SendtoNews Video announces new partnership with Tennis Channel

SendtoNews Video has today announced a new partnership with the Tennis Channel.

Selected highlights, analysis and interviews will be available to the SendtoNews distribution platform, which includes more than 1600 sports news properties across North America including USA Today, LA Times and The New York Post.

Neil Roberts, executive director of marketing, Tennis Channel, said: “Our partnership with SendtoNews is a great opportunity to raise Tennis Channel awareness and extend our brand to nearly 200 million viewers a month.”

Mike ‘JB’ John-Baptiste, Executive VP, Content, SendtoNews, added: “From [Maria] Sharapova getting a wild-card slot at the Open to [Roger] Federer having a record breaking year, 2017 has been huge for Tennis.

“The Tennis Channel is a leader in providing quality coverage of all these storylines and we are thrilled to deliver this content to our publishing partners.”

The SendtoNews and Tennis Channel Partnership will see a variety of premium tennis videos distributed to publishers across 96 of the top 100 U.S. designated market areas.

The deal is set to give viewers access to not only tournament coverage but also related travel and lifestyle content and exclusive videos of Tennis Channel sponsored tournaments such as September’s Laval Cup.

Warwickshire CCC secures partnership with fan-engagement firm Snaptivity

Warwickshire County Cricket Club has signed a new deal with fan-engagement firm Snaptivity to support the match day experience at Edgbaston.

Snaptivity uses Smart Stadium technology to capture the emotions and reactions of spectators inside the stadium, which they can subsequently download and share on social media.

Snaptivity also employs robo-cameras that are triggered automatically by Artificial Intelligence and sensors. The results can then be viewed as high-resolution images while sponsors have an opportunity to overlay a graphic.

Gareth Roberts, Commercial Director at Warwickshire CCC, said: “Our Members, ticket buyers and hospitality guests are at the heart of everything that we do and we are continually monitoring our customer experience scores and reviewing new opportunities that can enhance the Edgbaston experience.

“Through the initial trial, Snaptivity has played a part in taking our match day experience score for Birmingham Bears T20 matches to the highest levels yet. The firm has been a pleasure to work with throughout the initial trial period and we’re delighted to sign the extended deal.”

Amit Pate, Co-Founder & CEO at Snaptivity, added: “Snaptivity captures the very essence of cricket; bringing together real-time fan emotions that cricket fans experience together. We believe that this will be a great asset to Edgbaston and the innovation will certainly put the fans under the spotlight.

“Edgbaston has a great tradition of staging some of the biggest cricket matches in the game and we’re thrilled to work with them on this innovation of enhancing match-day experience following the successful trials last season.”

The new partnership covers this Saturday’s NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day, plus matches in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Technological infrastructure has been initially set-up to cover the Eric Hollies Stand with the potential to expand the service throughout the stadium.

Eleven Sports secures rights to world judo championships in multiple markets

Global sports provider, Eleven Sports, has secured live and exclusive rights to the 2017 and 2018 IJF World Judo Championships in Belgium, Luxembourg and USA.

Eleven has been showing coverage of the 2017 edition since it began on Monday 28 August in Budapest, Hungary, and will continue to do so through to the end of the championships on 3 September.

The 2018 event will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Eleven Sports will also show the 2017 and 2018 IJF World Judo Tours exclusively in the same territories.

Danny Menken, Group Managing Director, Eleven Sports, said: “We are very pleased to bring international sporting action from the IJF World Judo Championships to fans across our multiple markets.

“Eleven Sports aims to meet un-met demand, making underserved and niche content available to fans everywhere. This acquisition helps us achieve this goal.”

BBC renews NFL rights deal for 2017 season

A season of ground-breaking American football coverage returns on Friday (September 1) as BBC Sport and the National Football league launch a new partnership.

Coverage of the 2017 season begins with the return of The NFL Show, which will preview the race to Super Bowl LII on at 11.40 p.m. on Friday on BBC One, with a repeat at 6.45 a.m. on Saturday on BBC Two.

The NFL Show will run throughout the season on BBC One, either on Friday or Saturday nights, with NFL This Week rounding up all the action on Tuesdays on BBC Two, beginning on September 12 at 11.45 p.m. All the shows will be available to view on BBC iPlayer.

Once again, Mark Chapman will host the the shows, which combine the best of the NFL action with analysis, fun, the latest storylines and biggest personalities, plus interaction with some of the UK’s biggest sports stars.

Alongside him will be former NFL defensive back Jason Bell and two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora, who was earlier this year named as Best Sports Presenter in the Royal Television Society Awards for his performances on the programmes.

“We can’t wait to get back together to begin the new season,” said former New York Giants great Umenyiora.

“The shows are great fun to shoot and it feels like three buddies just talking about their favourite sport. I think that comes across to the viewers and helps to engage them in the NFL.”

Produced by Whisper Films, The NFL Show and NFL This Week will also be aired in various territories around the world this season, including Africa and Australia.

BBC Sport’s coverage of the NFL season will also include exclusive live coverage of the New Orleans Saints against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium at 2.30 p.m. on Sunday, October 1 and the Minnesota Vikings against the Cleveland Browns at Twickenham at 1.30 p.m on Sunday, October 29.

