IMG scores deal to produce BBC’s Women’s World Cup coverage

IMG, a global leader in sports, events and media, will produce the BBC’s highly anticipated coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, taking place in Australia and New Zealand from Thursday 20 July.

Under the agreement, IMG will manage the incoming live match feed, studio presentation and highlight programming for the BBC’s 33 fixtures throughout the tournament, including the final and semi-final stages. IMG will also have a dedicated production team embedded in the England Lionesses’ camp to create exclusive content for the BBC’s digital and news channels. 

Barney Francis, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Production at IMG, said: “The entire nation will be watching this summer’s World Cup with anticipation and excitement. We’re proud to bring viewers all the best live action and thrilling highlights through IMG’s coverage on the BBC, so fans can experience the Lionesses’ journey from home.”

IMG’s coverage will kick off with the tournament’s opening game between hosts New Zealand and Norway on July 20th and includes England’s group stage match against Denmark.

This latest deal will see IMG leverage its industry-leading experience and expertise producing live football for some of the biggest domestic and international broadcasters from its world-class studio facilities at Stockley Park. This includes coverage of the England men’s UEFA Nations League matches, European Qualifiers and International Friendlies for Channel 4, English Football League highlights show for ITV, the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, and UEFA Champions League coverage for U.S. network, CBS. IMG is also the Premier League’s international production partner, producing and distributing the world feed for all 380 matches each season alongside creative digital and social content.

Magnifi announced as latest iSportConnect advisory partner

iSportConnect can today announce that Magnifi, a company that offers cutting edge video solutions powered by AI, have become part of iSportConnect’s Advisory service. 

Magnifi revolutionises video content by employing innovative technologies for video analysis and editing. This enables a remarkable transformation of videos into digital-ready assets.  

Their solution enables content owners & rights holders to tag and identify key moments automatically, personalise and brand these bite-sized assets to create highlights and short form videos in real time. 

Magnifi offers a comprehensive video technology ecosystem that delivers dynamic video content in real time in engaging, cost-efficient, and user-friendly formats. Their dashboard allows for seamless processing and can repurpose both live and archived content.

Magnifi caters to OTT players, broadcasters, sports clubs and leagues, e-gaming platforms, schools, and colleges. Their scalable platform enhances production processes and opens doors to new monetization opportunities.

“iSportsConnect brings immense value to our partnership through their industry expertise, extensive network and shared values to encourage innovation. We are thrilled to partner with them and explore how we can help shape this space and the industry together.” – Vinayak S, CEO and Co-founder

“When we met with the team and they showed us the product it was clear they had something really smart and we wanted to help them grow. I know AI is the hot topic at the moment but you still have to know how to build commercial use cases. Magnifi have done exactly that,” added Sandy Case, iSportConnect’s CEO.

iSportConnect Advisory

iSportConnect’s advisory service works to help our clients grow – through commercial development, marketing and communications, global sports market entry and business strategy. Our global consultancy clients have included the likes of LaLiga, Vindicia, IAAF, Tata Communications, ITF and InCrowd among many others.

About iSportConnect

iSportConnect is all about helping organisations grow in the business of sport. Whatever the organisation. We launched in 2010 with the aim of bringing together sports business professionals around the world in a networking community enabling them to meet one another, find information and obtain access to a wide range of relevant services. The platform is now the largest global private network of sport business executives, where membership is exclusive and follows a strict door policy.

About VideoVerse

VideoVerse has found an extremely strong product-market fit in serving enterprises across numerous industries – OTT players, broadcasters, sports clubs and leagues, marketing agencies, e-gaming platforms and more. They are  building the next-generation video editing ecosystem, addressing a broad range of use cases in the post-production process. The company started its journey on generating instant key moments and auto short-sized clips leveraging computer vision and AI capabilities, the sliver in which it is the current tech leader. VideoVerse today has offices in the U.S., UK, Europe, Singapore and India.

Meet the Member: “This truly is a global game and this World Cup will be broadcast in 190 countries”

David Crocker is the Executive Director for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which is now just 44 days away. We discuss basketball’s global impact, the tournament’s legacy and much more…

So David to kick us off, take us through your journey in sport?

