World Aquatics and Malmsten renew long-standing partnership until 2028

World Aquatics and Malmsten have reached an agreement to extend their partnership for another 4 years. The renewed contract has been established for the 2025-2028 period.

Malmsten has been an Official Supplier of World Aquatics since 2009; during which time they have fitted aquatics arenas around the world with the highest quality equipment.

Under the 2025-2028 contract, Malmsten will supply a wide range of innovative and impressive equipment to several aquatics competitions including; World Aquatics Championships, World Aquatics Masters Championships, World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) and the World Cups for all aquatic sports.


The equipment they will provide includes:

Swimming: racing lane lines,

Open Water Swimming: finishing rows of inflatable horizontal buoys including turning and guiding buoys

Water Polo: official water polo goals, field of play markings/boundaries, field cones on field lines, ball release systems, referees’ catwalks with interchangeable field matting and referees’ ball holders

World Aquatics President Husain Al-Musallam stated: “With the founder’s roots being in competitive swimming, Malmsten has a deep understanding of the equipment needed in world-class aquatics disciplines. They also recognise the importance of having the best possible apparatus that allows athletes to perform at their best. We are thrilled to renew our partnership with Malmsten and look forward to our continued collaboration in the years ahead.”

In addition to providing equipment, Malmsten will also provide investment into the World Aquatics Scholarship Programme, ensuring that elite athletes of the future are provided with the best opportunity to develop their talent and perform to the best of their ability in the fairest of conditions.

“Malmsten is extremely proud of its long-term partnership with World Aquatics,” said Malmsten CEO Marcus Malmsten. “My father, Tommy Malmsten, started the company to supply functional and durable aquatics equipment, and I am honoured to continue a partnership which began in 2009 and proud to support World Aquatics vision: “a world united by water, for health, life and sport.”

Dyn Media secures broadcast rights for premier table tennis events

Dyn Media has secured exclusive broadcast rights for a suite of premium table tennis events, making their new streaming platform the home of World Table Tennis (WTT) for fans in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria starting from February 2024.

The launch of World Table Tennis in 2021 marked the beginning of a new era for professional table tennis. With WTT events, fans and viewers enjoy a thrilling and dynamic experience that merges sport and entertainment. As the official professional table tennis events series, the WTT Series brings together the world’s top players in exciting events that offer fans an unmatched experience.

The initial two-year partnership between Dyn Media and World Table Tennis will showcase all WTT Grand Smashes, WTT Champions, WTT Finals, and the ITTF World Championships Finals on Dyn, and provide an opportunity for fans in these countries to witness the best of the sport’s global stars, including Timo Boll, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Ma Long, Felix Lebrun, Ying Han, Nina Mittelham, Sun Yingsha and Bernadette Szocs.

Johannes Fühner, Head of Strategy & Business Intelligence at Dyn Media, expressed his excitement about expanding the platform’s offering for table tennis fans, stating, “WTT events feature the world’s elite table tennis players, and we are excited to expand our platform’s offering with further exciting games at a world-class level. Our partnership with World Table Tennis will provide fans with an unparalleled viewing experience, and we hope to see more fans tuning in and witnessing the sport.”

WTT Grand Smashes are the foundation of the WTT Series, featuring the best 128 players in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles; offer an unbeatable combination of world-class table tennis and thrilling entertainment, making them the pinnacle of professional table tennis and fully-fledged festivals of activities and excitement beyond the arena. The Singapore Smash, held annually in March at the Singapore Sports Hub, will be the first WTT major event for Dyn customers.

The WTT Champions event showcases the world’s Top 32 men’s and women’s singles players only, delivering high-octane action and energy. Dyn viewers will eagerly anticipate the return of WTT Champions Frankfurt at the Süwag Energie ARENA from 3-10 November later this year.

The WTT Finals, separate men’s and women’s events, bring together the world’s Top 16 singles players and 8 doubles pairs to battle it out for the right to be crowned season-ending champion.

