Formula 1 signs global deal with mobile app Snapchat

Formula 1 (F1) has signed a global deal with mobile app Snapchat ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

The new deal is part of Liberty Media’s strategy to develop the motorsport on a number of digital platforms.

The partnership will begin this weekend, with coverage of Sunday’s race at Silverstone set to be featured on Snapchat’s ‘Our Stories’ feature.

Frank Arthofer, Head of digital at F1, is optimistic about the prospect of expanding the sport’s coverage: “This is the first step towards expanding our social media strategy.

“We need to continue to bring new fans to the sport – by reaching out to them on social media platforms with behind the scenes, fun and engaging content.

“Snap’s platform is one of the most popular among ‘millennials’, a sector we are particularly looking at attracting, as it represents the future of our sport.”

Snapchat said: “Our Stories allow Snapchatters at the event to contribute their unique perspectives through video and photo Snaps to one collective Story, capturing the atmosphere and excitement.”

David Bristol, director, added: “We applaud F1’s move to sign a deal with Snapchat as part of their new digital strategy. Frank and the team understand the value of making available unique and engaging content to fans through their preferred channels, and these are often Social Media platforms, especially for the younger public they wish to attract.

“This strategy does not erode broadcasting and on the contrary, could push some of these younger fans towards their planned online streaming platform. We look forward to more developments like this in the future.”

The material that will be featured on Snapchat will be available to users in the UK and the US.

Snap will also cover races in Singapore, Japan, the US, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

X Games to live-stream Virtual Reality video for the first time

This year’s X Games are available to view in 360-degree virtual-reality video via an online streaming service.

ESPN, hosts of the event, have teamed up with Samsung Electronics in order to provide this thrilling, new virtual experience for their fans – unlike anything they have ever done before.

A series of three events – Skateboard Vert, BMX Street and Skateboard Street Amateurs – will all be live streamed to 48 countries via the Samsung VR app.

Each of the events will be shot on 360-degree camera systems, which will give the footage a multi-dimensional quality and provide an intimate viewing experience for fans.

Vice president of the ESPN X Games, Tim Reed, said: “X Games has always been a laboratory for innovation and progression, both for the world’s top action sport athletes and for ESPN’s production of events and use of technology.

“We are always pushing to create new and better ways for fans to experience and interact with X Games.”

Whilst virtual reality has been increasingly used as means of technological progression for a multitude of sports – both traditional and non-traditional – ESPN’s X Games have been the hub for leading technological advancements in recent times, particularly due to their attraction of millennials.

Dallas Cowboys retain top spot on Forbes’ most valuable sports team list

NFL side the Dallas Cowboys have retained their golden position as the world’s most valuable sports team, according to Forbes Magazine’s annual list.

The Cowboys’ value rose by 5% to $4.2bn (£3.26bn) soaring over the New York Yankees from Major League Baseball, who were valued at $3.7bn (£2.87bn), putting them second in the table.

Manchester United managed to grab the third spot with a value of $3.69bn (£2.86bn), which was enough to remain within the top three after their top spot rankings in 2011 and 2012.

Top of the tree: Jerry Jones, owner of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys

Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid were the only other football teams to be included in the top 10.

The Los Angeles Rams (NFL) also moved up in the rankings as they climbed from outside of the top 50 to the lofty heights of 12th place, having relocated from St Louis last year.

Kurt Badenhausen, senior editor at Forbes Media, believes that relocation plays a significant part in adding value to teams in the modern era: “Relocations and new stadiums are fuelling big increases in the value of NFL teams.”

NFL teams make up 29 of the top-50 list of the most valuable teams, with only three teams not included (Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions).

No ice hockey, Nascar or Formula One team edged their way onto the list.