I grew up in a massively sporty family, both my parents were very successful athletes and coaches when they were young and also went on to work as administrators. My brothers and sister played sports as well so you couldn’t move for sport in our house. I think this is why I have always found it easy to work in sport because it really is in my DNA. In a few months it will be 50 years since I started working in sport and that time has really flown.

In terms of basketball, I am massively indebted to my first coach, Gary. He was amazing at getting a bunch of six-year-olds to fall in love with the game and actually somehow get us to be good at it as well rather than just have fun – we did have plenty of fun at the same time though. He really taught me about the importance of youth coaches when it comes to bringing in the next generation of basketball players. 

And to bring that back to my time at FIBA, when it comes around to November I will have been here for ten years. It has been great to see both the organisation and the World Cups have evolved over the last decade. From Spain to China and now we have three nations hosting it. For me, this has been the most important job of my career and I can’t wait for it to get underway.

You have been working towards this World Cup since 2020, what has that process been like and how are you feeling now we are not far away?

The task given to me by my Secretary General was to be the conductor of the orchestra. We have got three different countries hosting the tournament together so getting all three of these pulling in the same direction has really been a massive part of my role. 

We started working on this tournament in 2020, so the first part of the planning phase was heavily disrupted by Covid. I didn’t even meet my colleagues in each of the countries for the first two years because of the travel bans that were in place. It also meant I couldn’t do site visits but the teams in all three countries were all brilliant. They have been excellent from day one of this project. They meet regularly as a three, both with and without me and have always been open and honest with each other and not kept any secrets which has been a massive help. 

Despite being in a similar part of the world all three of the countries are very different both culturally and both in their maturity around the game of basketball. I am a massive fan of the logo we have come up with, each country is represented in its own way which is really important. 

Basketball is an increasingly global game. You just have to look at the last few NBA MVPs to see that, how has that changed the FIBA World Cup?

Basketball really is an international sport. There are 120 international players playing in the NBA at the moment from around 35 to 40 countries, which is a great example of that. I am pretty sure that all of the teams have at least one international player. There is obviously a massive influence from the NBA on the World Cups. In 2019, we had around 60 players from the NBA competing and we are expecting the same again. You look at a team like Canada, they could have a dozen NBA players lining up from different teams but all wearing the red and white of Canada. 

While the FIBA World Cup more than stands up on its own as an event, is it the case that the more NBA stars the better?

The two have a great relationship when it comes to growing the game around the world. The NBA does a great job of profiling the game and helping the sport get exposure. It does help people identify with the teams at the World Cups if they have NBA talent on them. 

But on the other hand, one of the other things that is great about the World Cup is that it brings together all these different styles of basketball from across the globe. There is the athletic, running American style, then the European style which revolves around power and muscle, then the Asian style which has a lot of long range shooting and ball movement and then in Africa there are a lot of athletic and powerful players. 

It is great because every game is different and you get to see NBA players playing with different players and in a different style. 

In terms of viewership, is a large portion of that still coming from the States or is it spread globally and if so where are the real hot spots?

Like I said earlier, this truly is a global game and this World Cup is going to be broadcast in 190 countries. We will have a really strong online presence as well, particularly working with Tencent in China and FIBA’s own Courtside 1891 programme as well. 

Taking it back to broadcast, we have the deal with ESPN in the States and they will be broadcasting all 92 games. We also have broadcast deals in Spain, France, China and the Baltics. In terms of numbers, it has potential to be massive. When Spain and Argentina competed for gold four years ago we had a total global TV audience of 160 million. 

If we include online, the figures from four years ago are truly remarkable; across the whole tournament we had a total audience of 3 billion people. We have already seen a significant increase in interest for this tournament, five times in some areas, so I am really excited about the potential the tournament has.

What sort of legacy are you looking to leave in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia when the tournament is over?

There is a massive opportunity to grow our sport in not just the host cities but all around the globe. Back in 2002, New Zealand finished fourth in the World Cup in Indianapolis and that brought a country of five million people to an absolute standstill. Aeroplanes didn’t take off so people could watch the game, it really was incredible. 

