Saudi Arabia pumps $120 million to boost gaming, esports industry

The National Development Fund (NDF), in collaboration with the Social Development Bank (SDB), announced the signing of two agreements to establish two venture funds with a total size of SAR450 million ($120 million).

The announcement was made during the LEAP 2024 technology conference in Riyadh, marking a significant step towards nurturing the thriving gaming and eSports industries.

The initiative is part of the Gaming and Esports Financing Programme, cooperating with the Saudi Esports Federation. Merak Capital and IMPACT46, the entities managing the two funds, will provide development financing for gaming and Esports companies through equity investments, in an effort to accelerate growth, enhances local content development, and amplifies the industry’s economic and social impact to achieve the objectives of the National Gaming and Esports Strategy and the Digital Content Program (Ignite).

Merak Capital is set to manage the first investment fund, with a size of SAR300 million ($80 million), focusing on establishing a gaming accelerator backed by venture investment to spur growth and cultivate local talent in the gaming industry. The goal is to position Saudi companies as leaders in this vibrant sector.

The second fund, managed by IMPACT46 and totalling SAR150 million ($40 million), seeks to stimulate private sector investment in the local gaming and Esports industry. Additionally, it seeks to attract international firms and studios to establish a more substantial presence in the Kingdom, further enriching the sector’s ecosystem.

Dr. Stephen Grove, Governor of NDF, stated, “The gaming and Esports industry has seen exponential growth globally, generating substantial revenue and job opportunities. With Saudi Arabia’s young demographic and other attractive investment components, NDF and our partners are prioritizing innovative financing solutions for this industry. We aim to ensure its financial sustainability and contribute to the Kingdom’s economic diversification and job creation efforts.”

Eng. Sultan Al-Humaidi, CEO of SDB, emphasized SDB’s commitment to supporting the gaming and e-sports industry, recognizing its potential for growth within the Kingdom. “Our objective is to cultivate the industry to self-sufficiency, positioning the Kingdom as a global hub. We provide the necessary support to ensure this venture succeeds, advancing the Saudi digital economy forward as a key component of the Kingdom’s digital transformation goals aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.”

This comes as part of NDF’s endeavors to develop the Saudi promising sectors and enhance their contribution to the national economy. All of this can be accomplished through empowerment and financial development support, to establish an environment that attracts local talent, deliver promising experiences, and target top-tier game production and development projects.

Wayne Barnes, Kick It Out to find solutions to combat online abuse at SportAccord

Online abuse which has plagued the sport and society – is set for special attention at SportAccord, the year it celebrates its ‘Power of Sport’ theme. The session within the Plenary Conference on Day 4 – Thursday, 11 April  is dedicated to ground-breaking steps being taken to combat online abuse

The session will further look at the state-of-play in terms of online abuse in sport, sharing insights and learning gathered from some of the biggest sporting events on the planet, and showing how technology, sports bodies and law enforcement are working together to create a safer online environment for athletes and officials.

The panel will feature Wayne Barnes – world rugby’s most accomplished referee, who retired after the 2023 World Cup Final due to ‘next-level’ online abuse alongside

Janie Frampton OBE, Vice President, International Federation of Sports Officials (fresh from her investiture at Windsor Castle last week – where she received an OBE for her services to equality for women in sport)

Sanjay Bhandari, Chair, Kick It Out

Sarah Gregorius, Director of Global Policy & Strategic Relations, Women’s Football, FIFPRO

Jonathan Hirshler, CEO of Signify

Wayne Barnes said: “Arsene Wenger famously said that ‘We have gone from a vertical society to a horizontal society where everybody has an opinion about every decision you make…’ and though social media has given individuals the platform to have an opinion, it has also given individuals direct access to people they don’t know and may never meet. That along with a cloak of anonymity and the belief that there will be no consequences for what we say and do online, has led to a dramatic growth in online abuse over the past decade.

“We often see sport lead the way and watch society follow. Society is crying out for someone to say no longer will we accept the abhorrent abuse that has spawned out of social media. This could be a chance for sport to show how powerful it can be.”

