The SBC Awards provides the perfect Christmas party in London

The sports betting industry is gearing up for its annual celebration at the SBC Awards, held on Tuesday 5 December at The Artillery Garden in central London, which doubles up as the perfect Christmas party for everyone involved in the sector.

The presentation of 17 Supplier awards, 11 Operator/Affiliate awards and three SBC Sports Betting Hall of Fame inductees might take centre stage, but all delegates will also be treated to a sparkling wine and cocktail reception, an exclusive three-course seated dinner, Christmas themed snacks, and a renowned London DJ.

The evening’s entertainment will extend to a bespoke ‘Boogie Wonder Nights’ show created by Full circle, while The Artillery Garden at The HAC, the latest in a line of stunning capital city venues used by SBC Events, even comes complete with in-built dodgems.

Paul Mills, Chief Operating Officer at SBC, said: “Attendees can expect an amazing night at the SBC Awards with the champagne flowing on arrival at the welcome reception, free bar all night, superb three course meal and spectacular entertainment.

“The Boogie Wonder Nights festive theme will create an electric atmosphere for guests to celebrate a great year for the sports betting industry and kick off the Christmas celebrations in style. As well as the DJ, we have the fantastic Boogie Wonder Nights dance act to wow the audience, while we must not forget the dodgems ride which will prove to be a big hit.”

OPTIMA and Golden Race have been confirmed as headline sponsors of the #sbcawards2017, while the list of companies to book a table already includes VSoftCo, Racing Post, HiPay, Perform, Square in the Air, Trustly, InBet Games, Vermantia, FavBet, bet365, Sporting Solutions and Jeton.

All companies interested in joining this Christmas themed industry celebration are being encouraged to act quickly to avoid disappointment, while there is an even greater level of urgency surrounding the nomination phase, which draws to a close on Friday 6 October.

Once this deadline has passed, the Operator/Affiliate Awards will be put to a vote by anyone that attended this year’s Betting on Football and Betting on Sports conferences, while nominees for the Supplier Awards will be assessed by a hand-picked panel of experts.

This judging panel features the CEO’s from Bets10, Better Collective, OLBG, Superscommesse, Betaland, BetBright, BetCris, FavBet, Fortuna, Mr Green, Mybet, PariMatch, Pinnacle, SNAI, Spiffx, Sports Interaction, Star Sports Bet, TopBetta, BetConstruct, Golden Race, OPTIMA and Don Best.

ITTF announces Polar Naturals as presenting sponsor for 2017 Women’s World Cup

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and Table Tennis Canada have announced Canadian brand Polar Naturals as the Official Health Care Product & Presenting Sponsor of the Uncle Pop 2017 ITTF Women’s World Cup to be held from 27 – 29 October 2017 in Markham, Canada.

Table Tennis Canada CEO Tony Kiesenhofer said of the deal: “Table Tennis Canada welcomes Polar Naturals to the Uncle Pop 2017 ITTF Women’s World Cup. As the exclusive ‘presented by’ and the Official Health Care Product sponsor, Polar Naturals will play a crucial role to make the event in Markham a success.”

“We understand that Polar Naturals has plans to expand its market in Asia – the extensive media and TV coverage of the Women’s World Cup in Asia will be a useful tool in this strategy. We are excited to have Polar naturals on board and will work hard to make the event a success for Polar Naturals and for our other sponsors.”

Wynn Xie, Managing Director of Polar Naturals, added: “We are proud to sponsor in an event such as the World Cup, especially since we (Canada) represent the hosting country for 2017. As this is only the third time that the World Cup has been held outside of Asia, we believe that the opportunity to support the ITTF Women’s World Cup will increase the exposure for this sport and these exceptional athletes.”

ITTF Head of Sponsorship Kimberly Koh, said: “We are excited to welcome Polar Naturals on board for one of our most prestigious events on the ITTF calendar. North America is a big market for the ITTF, and with the success of the Seamaster 2016 Women’s World Cup in Philadelphia (USA) last year that was watched by over 45 million viewers on TV, we look forward to working with Table Tennis Canada and Polar Naturals to present another great event for our spectators and table tennis fans all around the globe.”

Harlequins renew OPRO sponsorship deal

Aviva Premiership rugby team Harlequins has renewed its partnership with OPRO, who will remain as the official mouthguard for the west London club.

Harlequins’ players will wear custom-made OPRO mouthguards throughout the three-year deal.

Ned Wills, Harlequins commercial director, said: “We are excited that OPRO will continue to supply Harlequins’ mouthguards for our male and female athletes. We have been working together for over 15 years and we are proud to further develop the relationship we have with each other.”

OPRO chairman and founder, Dr Anthony Lovat BDS, added: “Harlequins are an iconic team and we are proud to have supported the club for the last 15 years. We are delighted to have renewed our partnership and are really looking forward to supporting the Ladies in the newly formed Premier 15s competition.”

