Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand has signed a three-year television rights deal with the Cricket Australia governing body.
The deal starts tomorrow and runs throughout New Zealand until 2019 and includes Australian men’s and women’s international games and respective and Big Bash Twenty20 League competitions.
The Australian women’s team faces their New Zealand counterparts in three Twenty20 games, cough which Sky is set to broadcast along with the men’s games in Sri Lanka in February.
Discovery Communications and Major League Baseball’s BAMTech today announced a long-term partnership, ed including the formation of BAMTech Europe, discount a new digital technology provider, click dedicated to working with content owners, broadcasters and OTT platforms to enhance their digital capabilities, reach and performance across Europe.
As part of the partnership, Eurosport Digital will become the new entity’s first client, and gain access to select European sports rights from worldwide sports properties, including current and future rights acquired by BAMTech and jointly by Eurosport and BAMTech.
Discovery acquired full control of Eurosport last year.
“Discovery has been investing internationally in new business models and brands for decades, resulting in the most extensive global footprint in media,” said David Zaslav, President and Chief Executive Officer at Discovery Communications. “The formation of this world-class technology provider, BAMTech Europe, with our partners at BAMTech, accelerates Discovery’s long-term strategy to bring our premium content to more viewers across more screens than ever before.”
“The collaboration of Discovery’s breadth of live sports content, including the Olympic Games, and BAMTech will bring European fans access to these valuable events like never before,” said Bob Bowman, MLB President, Business & Media, “Discovery has been a global leader in media and will be a great partner in expanding BAMTech to Europe, with an eye to developing new models for delivering content in the best interests of customers. We can’t wait to get started.”
“Across Europe, Discovery has led the way in pay-TV and free-to-air services, and expanded into new content genres such as general entertainment and sports,” said JB Perrette, President and Chief Executive Officer at Discovery Networks International. “This partnership with BAMTech is an important next step in our evolution to develop more consumer centric capabilities and services – focused initially on Eurosport.”
It is probably fair to say that everybody with a passion for sport is concerned and saddened to see all the continued headlines about corruption, doping, match-fixing and other integrity issues in sport. Not only do such headlines take away attention and trust from the beautiful game. As a result of what is widely seen as sport organizations no longer being fit for purpose, fans, athletes, sponsors, governments and sport organizations are also starting to acknowledge the importance and urgency in bringing about change in the way that sport is governed.
In this process, challenging questions call for answers. For instance questions such as what kind of governance issues pose the greatest risk to specific sport organizations and what evolving good sport governance practices look like or ought to look like. Based on the perspectives and frameworks offered in the first article in this iSportconnect sport governance series, this article offers some answers to these questions through an interview with Marisol Casado, President of the International Triathlon Union and IOC Member. Subsequent articles will do the same through interviews with David Grevemberg, CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation; Poul-Erik Hoyer, President of Badminton World Federation and IOC Member; and Giovanni Malagò, President of the Italian National Olympic Committee respectively.
The strategic importance and urgency of good governance in sport
There are several reasons why more and more sport leaders consider good governance in sport as a challenge of strategic importance and urgency, as opposed to just regarding it as the nice thing or the right thing to do. First Most importantly, a sound platform of good governance is the foundation for building trust, growth and performance into the future.
Marisol Casado describes the case for good governance in sport in the following way: “It is a fact that trust in sport is at an all time low. We, the international sport federations, have to deserve recognition by society. Acknowledging the current crisis, we are all working hard to achieve that by aligning with principles of good governance.”
As far as the case of the International Triathlon Union is concerned, Marisol adds that “we like challenges in triathlon. We are open to learn and change. For instance, we need to make sure that the new national federations joining our international umbrella have a culture of good governance. The positive aspect is that since the younger national federations are new, it is easier for us to impose a culture of good governance on member federations.”
Evolving good governance practices in sport
While the media is mostly focused on cases of bad governance in sport these days, there are actually quite a few remarkable cases of evolving good sport governing practices too. Such cases offer great inspiration and learning, as sport governing bodies gear up for modernizing the way they are governed. Examples of the governance leadership that the International Triathlon Union is showcasing include:
– Gender balance in leadership positions
– An Oath of Office for board members
– Transparency regarding finances and decisions
– An independent disciplinary panel
Marisol Casado describes these examples in the following ways:
A) Gender balance in leadership positions
“What I would like to highlight the most among the many governance related engagements of mine is my work to promote gender balance in international sport federations. The results are not as good, as I would like them to be. Some international federations do not even have a single woman in their boardroom. However, I try really hard to make the case for placing women in important positions, including by using my own example.
The main problem that we are facing around gender equality in sport is that sport has a men’s culture. Creating cultural change is very difficult. However, I am happy to notice that there is now gender balance in athletes’ participation in the Olympic Games. Based on that I am confident that we will soon arrive at increased gender balance in sport administration too, both in the international sport federations and in the IOC.
In accordance with our constitution at the International Triathlon Union, we need to ensure that at least 20 per cent of our board members are women. Ensuring proper remuneration of the top job is also an important aspect of enabling more women and younger people in general to run for office, as long as it is not considered excessive. Introducing such remuneration is an important part of my legacy at the International Triathlon Union.”