Dyn Media will kick off the broadcasting of these thrilling events with ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Busan 2024, Presented by BNK Busan Bank, taking place from 16 to 25 February at the BEXCO Convention Centre. The expanded event format will see 40 men’s and women’s teams vying for the historic Swaythling and Corbillion Cups.

“We are delighted to partner with Dyn Media to bring the best of World Table Tennis to fans across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. This partnership will showcase our reimagined production and help elevate the sport to new heights in the region.” – Melissa Soobratty, WTT Broadcast Director

Besides table tennis, Dyn Media offers a new media home for sports fans who are passionate about sports beyond football. It bundles the rights to attractive leagues and sporting events, including handball, volleyball, field hockey and basketball, for the first time in one media offering.

The global distribution of World Table Tennis’s broadcast rights, including the production of WTT events, is managed by Endeavor-owned sports marketing agency IMG.

Paris Saint-Germain inks partnership with Credit Financier Invest until 2026

Paris Saint-Germain has announced the signing of a partnership until June 2026 with the financial group Credit Financier Invest (CFI), a leader in online trading in North Africa and the Middle East.

With this alliance creatively combining the worlds of finance and football, CFI becomes the Official Online Trading Partner of Paris Saint-Germain, celebrating the values of excellence, performance and innovation.

Paris Saint-Germain and CFI share the commonality of reaching a vast international audience. CFI operates in over 100 countries, offering ultra-competitive trading conditions and cutting-edge platforms through more than twelve regulated entities on five continents. Recent advancements, including the integration of artificial intelligence technology, demonstrate CFI’s commitment to providing traders worldwide with the latest and most advanced tools.

For three seasons, the premier online transaction provider in the North Africa and Middle East region, which also operates globally, will enjoy unique visibility with the support of Paris Saint-Germain. Among the acquired rights, Credit Financier Invest will feature its name on the LED Overlay within the international feed in key territories and will have the opportunity to address directly huge fans of Paris Saint-Germain on social media, one of the largest communities in global sports, to attract new clients through innovative campaigns.

Hisham Mansour, Founder and Managing Director of CFI Financial Group, expressed: “We are incredibly excited to launch our partnership with Paris Saint-Germain, a top football club synonymous with passion and its own unique and prestigious brand identity. This venture represents a harmonious alignment of values, reinforcing our dedication to standing out as MENA’s leading broker, offering unmatched trading services and optimal conditions. We are excited for the journey ahead, aiming to create a lasting legacy through this well-matched partnership with PSG.”

Marc Armstrong, Chief Revenue Officer of Paris Saint-Germain, added: “We are delighted to welcome CFI as one of our exclusive international partners. We share the same ambitions to offer our respective fans and clients increasingly unique and innovative experiences.”

SportAccord joins forces with iSportConnect, the world’s largest private sports business network

iSportConnect, a leading global membership service connecting key decision makers across the sports industry, returns as a Principal Media Partner for the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit in Birmingham, West Midlands, taking place from 7 – 11 April 2024.

iSportConnect is a global platform powered by the largest network of private members involved in the business of sport. A powerhouse of bright minds, key influencers and thinkers, the iSportConnect community is a coveted space where leaders like to go.

The iSportConnect service enables members to collaborate with industry peers, stay connected and current with news and opinion, or take part in specialist events – focused on the business of sport. This benefits all members whether they are the MD of an OTT sports streaming and entertainment platform available in 200 countries, or the CEO of the leading professional golf tour in Europe.

“We are very pleased to welcome iSportConnect on board for the World Sport & Business Summit in Birmingham, West Midlands,” said Martin Gibbs, Managing Director of SportAccord. “iSportConnect’s unrivalled network will play a crucial role in integrating the business of sport into the event. When the world’s largest private sports business network partners with SportAccord, the results are truly rewarding. The media collaboration is designed to combine both platforms, delivering added value and creating an immensely successful partnership.”

iSportConnect workshop at SportAccord

As part of the partnership engagement, iSportConnect will also host a workshop at SportAccord aimed at tackling disruption.