Sanjay Bhandari MBE, Chair of Kick It Out: said: “2024 is likely to be the worst year ever for online hate, abuse and misinformation. It is more important than ever that sports work together, using the power of our collective voice, to hold social media, governments and regulators to account and to change the normalised culture of casual online hate.”

Janie Frampton OBE, Vice President of International Federation of Sports Officials said: “As an outcome of this panel, I hope when faced with any form of abuse in sport, we have the tools and skills required to deal with every eventuality.”

SportAccord 2024 info:

Meet renowned global experts in sport, industry and academia and join over 1,500 delegates and exhibitors at SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit on 7-11 April at the award-winning International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham – West Midlands.

Register now:   https://register.event-works.com/sportaccord/birmingham2024/e/ce/

NWSL inks a multi-year deal with Amazon

The National Women’s Soccer League has announced a multi-year sponsorship with Amazon, making Amazon the Exclusive Retail Sponsor of the NWSL.

As part of the sponsorship, Amazon Prime is now the presenting partner for the NWSL’s Best XI Awards. The awards recognize the best players by position on a monthly cadence throughout the regular season and give the fans a voice in selecting the league’s top 22 players in an end-of-season vote for the first and second team Best XI. For Prime, this represents an opportunity to bring fans closer to the players they love and joins them in celebrating the excellence of the athletes selected for this honor. 
 
The sponsorship also names Amazon an official NWSL licensee. NWSL fans can now shop Amazon Fan Shop for hundreds of officially-licensed NWSL products from Merch on Demand, Amazon’s print-on-demand service. Selection includes t-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, and more, spanning every NWSL team, across men’s, women’s, and youth styles and sizes. Prices start at $24.99, with sizes across apparel ranging from XS to 6XL in most colors, with Prime members enjoying fast, free delivery on every order. The selection includes unique kickoff designs to memorialize the debut of Prime Video’s inaugural coverage – the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup on Friday, March 15 at 8:00 p.m. EDT – featuring Gotham FC vs. San Diego Wave from Red Bull Stadium in Harrison, NJ. Additional styles and product will be added throughout the 2024 season. Browse the latest collection of styles via the Amazon Fan Shop.
 
As part of this collaboration, NWSL will also migrate match content from previous seasons using Amazon Web Services (AWS).  This cloud-based media archive will enable NWSL to easily transfer historical footage and surface highlights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage to enhance fan engagement by building a more personalized connection between fans, the league, and the players they love. In addition, AWS and Prime Video will begin testing a cloud-based game production solution for NWSL games to increase efficiency, lower production costs, and improve sustainability.
 
“We could not be more excited to continue to integrate Amazon more deeply into the NWSL family as they become our exclusive retail sponsor,” said NWSL Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer Julie Haddon. “Amazon’s global reach and customer-centric approach pairs perfectly with the NWSL’s fan-forward ethos. This partnership will not only amplify the NWSL’s fandom and growth, but will also offer our fans an easy and accessible way to support their favorite teams and athletes.”

The US is from Mars, Europe is from Venus

Ian Whittaker, Twice City AM Analyst of the Year pens down the varied television markets in Europe and the US.

One of the themes we are increasingly seeing is the growing divergence between the European and US television markets. One of the areas where this is most noticeable is in the selling of premium sports rights, specifically for things like the NFL rights. Europe, however, is a different matter. While the Premier League saw an increase in the absolute amount paid, the price per game fell while in France, Ligue 1 suffered an embarrassing failure to meet its minimum requirements. The gap between the two markets in being able to monetise rights looks wider and wider.

It could be said that this is unfair on European rights holders as US sporting rights holders are in a much stronger position. 93 out of the top 100 most watched television broadcasts in the US in 2023 were sports related. The US also know they have to change because the dynamics in the their domestic television market are changing more rapidly than in Europe, where traditional broadcast and cable TV barely top 50%+ of all television viewing and the trend is not their friend. But most of all, the economics work. The US Tech giants are prepared to spend major dollars because they know how vital sports are to reach their goal of taking a sizeable chunk of the television advertising market.

