India’s Supreme Court has ordered the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke to resign from their respective positions.

The Indian Supreme Court had recommended substantial changes in the BCCI, following serious allegations of corruption in the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League. Cricket is India’s most popular sport, with Thakur having been expected to make the changes demanded by the Supreme Court by a deadline which has now passed.

The Supreme court created the Lodha Panel to recommend measures to neutralise issues within Indian cricket, with recommendations formed by the panel being presented in January 2016. The BCCI was unable to meet the deadlines imposed upon them, which led to the recent Supreme Court ruling.

Global sports intelligence company Nielsen Sports have appointed Chris Hurst as their Head of Digital for the UK.

Hurst, buy who has previously worked for the International Cricket Council and English Premier League, anesthetist was most recently employed as Digital Development Director for BBC Sport. His role with BBC entailed leading editorial and social media channels for BBC Sport’s interactive platform.

Hs responsibilities in his new role will include developing product ranges and social media optimisation.

Max Barnett, global head of digital, Nielsen Sports, said: “Chris is a fantastic addition to the UK team and brings with him a wealth of experience across the digital landscape’’.

Italian Serie A football club AS Roma has announced a deal with Japanese automobile giant Nissan to promote its electric vehicles both at AS Roma’s Stadio Olimpico and at the club’s training centre.

It is hoped the agreement will help encourage electric vehicles and mobility in the city of Rome.

At the Stadium a LEAF will be on show in the AS Roma fan zone and a 7-seater e-NV200 Evalia will be used as shuttle bus. At the training centre, try additional LEAF and Combi e-NV200 vehicles will be used for people and goods.

Umberto Gandini, link CEO of AS Roma added: “We are proud to work on sustainability with Nissan, pilule a brand with whom we share the same commitment to deliver advanced and innovative products to our customers, in our respective fields.

“This agreement gives us the opportunity to showcase, once again, how our club is committed to both sporting and commercial excellence.”

“We’re pleased to work with Roma because this partnership ties in with our involvement in the world of sport and zero-emissions sustainability,” stated Nissan Italy chief executive Bruno Mattucci.

“We want to create a world with a reduced environmental footprint and we can achieve this with a big player like AS Roma, by publicising the benefits of zero-emissions mobility for both society and the economy.”

{jcomments on}

International Sports Promotion Society (ISPS HANDA), founded by Japanese businessman and philanthropist Dr. Haruhisa Handa, has agreed to sponsor the upcoming World Cup of Golf at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne, scheduled for November 23-27. ISPS HANDA also sponsored the last World Cup when it was staged at nearby Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2013.

“ISPS is very pleased to once again sponsor this important international team event,” said Dr. Handa, who serves as the organisation’s chairman. “The World Cup of Golf has such a rich history and ISPS has been supporting golf on a global basis for a number of years. At ISPS, we strongly believe in the ‘power of sport’ and its ability to break down barriers, create hope and inspire people around the world. We consider The ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf to be an ideal platform and partnership where we are able to activate the vision we share with all those involved. We had a wonderful experience in Melbourne in 2013 and look forward to another great event at Kingston Heath.” 

Established in 2006, ISPS HANDA is widely recognized for its global efforts to promote blind and disabled golf. It also has been sponsoring amateur and professional tournaments worldwide, as well as a stable of professional golf ambassadors. Dr. Handa created the Japanese Blind Golf Association in 1988 and was the driving force behind the formation of the International Blind Golf Association (IBGA) in 1998. 

Speaking on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours, PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said, “We are delighted to welcome ISPS HANDA back as the title sponsor of the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf and greatly appreciate Dr. Handa’s continued support not only of this event, but golf around the world. ISPS HANDA does wonderful charitable work around the world, so it aligns well with a tournament that has brought together many of the sport’s best international players since 1953.”

This will mark the fifth time in the tournament’s history that it will be played in Australia and the first at any course other than Royal Melbourne. Melbourne is renowned for its outstanding collection of “sand belt” golf courses and Kingston is one of the very best. It has hosted the Australian Open seven times and the Australian Masters twice.

