Fox Premium to broadcast Mayweather-McGregor fight in South America

Fox Premium has secured exclusive television broadcast rights in South America – excluding Brazil – for this month’s super-fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Conor McGregor.

The bout, which is scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on August 26, is widely expected to break global records for pay-per-view sales.

Fox is set to broadcast the clash exclusively in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela on its pay-TV channel.

Fans will also be able to tune in via the Latin American broadcaster’s OTT platform, Fox App Premium Access, but it has not yet been announced how much the fight will cost subscribers.

The highly-anticipated bout, which will see McGregor take part in his first-ever boxing contest, has been priced at differing levels across the globe.

US fans will have to pay US$89.95 while Sky Sports saw off competition from BT to secure exclusive UK rights and have made the bout available for US$26.35.

England women’s cricket team to be shown on terrestrial TV for first time as ECB agrees new deal with Channel 5

ECB and Channel 5 today announced an extension to their existing deal, covering highlights of all England women’s home games. This will encompass Tests, ODI and T20 internationals on free-to-air television until the end of 2019 and include the next women’s home Ashes series with Australia.

The new deal represents a further boost for the women’s game following England women’s recent triumph over India in the ICC Women’s Cup Final at Lord’s – a match which was played in front of a sell-out crowd and attracted TV coverage in 139 countries worldwide.

ECB’s Director, England Women’s Cricket Clare Connor said: “The move to show England women’s cricket highlights on terrestrial TV is another huge step forward for international women’s cricket. The ticket sales and viewing figures from the ICC Women’s World Cup showed there is a growing audience for our game and this platform will give us the chance to further capitalise on that.

“We are overwhelmingly proud of our World Cup winners and it will be wonderful for even more fans to be able to watch them in action from next year.”

Paul Dunthorne, COO of VIMN UK, Northern and Eastern Europe commented: “We’re delighted to offer the world-conquering England women’s cricket team a terrestrial TV platform as cricket continues to broaden its appeal – and attract even more women and girls to the sport.”

Channel 5’s highlights, the only international cricket available to free-to-air audiences, have been a mainstay on the channel since 2006. The highlights package will continue to broadcast in its primetime slot, allowing viewers the chance to take in all the key events, as close as possible to the end of play.

This new deal sits alongside Channel 5’s ongoing commitment to provide a wide variety of sporting content, with Aviva Premiership Rugby highlights and five live games, live boxing, live motorsports including Formula E, highlights from MotoGP and the FIA World Rally Championship, as well as weekly football highlights from across the EFL.

Viewers will have the chance to watch highlights from all of England’s men’s and women’s home games, including the men’s 2019 Ashes. This year, the channel is showing highlights from England’s forthcoming home international series against the West Indies.

Emirates extends FA Cup sponsorship until 2021

Emirates and The Football Association announced today a three-year contract extension to their successful existing partnership. The agreement will see the tournament continue to be named The Emirates FA Cup through until 2021.

In 2015 Emirates became the title partner of the FA Cup, the oldest cup competition in football.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: “We remain incredibly proud to continue our role as the first ever title sponsor of such a prestigious and historic tournament. The spirit of this competition, bringing together both small clubs and Premier League giants alike to face each other before an audience of passionate fans is what drives us to continue our investment in this tournament.”

“Through our support of the Cup, Emirates remains committed to the sport of football and its continued development. We look forward to the future of our partnership and helping to connect fans across the globe to one of the world’s most celebrated sports.”

Mark Bullingham, FA Group Commercial Director added: “Working alongside such a well-established and iconic global brand has helped us to make the competition more accessible to fans across the world. With the support of Emirates, last season’s competition reached over 912 million fans worldwide.”

“The partnership will also allow us to continue our investment into the game at all levels. We look forward to continuing to work together to ensure the Emirates FA Cup remains the best loved and revered domestic cup competition in the world.”

The competition continues with the preliminary round on the weekend of 18/19 August and will culminate in a showpiece final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 19 May 2018.

Paris 2024 bid team to discuss esports inclusion for Olympic Games

Esports could be part of the Olympic Games as early as 2024, with the Paris bid team open to discussions about the matter with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Competitive video gaming has grown significantly in recent years, having attracted a global audience of roughly 320 million people in 2016.

Esports will be included in the 2022 Asian Games and Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 co-president, has left the door open for a landmark competition in the French capital in seven years.

READ MORE: Power up – number-crunching the incredible growth of esports

“We have to look at it because we can’t say, ‘it’s not about Olympics,'” Estanguet told the AP news agency.

“The youth are interested, so let’s meet them. I think it’s interesting to interact with the IOC and the esports family to better understand what the process is and why it is such a success.