In Europe, by contrast, none of these dynamics are in place, The major live football rights are the preserve of the major traditional Pay-TV operators such as Sky and do not have mass market audiences. Moreover, while Pay-TV is under pressure (to varying degrees) in Europe, it is not facing the rapid change being seen in the US market and the platforms are (generally) holding their own or seeing gentle stagnation. Finally, and most importantly, the economics of buying national football rights in each country just do not work for the Tech giants, even in the UK, because the potential advertising/subscription upside is not there and/or would take too long to develop.

However, life is not fair and, more to the point, business deals don’t care about feelings. The simple truth is that the current sets of European rights deals – which involve the same structures as previous deals and with (usually) the same players – are merely kicking the can down the road when it comes to how to monetise their rights in a world when the traditional national-based Pay-TV model is under significant pressure and where a combination of streaming and global preferences makes the old way of selling rights increasingly obsolete.

Of course, there is an argument that what the leagues are doing is buying themselves time to work out a new structure for how to sell rights. If that is the case, what would be the best model moving forwards?

My view would be that it increasingly makes sense – certainly when it comes to the major rights – to look in terms of global distribution via streaming and think less of the old system of national and international sales of rights. To be clear, I do not think the leagues should do this themselves – they do not have the necessary technical competency skills. What I think they should instead consider doing is partnering with the major platforms with global reach such as YouTube, Amazon, Apple and even Netflix.

This is a question more for the medium-term than for the short. But, at some point, it will need to be answered.

CEV appoints InCrowd to deliver on new data marketing strategy

After a successful period of consultation and collaboration on a new digital and data transformation strategy, The European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) implemented InCrowd’s Fan Data platform in October 2023 in order to source and collate a broader range of owned and third party data sources, resulting in a significant growth in their marketable email audience.

To achieve this, the InCrowd and CEV team produced a comprehensive data collection strategy that examined all digital touchpoints before identifying five key data capture points that would help supply and maintain the required data density needed for CEV to operate more successfully across Europe.

One key data point was location, with a lead objective for the CEV being the ability to market their streaming platform effectively whilst adhering to TV partnership deals in certain regions. CEV are now able to capture, optimise and utilise location data in a centralised platform with location known for 96% of their total database. With more information held in the database, the CEV were able to launch an OTT reactivation campaign, targeting a segmented audience of unsubscribed users that generated a conversion rate of 22%.

Aleksandar Boričić, CEV President said: “Fan engagement has been identified as a major priority to grow our sport and for this to happen, we do need to know our fans better, and have a clearer understanding of what they expect from us and what they would like us to deliver. Our partnership with InCrowd is of the utmost importance to pursue such a strategic goal and we look forward to continuing working together to bring fans closer to the sport and to the organisation, delivering experiences that they will enjoy and remember forever.”

Abby Cockayne, InCrowd’s director of Digital and Data Services said: “We are delighted to be working alongside the CEV team to take their fan engagement to the next level, with data as the catalyst for this. Utilising InCrowd’s suite of data powered technology and supporting marketing strategy services marks the start of an innovative and collaborative relationship to create a truly connected environment and positive experiences for fans.”

United Football League confirms deal with Under Armour

The United Football League has announced a partnership with Under Armour ahead of its upcoming season, which kicks off on March 30, 2024.

Under Armour will continue to provide resources, services, and support for UFL business and football initiatives, including: 

  • Official Uniform Partner
  • Official Sideline Apparel Partner for Players and Coaches
  • Official Performance Apparel Partner
  • Official Licensed Fan Gear Partner 
  • Official Youth Football Partner

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Under Armour and appreciate their commitment to both the League and the future of spring football,” said Russ Brandon, President and CEO of the UFL. “Under Armour has football in their DNA and a phenomenal history working across the high performance and professional sports ecosystem. We are committed to delivering only the best for our athletes, staff, and fans, and we know Under Armour will provide best-in-class products to represent the UFL.” 