Forbes’ top 10 most valuable teams

1) Dallas Cowboys $4.2bn ($3.26bn) – American football

2) New York Yankees $3.7bn (£2.87bn) – baseball

3) Manchester United $3.69bn (£2.86bn) – football

4) Barcelona $3.64bn (£2.82bn) – football

5) Real Madrid $3.58bn (£2.78bn) – football

6) New England Patriots $3.4bn (£2.64bn) – American football

7) New York Knicks $3.3bn (£2.56bn) – basketball

8) New York Giants $3.1bn (£2.4bn) – American football

9) San Francisco 49ers $3bn (£2.33bn) – American football

10) Los Angeles Lakers $3bn (£2.33bn) – basketball

Fueling China’s Soccer Revolution, the “City Way”

There are a lot of football fans in China. And when the Chinese talk football, they are talking about soccer.

According to an article in the Huffington Post, soccer is China’s most watched sport. English Premier League football matches alone regularly reach more than 320 million Chinese households.

Still, this country of 1.3 billion people has yet to produce many home-grown players of its own.

China’s President Xi Jinping – a huge football fan himself – seems committed to changing all that.

Under his leadership, for example, football is now a mandatory part of the national curriculum for Chinese schoolchildren. And in 2015, as part of his state visit to the UK, President Xi visited Manchester City’s City Football Academy to see firsthand their approach to youth development.

Football Ambassadors

The City Football Academy (CFA) is one of the finest sports facilities in the world. CFA is home to all of Manchester City’s football teams of both genders and all age groups. Two-thirds of the 16.5 pitches on site are dedicated to young players and developing their talent with tailored coaching and education facilities.

Manchester City, of the fabled Premier League, is part of the City Football Group (CFG). CFG also owns a number of other football teams around the world, including Melbourne City FC, New York City FC, and a minority stake in Yokohama F. Marinos.

Today, CFG’s involvement in Chinese football includes cleats on the ground as well. In addition to maintaining an office in Shanghai, CFG is now working closely with the Chinese Ministry of Education to support coaching in schools in cities around the country.

“Currently we have about 15 to 30 coaches based in different provinces around China,” says John Dyke, International Project Manager at City Football Services, in a recent SAP video. “We’re there to help develop talent and promote the country’s growing passion for the sport.”

A Nimble Approach to Sports and Business

CFG’s presence in China also reflects the organisation’s long-term business goal to continue expanding its already international footprint.

“We have clubs across the globe, and we’re looking to expand all the time,” says Andy Young, CFO of City Football Group. “China offers fantastic opportunities for the club.”

CFG has eight offices in seven countries at present and all share a consistent philosophy.

In terms of their approach to the game, all City teams aspire to play ‘beautiful football’ – a high-pressure, possession-based style of play. When it comes to conducting business abroad, the city way is staying nimble and relying on teamwork.

Young and Dyke explain that this includes the use of cloud-based human resource systems and a mobile collaboration platform.

“Cloud-based systems make expanding our global presence very, very easy,” says Young. “As we go into new countries, we’ll be able to just plug our HR solutions straight into the existing infrastructure.”

CFG managers can evaluate staff in different countries using a standardised approach while tying employee objectives to both local and global strategies.

Nimble business practices are also helping CFG manage those coaches spread across China.

“It’s very important that they can communicate and connect together,” says Dyke, and the group’s collaboration platform lets them do just that. Using their smartphones and other mobile devices, the CFG personnel in China can upload videos, ask questions, share the latest news, and host coaching forums.

“It makes the coaches feel more connected to the Club,” Dyke adds.

Winning is Wonderful

“Football is growing fast in China, and we want to be part of that development,” says Dyke.

It’s development that China hopes will result in a generation of top-notch players and winning football teams.

And as Young points out, “When you’re winning, everything is absolutely wonderful.”

Table Tennis England’s ‘future at risk’ after funding loss

Table Tennis England chairman Sandra Deaton says the organisation’s future is “at risk” after losing access to £9m worth of funding.

The governing body’s annual general meeting took place last Saturday with the organisation aiming to pass a proposal in order to make sure its governance met the UK and Sport England rules.

The body required 75% of its members to vote in favour of the proposal, however, they lost out marginally with 74.93% of its members voting, resulting in their funding being frozen

Chairman Sandra Deaton said: “This has put our future at risk.

“Despite being told of the consequences, the action of a small number of the individuals, some with their own agendas, have meant the association is now in a suspended state of the business.