“There is some time to look at it, to interact, to engage. I don’t want to say ‘no’ from the beginning.”

Projected Revenues ($m) and Audience (millions) generated by esports (Source: BBC)

Paris’ hosting of the 2024 Games is expected to be officially approved at an IOC congress in Lima, Peru in September.

The 2024 programme of events will be ratified after the 2020 Games in Tokyo.

Estanguet added: “We will spend some time after Lima to engage with new people and stakeholders.

“The IOC will have the last say if they want esports on the programme. Let’s discuss among ourselves.”

Swansea COO Chris Pearlman backs Letou shirt deal to boost club’s footprint in Asian markets

Swansea City’s plans to expand their footprint into Asian territories will benefit significantly from their partnership with shirt sponsor Letou, according to Chief Operating Officer, Chris Pearlman.

Letou, the global gaming brand which was established in Asia in 2004, became the Swans’ shirt sponsor earlier this summer, and has a strong presence in some of Swansea’s key target markets such as China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Speaking at the launch of Swansea’s new third kit, Chris Pearlman said: “Asia is a key market for Premier League clubs. A quick glance at this season’s Premier League kits and the stadium attendances at the biennial Premier League Asia Trophy demonstrates the importance of the continent.

“The market is growing, football is becoming more popular than ever and the fans are extremely passionate.

“Swansea City were thrilled with the success of our tour in the United States this year. As we begin the process of looking toward next summer, one of the areas we are going to be taking a close look at is South East Asia which we recognise is an important market.”

Letou CEO, Paul Fox, also expressed his excitement about the deal: “Although I was born in the UK, I now live in Asia and have experienced first-hand the passion of the fans, making it an important market for Premier League clubs.

“Both Letou and Swansea consider further growth in South East Asia vital over the next 12 months and by working closely together, we’ll maximise our chances of reaching our targets.”

World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont expects ‘record-breaking’ Women’s Rugby World Cup

World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont believes that the Women’s Rugby World Cup has the potential to be a “record-breaking” tournament.

Twelve nations are set to compete for the trophy, including defending champions England, who are the only professional outfit involved.

Pool matches in Dublin are already sold out, with the semi-finals and final taking place at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.

“The excitement across Ireland and beyond is phenomenal,” Beaumont told the BBC. “It all points to what will be a defining, record-breaking Rugby World Cup.”

World Rugby, the game’s governing body, has hinted this year’s competition could be “the most competitive, best attended, most watched, and most socially engaged women’s rugby event to date”.

England start the defence of their crown against Spain Wednesday 9 August. The reigning champions also share Pool B with Italy and USA.

Hosts Ireland, who were semi-finalists in 2014, kick off against Australia in their first Pool C match before facing France and Japan.

Wales have been handed a difficult draw and will face New Zealand, Canada and debutants Hong Kong.

READ MORE: World Rugby announces record broadcast and social media coverage schedule for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017

Serie A opens media rights tender for 2018-2021 seasons

Lega Serie A and its advisor Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, have published the invitation to tender for international audio-visual rights to the Serie A Championship, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana for the 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons.

The tender will open on 11th August, with the details published on the Lega Serie A website www.legaseriea.it.

After a recent international roadshow – in which Lega Serie A and Infront met a variety of stakeholders to give details on the tender – the official document is being made available to potential bidders.

The invitation to tender has been built on a regional approach. Continents, regions and individual territories will be able to take up programming with the Serie A Championship, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana all offered as part of the same bidding process.

The invitation to tender includes 85 packages and interested parties can bid for a single package or for several packages.

The audio-visual rights are offered on a platform-neutral basis, allowing broadcasters, operators and media partners to ensure the best possible exposure for Italian football.

All offers must be received by 15 September, 5 pm CET. Lega Serie A will then start the selection process, considering bids and awarding rights to any offers considered suitable.

Justin Gatlin drug storm is a ‘wake-up call’ for sport, says IAAF President Sebastian Coe

Sebastian Coe, the president of the IAAF, believes the drugs storm engulfing athletics since Justin Gatlin’s 100m final victory at the World Championships represents a “wake-up call” for sport.

The American sprinter, who has twice been banned for doping offences, beat Usain Bolt to the gold medal on Saturday night in a time of 9.92 seconds.

Gatlin’s triumph triggered a flurry of boos at the London Stadium as fans voiced their disapproval in large numbers, while the newly-crowned champion was also afforded a hostile reception at Monday’s medal ceremony.

Bolt’s failure to emerge victorious has forced the issue of doping firmly back onto the agenda and Coe has welcomed supporters making their feelings on the subject known, but warned against singling out one man for athletics’ issues.

