Snack-Media signs joint venture to monetise digital fan engagement

Sports Digital Publisher & Fan engagements experts, Snack Media announced today the launch of Snack Gaming a joint venture between Jon Trigg the former founder of Fantasy sports business Silent Manager and Rupert Pratt Co-Founder of Generate Sponsorship prior to its sale to Mongoose Sports & Entertainment.

Fusing the team’s experience across sports marketing, sponsorship, digital and fan engagement Snack Gaming will work with sponsors, betting companies, rights holders and media owners internationally to acquire, engage and monetize fan bases. Snack Gaming will develop, license and commercialise digital fan engagement platforms such as fantasy sports leagues, predictor games, quizzes as well as develop and introduce new products to the market.

On the launch Jon Trigg commented: “Across our team we have developed thousands of platforms and enterprise builds in multiple languages, capable of managing over 150 million transactions. We have advised sponsors, media owners and rights holders globally and generated tens of millions of Euros in commercial income. We assist clients to acquire, engage and monetize fans and the rights we create.”

Snack Gaming will use the Snack Media network of over 20m unique users a month to inform clients on strategy and behaviours of online sports fans. Using the network, advanced data platforms and social media expertise it can market platforms for clients, driving all important traffic and engagement but also assist them monetize them.

With regards to the joint venture, Snack Media CEO and Co-Founder, Niall Coen commented: “Snack Media have 10 years experience in creating, distributing and monetizing fan content, so setting up a business specifically aimed at monetizing these tools for publishers and rights holders is a very natural progression for the Snack Media business. Our strategy across this business will be helping to create new tools, new rights and new revenues for our partners.”

Rupert Pratt added: “With digital advertising spend and fan engagement overtaking traditional, the questions to ask yourself is what proportion of my sports marketing inventory is digital?

“Do I have the right tools in place to engage and acquire fans, secure sponsors and advertisers? Snack Gaming has been formed to address that balance for sponsors, betting companies, rights holders, publishers & broadcasters alike.”

Everton sign sleeve sponsorship deal with Rovio Entertainment

Everton Football Club has signed a sleeve sponsorship deal with Rovio Entertainment – the gaming giant behind the popular Angry Birds franchise.

The Angry Birds logo debuted on the left sleeve of the Premier League club’s jersey during Sunday’s 4-0 defeat to Manchester United.

The partnership is set to give both parties an opportunity to create innovative branded content using the team’s crest, players and stadium.

Everton’s CEO Robert Elstone said: “We’re delighted that Rovio Entertainment has become Everton’s first shirt sleeve partner.

“Angry Birds is one of the best-selling game apps of all time and is also a remarkable success story in terms of the way in which the brand has crossed over from gaming to become part of popular culture. Everyone here is excited about being able to work with such a creative, dynamic and ambitious brand.”

Alan McTavish, Head of Commercial at Everton, commented: “Rovio Entertainment recognise the global reach that Everton can deliver through its international fanbase and the global exposure of the Premier League.

“In return, working with Rovio and the Angry Birds brand gives Everton exposure in key international markets through their breadth of digital channels in gaming and animation, as well as a wide range of co-branded merchandise.

“We look forward to working together to deliver some innovative and exciting worldwide activations in what I’m sure will be a long and successful partnership.”

Ville Heijari, CMO of games at Rovio Entertainment, added: “We are excited to bring Angry Birds into the top flight of English football in partnership with Everton.

“In Everton, we have found a partner who shares our values of putting the fans first, and creating a long-lasting legacy for our community of players. This is Rovio’s first partnership in the most watched sports league in the world, and a logical continuation of our global Angry Birds brand partnerships.”

‘Hawk-Eye Live’ set to launch at Next Gen ATP Finals

In a world-first, the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan will feature live Electronic Line Calling on all lines on court during the tournament. The launch of ‘Hawk-Eye Live’ marks the latest in several innovations being trialled at the inaugural tournament, and means the Chair Umpire will be the only match official on court during the event.

Ground-breaking new technology, pioneered by Hawk-Eye Innovations, will be used to deliver ‘Hawk-Eye Live’ on all lines throughout all points. When triggered, the new system will make an instant automated ‘OUT’ call.

By default, given that each call will be final, the Electronic Review ‘Challenge’ system will not feature, however, all close calls will be accompanied with visualisation of the ‘OUT’ call on video screens around the stadium. Foot-faults will be determined by a Review Official who will be monitoring via cameras placed on the base and centre lines.

“This could be a landmark moment for officiating in our sport,” said Gayle David Bradshaw, Executive Vice President, Rules and Competition, ATP. “Our athletes work incredibly hard and they deserve the very best and most accurate officiating we can offer.

“The technology is now in a place where we feel comfortable trialling this new system in a real tournament environment. The Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan is the perfect place to do this, and we look forward to monitoring the results and assessing the merits of this new system.”

The launch of Hawk-Eye Live at the Next Gen ATP Finals adds further weight to the tournament’s mission of trialling innovation and new technology in men’s professional tennis. The technology behind ‘Hawk-Eye Live’ has been comprehensively tested and developed by Hawk-Eye Innovations over the past 18 months, in close co-operation with the ATP.

“The Next Gen ATP Finals provides a fantastic platform to showcase the Hawk-Eye Live technology, which we see as the future of tennis officiating,” said Sam Green, Director of Tennis, ELC at Hawk-Eye.

“Working with the ATP has allowed us to refine the system to not only improve the quality of line calling, but the overall fan experience.”

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).