The tournament was founded by the International Golf Association (IGA) in association with industrialist John Jay Hopkins for the purpose of promoting international goodwill through golf. It began in 1953 as the Canada Cup, and was renamed the World Cup in 1967. The IGA continues to have a prominent role with the ISPS World Cup of Golf.

“The International Golf Association shares the excitement expressed by the International Federation of PGA Tours regarding ISPS sponsorship of this year’s World Cup of Golf,” said John Linen, Chairman of the Board of the IGA. “Dr. Handa’s belief in the power of sport to assist in the achievement of better relations among all the nations of the world is identical to the motivation of IGA’s founder, John J. Hopkins, who expressed the same sentiment when launching the World Cup of Golf event in Canada in 1953.”

The 2016 World Cup will be the 58th staging of this event. The Australian team of Jason Day and Adam Scott won in 2013.

{jcomments on}

iSportconnect member Stephen Healy has been re-elected as President of Tennis Australia for a third-term.

Healy retains the role of president of tennis’ national governing body in Australia which he assumed in October 2010, cheap pills with the aim to accelerate the expansion of the sport in the country.

“Over the next three years I’m looking forward to working with the board, adiposity state and territory member associations, management and staff to build on our already solid foundation and continue to improve the health of our sport, which has the flow on effect of contributing to the health of our nation,” said Healy.

“Record participation numbers, dedicated investment in facilities across Australia, the creation of inspiring event content and on court successes are the result of our team’s passion, drive and dedication to ensure the success of our sport.The Australian Open continues to grow and set new benchmarks in quality, entertainment, value, attendance, global viewership and prize money,” he added.

“As we reflect on these achievements, and the healthy state of the sport in Australia, the board and I are determined to look forward, to innovate and constantly improve.”

{jcomments on}

Fan engagement is a term much discussed but little understood. An increasing array of apps, order games, streaming and social network propositions are vying for fans’ attention. That attention is limited; although we spend more time consuming media than we do sleeping, there are limits.

So how can rightsholders, broadcasters and sponsors make sense of it all and make sure they hit the right note with fans to cut through the noise?

In such a fast moving space, the answers will change annually if not faster. In 2017 the key will be good timing, contextual relevance and personalisation.

Prophecies on the future of fan engagement often suggest there might be a singular method of consumption such as VR or AR. But the real answer will be a diverse mix that depends on the demographic and psychographic profile of the fan, the type of sport, the fan’s location and the time of day. The same fan behaves differently in the stadium, in front of the TV and on their daily commute.

As fans we have always benefitted from social currency generated by our shared passion. Today that currency has never been more temporal. Victories, athlete stories and controversies on and off the pitch, now gain instant traction. As the still-dominant platform for watching live sports, TV or streaming is the jumping off point. Moments are then propelled via social networks (Facebook, Instagram , Twitter, Snapchat primarily), and instant messaging such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. When Alistair Brownlee helped his brother over the line last week, a social media viral hit emerged in less than a day, TV footage of a triathlon gaining more views than TV itself.

But then, almost as fast as everyone was talking about one moment, attention shifts to the next. Even the biggest sporting moments have a relatively short half-life.

There is no singular medium or digital solution for fans, because they use many devices and apps, often at the same time as TV. Despite that, there is one universal fact – fans are hungry and impatient. They need to be entertained, educated, and amused in the moment.

While traditional TV isn’t going anywhere for the time being, apps, social and messaging channels have the advantage of personalisation. An app can send push notifications tailored to your team, a Messaging Bot can speak to you as if it’s your friend. A fantasy game can let you compete with your own friends.

HSBC World Rugby Sevens: Live Multi-screen Fantasy

Engaging fans on multiple screens simultaneously is a challenging approach that can be particularly rewarding when executed well. HSBC and World Rugby Sevens, for instance, paired up with Monterosa to speak to a new generation of Sevens fans, to enhance the global TV broadcast and to build a Sevens CRM database.

They created a new breed of live fantasy which attracted fans from 140 countries in 2015-16.

The “Rugby7Stars” game engages fans both between events and while they’re watching live on TV, solving a key problem with traditional fantasy: lack of engagement between events. In the Monterosa game, Sevens fans are given the opportunity to build their fantasy squad between events 24/7 by opening card packs of players from each country, then competing head to head with other fans around the world to steal players.