“The last few years have shown how vulnerable we are when external factors around the world can disrupt the best laid plans when it comes to hosting global sports events or taking part in international competitions. The challenges are growing and not getting any easier,” said Sandy Case, CEO of iSportConnect.

The iSportConnect workshop will cover fundamental issues around organisational travel and security that wouldn’t have garnered too much interest in the past. However, in the current climate these topics have taken on a much greater significance.

“World events, climate change and macro-economics have come together at such a pace in recent years, that many of us are struggling to keep up with the challenges presented in this fast-moving environment. The iSportConnect workshop will arm delegates with practical intel and know-how so they can start tackling challenges – tomorrow.”

Register now – early bird

With the Early Bird registration rate due to end in less than a week (31 January 2024), business leaders can register at www.sportaccord.sport.

Become a partner or exhibitor

To find out about other ways to become involved in SportAccord and connect with influencers and key decision makers at the Summit in Birmingham – West Midlands this spring, contact: sales@sportaccord.sport.

Other enquiries

For media enquiries contact media@sportaccord.sport; and info@sportaccord.sport for any other questions.

Editor’s Notes 

About SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit 

The SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit brings together around 1,500 leaders and key decision makers from over 120 International Federations (IFs), the International Olympic Committee, and organisations involved in the business of sport. 

The Summit provides an unrivalled platform enabling global business leaders and host cities to have access to all the International Federations and their stakeholders in one location.

This unique, week-long event is a combination of official sports meetings, social gatherings, a themed conference programme, and exhibition space enabling international federations, industry, cities and regions – to showcase their sport, services and facilities.

About SportAccord 

SportAccord is a sports event organisation based in the Olympic Capital, Lausanne, Switzerland, and governed by stakeholders representing the Olympic and non-Olympic International Federations. 

It brings together International Federations, the IOC and organisations involved in the business of sport with the aim to serve, promote and protect the common interests of its stakeholders, help them achieve their global objectives and facilitate knowledge-sharing. 

SportAccord’s stakeholders include: 

  • ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations) 
  • WOF (Winter Olympic Federations) 
  • ARISF (Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations) 
  • AIMS (Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport)

BLAST’s Alexander Lewin: “Esports fans like to engage, chat, and really lean into the viewing experience”

Last year, BLAST Premier secured a new round of funding to the value of €12.7 million to further fuel the company’s global expansion plans alongside working with prominent game publishers Valve, Ubisoft and Epic Games to create, produce and deliver successful esports ecosystems in Counter-Strike (BLAST Premier), Rainbow Six Siege (BLAST Rainbow Six) and Fortnite (FNCS). iSportConnect’s Taruka Srivastav spoke with Alexander Lewin, SVP for Commercial Revenue at BLAST to know about the 2024 vision of the organisation and more.

The Novo partnership and the completely refreshing angle of how you are using non-endemic companies around new areas of mental health etc. IE you are tackling the supposed negativity around eSports. Great for any Rights Owner to be thinking laterally around who they partner with, can you talk us through the campaign?

Esports and gaming reach millions of fans on a daily basis and therefore offer the potential to be a power for good and positive change. The ‘Away From Keyboard’ campaign, which was produced in cooperation with Novo Nordisk is the perfect example of that. The campaign aimed to drive change, inspire the gaming community by promoting a healthy and balanced lifestyle through influencer-led compelling storytelling and inspirational content.

When you combine a message which deeply resonates with fans alongside a familiar face, you are able to create an initiative that positively impacts audience behaviour and opinion. We were able to achieve that with leading global healthcare company Novo Nordisk, and look forward to recreating this approach and blueprint in the future with our other partners. 

BLAST has worked with some of the biggest games in 2023, having just announced an expansion with Epic Games. Is this a further focus for you as a business in 2024 and how important is this to your overall strategy?

Working with the world’s biggest game publishers has been a huge area of growth for BLAST as a business over the last few years. We started off this journey working in Counter-Strike, bringing our unique approach to entertainment value, production quality and industry-leading technology to the industry and the audience alike. The success we enjoyed here has allowed us to grow into other games, such as Rainbow Six Siege, DOTA 2, VALORANT, Apex Legends, FIFA 2022 and Fortnite – enticing game publishers to take the cooperation into multi-year partnerships.