“Table tennis has become the first to fail to deliver on the government’s requirements for funding.”

The proposal being questioned contained changes to the election of new board members.

Manchester United launches online MUTV streaming service

Manchester United have made their official TV network (MUTV) available to supporters across the UK and Ireland via an online streaming platform.

The platform can be accessed on desktops, tablets and phones and gives fans the latest access to live match action and other news about the Red Devils – but without the need for a satellite subscription.

Whilst MUTV was only previously available to those with television subscriptions, it has now become the only place to watch all of United’s pre-season games, including fixtures against Spanish heavyweights Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Richard Arnold, United’s group managing director, said of the new launch of the service: “The demand from the supporters in the UK and Ireland is unrivalled and naturally all United fans want to know the latest news from the club.

“Being able to watch MUTV online and on the move is something that we have worked on for a long time and are sure it will be hugely popular with our ever-growing family of fans.”

Fans signed up to the new streaming platform will be able to make use of an on-demand section, exclusive interviews, films, features and documentaries, in addition to live Academy action including the under-18s and under-23s.

Tottenham partners with Hewlett Packard Enterprise to support technology vision for new stadium

The Club has selected Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) as its official IT Networking and Wireless Infrastructure Partner for our new, world-class stadium. Set to open in 2018, it will be one of the most technologically advanced stadia ever built, delivering an enhanced event day experience for all visitors.

The new state-of-the-art venue will be the largest football club stadium in London, with a capacity of 61,559 and will also host other major sport and entertainment events such as NFL games and concerts.

Since planning for the new stadium began, the Club has been committed to driving innovation and using modern technology to enhance the in-venue experience for every visitor. As a result, the stadium’s IT infrastructure is being incorporated from the ground up, enabling connectivity across the entire venue for visitors and flexibility to cater for future demands.

The Club is installing Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, networking solutions, with support from HPE’s Pointnext services organisation, to meet its current and future technology demands.

Sanjeev Katwa, our Head of Technology, said: “Creating a technology infrastructure to support an enhanced visitor experience requires solutions that can meet the growing demands of visitors that come to our new stadium.

“We believe Hewlett Packard Enterprise can support us on the journey in building one of the most technologically advanced stadiums in the world.”

IOC awards 2018-2024 broadcast rights in Africa

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded exclusive broadcast rights to DStv SuperSport, Econet Media and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and the Olympic Games in 2024 in a city yet to be selected, in the following territories:

  • DStv SuperSport has acquired pay TV media rights in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa*.
  • Econet Media has acquired free-to-air and pay TV media rights in Sub-Saharan Africa*.
  • SABC has acquired free-to-air media rights in South Africa.

The announcement follows the completion of a competitive tender in the region. The Econet Media and SABC agreements include a commitment to broadcast at least 200 hours of live/same-day coverage of each edition of the Olympic Games, and daily highlights of the Olympic Winter Games on free-to-air television.

DStv SuperSport and Econet Media will also work with the IOC to support the development of the Olympic Channel, including the production of localised content and linear distribution across the region.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “We are delighted to be working with DStv SuperSport, Econet Media and SABC to be able to bring Olympic fans more coverage than ever before

“I have visited many countries across Africa and have witnessed first-hand the important role that sport and the Olympic Games play on the African continent. The IOC redistributes 90 per cent of the revenue derived from its commercial agreements to support the development of sport around the world, including in Africa.”

Gideon Khobane, Chief Executive of DStv SuperSport, said: “As long-time partners of the International Olympic Committee, SuperSport is delighted to have secured these excellent Olympic rights. The Games produce consistently good ratings, no doubt because of the non-stop drama and action that make for compelling viewing. We look forward to putting together a multi-platform, multi-channel offering that will reflect the Olympics in their full glory.”