READ MORE: Usain Bolt’s shock defeat paves the way for new hardline approach in war on doping

“There is a bit of a wake-up call at the moment — in sport in general in fact — and I’d like to think that we’ve responded to that,” Coe told the Evening Standard.

“People are welcome to boo. We’re not the thought police and we can’t tell people what to think or feel. I don’t want people not to care and, in a funny way, I perhaps would have been slightly concerned if it had been a case of business as usual with all of this.

“But at the same time, it’s always very easy to aim this at just one person, who is currently in the eye of the storm.

“I appreciate the explanation for this doesn’t sit comfortably with a lot of people but, in the case of Gatlin, there’s a 17-year history with this, his first offence a ban as a junior.”

There is no quick fix to the issue of doping but certain wrongs of the past have started to be put right at the London Stadium this month as Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill was presented with her upgraded Daegu 2011 heptathlon gold medal after original winner Tatyana Chernova was stripped of the accolade.

Coe added: “We’re trying to address this issue of doping, and never before have we been able to reallocate medals to those who lost out on them in their careers as we have done in London.

“Jessica Ennis-Hill getting the recognition she deserved in a stadium she lit up five years ago is a case in point. People feel serious about this issue and it’s up to us to address it and confront it head on.”

Heinz becomes NFL official sponsor in the UK

Heinz Yellow Mustard is today announced as the latest international brand to sign a partnership deal with the NFL UK – becoming the new official sponsor of the NFL in the UK.

With the long-standing association between the American-style yellow mustard and the NFL, Heinz is looking to build on the ever-growing popularity of the NFL in the UK and position Yellow Mustard as the number one mustard brand nationwide.

With a marketing investment of over £400,000 ($520,000), the partnership is being brought to life by the ‘Ultimate Playbook’ social campaign and supported through in-store execution in Tesco.

A competition will be running throughout the NFL’s London Games season, with fans encouraged to upload their ‘ultimate play’ to the ’Ultimate Playbook’ to be in with the chance of winning the main prize of a trip to Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.

Joel Hughes, senior brand manager, Heinz Yellow Mustard, said: “The partnership between our mustard and the NFL in the UK is extremely exciting as it places Heinz Yellow Mustard as the go-to condiment at the NFL games, therefore driving further awareness of the brand and its fantastic taste credentials.

“With many consumers planning to sit and enjoy the NFL on their televisions at home, and stats showing that during the 2016-17 season NFL television coverage in the UK attracted more than 23 million unique viewers, it creates the perfect opportunity for consumers to gain access to unique prizes and create game time snacks at home featuring Heinz Yellow Mustard.”

Melissa Brown, NFL UK’s vice-president of commercial partnerships, said: “Our partnership with Heinz Yellow Mustard gives us the opportunity to present our sport to new fans in a fun, creative and engaging way and we look forward to a successful relationship with such a forward-looking brand.”

The NFL has played 17 regular season games in London in the past decade and is set to play four fixtures the first time this season, including two at Wembley Stadium and Twickenham.

Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness backs Villa Park to host ‘spectacular’ Rugby 7s tournament for Birmingham 2022

Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness has backed Villa Park to host a “spectacular” Rugby 7s tournament for Birmingham 2022.

The 42,7000 capacity stadium, which successfully staged Rugby World Cup fixtures for the 2015 Championship, has been Villa’s home since 1897 but is in line to form a key part of Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games bid.

Wyness said: “Villa Park is a great sporting venue and an iconic Midlands sports institute. It has an amazing sporting history dating back to the 1900s and, as well as our regular football fixtures and the two Rugby World Cup 2015 matches, we have hosted many major events over the years, from boxing matches to concerts for music legends such as Springsteen and Take That.

“Rugby 7s is a fantastic event, providing a great day out for sports fans. I am sure that many Villa fans would want to be there and will be thrilled that Villa Park is playing a role.

“Our players and coaching staff would also welcome the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. There will be great opportunities to share information in the pursuit of sporting excellence and it would just be fantastic to be part of the event.

“Everybody at Villa Park said that hosting the Rugby World Cup was one of the most fulfilling things we have done for our community. We are a great community based club and it is important that we play our part in delivering the best ever Games in 2022.

“Being part of Team Birmingham and helping to bring the Commonwealth Games to Birmingham is something we are proud to be doing. This will be another first for Villa and we look forward to playing our role.

“It is fantastic to be part of Birmingham’s Bid and with the role of the Commonwealth likely to become more important for Britain going forward, we will do all we can to bring the Games here. Bring it on!”