It is really about inspiring the next generation of players from across the globe that they can play this sport at the highest level. To follow that up though it is our responsibility to make sure that there is the infrastructure in place so that it can happen. We have built a 16,000 seater arena in Indonesia which will not just attract elite sports events, it will serve the community as well. We think it is something that the people of Jakarta should be really proud of. 

In Japan, we are running programmes in the Okinawa Islands to help some of the kids out there because some of them don’t have the best upbringing out there. So if we can help these kids through basketball then that is something we need to be doing. 

Then again, in the Philippines it is all about making sure the next generation of young men and women have the opportunities to play basketball. So in each country it really comes back to inspiring the next generations and giving them the opportunity to play our sport.

Lastly, please give us your all-time starting five?

I have a bit of a different one for this, I will be honest. I am going to pick our ambassadors because of what they have done for our game around the world. So I’ve got Carmelo Anthony, Pau Gasol and Luis Scola. Then to complete the team we have Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, both had brilliant careers and were great champions of the women’s game. So, I think I have got a pretty handy team there. 

View From The Middle East – The reasons behind the growth of the Saudi Pro League

In this week’s View From Middle East article Adam Paker, Partner at Portas Consulting, looks into the the profound changes in Saudi football beyond Ronaldo and Benzema.

The signings of such football stars as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema by the Saudi Pro League have made headlines worldwide. Yet the logic of such signings is not well-understood, and it is easy to dismiss as no more than a spending spree.

The reality is very different and speaks of profound, strategic, structural changes within Saudi football at all levels. These are much less about short-term attention-grabbing, and much more about building a plan for long-term, sustained success.

Saudi Arabia has placed an emphasis on the benefits of sport and physical activity since the launch of Vision 2030, its national strategy aimed at diversifying the economy away from a dependence on oil.

One of the cornerstones of Vision 2030, the Quality of Life Program, puts a strong accent on embedding sport and physical activity in Saudi daily life. This has led to significant investment in improving the sporting offering in Saudi Arabia across sports and at all levels from grassroots to elite.

Football, the most popular sport in the Kingdom in terms both of participation and following (the larger clubs have a significant fan base – Al-Ittihad, the reigning champions, averaged 41k in attendance last season) is a subject of particular focus and ambition. What are the building blocks of this strategy?

1.) A pathway for talent development
Saudi Arabia stunned audiences worldwide last year with their 2-1 victory over Argentina at the Qatar FIFA World Cup. Yet this was no overnight success; in fact, Saudi football has undergone a profound transformation in its approach to player development. In 2019, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation started work on a new strategy, “Our tactics for tomorrow”, which gave special importance to grassroots youth development. The following year saw the opening of the Mahd Academy, the national elite sport centre, with a mission to develop young athletes in football and other sports. Implementation followed, with youth leagues overhauled and national training centres under development across the country to support the development of local talent.

2.) Transforming the clubs
The ambition of the Saudi Pro League is to be a top 10 league worldwide over the next 5 to 7 years. Driven and overseen by the Ministry of Sport, the 100+ professional football clubs in Saudi Arabia across 4 tiers have benefited for several years from a significant process of transformation, investment, and modernisation. In June 2023 this was followed with the announcement of a privatisation plan – which will see majority ownership of the 4 largest clubs going into the hands of the national sovereign wealth fund, and several other clubs changing hands. It is anticipated that this will usher in opportunities for greater private ownership and new funding sources for the Saudi Pro League.

3.) Prioritising women’s football
Saudi Arabia has taken great strides to grow female involvement in football at all levels. In the last year, the number of registered female coaches rose from 119 to over 1,000. The senior women’s national team, launched in 2019, is now recognised by FIFA with an official world ranking. With almost 700 players from 20 nations playing in the women’s premier league and first division the league development is promising. Finally, female Saudi fans are now much in evidence at matches, home and abroad – and were especially notable in Qatar whenever the Saudi ‘Green Falcons’ were playing.

4.) World-class excellence in events
Saudi Arabia is committed to an ambitious plan to host major football tournaments. Already, it holds the annual Spanish and Italian SuperCups and will host the FIFA Club World Cup in December. It will take another step up as a major event host when it stages the 2027 Asian Cup. To meet these commitments, a vast upgrade in playing facilities is underway, with new stadia planned for construction in Riyadh, Dammam and Qiddiya. National development projects, such as NEOM, Diriyah and AlUla, are all incorporating football infrastructure and pathways.