BBC will also air highlights of the other two NFL games played in London this autumn: the Baltimore Ravens against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley on September 24; and the Arizona Cardinals versus the Los Angeles Rams at Twickenham on October 22.

The season will culminate in live coverage of Super Bowl LII from Minneapolis on Sunday, February 4, 2018.

BT Sport to stream section of Rugby Tonight show on Facebook and Twitter

BT Sport is to stream a regular taster of its rugby union magazine show Rugby Tonight for free on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter providing potential subscribers an opportunity to sample the broadcaster’s popular innovative show.

The weekly hour-long show will be shown on BT Sport channels and the first quarter on BT Sport Rugby’s Facebook and Twitter feed. The first part of the programme will focus on questions and opinions from the social media platforms to some of the biggest names in rugby, and this will take place throughout the season.

The new season of Rugby Tonight kicks off with special guest British & Irish Lions, England and Saracens star Maro Itoje.

This season Rugby Tonight will see Craig Doyle, Martin Bayfield and Sarra Elgan all present the show alongside the BT Sport rugby team of experts that includes former international stars Ben Kay, Austin Healey, Ugo Monye, Brian O’Driscoll and Lawrence Dallaglio.

It is the latest move by BT Sport aimed at making its content available as widely as possible. Football results show, BT Sport Score, is streamed throughout the season live on Twitter.

BT also made last season’s UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League finals available for free to as many people as possible, on YouTube, the BT Sport website, BT Sport channels and the app, underlining BT’s commitment to make televised sport more accessible to fans.

Rugby Tonight is broadcast live from the studio, but this season will also see the show hit the road and travel across the country alongside Aviva Premiership clubs across the UK, showing the links between the professional and grassroots game with the show’s usual mix of insight and fun along the way.

BT Sport has also launched a new sport predictor game, giving Aviva Premiership fans the chance to predict results, create private leagues to challenge their friends and office colleagues, and take on and take on the BT Sport rugby experts.

Since launching in 2013, BT Sport has broadcast live Aviva Premiership Rugby and is currently broadcasting up to 69 matches per season in top flight English rugby and extended highlight rights for all 135 matches in the competition. Since 2014, BT Sport has also shown at least 37 games in both European elite competitions per season with English club Saracens winning the European Champions Cup for the past two years.

Simon Green, head of BT Sport, said: “This is a further sign that BT Sport is at the heart of innovation in sport. Social media enables fans to watch Rugby Tonight on the move for the first part and for those who do not subscribe to BT Sport to see what we offer and sample BT Sport’s approach to sport and strong programming.”

Macron becomes match official kit and retail partner to the Guinness PRO14

With kick-off to the 2017/18 season just days away Macron have become the Match Official Kit and Retail Partner to the Guinness PRO14.

From the start of the season Guinness PRO14 referees will be wearing Macron match kits after a multi-year deal was signed with the Italian kit manufacturer, who provide Sportswear and Leisurewear for elite level clubs and national bodies around the world.

This season the Guinness PRO14 becomes a truly global tournament after the Toyota Cheetahs and the Southern Kings joined the Championship from South Africa to bring cross-hemisphere rugby to fans around the tournament.

Macron are a leading sportswear brand with their success due to the quality of products, high level of service and the ability to interpret the needs of athletes.

Dermot Rigley, Commercial & Marketing Director of PRO14 Rugby, was thrilled to welcome Macron to the Championship’s stable of partners.

“We saw close to 300 international players appear in the Championship last season and that demands that our referees are in peak condition in order to keep up with these world-class athletes,” Rigley said.

“Greg Garner, our Elite Referee Manager, and our union referee managers ensure that match officials in the Guinness PRO14 are physically and mentally prepared to officiate our games each week and now Macron will make certain they feel good and look good when they are holding the whistle.”

Speaking about the new partnership, Ross Cook, Sports Marketing Manager from Macron, said: “We are so proud to become a partner of the Guinness PRO14 which is now a world leader in rugby.

“Macron has already had success in the Championship with both Glasgow Warriors and Scarlets being past champions so with all of the exciting new announcements around South Africa and the overall growth project, we knew we wanted to be part of it.

“Many of the referees in the Guinness PRO14 are regulars on the international scene and we’re thrilled to be supporting them on game days with the best possible Match Official Kits from Macron.

“In addition to seeing the referees and technical staff at PRO14 Rugby wearing Macron, we are excited at the prospect of launching a new official Guinness PRO14 range that will be available in the very near future.”

Greg Garner, Elite Referee Manager for the Guinness PRO14, said: “I’m thrilled that Macron are working with us to ensure our referees have the best Match Official Kits so they only have to focus on the game.

“Our referees do a huge amount of work behind the scenes to ensure that they deliver the best possible performance on the pitch each and every weekend. Knowing that the referees in the Guinness PRO14 have Macron in their corner every week is very reassuring as we enter into the new season.”