In 2024, we are working with Valve, Ubisoft and Epic Games to build successful, sustainable and popular ecosystems in Counter-Strike, Rainbow Six Siege, Rocket League and Fortnite. We look forward to growing these ecosystems, which offer near limitless commercial opportunities with globally leading brands and broadcasters. 

How is esports unique for brands compared to other industries, and what opportunities does it provide?

A number of key factors turn engagement with esports into a unique and very beneficial experience for brands. To begin, esports has a phenomenal and truly global following, that allows brands exposure to millions of fans. BLAST events are broadcast in 150+ territories in over 27 languages which enables us to offer brands bespoke engagement in nearly every territory world-wide.

In terms of demographic, esports provides brands with the opportunity to reach a young audience with 85% of esports fans aged between 18-35. Our brand partners find the opportunity to reach a youthful, tech savvy and engaged audience hugely appealing.

When it comes to engagement, esports offers the opportunity to build deep engagement with fans and add to the fan/viewer experience in new ways. Esports fans like to engage, chat, and really lean into the viewing experience. To that end we recently launched our custom and in-house built live viewing platform BLAST.tv, which has pushed the esports viewing experience to new heights. Fans have a multitude of integrated experiences at their disposal – among many other features  they can chat, vote, re-watch key moments in real time and spend time with like-minded fans.

BLAST has visited countless locations around the world in 2023, how important is it to take esports events to global locations and what does this do for host cities and brands? 

It’s hugely important not only to offer fans a compelling streaming and broadcast experience but to ensure we are taking these events to as many different locations as possible so global gaming communities and fans get to experience esports up close and personal.

Netflix goes into live sports – a one-off or a major change of strategy?

Ian Whittaker, Twice City AM Analyst of the Year pens down Netflix’s latest decision of diving into the world of live sports.

This week Netflix signed a 10-year deal to become the new home of the hit wrestling show “WWE Raw” in a $5 billion deal. The deal sees Netflix gain the streaming rights in the US, UK, Latin America, and Canada, with the option to include more countries as existing deals expire. It will also gain access to other content (e.g. “Smackdown”, “WrestleMania”) as well as the right to make documentaries.  In all, Netflix gains more than 150 hours of content off the back of the deal. All this represents what seems like a major departure in strategy for Netflix when it comes to sports. The question is whether this marks a major turning point or a one-off. 

Netflix has been the one major streamer that seemed to stand aloof from the rush into sports rights. While it had dipped its toe in the ponds of sports documentaries on football and Formula One, it had held off from pursuing major US sporting rights, as Amazon, Apple and Google / YouTube had all done. In Europe, Netflix is so far from being seen as interested in live sports that its name is hardly mentioned when major sporting deals are up for auction. Previous comments from the company have not suggested an urgent rush to get into major rights. 

So, to go back to the question, is this a major change in strategy? Netflix is clearly serious in its intentions. $5 billion is not small change and, while Netflix has an opt-out clause after five years, it has another option to extend the deal by a further ten years if it wants.  This is not the move of someone who sees live sports as an interesting experiment. 

Yet, on its conference call, Netflix made clear that it is not interested in bidding for other major live sports rights and made the point that WWE’s ‘scripted’ content fitted in with Netflix’s type of content. That, of course, matches Netflix’s actions where they have not made any serious efforts (yet) to bag other major US sports rights such as NFL, Ice Hockey, Basketball or Baseball. 

Therein may lie one clue to the answer to its future intentions when it comes to sports, and which backs up management’s comments on the call. All the major sports rights have attracted bids from the major Tech players who have far deeper pockets than Netflix when it comes to making such long-dated commitments. While wrestling rights have increased in value (NBCU’s USA Network apparently paid 40% more than previous owner Fox for the rights to WWE’s ‘Smackdown’), they are nowhere near the value received by such major sports (the NFL reportedly received more than $100 billion for its 2023-2033 deals). Netflix looks to be competing where it can. 