In conclusion, the Saudis have set a clear path, building solid and durable foundations for developing football at all levels on a sustainable basis. This will ultimately, true to Vision 2030, build a football economy. In the short-term the introduction of foreign players (in practice a blend of star names complemented by competent international players) is already lifting playing standards and raising interest in Saudi football to investors, broadcasters, sponsors and global fans. In the longer term it is hoped that it will catalyse winning national teams, a successful women’s football structure, a top 10 league, and a burgeoning reputation for hosting excellent events in world-class facilities in the Kingdom

Click here to find out more about the work done by Portas Consulting

iSportConnect SportsTech Index powered by SportsTech Match – July 6

Who’s hot in Sports Tech? Who is doing deals, launching new products and generally doing some of the best work in the sector? That’s what the Index attempts to dig into. Whether established players or the up-and-coming stars, we go a little deeper for you…

Edition number five of our monthly sports tech index sees Fanbase (fan engagement platform), one of our most consistent performers, take the #1 spot for the first time. Fanbase announced a batch of new deals with UK-based sports teams over the past 4 weeks.

Sport:80 at #2 (NGB and sports membership management), Genius Sports at #3 (sports data), Ticketmaster at #4 (ticketing) and Seat Unique at #5 (ticketing) complete our top five.  

Notable in this month’s index is the absence, for the first time, of a company in the Athletes & Performance sector. Our highest ranking company in this sector, Catapult (athlete monitoring and performance analysis), sit at #23 and with the exception of some product updates, did not make any significant announcements this past month. 

First time entrants in our top 20 this month include Project Admission at #16 (ticketing),  PT Sportsuite at #19 (end-to-end digital platform solution) and Spotlight Sports Group at #20 (sports betting experiences), and all on account of new deal announcements.

Want to know more?

Subscribe to the SportsTech Match monthly newsletter for an overview of the list of activity that generated points towards the index score this month (via the footer on the website).

The iSportConnect Sports Tech Index is designed to help rights owners and investors quickly assess who is “hot” from a product and new business perspective and provides sports tech vendors with an incentive to focus their PR announcements on what matters to the market. It follows a simple scoring system (see below).

The iSportConnect Sports Tech Index will be published on a monthly basis on iSportConnect.com.

Click here to read more about how the Index is calculated.

Formula 1 announce record-breaking 2024 calendar

Formula 1 has announced the calendar for the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship, approved by the World Motor Sport Council. The calendar features 24 races and begins in Bahrain on March 2 and finishes in Abu Dhabi on December 8.

Formula 1 has made clear its intention to move towards greater calendar regionalisation, reducing logistical burdens and making the season more sustainable.

By moving Japan to April, Azerbaijan to September and Qatar back-to-back with Abu Dhabi, this calendar creates a better flow of races in certain regions, and this work will continue while being realistic to the fact that as a world championship, with climatic and contractual constraints, there will always be travel required that cannot be completely regionalised.

For the opening two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the Grand Prix will take place on a Saturday. This decision has been taken to accommodate Ramadan.

Speaking of the 2024 Formula 1 calendar announcement, Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1, said: “I am delighted to announce the 2024 calendar with 24 races that will deliver an exciting season for our fans around the world. There is huge interest and continued demand for Formula 1, and I believe this calendar strikes the right balance between traditional races and new and existing venues.

“I want to thank all of the promoters and partners for their support and effort to achieve this great schedule. Our journey to a more sustainable calendar will continue in the coming years as we further streamline operations as part of our Net Zero 2030 commitment. We have plenty of racing to look forward to in 2023, including the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix, and our fans can look forward to more excitement next season.”

https://twitter.com/F1/status/1676584214559444993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1676584214559444993%7Ctwgr%5E6d445a67044178c4d8cc2ca5539ca6f41a6bfc94%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.formula1.com%2Fen%2Flatest%2Farticle.formula-1-announces-calendar-for-2024.XL3c5Cxi0ZOQzPrUu5izL.html

“The planned 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar, that has been approved by the Motor Sport Council Members, demonstrates some important steps towards our shared goals,” added Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA.

