World Rowing mobile app launched ahead of Marquee Regatta

To keep thousands of spectators informed about everything happening at the 2017 World Rowing Championships, the event’s local organizing committee has launched a mobile app, powered by Yapp.

“This mobile app is a one stop shop for everything related to the event,” said Meredith Scerba, the executive director of the 2017 World Rowing Championships.

“The app gives us the ability to communicate directly with spectators from around the world.”

The app will give users the ability to view:

• Schedule of events and competition
• News and updates
• Venue map
• Deals and promotions
• 2017 World Rowing Championships Twitter feed
• A link to World Rowing tickets and merchandise
• A link to competition results

In addition, users will be able to upload their own photos into a social feed.

From September 23-October 1, 2017, the World Rowing Championships, an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation), will be held at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida, the only Grade A course in the United States.

In the 48 years of the event’s existence, the United States has hosted only one other World Championships, in 1994 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

This week-long event is held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer. In non-Olympic years, it is the highlight of the international rowing calendar. Rowing takes place in 21 different boat classes for both men and women.

Our goal is to attract athletes, family, friends and fans from around the United States and the world, to attend this world-class event, and grow the following of rowing in the US.

Final Shortlist announced and voting is now open for the TV Sports Awards 2017

It is now time to cast your vote for who you think deserves to win at the 2017 TV Sports Awards (TVSA). The TVSA will showcase some of the most successful achievements from the sport media industry over the past year and will be held on 23rd October at the Salle Des Etoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Over thirty nominees have been shortlisted across 9 categories for their outstanding contributions to the sports media industry over the past year.

Also included, are three renowned and inspiring world-class athletes who are up for the Play for Change Award, these athletes are responsible for delivering extraordinary social responsibility work.

Choose your favourite from each category, register through the links below and cast your vote until the 13th October 2017 at: www.tvsportsawards.org/vote

The event will welcome sporting legends and high-profile guests from the world of sports, entertainment and media, government delegates and valued contributors to this global initiative.

Marc Edwards, presenter of TVSA 2017, said: “I’m delighted to be hosting such an important and prestigious event as the TV Sports Awards which recognise the outstanding achievements by colleagues within the sports media industry.”

The gala dinner will feature live music, performances and an auction offering exceptional experiences and unique items.

TVSA will also be exclusively featuring, for the second time, the Golden Boy Award to celebrate the top young European footballer, last year’s winner was Bayern Munich’s midfielder Renato Sanchez.

TVSA is in aid of Play for Change, which relies on raising valuable funds to be able to deliver it’s highly commended sport and education programmes. The replication of the Khelaun Khelaun programme in Nepal into a new district called Lalitpur was made possible by funds raised at the 2016 TV Sports Awards, making further positive impacts to the communities.

Please visit www.tvsportsawards.org or contact info@tvsportsawards.org for more information.

PGA Tour and Intel agree partnership to expand live virtual reality coverage

The PGA TOUR and Intel announced an exclusive relationship to produce and globally distribute live virtual reality (VR) and live 360 video at six PGA TOUR events in 2017 and 2018, beginning with the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta from September 21st-24th, as well as the Presidents Cup at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey, from September 28th-October 1st.

Intel will produce the live VR experience with Intel True VR technology, providing unprecedented access to areas on the course that can’t be experienced – even by fans on-site. Intel True VR uses panoramic, stereoscopic camera pods to create a more natural and realistic view from any direction for a more immersive VR environment.

“After two years of experimenting with virtual reality on the PGA TOUR, we are very excited by the viewer experience that Intel produces,” said PGA TOUR Chief Media Officer Rick Anderson.

“From the TOUR’s perspective, our goal with VR is to create an experience that is completely different than what you can get as a fan at our events or by viewers of our traditional media platforms.

“We are confident that Intel’s True VR technology allows us to achieve this goal. The exclusive partnership with Intel furthers our mission of creating a total fan experience that showcases our product on a global stage.”

James Carwana, general manager of Intel Sports, said: “We’re thrilled to be continuing and expanding our work with the PGA TOUR into a broader VR partnership.

“Intel True VR was there to capture an historic hole-in-one from the iconic 17th green at THE PLAYERS Championship earlier this year, and we look forward to the amazing experiences we will bring to golf fans next.”

Beginning with the TOUR Championship, the live VR experience can be viewed on Samsung Gear VR headsets on a global basis through the ‘PGA TOUR VR Live’ app available for free on the Oculus store.

The full VR experience will also be available on demand in the app following each event. For fans who don’t have a Gear VR headset, the 360 video stream will be available via Twitter and Periscope, the exclusive social platform to distribute this coverage during the deal term.