As part of the partnership, OPRO will also support Harlequins Ladies in the Tyrells Premier 15s competition.

Eleven Sports agrees Twitter deal to live stream Ivy League football games

Global sports provider Eleven Sports has today announced a partnership with Twitter to live stream Ivy League football games in 2017.

Eleven Sports will live stream seven games during October and November. The live streams can be found via @ElevenSportsUSA on Twitter.

The live streamed games will be available for free to logged-in and logged-out users on Twitter and connected devices globally.

“Eleven Sports aims to meet the demands of under-served fans everywhere and with this innovative partnership we are doing just that – making top college action available in a very accessible and engaging way,” said Marc Watson, Executive Chairman and Group CEO, Eleven Sports.

“We are truly platform agnostic, we will go where the fans demand to consume their sports action and we are looking forward to working with Twitter and the Ivy League to grow this exciting partnership for the benefit of these dedicated fans.”

Eleven Sports will post further features such as game-in-progress clips (GiPS) during the live streams on Twitter.

Facebook’s live sports strategy: ‘We see ourselves as collaborators with the entire industry,’ says global head of sports partnerships

Given that two billion people are active on Facebook every month, the majority of us are well schooled on the company’s mission to ‘bring the world closer together’.

But how does sport – and specifically live sport – now fit into the equation as consumer habits and tastes change in regards to consumption of content?

A shift away from linear television channels within the broadcasting landscape has already begun and the first six months of 2017 saw over 3500 broadcasts of live sports events take place on Facebook.

With 650 million sports fans on the platform, plus 200 million sports fans on Instagram, it is not surprising that sports ranging from lacrosse, college basketball and motorsports have dipped their toe into what is being publicised as ‘the world’s largest stadium’.

Facebook has also penned high-profile deals such as the partnership with FOX for Champions League football, but the large majority of this year’s broadcasts have come about from broadcasters and rights holders proactively making the decision to start distributing live content on the platform.

 10.8 million people watched the recent CrossFit Games on Facebook

In short – Facebook believes sport is uniquely positioned to accomplish its overall mission. Strategy is in its infancy – at least publicly – in regards to some aspects such as monetisation.

But benefits cannot be denied in terms of reaching ‘dark markets’, being able to support a range of media models and a ‘Watch’ platform geared towards episodic content and predictive audiences.

Dan Reed, Facebook’s global head of sports partnerships, said on Wednesday at the company’s London offices: “New fans all around the world are coming online and becoming consumers for the first time, which creates great opportunity.

“But there is a transition period. Many of our partners are talking to us and asking how do you traverse this bridge to the very attractive situation on the other side where you can reach billions of people globally?

“There is a transition in how that business model moves from here to there. Our role really is to help our partners make that transition. We’re still in the very early days of figuring out how we enable that transition and what role we need to play there. No-one has the answers in the way that this will roll.

“Our role [specifically in live sport] is to help broadcasters and right holders reinvent sports distribution, production and viewing experience as they make the transition into this digital, mobile and social world. We see ourselves as collaborators with the entire industry in trying to enable this.”

‘Hala Madrid’ is a new documentary series featured on Facebook Watch

Some very powerful collaborators may soon get in on the act yet Reed chose not to speculate about when Facebook may be ready to bid for major events.

The platform has proven to be a more attractive option for smaller sports rather than big hitters but rumours are rife that a bidding war for the next round of Premier League rights could be around the corner. Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has predicted that both Facebook and Amazon will “enter the mix” when negotiations for the 2019-21 period begin.

But Reed stayed tight lipped about the prospect of a deal: “The Premier League is a very important partner of ours. We work with them to help them reach their audience. It would be premature to speculate on how we might approach that.

“But they are a very important partner. That speaks for itself. We continue to have an ongoing relationship with the Premier League.”

What that relationship may entail in the future remains to be seen, but Facebook’s live sports strategy certainly seems like it is primed to make a splash.

THOUGHT LEADER: Will tech giants upset Sky and BT’s dominance of Premier League TV rights?

PGA Tour and Valero extend Texas Open partnership

The PGA TOUR and Valero Energy Corporation have announced a 10-year extension of Valero’s sponsorship of the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.

The new deal, which will commence in 2019 and run through 2028, positions the Valero Texas Open as part of the spring sequence of events that will precede the Masters Tournament.

The 2022 Valero Texas Open will mark the 100th anniversary of the event’s inception. It was first held in 1922, making it the third-oldest PGA TOUR co-sponsored tournament, trailing only the BMW Championship (1899) and RBC Canadian Open (1904). The Valero Texas Open also is the oldest TOUR event to be held in the same city since inception.

PGA TOUR Commissioner, Jay Monahan, said: “Not only is the Valero Texas Open one of the oldest and most storied tournaments on the PGA TOUR, but since Valero became title sponsor in 2002, the tournament consistently has been one of the leaders in charitable giving.