“We want to make the global spectacle of Formula 1 more efficient in terms of environmental sustainability and more manageable for the travelling staff who dedicate so much of their time to our sport. Stefano Domenicali and his team have done a great job to both bring in new and exciting venues in emerging markets for Formula 1, and stay true to the sport’s long and remarkable heritage.

“Each race can only happen thanks to the collaboration between the FIA, FOM, the promoters, and the host ASNs who bring together the thousands of volunteer marshals and support personnel so that we can go racing, and as we forge ahead into the future we must ensure that our priorities grow and develop with the needs of society and what is best for our sport, our fans and our environment.”

Why the new player visa laws are good for English football

With the transfer window open, there has been plenty of news about Premier League players being attracted to the Saudi Pro league, which has been investing heavily this year.

The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo was undoubtedly a line in the sand (no pun intended) which signalled Saudi Arabia’s intention to grow a competition which had previously rarely merited a mention.

Wolves’ Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, for instance, joined Al-Hilal for almost £50m, underlining the fact that the League is not just a resting place for over-the-hill players.

But English professional clubs have been at something of a disadvantage in recent years, with stricter qualifying criteria robbing them of some of the talented young players who come from smaller leagues or competitions.

Clubs had to wait until youngsters had played a certain number of international minutes or played at a relatively high level before they could be considered.

Meanwhile, clubs in Europe had the pick of these younger footballers and could then sell them on for a high fee if English clubs came circling.

Recent changes in visa requirements have been made to address this challenge, meaning that talented overseas players can come to England at younger age, before they are established internationals.

The Football Association (FA) and the UK Home Office have now changed the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) criteria for international footballers entering the UK.

Under the new rules, the FA can now issue ‘International Sportsperson’ endorsements without adhering to the previously stringent points-based system.

This means that clubs can now sign players who exhibit significant potential, rather than solely focusing on those already considered elite.

And to prevent the leagues being swamped with players that block the pathways for homegrown talent, clubs will have to ensure that young English players get significant opportunities in order to retain their quota for the following year.

Emma Brooksbank, Expert Immigration Partner, Freeths, explained: “Clubs can now recruit young talent from smaller leagues around the world that would not previously have been eligible to play in England.

“Signing players at a younger age could actually mean lower transfer fees and thus more money to invest in the development of homegrown players as well as wider investment into local communities.”

The new Elite Significant Contribution (ESC) category broadens the number of domestic leagues around the world that young players can qualify from, while international appearances will still also count.

Ms Brooksbanks added: “The changes to GBE rules will certainly boost the English game and provide clubs with a wider pool of talent from which to draw.

“The revised visa system for elite players will provide a wide range of opportunities for football clubs in England. The fact that clubs also have their overseas visa quota assessed based on how much new homegrown talent they field during a season will ensure a healthy balance between national and international recruitment for football clubs – and that has to be for the benefit of the English game.”

While concerns about the impact on homegrown players are valid, the potential benefits in terms of enhanced competitiveness and increased investment in local communities cannot be ignored.

By David Alexander, MD Calacus PR

Report: Women’s Sport Trust study shows positive impact of working with women’s sport

New research from the Women’s Sport Trust has shown the positive outcomes that can be achieved by brands sponsoring women’s sport. The report – developed with the sponsorship consultancy ONSIDE – reveals that 24.5 million adults are now aware of any women’s sport sponsorship in the UK and women’s only deals are proving popular due to their ability to attract new audiences and drive brand affinity.

Overall women’s sport was thought to be a key part of the sports sponsorship mix and potentially more impactful: 

  • 60 per cent agree that sponsors should invest both in the men’s and women’s side of a sport that they support. 
  • 63 per cent of women agree that brands sponsoring a sport should give the same level of coverage in advertising to men’s and women’s teams.
  • 29 per cent think more favourably of companies or brands that support women’s sport through their sponsorship, compared to 17 per cent that support men’s sport. 
  • 16 per cent of the UK population are more likely to buy from a brand that sponsors women’s sport, compared to 13 per cent that sponsor a men’s sport. 

High-profile sponsorships of women’s sport are achieving significant awareness, with 14.6m people aware of O2’s sponsorship of the England’s women’s rugby team the Red Roses and 14.4m aware of Coca Cola’s sponsorship of the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup.  