Chicago Bulls launch new series ‘Run With Us’ on Facebook Watch

The Chicago Bulls have today launched a new season-long series entitled ‘Run With Us’ to give fans exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to the team as they train, compete, and grow together throughout the 2017-18 season.

The programme will air in seven chapters over the next five days (September 18-22). The first episode will show the team’s journey from Draft Night to Summer League to off-season workouts on a local high school football field.

The first seven chapters will debut on the Bulls’ Facebook and Twitter channels, as well as on Bulls.com and on the Bulls mobile app, with all seven posted together as the first episode on the Bulls’ new Facebook Watch on September 23.

READ MORE: Facebook’s new ‘Watch’ platform set to feature live sports section

New episodes will appear on the Bulls’ Facebook Watch every two weeks starting with training camp and throughout the regular season. The Bulls will also post outtakes and bloopers on Facebook Watch.

Facebook Watch is a new platform for shows on Facebook that is available on mobile, desktop, and laptop. Unlike videos that appear on a Facebook Wall, shows available on Watch are made up of multiple episodes that follow a theme or storyline and can be viewed intentionally and sequentially.

Watch allows viewers to create a Watchlist to get notifications when new episodes are posted and to easily find keep up with the latest episodes.

Qatar Television scales up its social media engagement with Wildmoka’s cloud live video editing platform

Wildmoka and Qatar Television, the Qatar Government owned media organisation, today announced they have selected Wildmoka’s platform to create content and publish it instantly to social media.

As the public national television channel, Qatar Television is missioned with providing Qatar’s population with local media comprehensive coverage. Social Media has become a key activity over the years and the demand for more content, plus the instant enjoyment of that content, has been dramatically increasing.

Qatar Television was therefore looking for a solution that could allow them to fulfil this strong market’s expectation in a very easy and flexible way.

“Wildmoka’s platform was actually the perfect match to our requirements,” said Ali El Sakka, Engineering Controller at Qatar Television.

“We really had an issue with speed, and, with their technology combining various advanced processing immediately at ingest, Wildmoka was the only company capable to provide us with such fast and automated publishing. In addition, we are confident that we can scale up our digital offering with them moving forward.”

Thomas Menguy, co-founder at Wildmoka, said: “We are delighted to partner with Qatar Television, and to contribute to their social media development. We are very grateful for their confidence in our technology, and determined in supporting them in their evolution.”

Cristian Livadiotti, co-founder of Wildmoka, added: “We are definitively investing heavily in the Middle East region, Qatar Television is one of our first key customers there; it just confirms the strong advancements of the region in digital and social.”

LaLiga and Liga Portugal sign Memorandum of Understanding for brand development

LaLiga and Liga Portugal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will see the two organisations together to develop both brands in Spain and Portugal.

The agreement will enable the two institutions to share information on finances, institutional issues and training.

LaLiga representatives will assist their Portuguese counterparts in an effort to see the league establish a financial control programme, the aim of which is to guarantee financial transparency across the Portuguese game and in the running of its clubs.

This is an initiative that has been overseen by LaLiga since Javier Tebas’s inception as president in 2013.

In addition, Tebas and Pedro Proença, president of Liga Portugal, plan to join forces and promote both brands and their internationalisation, with a view to fostering their development and growth.

Another of the standout features of this partnership is the commitment of both institutions to promote fair play and lead the battle against match-fixing. The two bodies will work together to eradicate such practices by developing joint policies focused on integrity-related aspects of the game.

On an institutional level, LaLiga is set to advise the Portuguese league about the creation of a foundation and the development of social outreach projects by drawing up a corporate social responsibility policy.

Liga Portugal also expressed an interest in the efforts of Spanish football’s governing body to promote youth football, with the LaLiga Promises tournament attracting much attention.

For this reason, the agreement includes the possibility of opening LaLiga Excellence Academies in Portugal and the staging of children’s summer sports camps.

BritAsia TV secures Indian Super League UK broadcasting rights

BritAsia TV announced to have secured the exclusive rights to show the Hero Indian Super League (ISL), in a multi-year deal on free-to-air UK television.

India‘s premier football division will be shown on the channel from 17 November 2017.

BritAsia TV will feature a triple header of games each week, beginning with delayed ‘as live’ coverage from the ISL on Friday and Saturday evenings, followed by a live broadcast on Sunday afternoon.

Tony Shergill, managing director of BritAsia TV, said: “BritAsia TV is a strong household brand amongst the Asian community and we’re keen to support and promote the cultural identity and voice of British Asians.  The acquisition of the India Super League rights will open up a new audience to our station as we head towards our tenth anniversary.

