Prism sharpens focus on audience engagement in Sport & Entertainment with new management team

Prism has appointed a new management team and is reshaping its offering as a leading, brand-centric, sport and entertainment agency with a sharp focus on helping brands engage audiences in those arenas.

Dominic Grainger, CEO of the WPP Sports Practice, is appointed Prism Chairman. Jamie Copas, Global Client Leader of Team Aston Martin, will take the role of Group General Manager. They both continue in their existing roles.

“We believe there is now a real opportunity to shout about why Prism is the best choice for brands invested in the world of sport and entertainment. With over 25 years’ experience, we are experts in engaging audiences whether that be through digital, print, broadcast or experiential,” said Copas.

Reflecting the convergence of the worlds of sport and entertainment, how audiences engage with them and how brands can profit, Prism’s new positioning emphasises five key capabilities:

• Strategy, Insight and Analytics
• Partnership Negotiation and Management
• Planning and Creative
• Brand Content and Communications
• Brand Experiences and Events

“Prism’s new management team, led by Jamie, brings a wealth of knowledge which will create greater value for our clients than ever before. Prism’s refocused offering as a leading brand engagement agency in sport and entertainment will also have the ability to draw upon other WPP capabilities as required,” Grainger said.

Prism’s new positioning complements the award-winning work on existing clients such as Aston Martin, as well as the recent win from Fast & Furious Live. Its rich client roster also includes Subway, INFINITI, Avon, Tata Consultancy Services, Ford, IHG and Mazda.

Copas added: “It is an exciting time at Prism. Our new positioning and team culture are real competitive advantages for brands looking to truly engage with audiences in sport and entertainment. We are a high energy business and enjoy collaborating with clients and agency teams to drive high returns on investment for our brands.”

FIFA Council approves enhanced bidding regulations for 2026 FIFA World Cup

  •  Prize money for the 2018 FIFA World Cup participating teams increased to USD 400 million
  •  Enhanced Bidding Regulations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup approved
  •  Strategic body also decides on the establishment of a FIFA Foundation

The FIFA Council convened today in Kolkata, India, and decided on a few important elements related to the FIFA World Cup – for both next year’s edition in Russia and the future of football’s showpiece competition.

FIFA’s strategic body approved an increase in the prize money for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia to a total amount of USD 400 million — 12% up from the USD 358 million of the 2014 edition.

The FIFA Council also ratified the decision of the Bureau of the Council of 6 September 2017 to approve the enhanced Bidding Regulations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and appointed the members of the Bid Evaluation Task Force.

According to the Bidding Regulations, the Task Force must be composed of the chairpersons of the Audit & Compliance Committee and the Governance Committee – in this case, Tomaž Vesel and Mukul Mudgal respectively – as well as a member of the Organising Committee for Competitions (Ilčo Gjorgioski was appointed), together with experts from the administration: Deputy Secretaries General Zvonimir Boban (football) and Marco Villiger (administration).

The meeting in Kolkata covered a wide array of topics and saw the FIFA Council passing a number of important decisions, including the following:

Establishment of the FIFA Foundation, with the purpose of providing a solid legal and institutional basis for FIFA’s social development initiatives.

One of the core intentions of the FIFA Foundation will be to institutionalise a commitment of the FIFA Legends to engage in such activities and act as promoters of FIFA’s aims and objectives related to social development.

The FIFA Foundation should be operational by the first quarter of 2018 and will initially comprise the FIFA President and two members of the FIFA Council, Sonia Bien-Aime and Kwesi Nyantakyi.

Later in the year, the FIFA Council will appoint a selection of respected personalities –from football and other areas of society –as additional members of the Foundation Board.

Decision to engage in a consultation phase to discuss a review of FIFA’s women’s, youth and club tournaments. A number of different draft formats will be submitted for discussion with the member associations at the FIFA Executive Football Summits as well as with the confederations and other relevant stakeholders.

Final concepts are planned to be submitted to the FIFA Council for approval during the body’s next meeting, on 15 and 16 March 2018 in Bogota, Colombia.

Approval of the following FIFA tournament dates:

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup France 2018: 5 to 24 August 2018

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Uruguay 2018: 13 November to 1 December 2018

FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2018: 12 to 22 December 2018

FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™: 7 June to 7 July 2019

Adoption of the International Match Transfer System for professional women’s football as of 1 January 2018. The regulatory mechanism will enable FIFA to monitor the international movements and transfer market, bringing more transparency to the women’s game and enhancing its level of professionalism.

Recognition of all European and South American teams that won the Intercontinental Cup – played between 1960 and 2004 –­­ as club world champions.