One of the most exciting findings of the report showed the positive impact brand newcomers, attracted by women’s only deals, are receiving to their partnerships. 53 per cent of those aware of make-up brand Il Makiage’s partnership with Arsenal and 52 per cent aware of Gucci’s partnership with England star Leah Williamson felt more positive about the brands as a result – the best performing of all brands tracked. These partnerships are also driving greater affinity specifically from women, while typically it is men and avid women’s sports fans who are most likely to be aware of a women’s sport sponsorship overall.

Il Makiage’s Arsenal partnership was most successful in driving brand consideration, with 31 per cent of those aware of the sponsorship more likely to consider buying from the brand as a result, compared to an average of 20 per cent across women’s sport sponsorship.

Tammy Parlour, CEO and Co-Founder of the Women’s Sport Trust, said: “This new research clearly demonstrates the positive impact that can be gained for brands if they invest in women’s sport sponsorship.”

Parlour continues, “In order to make women’s sport more sustainable in the long-term, we hope right-holders can learn from these results and produce creative partnership opportunities. This data should provide confidence to the industry that brands can have tangible outcomes across a variety of metrics, without the activation restraints that often occur in men’s sport.”

The Women’s Sport Trust research, produced by ONSIDE, found that a commitment to equal support of men’s and women’s sport and focusing on addressing the inequality of opportunities provided to women and girls in grassroots sports are most impactful in driving a positive sentiment towards the sponsoring brand.  

47 per cent said that activations focused on community and grassroots sport would have a more positive impact on brand perception, while 45 per cent said that activations promoting sustainability and environmental initiatives would have a positive impact, challenging rights holders to create packages that provide a platform for brands to activate sponsorship in this space. Fans were also keen for brands to play a role in celebrating the brilliance of on-field athletes, with 38 per cent believing brands should produce content promoting the sport as being exciting. 

Jon Long, UK and Middle East Managing Director of ONSIDE added: “This research affirms the marketing value of women’s sport sponsorship and, most importantly, moves the conversation on from investment to activation. The British public, particularly young adults and avid sports fans, want brands to be bolder and broader in their activation of women’s sport sponsorships.”

In both men’s and women’s sport, sponsorships focusing on community/grassroots level activities are most likely to drive recommendation and consideration of the sponsoring brand, with women’s sport found to be slightly more effective than men’s sport. 2 in 5 would like to see more brands engage in sponsorship of women’s sports at a community/grassroots level, rising to 3 in 5 amongst avid women’s sports fans and avid women’s football fans. 

The research can be downloaded here:
https://www.womenssporttrust.com/womens-sport-trust-produces-comprehensive-industry-report-into-the-positive-impact-of-womens-sport-sponsorship-on-brands/

LALIGA announce strategic partnership with Electronic Arts

LALIGA today kicked off a new era with Electronic Arts Inc., the competition’s new strategic partner for the next five seasons, with a launch ceremony surrounded by clubs and strategic partners. This transformation includes a major brand evolution, touching on strategy and positioning, but also extends to tangible changes in LALIGA’s audiovisual broadcasting and digital ecosystem.

LALIGA’s new direction reflects the growth it has experienced over the last decade to become the largest football ecosystem in the world. This global transformation began with the announcement of the brand’s new positioning and purpose under the slogan “The Power of our Fútbol,” a launch with which the competition reaffirms its commitment to inspire and leave a positive impact on society.

Javier Tebas, president of LALIGA, said: “Today we begin a new era that represents a revolutionary change for both Spanish football and the industry. And we do so surrounded by clubs and strategic partners such as EA SPORTS, without whom none of this would have been possible. Together we want to create a better football for society and a better society for our football.”

The support of strategic partners and associates has been and will continue to be fundamental. LALIGA offers a unique product that makes it a key player in the industry. It is multi-target, since it reaches people of different ages and backgrounds; it is multi-engagement, and can be interacted with in different ways and with different intensity; and it is multicultural, thanks to its strong global presence.

LALIGA will continue in its commitment to expanding the global football ecosystem together with the worldwide industry leaders with which it partners such as Microsoft, PUMA, Mahou San Miguel and BKT, all while not losing sight of both regional & local partners and adapting to the needs of each market.