“Free-to-air football is a rarity these days and we’re delighted to bring one of the world’s most up and coming leagues to the masses.”

The League this year will feature a number of familiar faces to football fans. Amongst those, former Ireland and Tottenham legend Robbie Keane, who will be playing for reigning champions Atletico de Kolkata, while former England and Manchester United Wes Brown is due to line up for Kerala Blasters.

BritAsia TV is available on Sky TV channel 824, Vision TV Freeview (channel 264), online at VisionTV.co.uk, and Virgin TV (channel 840).

Eleven Sports secure exclusive broadcast rights to Laver Cup in Belgium and Luxembourg

Global sports provider Eleven Sports has secured live and exclusive rights to the inaugural Laver Cup in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The new three-day tennis tournament will see team Europe take on a team from the rest of the world at the O2 arena, Prague, from 22-24 September 2017. Each team will be comprised of six of the world’s best players including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, John Isner and Nick Kyrgios.

They will be led by team captains; Björn Borg (Europe) and John McEnroe (USA).

“The Laver Cup is an innovative concept and we are looking forward to working with the organisers to help unlock the potential and develop the reach of this exciting event among sports fans in Belgium and Luxembourg,” said Danny Menken, Group Managing Director, Eleven Sports.

“This is a fantastic addition to our very strong offer and a wonderful opportunity to showcase more thrilling sport in countries where Tennis is very popular.”

The location of the Laver Cup will rotate between Europe and the rest of the world cities each year. In 2018 the event will be played in the USA.

Eleven Sports subscribers in Belgium and Luxembourg will have access to every match from the 2017 Laver Cup in addition to several ATP 250 tennis events, premium football action including La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1, world-class MMA from UFC and Cage Warriors and other sports that are popular in the local market including Euro Hockey League, Champions League Handball, Premier League Darts and the World Cup of Darts.

Singapore extends contract to host Formula One night race until 2021

Formula 1 has today announced together with Singapore GP Pte Ltd and Singapore Tourism Board that the Singapore Grand Prix will continue to be part of the motorsport’s calendar for four more years.

The new deal will run from 2018 to 2021 and is set to continue to be complemented by a strong line-up of entertainment and lifestyle offerings within the circuit and throughout the city.

Singapore’s night race has become one of the most attractive dates on Formula One’s calendar, having secured year-on-year 19% growth in ticket sales since its inception in 2008.

Chase Carey, Chairman and CEO, Formula 1, said: “The Singapore Grand Prix is a signature Formula 1 race and therefore we are very pleased that it will continue to feature on the calendar for a further four years.

“The first ever night race in this sport is one of the most thrilling events of the year, taking place against the stunning backdrop of Marina Bay.

“The Singapore Grand Prix, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Government have all done an excellent job of making this an event that involves the whole city. We are looking forward to offering our continued support to make the next four years even more spectacular and exciting.”

WATCH: Murray Barnett, Head of Global Sponsorship & Commercial Partnerships at F1, discusses the organisation’s plans for the future

S. Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry), added: “The F1 Singapore Grand Prix has generated significant benefits for our economy as well as the Formula 1 franchise. With its global viewership and media coverage, the race has reinforced Singapore’s image as a vibrant and innovative city to a wide international audience.

“It has also created good opportunities for Singaporeans and the local business community. We look forward to the continued support of all Singaporeans as we work with Formula 1, Singapore GP, and all stakeholders, to ensure the F1 Singapore Grand Prix remains an event that we can all be proud of.”

Mr. Ong Beng Seng, Singapore GP, said: “Since 2008 we have enjoyed a close working relationship with Formula 1 and all of its key players. We believe this has been a beneficial partnership for all parties, for our city and for the sport, and we look forward to building on that foundation with F1’s new owners.”

Vice Media agrees NBA digital programming deal

Vice Sports has agreed a deal with the NBA to produce original digital programming about the professional sport.

Vice’s sports channel is set to produce a number of projects that will be targeted towards an international audience.

The first original series will be titled ‘The Way We Ball’, featuring home courts where current star players began their careers.

“The NBA has done a great job of positioning itself at the forefront of global sports, both on and off the court,” said Vice Sports publisher Will Kiersky.

“As we continue to expand our content offering in the sports space, it’s an incredibly exciting league to partner and grow with. Exploring global youth culture and sports through the lens of NBA players will make an amazing series.”

Jeff Marsilio, VP global media distribution at the NBA, added: “We’ve already begun shooting and feel that this is exactly the type of content that will engage existing fans while attracting a new wave of basketball lovers.”