“Thanks to Valero and the Valero Energy Foundation, this tournament continues to make a tremendous impact through philanthropic efforts that primarily focus on helping children. We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Valero and its wonderful legacy of giving back.”

Joe Gorder, the Chairman, President and CEO of Valero Energy Corporation, added: “Valero is excited to renew its partnership with the PGA TOUR through the next decade while securing a desired spot among the events leading up to the Masters Tournament.

“The tournament has provided a wonderful platform to rally San Antonio, and Texas as a whole, around a common goal of giving back. We look forward to growing that effort in the years ahead with the continued support of our community.”

French Football Federation extend and strengthen partnership with Orange

The French Football Federation has announced that Orange will be a major partner of the FFF from May 2018 and until 2022.

The strengthening of this partnership will be reflected in particular on the pitch, with the telecommunication group supporting all French national teams, as well as amateur football.

Noël Le Graët, president of the FFF said:  “This new partnership is great news for the Federation. Orange’s strong commitment to our French teams, women’s football and amateur football is a real plus.

“We had a common desire to strengthen our relationships and to put them on a sustainable plan. Orange is a leading, world-renowned, highly performing and highly innovative telecommunications group. Its presence on all our territories as well as internationally also fully corresponds to the vocation and activities of the Federation. ”

Fabienne Dulac, executive director of Orange France added: “The Orange Group shares strong values with football, such as team spirit, solidarity and commitment. They make the group’s DNA. Thanks to this major partnership with the French Football

“Thanks to this major partnership with the FFF, Orange is reinforcing its commitment to this discipline so much appreciated by the French. “

Chelsea Football Club aiming to double revenue over the next decade

Chelsea Football Club is planning to expand its sponsorship deals in an effort to double revenues over the next decade.

Chelsea were crowned Premier League champions last season and have established themselves as one of the most successful clubs in Europe in the modern era.

According to consultants Deloitte, Chelsea earned £334.6 million ($439.4 million) during the 2015-16 campaign, including £163.1 million ($214.2 million) from commercial deals.

But Chris Townsend, who was appointed as the club’s commercial director earlier this year, has outlined aims to ramp up the west London outfit’s sponsorship partnerships.

Townsend told the Financial Times that “over the next seven to 10 years” the Blues want “to be a top four or five club in Europe [by revenues], rather than ranked eighth.

“Manchester United, Manchester City and others have anywhere between 50 and 70 [sponsors]. We plan to focus on more premium brands in a far more limited range of categories.”

As part of the plans, Townsend wants to grow the club’s number of sponsors from 12 to more than 30 and added that “by creating additional revenues for Chelsea, it allows one to invest more in players”.

Chelsea has received planning permission to build a new £500 million stadium on the site of the club’s current Stamford Bridge base. An additional 18,400 seats is set to increase capacity to 60,000 and will significantly increase annual match-day revenues.

Townsend also said the new venue could help to drive sponsorship deals, with potential tie ins regarding shirt sponsorship, naming rights and partnerships with technology and telecoms companies.

Basketball Champions League launches first app

The Basketball Champions League has launched his brand new app offering fans a unique personalisation experience.

With the second season of the competition set to tip off next week, the app offers a true fan-centric mobile experience. Supporters will be able to follow their favourite teams and players, and customize their journey within the app.

Users will also receive all the latest news, photos and videos of their preferred teams while fans will be able to follow game lives on the go and receive Live Stats updates during the games.

The release of the app is part of Basketball Champions League’s constant and ongoing drive to cater to fans who, more and more, consume basketball events on mobile.

Patrick Comninos, Basketball Champions League Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are very pleased to offer this brand new application to all our fans around the world. With only a couple of days left to the start of our second season, it’s a perfect opportunity to provide our fans and participating players with a state-of-the-art experience on the digital space.

“Adding a newly-designed app to our communications tools was an evident must. We are certain that this will keep the Basketball Champions League among the most followed competitions in Europe, digitally. We are proud to offer this to the basketball community.”

Head & Shoulders becomes new Euroleague Basketball partner

Euroleague Basketball announced that care brand Head & Shoulders has become the newest sponsor of the two top European basketball club competitions, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup.

Finacial details have not been disclosed.

Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO, said: “We are very happy for the confidence that Head & Shoulders and Procter & Gamble have shown in our League.”

“Having two of the most important brands in the world on board shows enormous interest in basketball on a global basis and we are proud that Head & Shoulders identifies Euroleague Basketball as the perfect partner.”

Procter & Gamble Turkey and Caucasus Chairman Tankut Turnaoğlu said: “At P&G we are very proud to be one of the most supportive companies for sports in the world.

“Recently we announced our support for the Turkish National Men’s Basketball Team.  Today, we are taking one step forward in our support of basketball with our sponsorship of Euroleague Basketball.

“Head & Shoulders has been identified with basketball and provided continuous support in the development of basketball in Turkey for many years now. We are glad to work on projects that contribute to the confidence of the players.”