A strategic alliance set to revolutionize the football industry

The union of LALIGA and EA SPORTS is the culmination of a relationship consolidated over the last 10 years, but which now moves on to a new level; the leading games publisher becomes the first ever international partner to be title sponsor of the competition.

David Jackson, VP of Brand at EA SPORTS said, “LALIGA uniquely share our vision for a fan-first future of football, and this partnership brings us the opportunity to reframe the way in which fans engage with the game. Combining our expertise in building globally diverse audiences with LALIGA’s spirit of innovation, we will continuously challenge each other, learn, and grow together as partners. As we enter a new era with EA SPORTS FC, we’re excited for our LALIGA partnership to come to life in a variety of ways, from audio-visual technology to entertainment innovation, from grassroots initiatives to digital communities, all with the intention of bringing fans closer to football.”

This strategic alliance brings with it a disruptive way of viewing football, breaking down barriers between the physical and the digital, and creating a unique product that will reach a much wider audience.

The agreement will also be reflected in the naming of the First Division, which will be renamed “LALIGA EA SPORTS,” and the Second Division, which will be renamed “LALIGA HYPERMOTION,” referring to the cutting-edge technology used in the EA SPORTS FC video game based on motion capture that uses high generation images to create more realistic game experiences.

The two companies’ commitment goes beyond a simply technological and audiovisual transformation, however, as both aim to continue generating a positive impact on society and inspiring the world through football.

Other key partnerships for the 2023/24 season

This new era will bring with it other alliances, including the recently presented partnership with LEGENDS, The Home of Football, presented by LALIGA, a space that brings together the largest memorabilia collection in the history of world football. Located in Madrid, it is the first step in the alliance between LALIGA and LEGENDS, of which UEFA is also a part.  600 pieces of memorabilia worn by players in official FIFA, UEFA, CONMEBOL and LALIGA competitions, among others, are displayed in a building with 4,200 square metres of floor space spread across seven floors and featuring a LALIGA TwentyNine’s LEGENDS sports bar.

Fanatics, meanwhile, becomes the strategic partner with which LALIGA will launch its first online store, with the two companies reaching an omnichannel distribution and manufacturing agreement for the competition’s products. The LALIGA Store ecommerce venture will be launched globally this summer before the start of next season. Fans will be able to access a wide selection of officially licensed LALIGA jerseys, training apparel and accessories, as well as of most LALIGA clubs. The selection will be expanded over time to include clubs from both LALIGA divisions, making it the competition’s largest merchandising catalogue.

A transformation at all levels

Many of the new features presented form part of LALIGA’s digital ecosystem. Beyond aesthetic changes to the website, which will integrate the new logo and corporate colours, this new era will also usher in significant technological changes.

The official LALIGA App has been transformed to offer a significantly more personalized user experience, in line with users’ personal tastes and with relevant information around their preferred clubs. It now incorporates a new social video experience focused on NEAR LIVE content which can be shared more easily on social networks. LALIGA FANTASY will also see a host of new features that will be announced on July 12th, and which will help improve the user experience.

A new way of conceiving football on an audiovisual level will be unveiled from August 11th, featuring a full-scale change of the graphics package in match broadcasts including on-air displays, the lower, and scoreboards with a host of new, more dynamic, and lively graphics. The use of cameras will also change, looking for new shots and angles that will bring fans even closer to EA SPORTS FC. These new features integrated into match broadcasts will showcase new perspectives and angles that, enriched with information, create a much more immersive viewing experience that more closely resembles the video game.

The House View: SEG3: The big picture can’t be ignored

I wonder if people at the start of the Industrial Revolution said to themselves, ‘wow, we are really living through a time of profound change that will impact the future of the planet.’ 

That’s where we are now with digital transformation, and I don’t think it’s going too far to make comparisons to the age of the steam engine in looking at the implications of blockchain and digital identity and the metaverse for society, and Generative AI for employment in particular. 

How long will the transformation take? Who will call the shots? What role will government play? This kind of big-picture stuff did not dominate centre stage at the SEG3 conference at Emirates Stadium last week, but it naturally influenced the delegates’ conversation.