J SPORTS expands commitment to FIA World Touring Car Championship

J SPORTS will increase its commitment to the FIA World Touring Car Championship by broadcasting qualifying and the Manufacturers Against the Clock team trial live from WTCC JVCKENWOOD Race of Japan, on Sunday 29 October.

J SPORTS is already broadcasting all 20 WTCC races live this season and will also show the opening race and main race as they happen from Twin Ring Motegi on J SPORTS 3.

J SPORTS is adding live coverage of qualifying and WTCC MAC3 for its home event.

“J SPORTS is the channel for motorsport in Japan and has done a really good job in making the WTCC even more popular with its live coverage of the races this season,” Honda team driver Ryo Michigami said.

“By showing qualifying and WTCC MAC3 live, fans will get more opportunity to enjoy the track action and gain a further insight into this spectacular form of motorsport.”

François Ribeiro, head of Eurosport Events, WTCC promoter, added: “The WTCC has clearly been a big success for J SPORTS and that’s reflected by its extra live commitment for WTCC Race of Japan at Twin Ring Motegi, which always delivers plenty of action and overtaking.”

As well as its live output, J SPORTS will replay the races next week and viewers are advised to check local listings for details.

Ed Warner appointed chairman of the British Equestrian Federation’s new board

Ed Warner has been named as the chairman of the British Equestrian Federation’s (BEF) new board.

Warner stepped down as UK Athletics boss four months ago, having run the national governing for a decade and chaired the organising committee for the 2017 World Athletics Championships.

In a statement, Warner told PA Sport: “The new board and I will work with our members to achieve a secure and positive future for the BEF, where compliance with the sports governance code, across all its requirements, will form part of business as usual, not simply a box-ticking exercise.

“Our interest is in supporting the entire equestrian world with integrity and objectivity, from our multi-medal winning Equestrian Team GBR to a child having their first riding lesson; from team sponsors to fans; from volunteers to charitable donors.”

Warner succeeds Joanne Shaw and he will be joined on the board by three independent non-executives, four council-elected directors and four members nominated by the BEF’s ‘founder’ member associations.

PSV announces Wellbet as their Official Asian Betting Partner

mPSV announced an agreement with an Asian-focused online bookmaker Wellbet.

Wellbet will serve as PSV Asian Betting Partner for three seasons, from 1st January 2018 until June 2020.

By establishing this partnership, Wellbet aims for growth across the Asian market.

PSV’s CEO Toon Gerbrands, said: “It is generally known that PSV has been exploring sponsorship possibilities from the sports betting market for some time. In addition, this shifts our sponsor strategy to markets outside Europe, and Asia is undoubtedly a very interesting market.

“That’s why we got in touch with Wellbet. We are delighted to welcome Welllbet as our official Asian betting partner and look forward to this pan-Asian co-operation.”

Wellbet’s Director of Communications Mark Lu, said: “We faithfully believe that the co-operation between PSV and Wellbet will be a perfect alliance.

“Wellbet and PSV share the same corporate colour identity, this synergy is perfect proof of our common understanding and passion for the game of football. Wellbet is a top-ranking brand in the field of sport and entertainment in Asia.

“We recognize PSV’s rich history of success in Holland and European club football and also acknowledge that PSV is often the breeding ground for many future stars of the game. Together, we look forward to this exciting partnership.”

WWE and SPORT TV announce multi-year broadcast rights agreement

WWE and SPORT TV, Portugal’s sports broadcaster, today announced a new multi-year agreement to broadcast WWE’s Raw and SmackDown, starting 31st October.

SPORT TV channel SPORT.TV5 will air with Raw at 7pm on Tuesdays and SmackDown at 7pm on Wednesdays.

In addition, SPORT.TV+ will broadcast a one-hour edition of Raw at 6pm on Thursdays and a one-hour edition of SmackDown at 11am on Saturdays.

“SPORT TV is thrilled to welcome back WWE, now exclusively on our networks in Portugal,” said Nuno Ferreira, director of SPORT TV.

“We are certain that the partnership between these two renowned brands will be a success going forward.”

Michelle Wilson, WWE chief revenue and marketing officer, added: “SPORT TV shares our vision and passion for engaging and entertaining our fans.

“This partnership to televise WWE programming in Portugal allows us to expand our reach and deliver our unique blend of action-packed, family-friendly entertainment to WWE fans throughout the country.”

NRL’s Dragons appoint XBlades as official apparel partner

St George Illawarra has announced XBlades as the Dragons’ official apparel partners on a multi-year deal.

XBlades will supply the club’s official playing jerseys, shorts and socks, as well as training and off-field apparel.

“We’re proud to be teaming up with the Dragons who align strongly with our brand values of innovating and developing technically enhanced products which can be seen through their willingness to embrace our Merino jersey trial,” said XBlades Australia CEO, Leighton Richards.