So why has Netflix gone into WWE? The obvious logic is the deal will help it to attract subscribers and possibly reduce churn. Here there might be two reasons why the WWE deal would stand out. 

The first is that sports such as WWE skew on a younger demographic than the more traditional US sports and so Netflix is attempting to win over these audiences. That sounds sensible but we should not forget that (audience-wise), WWE is still a relatively niche provider. 

The second is that it is looking to attract extra advertising money by (presumably) boosting its ad-supported option. The thinking here may be that more (generally) price sensitive younger customers will go for the ad funded option and so boost Netflix can boist its ad customer numbers. Netflix disclosed earlier this month it had 23 million customers worldwide who take its ad-funded product. In its earnings release, it stated 40% of all new customers took the ad-funded option although no absolute number was given (we do not know Netflix’s churn rate so cannot work out its gross additions, on which such a comment would be based). However, when their likely share of viewing is considered, it is unlikely Netflix is making a major dent in the US TV advertising market. This deal could (incrementally) help change that. 

That points to this deal then not so much being Netflix looking to take a large chunk of US television advertising spending any time soon but more that this is a relatively low-risk way of testing the appetite amongst its customers for sports while sending out a signal to major US sports rights holders that its previous lack of spending is not ideological. Netflix’s comments about not bidding for other sports rights seem categorical but this feels like one of those ‘it’s not a problem until a problem’ situations. Netflix looks to be given itself enough wriggle room to head into sports if it needs to but for now, this does not look like a headlong charge into sports. 

As usual, this is not investment advice.  

One Month To Go For SPORTEL Bali

SPORTEL 2024 season is on! Only one month to go until the kick-off of SPORTEL Bali’s second Rendez-vous event for the sports media and sports tech industry. 

The International Sports Market and Summit focusing on the APAC Market, will go back to Indonesia from 22 – 23 February 2024. Organised in collaboration with Transvision and Cubmu, SPORTEL Rendez-vous Bali 2024 will take place in a brand-new venue, the InterContinental Bali Resort. This edition is a unique opportunity for the SPORTEL community from Europe and the Americas to meet the most consequential C-level decision makers (42%) within the APAC sports business industry. With one month to go, the 2024  rendezvous is already attracting 58% of attendees from Asian territories and 32% of Content Buyers. 

“Renewing SPORTEL in Bali is strategic considering the development of new technologies, digital  engagement, innovation and esport sectors in the region. In addition, as the fourth largest population and one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, the Indonesian population has a massive interest in sports and there is a huge development potential for sports broadcasting in the country”, explains Laurent Puons, CEO of Monaco Mediax. 

Four weeks before the event kick-off, many key rights holders and broadcasters as well as new  and creative sports industry players from Asia and Oceania as well as the rest of the World (Asia  Football Marketing, Asian Football Confederation, Asia-Pacific Broadcas1ng Union, BeIN Sports  Asia, BIGG, Bundesliga Interna1onal, China Sports Media, Coupang Play, FIFA, Fox Sports  Australia , IMG, INFRONT, Lega Serie A, LFP Media, Premier League, NBA Asia, SPORTFIVE Asia,  Starhub Cable Vision, Vidio. com, Vision Plus, WSC Sports, etc.) have already confirmed their participation. 

o Check out the full participant list: www.sportelasia.com/participant-list

Password: srdvbali2024 

SPORTEL reveals the first speakers for its Bali event 

An innovative and expansive conference summit bringing par1cipants the very latest in how content is meeting technology will complement the business and networking meetings during  SPORTEL Rendez-vous Bali.

With a focus on Indonesia and the wider SE Asia and APAC regions, hot topics include OTT,  streaming & content delivery; the collaborative effort to tackle piracy in Indonesia & Asia;  gaming & sports maximising online experiences; the Indian subcontinent as a major market for  sports media and tech; raising the game of football in Indonesia; the boom in women’s sports,  from viewership to commercial opportunities; cost effective IP-video technology  distribution; how niche sports are riding the wave through D2C, OTT and social media; AI  transforming the media landscape; monetising sustainability & championing social awareness  through sports; an innovative Pitch Perfect session and more to be announced! 