B) An Oath of Office for board members
“Following our elections, board members have to give an oath of office, stating their commitment to proper behavior and principles of good governance.”
C) Transparency regarding finances and decisions
“Transparency is a very important part of good governance. We follow the rules and have nothing to hide and a lot of good things to promote. As soon as they are available, we publish audited financial statements and congress minutes on our website.”
D) An independent disciplinary panel
“The International Triathlon Union now has an independent disciplinary body, reviewing violations and considering sanctions. The body is independent, in the sense that its members are not allowed to have roles with national member federations or our board. Previously, the board of the International Triathlon Union oversaw disciplinary matters. However, we realized that that was not in line with principles of good governance.”
Southampton’s Executive Director of Football Les Reed has cautioned clubs heading into China that they should think carefully on what they are trying to achieve.
Almost all major European football clubs are trying to tap into the emerging football market in China. La Liga’s Marketing Director Alfonso Bara admitted he’d never seen anything like it in his life.
Reed agreed with Bara, saying he too had never seen anything like the investment in football China had been making recently.
But Reed set out a note of caution to those looking to expand operations in China:
“I’ve had some experience working in China, working with the Chinese Football Association, and grass roots development is very high on their agenda, and very separate to what is happening with the Chinese Super League.
“European clubs are trying to get involved in the land grab have to be really clear on what they are doing, why they are doing it, and who they are doing it with. I think there will be possibly quite a few mistakes made.”
Reed also outlined that several different strands of Chinese football growth needed to be looked at separately, rather than being grouped together.
“I sense that there is a gap between what is happening with the Chinese Super League and what is happening with Chinese football per se. They are two very different things, they shouldn’t be seen as one and the same. The CSL is reminiscent of the early days of the North American Soccer League (NASL), when retiring players went off and spent the twilight of their careers out there. But this seems to be very different, there is a huge amount of money involved, deals that players can’t possibly turn down.”
iSportconnect spoke to Les Reed at SoccerEx
Reed also outlined his thoughts on Chinese owners becoming increasing prevalent in English football
“The Chinese investment into European football is another element that’s separate from the other issues. I think it is yet to be seen what the motivation is for some of that, I think there is a long way to go. Investment from China doesn’t worry me. There used to be a saying that all English clubs are up for sale at the right price! It seems to me that we have got used to foreign owners, they are the majority now in the Premier League.
“I think they bring with them different things. Some are individuals with lots of money, others appear to be corporations with different kinds of motivations. We’ve also had the American input, quite a lot of clubs have been bough by Americans, who come from a different sport ownership model. At the moment it’s no different really to English millionaires buying clubs 10 or 15 years ago. It’s just that the money has gone up, you have to be a billionaire now! “
The FIFA Council has appointed PwC Switzerland as the new statutory auditors of FIFA.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino welcomed the decision of the Bureau of the FIFA Council as a further important step in the reform process underway at FIFA.
He said: “We are delighted to have appointed PwC, tadalafil and we look forward to working with them as FIFA moves forward with its programme of reforms, health ”
The appointment of PwC is the result of a thorough, transparent and open selection process conducted by FIFA with several different auditing companies.
The offers received were assessed by the appropriate experts within the FIFA administration who submitted their proposal to the Bureau of the FIFA Council, in consultation with the chair and deputy chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee.
PwC’s appointment will initially be valid until the next FIFA Congress, which will take place in May 2017. This Congress will decide on the appointment of FIFA’s statutory auditors for a full three-year period, as provided for by the FIFA Statutes.
The PGA of America and PrimeSport today announced a multi-year partnership, ed with PrimeSport becoming the “Official Travel Package Provider of the PGA Championship and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, click ” as well as the “Official Ticket Exchange Provider of the 2016 Ryder Cup.”
Only PrimeSport can offer official PGA travel packages that can include event tickets, denture VIP onsite hospitality, hotel accommodations, shuttle transportation, celebrity appearances and more for the 62nd KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (June 7-12 at Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington); and the 98th PGA Championship (July 28-31 at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey).
The 41st Ryder Cup will take place at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, Sept. 27-Oct. 2. PrimeSport, through the PGA of America, now offers a secure and approved marketplace for those that already purchased tickets and whose plans may have changed, to resell them through the Ryder Cup official ticket exchange site. The exchange provides other golf enthusiasts with the opportunity to purchase those tickets with confidence.
“The PGA of America is delighted to enter into this exciting partnership with PrimeSport that offers new ways to experience the PGA Championship, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Ryder Cup,” said PGA of America Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Price. “As the spectator experience continues to evolve, PrimeSport allows us to reach a new consumer base and, together, we’re able to provide additional opportunities for people to attend our premier championship events.”
The National Basketball Association and AEG have announced that NBA Global Games London 2017 will feature the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers travelling to London for a regular-season game at The O2.
The announcement was made via Facebook Live from the NBA’s European headquarters in London.
Fans in the U.K. will be able to watch the game live on BT Sport, buy cialis while fans in Europe will be able to view it through the NBA’s official local broadcast partners.
The game will mark both teams’ first trip to the U.K. and the league’s seventh regular-season game in London.
In addition to the oncourt action, asthma NBA Global Games London 2017 will feature a variety of interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA basketball programs that will bring the NBA experience to fans in London.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver:“We are thrilled to return for our seventh regular-season game in London. With almost 25 percent of players in the NBA born outside of the United States, we are seeing firsthand the global growth of our game, which has never been more popular in the U.K.”
NBA EMEA Senior Vice President and Managing Director Benjamin Morel:“We look forward to welcoming the Nuggets and Pacers in January for what is sure to be a memorable regular-season game that fans in the U.K. and throughout Europe will enjoy. Surrounding the game, the NBA will also host interactive activities for fans and social responsibility initiatives to impact the local community, continuing our efforts to grow basketball across the region.”
The Green Bay Packers have posted record profits over the past fiscal year, health according to the financial statement released by the team .
Net income reached $48.9 million for the fiscal year ending March 31, generic 2016, while profit from operations was at $75 million.
Those are increases of 68 percent and 91 percent, respectively, over the previous year, when net income (which includes investment performance, income taxes and interest expenses on debt) was at $29.2 million and operating profit was at $39.4 million.
Local revenue grew by $18.1 million, or nearly 11 percent, to $186.2 million, which President/CEO Mark Murphy attributed primarily to the success of the Lambeau Field Atrium businesses and a strong year in sales and marketing sponsorships.
“The renovations to the Atrium are having the impact we wanted,”
The club’s national revenue, which is money shared equally by all 32 NFL teams, also grew $13.5 million to $222.6 million, a rise of 6 percent. That’s a fairly standard bump due to built-in increases in the league’s broadcasting contracts.
On the expense side, while player costs grew at the normal rate – each team’s salary cap has been rising by around $10 million per season in recent years – the team’s general expenses dropped considerably.
Those two issues accounted for almost $20 million in expenditures the prior year, allowing overall expenses for the current year to drop $4.1 million, from $337.8 million to $333.7 million.
Marco Bogarelli will take over as Strategic Director for Wanda Sports Holding from 20th June, doctor while Luigi de Siervo will start his new role as CEO (Amministratore Delegato) of Infront Italy.
In his new role, denture he will also be responsible for anticipating trends in future media distribution and in the design of respective strategic concepts and proposals.
Sir Martin Sorrell has warned sporting organisations they face being replaced if they ‘abuse their position.’
CEO of WPP and an F1 non-executive director, Sorrell is one of the most influential voices in global sports business.
Sir Martin spelt out, in the clearest terms, that sport must learn from business organisations and be accountable and transparent at the highest level.
“There is no division between sport and business; they are one and the same; they are inextricably linked. Thomas Bach, for example, has done a wonderful job at pointing that out – he did that at Sochi.”
“The basic message is not to scratch the service, to dig deep, find the purpose and be accountable. We live in a highly competitive economy, there’s a lot of disruption, there is no reason why organisations can’t be disintermediated, replaced or substituted – fans don’t have to go to events anymore.”
“You have to remember that you can’t abuse your position because someone could come along and take it away.”
While Sorrell was clear in his warnings to sports federations, he also was excited by the new offerings of digital media. Recent deals for live streaming sport with social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and apps such as Snapchat and Periscope are becoming tools for sports clubs to find an alternative to regular broadcast outlets.
“When you think about it, we are very fortunate – there are only three real live global sporting events; the Olympics, the World Cup and Formula One.”
“All those organisations have a massive opportunity – there’s an under supply; why do the prices of sports rights continue to rise? It’s because live sporting events are highly valued. In my view, they will continue to rise because there is a great demand for them – the new digital media are just as interested in them as the traditional media.”
This disruption recently raised it’s his head in F1, a sport Sorrell helps oversee.
World champion Lewis Hamilton was recently reprimanded for filming in the paddock, in this case, Snapchat.
“We had Lewis Hamilton wanting to use Snapchat and being banned by Bernie or Mercedes, whoever it was, he was put under pressure not to use it.Can you use Periscope to film at a match for example if you don’t have the rights? Social media is disrupting to traditional distributing systems.”
The linear TV service v Over-The-Top debate is also a debate that Sorrell has been keeping a close eye on.
With the NBA, NFL, WWE and many more companies offering online streaming services, it begs the question – how much do sports organisations need broadcasters?
“We are starting to see linear TV have some pressure, there’s some statistics on time spent by consumers in America and investment in linear TV – in the same way newspapers has been disrupted by digital media, linear TV has been disrupted by Over-The-Top.”
“AT&T and Verizon in one week announced they were going to have OTT services in the US – it’s only a matter of time before telecoms platforms together with media and content provide and alternative distribution channel.”
One final thing that Sorrell emphasized was that the outlook for the future of sports broadcasting was bright – he believes that the sports rights gravy train shows little sign of slowing down, with technology offering organisations greater opportunities for years to come.
“The demand for this stuff is increasing, the supply is limited – if someone can provide an alternative then they will be on to a winner.”
