports live blog and continue to deliver the best of cross-platform football content for our readers and advertisers.

“The World Cup is a fantastic opportunity to reach beyond our own platforms and collaborate with ESPN and FourFourTwo to maximise reach and impact for clients.”

Andy Jackson, global brand director of FourFourTwo said: “FourFourTwo’s mission has been consistent for the last 23 years – to celebrate the best in football with world-class content across our print, digital and social channels and we are always keen to collaborate with partners that can expand and enhance our offering.

“This partnership with the Guardian and ESPN does both and we’re very excited by the commercial and content opportunities it presents.”