iSportconnect adds Facebook and NBA to Dubai Summit speaker lineup

iSportconnect is delighted to announce that two additional guest speakers have been added to the lineup for the Dubai Summit on November 29.

Jerry Newman, Sport Partnership Lead – EMEA at Facebook, and Ben Morel, Managing Director and Senior VP – EMEA at NBA, will offer delegates a unique insight into the sports industry.

Newman and Morel join a stellar lineup of speakers including Nuala Walsh, Chief Marketing Officer at Standard Life Aberdeen, Murray Barnett, Head of Global Sponsorship & Commercial Partnerships at F1,  Brett Gosper, CEO of World Rugby, and Adolfo Bara, General Manager Marketing & Sales at LaLiga.

The Summit represents a breakthrough opportunity for up to 150 top-tier executives in sport and entertainment to experience and enjoy the unique learning and networking benefits of iSportconnect’s exclusive invitation-only event concept.

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

Dates will soon be announced for a Beijing and Singapore Summit as part of a ‘World Tour’ of iSportconnect Summits in 2018.

What makes the iSportconnect Summit so special?

  • The Summit is open exclusively to Director/C-Suite level executives at sports rights holders, sponsorship brands and broadcasters.
  • Event capacity is capped at 150 delegates allowing intimate access to key decision makers in the sports industry.
  • No agencies or press in attendance and as we follow Chatham House Rules, all panel discussions will remain confidential.

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and 1080 Media TV production and distribution deal extended to 2020

Billed as the greatest ocean adventure around the planet, the biennial Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has extended its commitment to a fourth season of the award-winning ‘Race of Their Lives’ human adventure unscripted TV series, produced by UK based 1080 Media TV, to complete distribution deals through to 2020.

The unique event trains every-day people from all walks of life, many of them sailing novices, to take on the world’s toughest oceans in the biggest round-the-world race featuring hundreds of crew from over 40 nations, battling it out on twelve identical modern yachts, in a year-long 40,000 nautical mile series of races between six continents to circumnavigate the globe.

“We continue to have excellent feedback from broadcasters to the 7-part series we produce for the Clipper Race, which follows this unique challenge through the experiences of the Corinthian competitors of all ages and backgrounds, as they take on this extraordinary endurance challenge,” said Cliff Webb, CEO of the 1080 Media TV.

“We are currently in production with the third season of ‘The Race of Their Lives’ which is following the 2017-18 edition of the Clipper Race, which has just reached Cape Town. The extension of our role as Host Broadcaster for the Clipper Race to 2020 enables us to respond to the growing demand to include the 2019-20 edition in our distribution deals.”

The previous series of the Clipper 2015-16 Race reached over 900 million households in 171 territories. The current series is adding, even more, broadcasters, digital and OTT platforms. In addition to The Race of Their Lives series, released as the event unfolds, 1080 Media TV produces and distributes two live shows which capture the emotionally charged opening and closing stages and ceremonies of this ocean marathon; plus news feeds, B-rolls and edited packages, together with a diverse range of social media content.

The current edition of the Clipper Race started from Liverpool, the UK on 20 August 2017 and will return there on 28 July 2018. The next edition of the Clipper Race will run from August 2019 to July 2020.

“We have been very pleased with the quality and style of programming and extensive distribution achieved by 1080 Media TV,” comments Jonathan Levy, executive producer on behalf of race organisers Clipper Ventures. “We feel it is important to be able to maximise the development of the widest possible range of content which engages with audiences everywhere, who are captivated by people like them, and who take on this incredibly challenging human adventure.

“Extending our production partnership to 2020 enables us both to take advantage of new channels and technologies. Despite more than 20 years of running the Clipper Race, we are constantly evolving and continue to grow from strength-to-strength with a very robust and successful business model. We are already signing up crew and sponsors for 2019-20 and even 2021-22.”

The Race of Their Lives 2 was voted Best Sports Documentary Series (UK) in the TMT Media Awards

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.”