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.

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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.”

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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.”

Sportradar agrees Bundesliga streaming deal across North Europe and Romania

Sportradar-owned sports streaming site www.laola1.tv will be showing all German Bundesliga matches for free in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Romania, starting with the next match day.

Off the back of a partnership between leading media rights company MP & Silva and Sportradar, the latter will be broadcasting all Bundesliga matches on LAOLA1’s website across desktop, tablet or mobile.and enjoy live streams as well as highlights and

The deal includes live streams as well as highlights and other videos on-demand content.

The partners have further announced that as part of a strategic decision to get the maximum possible exposure for the Bundesliga across these markets, the companies are looking to distributing this content to other third party media, websites and publishers that are interested in carrying the league’s matches and highlights in those five countries.

Rainer Geier, managing director LAOLA1 / Sportradar OTT, said: “We are trusted across the sports audiovisual market and this partnership is yet another indicator of the flexibility, credibility and the commitment to optimize sports broadcast consumption that we have.

“As we begin discussions with other publishers and websites in those five countries, we are in no doubt that the Bundesliga will continue to grow its portion of the European viewing figures”

Qatar Olympic Committee unveils ambitious future vision at launch of new brand and strategy

A new chapter in Qatar’s historic sporting journey has been launched today at a momentous and celebratory gathering of Qatar’s entire sporting family.

President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) H.E. Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani united with Qatar’s sporting heroes at Doha’s iconic Qatar National Convention Centre to unveil a transformational vision to take sport in Qatar to even greater levels of success through a new brand and strategy.

This milestone moment also sees the launch of a new Team Qatar website, the first-ever Team Qatar Club and re-designed Team Qatar social media channels.

Commenting on the new brand and strategy, H.E. Sheikh Joaan said: “Sport showcases the very best of humanity and it inspires humanity to give the very best version of itself. It provides hope, opportunity and unity.

“This is why I love sport so much, and why I am so excited about today’s launch of the QOC’s new brand and strategy. We are an ambitious and optimistic nation and like every successful athlete, we are determined to continue to better ourselves, push our boundaries, breakdown barriers and re-define sporting greatness.

“Today is one of the most important moments in Qatar’s sporting past, present or future. It is a game-changing moment that will open sport up to more people than ever before, create new heroes and fuel future success.

“It feels like a sporting revolution and the start of something new. We want the people of Qatar to feel this change, share it, celebrate it, connect to our athletes and support them on their inspirational journeys. We want to unite our whole nation through the power of sport. We are all Team Qatar and I can’t wait for us all to seize this opportunity.”

Following H.E. Sheikh Joaan’s speech, Team Qatar’s most successful athletes, including high jump World Champion Mutaz Barshim, Olympic show jumping finalist, Sheikh Ali Al Thani, Paralympic silver medallist, Abdulrahman Abdelqader, Asian shooting medallist, Khulood Al Khalaf, and Qatar’s first female to compete in two Olympics, Nada Arakji, joined Qatar’s future sporting stars in an inspirational ceremony that culminated in the unveiling of the QOC’s new logo to the world.

The logo builds on Qatar’s sporting heritage and patriotic roots by combining the national flag and shield as a symbol of pride, whilst looking to the future with a contemporary, adaptable and innovative design, which is able to adopt multiple forms across modern and traditional platforms.

‘Team Qatar’ will become the public-facing brand of the QOC in a bid to create an image that is fresh, sporty and dynamic, and which represents the unity of Qatar’s entire sporting family. It has been designed to support the QOC’s new strategy by inspiring, engaging and empowering more young people through the power of Olympic sport.

The QOC hopes that the new brand will capture the attention of young people, speak to them in a language that they understand and create an identity that they associate with their sporting heroes and which they are proud to wear and share.

Explaining more about the story of the brand, H.E, Sheikh Joaan said: “Our new brand will reflect the values of our nation, and the values of sport. Like Qatar, it is young, bold, passionate and dynamic.

“It shares our nation’s ambition, our optimism and our pride in the strength and ability of our people. It is a brand for our future and one that we hope will inspire, empower and educate our young people through the transformational power of sport. We hope that it will inspire future champions in sport and for sport.”

ESPN agrees deal for U.S. Formula One rights from 2018

Formula One and ESPN have today announced a “multi-year linear and digital partnership” to broadcast every race live in the U.S. from the start of the 2018 season.

As part of the package, fans will be able to enjoy every practice and qualifying session, plus more than 125 hours of F1 programming across throughout the motorsport’s calendar. Every race will will be screened live on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC.

Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President of Programming & Scheduling, said: “ESPN has had a long commitment to motorsports, and Formula One is a crown jewel in the sport.

“There are many passionate Formula One fans in the U.S. and we look forward to bringing the pageantry, spectacle and excitement of F1 to viewers across the ESPN platform.”

Sean Bratches, Managing Director, Commercial Operations at Formula One, added: “We are excited about the return of the world’s foremost motor racing platform to the ABC and ESPN platforms.

“ABC’s Wide World of Sports first started airing live grands prix in the early 1960’s and this linear and digital partnership with ESPN represents a significant step forward in achieving Formula One’s aim of broadening the sport’s appeal.

“The U.S. market is a very important growth opportunity for Formula One and we are looking forward to working with ESPN to ignite the growing fan interest.”

WATCH: Murray Barnett discusses Formula One’s plans for the future

World Rugby appoints IMG as global master licensee

World Rugby has announced the appointment of IMG to manage the global licensing and merchandising rights for its major properties until the end of 2023.

The long-term global strategic partnership incorporates the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups, the annual World Rugby U20 Championship and the World Rugby Hall of Fame, which launched as a physical destination in Rugby, England last year.

The deal also reflects a sport that is thriving globally following record-breaking men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups and rugby sevens’ Olympic Games debut at Rio 2016.

There are now more than 300 million rugby fans* worldwide and the deal will enable World Rugby to strengthen its bond with new and existing fans through an innovative, relevant and global licensing programme.

World Rugby Chief Executive, Brett Gosper, said: “The global licensing programme plays an important role within our mission to grow the global rugby family by strengthening the connection between our major properties and audiences.

“With Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, this global deal with IMG will enable us to maximise the Asia opportunity through an exciting and attractive range of products for audiences of all ages, from official apparel and merchandise to electronic games.”

Under the deal, IMG will target licensees to design, produce and distribute exciting and innovative ranges of apparel, fan, lifestyle and leisure products for each tournament. In addition, IMG will also develop bespoke lines for the World Rugby Hall of Fame and e-gaming.

IMG President worldwide licensing division, Bruno Maglione, said: “We are honoured to be partnering with World Rugby. Our objective is to create a long-term relationship between its major properties and fans around the world.

“With Rugby World Cup as a pinnacle, our exciting Rugby World Cup 2019 licensing programme will be anchored in both Europe and Japan and feature a great range of products for spectators and fans of all ages.”

*Nielsen research