Joseph Hundah, President and Group Chief Executive of Econet Media, said: “We are excited to bring all the Olympic action to our audiences across Africa through our extensive multi-platform offering, which includes Africa’s biggest free-to-air channel, Kwesé Free Sports, and our Kwesé TV satellite service. The Olympics are without doubt the biggest international sports event, and we look forward to joining Africa’s sports fans as they cheer on our continent’s champions”

*Territories include:
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

IOC votes unanimously in support of double allocation of 2024 and 2028 Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has today voted in favour of awarding both 2024 and 2028 Games at the IOC session in Lima, Peru, scheduled for 13 September 2017.

John Coates, president of the Australian Olympic Committee, presented the proposal to the IOC Executive Board during the 130th IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The proposal recognised “the exceptional circumstances and unique opportunities presented b the candidatures of Los Angeles and Paris” and presented the following decision:

1. To request the IOC Executive Board to conclude a tripartite agreement with Los Angeles and Paris and their respective NOCs for the simultaneous election of the host cities of the Olympic Games 2024 and 2028 during the 131st IOC session in Lima.
2. Should such tripartite agreement be reached, the 131st IOC session will ratify the agreement, thereby electing one city for the Olympic Games 2024 and the other city for the Olympic Games 2028. To that effect, the 130th IOC Session waives the seven-year deadline set out in Rule 33.2 of the Olympic Charter.
3. Should an agreement not be reached, the 131st IOC Session will proceed with the election of the host city 2024 in accordance with the current election.

READ MORE: Dual 2024-28 award announcement set to revitalise games as Olympic Movement reaches crossroads in 21st Century tale of change and survival

Coates also said that both cities are open to a simultaneous election. Now, they only need to reach an agreement with the IOC to ratify this decision.

IOC President Thomas Bach called the IOC decision a “golden opportunity” for all concerned.

“Ensuring the stability of the Olympic Games for 11 years is something extraordinary,” Bach said.b”That is why we say this is a great day for the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement, and it’s a great day also for these two wonderful cities, these two great Olympic cities,” he stressed.

Silverstone casts doubt over future of British Grand Prix by activating Formula 1 contract break clause

Today, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), the owners of the Silverstone racing circuit has formally triggered the break clause in its contract with Formula 1, now owned and managed by Liberty Media.

This means that unless a new contractual arrangement can be reached with Liberty, 2019 will be the last year that the British Grand Prix takes place at Silverstone.

BRDC made a net loss of £7.6m ($9.8m) over last two years hosting British Grand Prix, £2.8m ($3.6m) in 2015 and £4.8m ($6.1m) in 2016, and they’re expected to lose a similar amount this year.

John Grant, Chairman of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, said:  “We have reached the tipping point where we can no longer let our passion for the sport rule our heads. It would not only risk the very future of Silverstone and the BRDC, but also the British motorsport community that depends on us.”

“This decision has been an extremely difficult one for us to take. The BRDC is at the heart of British motor racing and we have been promoting the interests of our sport and its fans for generations.”

The BRDC has been the custodian of Silverstone for almost 70 years – owning and operating the circuit, which is the only venue licensed to run a Grand Prix in Great Britain. The organisation has invested £50m over the last 10 years to develop Silverstone. Today, the British Grand Prix attracts over 350,000 spectators and draws a TV audience of over 400 million people.

However, as has been widely reported, the BRDC’s current contract to host the British Grand Prix – agreed in 2009 with the previous owners of Formula 1 – requires the organisation to pay a Promoter’s Fee to Liberty Media in order to host the British Grand Prix.

This Promoter’s Fee increases by 5% every year. This means that over the first eight years of the contract, the 5% escalator has increased the Fee from £11.5m ($14.7m) in 2010 to £16.2m ($20.8m) in 2017.

The organisation remains in discussions with Liberty Media about finding a solution that secures the long-term financial viability of the event and hopes that an agreement can be reached.

Grant continued: “We’ve been in ongoing discussions with Liberty’s new F1 team about how the situation could be resolved – putting forward a number of proposals that we believe could secure the long-term, financial viability of the event.

Although we have now activated the break clause, we have made it clear that we are open to working with our friends at Liberty to find a solution that works for all parties. Our hope is that an agreement can still be reached so that we can ensure a sustainable and financially viable future for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for many years to come.”