“XBlades’ ethos is athlete-led and product driven therefore our products and technology will continue to evolve with the game as we strategically leverage our new networks to push the boundaries of innovation.

“We’ll continue to work together with the Dragons over the next few months to bring major developments across fabrics and design for apparel ready for 2018 and beyond.”

St George Illawarra Chief Executive Officer Peter Doust added: “The Dragons are extremely excited by the possibilities of our five-year agreement with an internationally renowned brand such as XBlades.

“The thorough process that XBlades underwent with key members of the Dragons, to help adhere to the players’ high-performance apparel needs, is another step in the right direction for the club.

“As far as innovation and forward-thinking goes, the Dragons are pleased to be aligning with XBlades and the values they hold dear, ahead of the 2018 NRL season.”

Boston City FC signs multi-year agreement with New Balance

Boston City FC has today announced New Balance as its official outfitter and apparel supplier.

New Balance, which has its global headquarters in Boston, will supply kit and apparel to Boston City FC.

The National Premier Soccer League team will kick off its third season wearing jerseys designed specifically for the club, which will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Craig Tornberg, Boston City FC Managing Director, said: “The level of commitment from New Balance is a clear indication that they believe in the longevity of the project we started two years ago.

“They have recognised what we have achieved to date and see the tremendous potential Boston City has to influence and appeal to soccer fans in our region. We are incredibly honored to wear one of Boston’s premier brands, who have made such a global commitment to our sport.

“We look forward not only to wearing the New Balance uniforms, but also carrying out brand activation in the Greater Boston market, at matches, and through our youth soccer partnerships as we continue to integrate with our local community.”

Chris Gallo, General Manager – Team Sports at New Balance, added: “New Balance is incredibly excited and proud to announce a new sponsorship with our local NPSL team, Boston City FC.

“Our agreement together is a strong statement for New Balance in the region and we look forward to providing the best experience for both the players and fans on and off the field.”

New Balances also has agreements with several European-based clubs such as Liverpool, Celtic and Porto.

International Paralympic Committee and Visa extend partnership until 2020

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Visa have extended their long-running partnership until 2020.

Visa is the IPC’s longest serving commercial partner, having first got involved in 2003, and the two organisations will continue to work together over the coming years to create engaging digital media campaigns that support the Games and athletes, and highlight innovative payment technologies.

As part of the agreement, Visa has retained exclusive marketing and promotional rights within the Payment Services category and activation opportunities for financial institution clients and merchants throughout the world.

Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, said: “It is fantastic news for the IPC and the whole of the Paralympic Movement that Visa has extended its partnership until at least 2020.

“Visa was the first global sponsor of the IPC and Paralympic Games and over the years they have continually increased their support of the Paralympic Movement and leading Para athletes.

“We greatly value our partnership with Visa and are very excited about the joint digital media campaigns that we will be running between now and 2020.”

Chris Curtin, chief marketing innovation and brand officer at Visa Inc, added: “The Paralympic athletes embody our shared value of acceptance, and the Paralympic Games provide them a stage to share their achievements in a true celebration of life that will inspire fans everywhere to reach their own potential.

“We’re proud to provide this support and wish for a successful hosting of PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games and success of Paralympic athletes.”

Worcestershire CCC seal five-year ground naming rights deal with Blackfinch Investments

Worcestershire CCC has today announced a five-year ground naming rights deal with Blackfinch Investments.

The agreement – which will see the county ground renamed ‘Blackfinch New Road’ – is set to net the club an annual figure in excess of six figures.

Worcestershire’s Chief Executive, Tom Scott, said: “This is a historic moment for the club, it is the first time in New Road’s history that it will share its name with a commercial partner.

“A huge amount of thanks and credit must go to Richard Cook and his team at Blackfinch, without their commitment and vision this would not have been possible.

“This deal is another step towards securing the Club’s long term financial security and reflects the amount of hard work during the past couple of years by everyone at the club, but in particular the Commercial Team who continue to attract large organisations who commit for long periods of time because of a shared vision both on and off the pitch.”

Blackfinch’s Chief Executive, Richard Cook, added: “I am immensely proud of this new deal and it is a significant moment for Blackfinch to become the main commercial partner of Worcestershire County Cricket Club; an institution with so much history and tradition, as well as so much optimism for the future.

“The current direction of cricket means that the club must be innovative to ensure that they can compete at the highest level on the pitch, and to create more success and historic moments for future generations to remember.

“This aligns with Blackfinch who are a company that relies on a wealth of experience and history, yet remains agile and dynamic in order to remain competitive. For this reason, I think there is a strong synergy inherent within this partnership.”