In addition to Under Armour’s involvement on the field, the company is now an officially licensed fan gear partner of the UFL, allowing fans and consumers to shop and wear the same apparel that their favorite players are wearing. The collection will go on sale today at shop.theufl.com and ua.com will be available from local retailers beginning March 15. 

In addition, Under Armour will participate in the League’s hospitality offerings by hosting fan activations to bring fans closer to the action and enhance the gameday experience.

The UFL and Under Armour will also continue to expand their work with the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches through a program that was successfully piloted in 2023 with the D.C. Defenders and San Antonio Brahmas. The program pairs high school football coaches with UFL teams to offer hands-on coaching experience at the professional level and expand diversity and opportunity within the sport. 

Under Armour has also been granted the rights to league-wide logos, team logos, and wordmarks, as well as player partnership rights and UFL venue access for content development.

“Under Armour has long been committed to making athletes better, and to be the best versions of themselves, they need apparel that is also ready to take on a challenge,” said Sean Eggert, SVP of Global Sports Marketing at Under Armour. “We’re excited to continue our partnership with the UFL and create performance solutions with their exact needs in mind for training, competition and recovery.” 

Audi completes Sauber takeover to expand commitment to F1

German manufacturer Audi have moved to accelerate and expand their commitment to Formula 1 by choosing to take a 100% stake in Swiss operation Sauber, ahead of their arrival in the sport in 2026.

In 2022, Audi – part of the Volkswagen Group – announced they would join F1 as a power unit supplier when sweeping new regulations that feature increased electrical power and 100% sustainable fuels will be introduced in two years’ time.

They opted to partner with Sauber – one of the longest-standing teams in Formula 1 – and planned to acquire a stake in the Sauber Group. However, they have now chosen to complete a full takeover of the business.

Andreas Seidl, who joined from McLaren to take the role as CEO of the Swiss operation at the start of 2023, will become Audi F1 Team CEO.

Audi say Seidl will oversee the running of the Formula 1 project and act as the “face of the future Audi Formula 1 Team”.

Seidl said: “[I] am looking forward to leading Audi into Formula 1 together with a highly motivated team as CEO of the Audi F1 Team. We have a clear roadmap for how we want to become competitive in Hinwil as well as in Neuburg [Audi’s F1 Power Unit facility].

“We have ambitious goals. Realisation of them is in progress and will be further accelerated through the complete takeover of Sauber by AUDI AG.”

Oliver Hoffmann, who is currently heading Audi’s Technical Department, will move into a newly-created position of General Representative.

He’ll be responsible for knitting together the Formula 1 team, the development of the new Audi Power Unit, the “strategic steering and activation of the programme by Audi”.

He will also become Chairman of the Board of Director of all Sauber companies.

Hoffman said: “Formula 1, is my big passion. I am convinced that by bundling responsibilities and taking over 100% of Sauber Group, we will further accelerate our preparations for the launch in 2026.

“I am pleased we were able to secure the services of Andreas Seidl as Audi F1 Team CEO. He is exactly the right man for our ambitious plan. Thanks to his broad experience from leadership roles on the manufacturer and Formula 1 team side, he will make a significant contribution to Audi’s Formula 1 project.”

Hoffman has substantial motorsport experience, having held the role of Head of Audi Sport. He oversaw international wins and championships in DTM and Formula E while Audi became the first manufacturer to win the famous Dakar Rally with an electrified drivetrain earlier this year.

ESPN secures ICC cricket rights in the Caribbean and Latin America

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the continuation of its long-term partnership with ESPN with a deal taking ICC global events to fans across 51 territories in the Caribbean and Latin America, ahead of an exciting year in the region with the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The broadcast and digital deal includes the next eight years of rights for all matches of the 12 men’s senior events and four U19 men’s events up until the end of 2031. The first senior men’s event as part of this agreement kicks off with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 which will take place in West Indies and the USA between 1 and 29 June. The partnership will also include up until the end of 2027 all matches of the four women’s senior events and two U19 women’s events.