Cleveland Cavaliers withdraw funding commitment for Quicken Loans Arena renovation

The Cleveland Cavaliers today announced the cancellation of their participation in the transformation project of the publicly-owned Quicken Loans Arena.

Construction on the £107 ($140) million publicly-owned facility project was due to start in June but had been delayed due to a prospective referendum being placed on the ballot by the Washington, DC-based Metro Industrial Areas Foundation.

The prospective referendum will cause the arena transformation to miss the current construction cycle, which pushes the overall price tag of the project higher due to rising construction costs.

The public-private partnership was to be funded with £77 ($70) million of private capital contributed by the Cavaliers organization and an additional (£77) $70 million in public funding was to be generated primarily by a portion of the existing Admission Tax of every ticket sold to every event at ‘The Q’ from 2023-2034.

The Cavaliers had also committed to covering any and all construction cost overruns on the project.

“Quicken Loans Arena brings over 2 million people a year to downtown Cleveland and last year alone produced £188 ($245) million in economic activity including the RNC and the NBA Finals,” said Len Komoroski, CEO of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“This facility is Cleveland’s gateway to the world as many of our events are broadcast nationally and internationally. The investments over the years into The Q have paid back multiples in economic impact, job creation and tax generation.”

The Q is the oldest arena in the NBA without a major structural renovation.

The renovation project would have extended the life of The Q to over 40 years when the average life of similar facilities is only 22 years in the NBA.

“It is very disappointing to see our further private investment into The Q Transformation project reach this ending point,”  Komoroski added.

Olympic gold medallist Krisztina Fazekas-Zur joins ICF Athletes Commission

Two-time Hungarian Olympic gold medallist Krisztina Fazekas-Zur has been elected by her peers to join the International Canoe Federation’s (ICF) Athletes Committee.

Fazekas-Zur finished ahead of Denmark’s Henriette Engel Hansen and Poland’s Beata Mikolajczyk in the poll conducted during the ICF World Championships.

Russian sprinter Yurii Postrigai, a K2 200 gold medallist at the London Olympics, was elected unopposed as the male representative on the committee.

Fazekas-Zur was a member of Hungary’s K4 500 gold medal team at the London and Rio Olympics, and the winner of eight World Championship gold medals.

“I’m really happy. I’m moved people voted for me because I really wanted this position,” she said.

“I’ve already talked with the athletes here at the World Championships, and I hope we can have a stronger voice. I hope we can have a good conversation.”

Fazekas-Zur and Postrigai will join South Africa’s Hayley Jo-Nixon (Canoe Marathon), Great Britain’s Claire O’Hara (Canoe Freestyle), Great Britain’s Tim Lodge (Paracanoe) and Australia’s Amanda Reynolds (Paracanoe) on the committee.

Elections for representatives from canoe slalom will be held during next month’s World Championships in Pau, France.

Thailand’s Buriram Circuit poised to join MotoGP calendar

Thailand’s Buriram Circuit is set to sign a three-year deal to join the MotoGP calendar from the 2018 season this week, series promoter Dorna has announced.

Carmelo Ezpeleta, chief executive of commercial rights holders Dorna Sports, will join Sakon Wannapong, the governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, at a formal contract signing in Bangkok on Thursday.

The race is expected to be added towards the end of the motorsport’s expanded 19-race calendar, with the current Asian Pacific triple-header set to be reshuffled in order to accommodate the Thai venue.

The Buriram Circuit, which is located in the North East of Thailand, already hosts a World Superbike round and MotoGP teams will experience their new surroundings for the first time during February’s winter testing dates.

The addition of Thailand and Finland, who agreed a deal earlier this month to stage a race from 2019, could see the MotoGP calendar surpass the 20-race mark in the near future.

Top Rank signs multi-year boxing deal with ESPN

ESPN has agreed a multi-year broadcast and streaming deal with boxing promoters Top Rank.

As part of the agreement Disney-owned ESPN will become the exclusive home of Top Rank boxing in North America. A selection of fights will be televised live across ESPN and ESPN Deportes channels in the US, and on TSN and RDS in Canada, while pay-per-view events will also be available.

Fight cards will also be streamed via the ESPN App, with a total of 18 event set to be available during the first year of the new partnership.

Burke Magnus, ESPN’s executive vice president of programming and scheduling, said: “ESPN is excited to announce this new relationship with Top Rank, the most comprehensive and innovative media agreement in the history of the sport.

“We believe in a new vision for boxing that will super-serve existing boxing fans and create legions of new fans through the highest quality boxing content across multiple ESPN platforms – 365 days a year.

“Together, ESPN and Top Rank will build the superstars of tomorrow through unrivalled exposure, original content and cutting edge technology.”

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) served as Top Rank’s media advisor on the new deal and will now work in conjunction with ESPN to manage sponsorship sales plus the production of content.

Alan Gold, the head of CAA’s Sports Media Advisory practice, added: “The deal puts Top Rank and its best-in-class stable of global fighters at the core of ESPN’s combat sports offering across television, PPV and OTT.

“Top Rank has consistently and successfully built many of their fighters into global brands, and now will benefit significantly from ESPN’s broad distribution, sales and marketing support and outstanding storytelling.”