And it’s probably too big picture for most of us to profitably concentrate much thought on. That was the view shared with me by Beth Johnson of Umbrella, who led a workshop on brands in the metaverse. People in sports and entertainment and gaming should just make the most of new technology and get on with our businesses. Where it’s all going is beyond our control and anybody’s guess. I think that’s wise. 

But there’s difference between getting hung up on wider transformation and paying attention.

Some of the points that I found most stimulating from the speakers at SEG3 were about the big picture rather than business use cases. 

The panel led by Marie Wallace of Accenture on the future of digital identity made it clear that at some point everybody is likely to be navigating the internet as their digital ‘selves.’ 

Accenture sees digital identity as a ‘foundational trend’ of where tech is going. Marie has commented: “We are faced with a challenge in that the web was never built with an identity layer, yet access management is predicated on strong identity, so as companies have increasingly relied on digital technology to run their businesses, the challenges resulting from that gap have continued to grow.”

Tyrone Lobban of JP Morgan pointed out that Brussels is already pushing to make having a digital identity universally accessible to European citizens. I can only assume that this is ultimately going to be about blockchain. 

And I have to say that my thinking on what is going to push mass adoption of blockchain has changed since the Web3 Summit last year. I thought it would be mainly gaming and entertainment and that it would be all about fun. Now I think it will be serious.

The emergence of Generative AI has made it clear that establishing authenticity of information has become a bigger concern than ever.  It’s my guess that blockchain adoption will be largely driven by governments and banking and the need for a robust interoperable trust layer for digital interaction. 

We will all become identical with our wallets. 

Things already started heading that way with covid vaccination certificates for flying.

Actually it appears we might become identical with our ‘Souls.’ That is the name the tech theologians have come up with for wallets that will contain Soulbound Tokens (SBTs) representing a person’s identity that can include medical records, work history etc.

But what else will our future wallets contain?

This is where businesses need to focus their attention.

The digital change that is taking place is possibly more profound than the Industrial Revolution. We are looking at a re-invention of value as something that can exist virtually as well as in the ‘real world.’ 

Yes, we’ve all heard this before and we already see it in action on gaming platforms where millions are spent on virtual accessories. 

But what really struck me at SEG3 were speakers saying that a shift towards a world of virtual value might be not only possible but necessary.

Martin El-Khoury of Bertelsmann Investment was explicit. He suggested that the reality of the global economy and sustainability imperatives are such that prevailing consumer habits cannot continue indefinitely. Buying and trading virtual goods will increasingly become normalized. 

It’s already happening in fashion. Leanne Elliott Young of the Institute of Digital Fashion showed delegates that virtual designer fashions cater to and fulfil the same desires. The only difference from the clothes on the catwalk is you wear them in the metaverse. Virtual fashions are certainly more accessible and sustainable.

It’s not hard to see what all this means for sports. A trend towards digital identity and virtual consumption fits perfectly with the ambition of rights owners to expand globally. Fans all around the world who are brought into their orbits virtually will be just as valuable as the ones who go to the stadium, possibly even more valuable for data. 

And they won’t be stuck at the stadium. As ‘interoperability’ develops and they can move easily between metaverse environments and take everything with them all of sports and entertainment can benefit. 

One message at SEG3 that has not changed from the Web3 Summit last year is that the digital transformation we’re talking about is in its early days. 

On the panel about raising investment in a bear market, Nathan Pillai of Caerus said that where we are now in terms of how Web3 will develop is where the internet was in 1997.

That’s a decade before the birth of social media. And as Marc Matthieu of Salesforce puts it, “No one ever said social media was a re-invention of the internet. That’s what the Web3 philosophy of decentralization and smart contracts means.”

In the meantime, it might be a good idea to pay some attention to re-inventing the language of Web3.

One SEG3 delegate remarked on the current vocabulary that it’s as if everybody sat down and decided on words using that would create as much friction as possible. Let’s hope that as the evolution of Web3 continues, unfit terms such as NFT (I’m not sold on SBT either) become extinct like the dodo. The sooner the better. My dream would for it to be in time for our SEG3 event in Los Angeles, register your interest here.

By Jay Stuart, Content Director, iSportConnect