Current headline speakers include: 

o Sutanto HARTONO, CEO, SCM & VIDEO 

o Clarissa TANOESOEDIBJO, Managing Director, VISION+ 

o Peer NAUBERT, Chief Marke1ng Officer, BUNDESLIGA INTERNATIONAL GMBH

o Peter F. GONTHA, President Director, TRANSVISION 

o Tom BROOM, SVP Head of APAC, Media, IMG 

o Marissa BANU-LAWRENCE, Head of Content Acquisi1ons, FOX SPORTS AUSTRALIA

o Hermawan SUTANTO, Chairman, AVISI / COO, VIDIO 

o Shahid SEN, Head, Integrated Sales, Asia, BEIN SPORTS ASIA 

o Connie HENG, Head of Media Rights, ASIAN FOOTBALL CONFEDERATION

o David ULMER, CEO, CAMBODIAN BROADCAST SERVICE 

o Louis DUCRUET, President, MONACO E-SPORTS FEDERATION & BARBAGIUANS  MONACO 

o Imran YUSUF, Editor, SPORTBUSINESS 

o Layon Ivan Patrick LOBO, Director Content, PI PAKISTAN PVT LTD (TAPMAD)

o Bastien CASALTA, CTO, TMG 

o MaY CHEETHAM, General Manager, CAP, ASIA VIDIO INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

o Chris DREDGE, Country & Sales Manager, LIVEU  

o Fachrul PRASODJO, Chief of Business Development, TRANSVISION / CUBMU

o Laurent PUONS, Co-Founder & CEO, FIGHT NATION 

o Cam VALE, General Manager, AUSTRALIAN SPORTS TECHNOLOGY NETWORK

o Deniz ARSLAN, Team Lead CSM Team, VP of Real Time, i3D. NET 

o Tim KELLY, CEO, CLOUDMIX 

o Gaurav MEHTA, Co-Founder, QUIDICH 

o Joanna MERCHIE, Conference Director, SPORTEL 

For more information on the programme and speaker updates: https://www.sportelasia.com/programme/conference-summit

In addition to the International Sports Market & Summit Sports as well as the networking events taking place during SPORTEL Rendez-vous Bali, side events to develop new business opportunities and also extend the SPORTEL experience in Bali will be organised nearby the event venue, including: 

• SPORTEL Bali Golf Classic 2024 (21-22 February), New Kuta Golf Bali and Bali National Golf Club. 

• SPORTEL Bali Triathlon 2024 (25 February), Intercontinental Bali Resort

Press Registration: https://press.mysportel.com/wizard/step_1

Manchester United signs Scayle as e-commerce partner

Manchester United has announced it has chosen SCAYLE as its official e-commerce platform partner, ensuring United has one of the most modern commerce platforms in the industry.

The club’s new e-commerce experience will launch later this year and continue to be evolved in alignment with the club’s ambition of delivering a best in class direct-to-consumer experience for its global fan base.

SCAYLE is one of the fastest-growing enterprise e-commerce platforms in the world. It provides the technical backbone for more than 140 online stores and was specifically designed for B2C use cases with a strong focus on the fashion, lifestyle and sports sectors. SCAYLE has a unique retail DNA and provides an innovative technology, with extensive, ready-to-use features and strong flexibility.

Putting fan satisfaction at the heart of its plans, Manchester United have appointed SCAYLE to operate a new direct-to-consumer platform that is based on and powered by the SCAYLE commerce engine, dedicated to providing a compelling and customised experience that can quickly adapt to fast-changing requirements.

Manchester United’s Phil Lynch, CEO of Direct to Consumer Products & Experiences, said:

“Manchester United is always looking for new and innovative ways to improve our fans’ experience. We are delighted to be partnering with SCAYLE to further enhance our e-commerce offering, delivering an exceptional fan experience through personalisation and a premium best in class commerce platform.’

Manchester United’s James Holroyd, Chief Commercial Development Officer, said: “Partnering with SCAYLE represents a significant milestone in our journey to offer the best possible e-commerce experience. SCAYLE’s deep-rooted expertise in e-commerce coupled with their commitment to delivering an industry leading e-commerce experience for our fans, were key factors in our decision to work with them on this strategically important partnership.”

Tobias Ring, Managing Director, SCAYLE, said: “Gaining Manchester United’s trust marks a pivotal moment in our pursuit of becoming the number one e-commerce platform for enterprise brands and retailers. We are looking forward to closely partnering with the club and demonstrating our ability to elevate customer experiences on such a global and storied stage. We will give our all to co-creating an e-commerce presence that Manchester United fans are proud of and does justice to the club’s legacy of continuously redefining excellence, both on and off the pitch.”

BLAST Premier and GG.BET agree global esports betting partnership for 2024

BLAST Premier has announced a global partnership with leading esports betting brand GG.BET.

As part of the partnership, GG.BET will be featured across multiple activations, offering BLAST’s audience exciting experiences and integrations to bring fans even closer to the Counter-Strike action. These activations include talent predictions and BLAST.tv Pick ‘Ems, live betting odds broadcast integration, social media giveaways, exclusive content and physical/digital branding across the BLAST Premier tournament series.

GG.BET is an international esports betting brand with an ambition to create the best esports betting experience for fans and users. The online bookmaker has a deep presence in the Counter-Strike world, being a long-term partner of Ukrainian organisation NAVI and becoming betting partner of the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 champions Team Vitality in August 2022. GG.BET have also previously partnered with the Stockholm 2021 and Antwerp 2022 Majors.

Alexander Lewin, SVP of Commercial for BLAST, said: “We are delighted to welcome on board GG.BET as a global partner for 2024. The brand is deeply rooted in the Counter-Strike community, having active partnerships with our Member Teams NAVI and Team Vitality. This partnership is further testament to their commitment and passion towards Counter-Strike – we look forward to building a collaboration that rewards and engages fans.”

GG.BET press office said: “The GG.BET team is delighted to kick 2024 off by announcing a partnership with BLAST Premier. Not only do our plans for this year align, both our brands share common values and a desire to push esports to a whole new level. Pooling our resources with such a strong partner will allow us to make this year yet another unforgettable one for the esports community.”

British Gymnastics renews partnership with Milano Pro Sport

British Gymnastics has renewed its partnership with Milano Pro Sport.

Milano’s influence on the gymnastics world spans decades. Since our first partnership together in 1996, GB gymnasts have repped Milano at over 200 international competitions. Milano have been by our side for some of the most momentous achievements in our history and we are thrilled that this will continue as we embark on the next era of our partnership.

Milano will continue to be the Official Gymnastics Leotard Supplier to British Gymnastics. In the coming months, one can expect a strong retail presence from Milano at BG events, exclusive access to Milano products and discounts to Milano Club Hub for British Gymnasts Members – a platform where clubs can customise Milano leotards for use at competitions and training in the gym.

Talking about the renewal, CEO of Milano, David Kaitiff commented: “Milano could not be more thrilled to be renewing the official partnership contract with British Gymnastics. We have made great progress together over the last 4 years and continue to do so. We look forward to making further announcements in the coming weeks and months which will again demonstrate the amazing work we’ve been doing together behind the scenes. All of the incredible efforts from both organisations will provide great benefits to all gymnasts and the clubs they are affiliated with. Milano and British Gymnastics are committed to providing quality, safety, excitement and innovation to gymnasts of all abilities.”

Nick Horswell, Commercial Director at British Gymnastics also added: “We’re thrilled to announce this next chapter with Milano, who are synonymous globally with quality leotard products. Our existing partnership provides a strong foundation for our ongoing relationship to grow, with further exciting collaborations already on the horizon. I’d like to thank David and his team for their continued support, and we look forward to seeing where the partnership takes us as we head into an action-packed year of gymnastics and beyond.”