During the live broadcast, live TV graphics on the world feed feature leaderboards of fantasy players, with commentators calling out fan names making them part of the coverage.

“Interaction with live TV or streaming is no longer a gimmick”, says Tom McDonnell, CEO of Monterosa, “Although forcing fans to interact during the most exciting moments is an unwelcome distraction, allowing them to make live substitutions in down-moments is a very successful technique”.

What is the best approach to maximising business value from engaging fans beyond the core viewing experience?

McDonnell’s advice on this centres firstly on objectives, then on the fan.

“It’s essential to be clear about what you’re trying to achieve. Educating new fans, communicating with younger ones, or simply trying to win the hearts and minds of fans are all legitimate but they can lead to very different approaches. ”.

“It goes without saying that if you aren’t making something significantly better than it was before, your idea won’t last very long”. He cites Major League Baseball’s new StatCast as a product that provides value for fans through new real-time stats and stories based on live player and ball tracking data.

On value for the rightsholder and sponsors, “That capability can be monetised through specific sponsorship from a brand looking to associate with smart data, in MLB’s case that is Amazon Web Services.

Monterosa also provided Carlsberg and UEFA with a new take on both Man of The Match and Goal of The Tournament for Euro 2016. The two ‘sole & exclusive’ rights formed part of Carlsberg’s partnership and the brand wanted to activate fans while fulfilling its promise of “doing it better for fans”.

As such, they could simultaneously vote on all platforms including UEFA app, Carlsberg’s football hub, Twitter and Facebook. The experience included video, social buzz, ambassador commentary and personalised meme sharing. For the first time, the brand was able to use goal footage on social media to promote the vote. Delivering an impressive 2 million users and 9 minutes average dwell time, it proved how doing things differently drives attention and brand exposure.

For their client TF1, one of France’s official broadcasters of Euro 2016, Monterosa’s LViS platform powered a live overlay panel featuring line-ups, live stats and audience reactions.

TF1’s Video Player provides multiple camera angles and contextual information on key moments and players

Last but not least, according to McDonnell, sensitively collected data is a both a by-product and for some, the most valuable output of interaction. In Norway with broadcaster TV2, Monterosa activates fans of a sports reality competition show “Best of the Best”, with a prediction game that drives location-qualified test drive requests for sponsor Renault.

“We entertain fans first, then convert them through lead generation, CRM or social login, in-situ product purchasing or competition entries. But sometimes it’s about knowing your fanbase better, asking them questions and generating insights. ”.

Ben Barker – Director of Sport | ben@monterosa.co.uk

http://www.monterosa.co

German insurance company Allianz have extended their sponsorship with basketball club Ratiopharm Ulm for four more years.

The basketball club, founded in 2001 in Ulm, have now made Allianz their premium partner, receiving backing from the insurance giant’s main headquarters in Munich.

Allianz is likely to be contributing approximately €750,000 ($575,000) annually to the club until the end of their partnership, and will be receiving LED TV advertising spots in Ratiopharm’s home stadium and their logo will also feature on the youth team’s kits. 

There is just one week to go until the booking deadline for the iSportconnect Regatta.

The Regatta will take place at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth on the 16th September.

It brings together sports business professionals for exhilarating and competitive racing on the world’s largest fleet of ‘round the world’ racing yachts, prostate the brand new Clipper 70s.

The event creates a fun, arthritis | exciting, bronchi environment to do business and build relationships.

Each yacht is skippered by a professional who has either already sailed around the world or is preparing to do so.

Each team will receive two hours of training before taking control of the yacht, ensuring everyone on board is able to participate.

Software and technology giants SAP have become the first team announced for the iSportconnect Regatta.

For more information, to request the event brochure, or to book your place, please visit www.iscregatta.com.

If you have specific questions you can e-mail Calum Watkins at Calum@isportconnect.com

iSportconnect Founder and CEO Sree Varma said: “We really looking forward to hosting the Regatta for the second time with places filling up fast. Whether you want to help with team-building in your company, or want to challenge yourself while networking in a unique setting, the iSportconnect Regatta has something for everyone!”

{jcomments on}