This agreement marks a new chapter in ICC’s relationship with ESPN, which began in 2012, representing the first direct deal between the two organizations. Fans across 33 territories will be able to watch event coverage via ESPN Caribbean and ESPN2 Caribbean on television and on digital streaming platform ESPN Play Caribbean. In another 18 countries across Latin America, ICC cricket will be available through ESPN on the Star+ streaming platform.

ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice said: “We are thrilled to be extending our partnership with ESPN and taking ICC events to across 51 territories in the Caribbean and Latin America. We have a very exciting year coming up with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 hosted in the West Indies and the USA and have a huge opportunity to entertain and inspire a new generation of fans in the region.”

VP of Programming & Acquisitions at ESPN, Michael Walters said: “The extension of this agreement reinforces ESPN’s commitment to providing fans in the Caribbean and Latin America with high quality and locally relevant programming. There is no better way to demonstrate that commitment than with the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup hosted by the West Indies and USA this summer. Our audiences in the region will be able to continue enjoying the International Cricket Council events for 8 more years extending our relationship that dates back to 2012.”

The phenomenal rise of women’s sports globally

Today, March 8 marks the International Women’s Day. As per a recent report by the United Nations, 340 million women and girls will be living in extreme poverty by 2030. The importance of gender equality and the well-being of women in today’s world cannot be overstated. The last few years have been game-changing years for women’s sports. Changing cultural attitudes towards gender roles and stereotypes have contributed to the acceptance and normalization of women’s participation in sports. Efforts to challenge traditional notions of femininity, promote diversity and inclusion, and celebrate athleticism in all its forms have created more supportive environments for girls and women to participate in sports and pursue their athletic aspirations. Women are taking charge in the sports ecosystem which has resulted in women’s sport being further bolstered around the world.

As per ESPN, 80% of female Fortune 500 CEOs played sports in their formative years, which emphasizes the profound impact of early exposure to sports on women’s development. This is a testament to the invaluable skills cultivated from sports, skills that resonate far beyond the court or field. Of all transactions in 2023, 14% were women’s sport only deals, with an additional 34% of deals into mixed properties that involved both a men’s and women’s rights holder. Women’s sport deals in 2023 were largely concentrated in football, basketball and cricket.

In football, Michele Kang formed the first multi-club ownership group in the women’s game. While in basketball and cricket, several investments were made into WNBA franchises. The FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 was a resounding success with record attendances.

Kansas City Current’s Co-Owner, Angie Long said: “As the first stadium purpose-built for a professional women’s sports team, CPKC stadium is a proof of concept in many ways. It will prove how investment and stadium ownership is the key to success for women’s sports. It allows these world-class athletes the opportunity to optimize their scheduled playing times and provides the revenue streams needed to reinvest in players and the fan experience. This is just the beginning and I believe it will cause a global ripple effect, bringing forward the success of elite facilities for women athletes. We can’t wait for Kansas City Current players to take the pitch and for fans to experience the electric atmosphere of CPKC Stadium. We are the first, but we won’t be the last.”

A recent report titled ‘Making Live Sport Matter’ reflects the UK’s ambition to maintain its reputation as a world-leading host nation through securing a programme of events, including the most impactful international events in women’s sport, whilst continuing to pioneer the integration of men’s and women’s events and the integration of Olympic and Paralympic sports.

The UK is already preparing to host the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, the European Athletics Championships in 2026 and UEFA EURO 2028. The new list of aspirational hosting targets includes the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the biggest global sporting event the UK has never hosted, along with the Men’s Rugby World Cup, the Athletics World Championships, the Ryder Cup, the Solheim Cup and the Tour de France.

Meanwhile, in India the successful completion of the Women’s IPL auction set a new high watermark for the valuation of a women’s sports team. The league is now in its second season. It was the second big event with regards to women’s sport after the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022.

Jinisha Sharma, Director of Capri Sports which owns the UP Warriorz franchise of the WPL said: “The opportunity before us as a women’s cricket franchise representing the state of Uttar Pradesh in India is immense. We are committed to leveraging our platform as an enabler to not only make sports more accessible but also to significantly increase participation among young girls. Our vision extends beyond the cricket field; we aim to be stalwarts in supporting women’s sports at multiple levels, fostering an environment where talent thrives and dreams are pursued with fervor.”

According to Deloitte’s 2024 Sport Investment Outlook, the global women’s sports market will see more investment activity and attract an expanding group of investors this year.

Women’s sport properties are predicted to create standalone commercial entities to align with growing appetite for investment and Deloitte further expects sports such as cycling, sailing and padel to attract investment given their increasing popularity, as well as a surge in minority investment in ‘premium sports assets’.

SportAccord 2024 – MediaAccord is ‘rare opportunity’ to meet before Paris 2024

Want to get the inside track on what to expect when Paris opens its doors to the world for the Olympic Games, while setting new standards for broadcast and production creativity? 

Join us at MediaAccord (Day 4 – Thursday, 11 April) to hear from Olympic Broadcasting Services and Agence France-Presse – leading global news agency and long term SportAccord Media Partner – on the most technologically complex and visually stunning Olympic Games in history. 

Paris 2024 – unique in so many ways 

Paris 2024 will be showing the world the best France has to offer in just 140 days, transforming world-famous monuments into magnificent competition venues – from the Eiffel Tower and Trocadéro to Roland-Garros Stadium and Château de Versailles.

“It’s not only the athletes who will have to be at the top of their game in Paris: this is the ultimate test for media companies. MediaAccord is a rare opportunity for all the stakeholders in sport to come together, listen, discuss and learn about the latest trends and developments,” explained James Pearce – award-winning sports journalist & broadcaster, covering eight Olympic Games – and MediaAccord’s moderator.  

Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) will be taking broadcast coverage of Paris 2024 to an entirely new level, with more coverage than ever before and innovative technologies being used – the stage is set for a spectacular Games in Paris that will redefine how viewers experience this global event.

Yiannis Exarchos, Chief Executive Officer of Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and Executive Director of the Olympic Channel explained: “Technological enhancements like UHD HDR, immersive sound and AI integration contribute to our commitment to capture the essence and emotions of athletes. With a desire for more human interaction post-pandemic, Paris 2024 coverage will provide more content than ever before and behind-the-scenes material for a deeper connection to the Games experience.” 

Paris 2024 – breaking news with tech twist 


in Paris, across France and in Tahiti – where surfing will be staged – the editorial coverage will be immense, and this time with a technological twist. 

“At MediaAccord, we’re looking forward to discussing the attractiveness of innovations including robotics and artificial intelligence for measuring and increasing the audience for the Paris Olympic Games editorially,” explained Pierre Galy, Head of Sports at Agence France-Presse, International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognised news agency and member of the IOC Press Commission.

Immersive technologies – transforming sports fan experiences & content design

MediaAccord also has two fascinating tech-focused sessions looking at how immersive technologies are converging with artificial intelligence to create brand new experiences for sports fans around the world. 

Join Andy Miah – Chair in Science Comms & Future Media at University of Salford, Manchester – for his Towards a World of Immersive Experience session. 

Want to know how AI and wider tech impacts how media content is designed? 

Meet Ellie Roach – Digital and Data Services Lead at InCrowd Sports, and Ross Tanner – Director at Magnifi, for the Data, AI, OTT: Navigating Digital Opportunities session. 

“The importance of data in driving engagement and creating connections between sports organisations, brands and fans is undeniable,” said Roach. “I’m looking forward to sharing thoughts on the best data technology stacks to help deliver more cohesive, immersive and personalised digital experiences.”

“The sports media industry is evolving at a rapid pace, and keeping up is a challenge for Federations – I will be sharing my insight on how new technologies, especially in AI, are giving new opportunities for fan growth and associated revenues,” explained Tanner. 

SportAccord 2024 – join world’s leading sports industry experts

Meet renowned global experts in sport, industry and academia and join over 1,500 delegates and exhibitors at SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit on 7-11 April at the award-winning International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham – West Midlands. 

Register now:  https://register.event-works.com/sportaccord/birmingham2024/e/ce/

Partners

SportAccord2024 is supported by a number of partners and suppliers: