BLAST Premier Agrees Broadcast Deal With BBC


BLAST Premier has agreed a new partnership with the BBC, that will see the esports tournament organiser’s final three Counter-Strike events of the 2020 season shown on the UK public-service broadcaster’s digital platforms. 

The BBC iPlayer will show more than 120 hours of Counter-Strike action across three events where over £1,5M in prize money will be up for grabs, including the Fall Showdown (November 24-29), Fall Final (December 8-13) and Global Final (January 19-24). 

BLAST has offices in London and hosted the BLAST Premier Spring Series in the capital city back in February this year. 

The BBC is the latest broadcast partner to join BLAST’s global portfolio of TV and online partners that have a joint reach of over 150m TV households and broadcast in 18 languages. 

Alexander Lewin, VP Distribution and Programming for BLAST, said: “The BBC is admired around the world for its standard of excellence, and its digital platforms provide the perfect destination for BLAST Premier’s fans based in the United Kingdom to watch the world’s best Counter-Strike players go head-to-head.”

In 2020 alone, BLAST has increased its output and introduced multiple new lines of tournaments, content series and commercial partnerships, bringing over 500 hours of world-class esports to fans around the world. 

Rugby League World Cup 2021 Signs Its Biggest Sponsorship Deal With Cazoo

Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has named Cazoo, the UK’s leading online car retailer which makes buying a used car as simple and seamless as buying any other product online, as the Principal Sponsor of the tournament.

Founded by serial entrepreneur Alex Chesterman, Cazoo has rapidly become one of the fastest growing UK businesses since its launch last year, growing to a team of over 800 people and generating record revenues of over £150m in its first year. 

The Rugby League World Cup is the pinnacle event in rugby league, contested globally every four years. RLWC2021 will be the first time that the Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair competitions will be staged together across 21 venues throughout England with all 61 matches being shown live on the BBC in the UK.

Cazoo will benefit from the 14 million followers of Rugby League in the UK, the hundreds of thousands set to attend RLWC2021 matches next year and the millions watching on TV. Both parties confirmed that the agreement is for a seven-figure rights fee.

Cazoo is pioneering the shift to online car buying in the UK with consumers all around the country embracing the transparency and convenience of buying used cars entirely online. Cazoo owns and fully reconditions its cars before offering them for sale on its website with thousands of cars in stock at any time.

Cazoo offers buyers the choice of either booking a convenient two-hour home delivery time slot or collection from one of their Customer Centres across the country within as little as 72 hours from order. Every Cazoo car comes with a full 7-day money back guarantee and a comprehensive 90-day warranty.

Jonathan Neill, RLWC2021 Commercial Director, said: “Rugby League World Cup 2021 is about being bold and brave and setting firsts for the tournament. This is the largest sponsorship deal in Rugby League World Cup history and we are grateful for the trust Cazoo have shown in the tournament.

“RLWC2021 and Cazoo share many of the same principles and values, both have a clear ethical purpose, and we will work together to continue to be trailblazing and positively disruptive over the next 12 months.”

Alex Chesterman OBE, Founder & CEO of Cazoo, said: “We are delighted to sponsor the Rugby League World Cup 2021, one of the biggest sporting events taking place in England next year. This partnership will continue to drive our brand awareness as we make Cazoo a household name. We’re excited to engage with the loyal Rugby League fan base and provide them with the UK’s best possible car buying experience.”

Jon Dutton, RLWC2021 Chief Executive, added: “This is a very significant moment for the tournament and Cazoo’s sponsorship further supports our excitement and confidence in delivering the best Rugby League World Cup ever. It is an indication of the status we are building at RLWC2021, the biggest sporting event exclusively staged in England next year, that Cazoo have chosen us to continue to help them deliver against their brand and business objectives.”

“We Built A Direct-To-Consumer Company That Uses Technology To Provide Sports Fans With A Unified Experience”

With two decades of experience in the sports and media industry, Yannick Colaco co-founded FanCode in March 2019. FanCode is India’s premier digital sports destination committed to giving all fans a highly personalised experience across Content, Community and Commerce. iSPORTCONNECT spoke with Yannick to know about latest partnerships and ambitions of the organisation.

Tell us about Fancode.

Sports fans in India are largely underserved due to limited access to global sports events, and even the experience around accessible events is very fragmented across multiple platforms. To solve for that, FanCode was launched in March 2019 as India’s premier digital sports destination committed to giving all fans a highly personalized experience across Content, Community and Commerce. We already have over 1.5 crore sports fans on our platform engaging in a great experience across 9 sports through interactive live streaming, sports fan merchandise (FanCode Shop), fastest interactive live match scores, comprehensive live commentary, fantasy sports data and statistics (Fantasy Research Hub), expert fantasy tips, sports news and much more.

Dream Sports, India’s leading Sports Technology company, is the parent company of FanCode which also houses brands such as Dream11 and DreamX in its portfolio. 

How do you aim to unlock the potential of digital for sports consumers?

Technology has provided us the tools to significantly improve sports fan experiences. We launched FanCode to build a direct-to-consumer company that uses technology to provide sports fans with a unified experience platform across their needs. From watching a game, to engaging with like minded fans, to buying merchandise of their favourite team and player, our goal is to be a destination where sports fans come for everything sport. And we can only achieve this by innovating rapidly to constantly add value to our consumers.

Since 2019, we have introduced key features like fastest live scores and interactive live streaming. We’ve also customised our premium offerings by allowing consumers to buy streaming access for individual games and tournaments, instead of only the onerous monthly or annual platform subscription. This also helped us to lower the entry price point for fans of sports content, which further enabled growth of the consumer base.  We are continually identifying accessibility gaps, and introducing solutions through services. For instance, we recently acquired sports research platform FanDuniya to build our technology capabilities in becoming a single destination for sports data and statistics offering through Fantasy Research Hub for all sports fans, especially the fastest growing fantasy sports user base.

FanCode has further launched a FanCode Shop for merchandising licensing. What has been the response from that vertical?

Globally, sports fan merchandise as a category means big business. In India, it still hasn’t seen that level of success due to various reasons, and the biggest one is the lack of availability of mass market merchandise. We either have the top-end official merchandise that is priced very high, or poor-quality fakes. With the FanCode Shop, we aim to bring access to affordable and authentic sports fan merchandise that caters and appeals to the mass market. Having launched this IPL with official partnership with 6 IPL teams, the idea was to get the strategy right. And with the response received, we could tell it’s working! In the next phase, we will expand our product range and introduce innovations to deliver rapid turnaround times in both the creation and distribution of fan gear, ensuring that fans will have the latest, most topical designs of their favourite sports brands and teams.

You’ve recent joined partnerships with the Bundesliga and CPL, tell us more about these.

India’s appetite for sports is constantly on a rise which is really important to become a multi-sport nation. And FanCode has always committed to bring depth and breadth to the sports experience in India by promoting a multi-sport culture through digital innovations which made us partner with leagues and associations including the top three American Leagues across sports categories – Major League Baseball (MLB), National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA).

With Bundesliga and CPL, we became the exclusive fan destination for these big leagues providing comprehensive coverage through live streaming, game highlights, news, live blog commentary, extensive fantasy research resources and much more. We also introduced industry first features like Match & Tour Pass where fans could now have the choice and flexibility to subscribe to the specific content they want, match-wise or the entire tournament. 

What do you think is the new normal for the sports industry?


The pandemic has driven the sports ecosystem to reimagine the fan experience by adopting digital-first means and build personalization catering to every fan. Since there aren’t enough digital platforms in India opting for user-first experiences, sports fan engagement continues to be an untapped segment with high growth potential. The way even the engagement was offered by all parties during the IPL including the broadcaster, teams, brands and players, it is an indicator of the new-found acceptance towards digital innovations. Forging deep and direct fan relationships will be a crucial differentiator in the long run for the industry, and we are building this base for the next leap.

You were leading the NBA in India. What prompted you to launch FanCode.

I’ve always been extremely passionate about Sports and have been fortunate to work throughout my professional career in this industry. To be very honest, when Prasana and I first thought about working together to set this up, we were primarily trying to solve our own problems as sports fans. We’ve been very fortunate to be backed by Dream Sports, a company whose own DNA is entirely about solving sports fan problems, and to have built a diverse team of FanCoders who are all deeply passionate fans themselves. It is almost like sports fans giving back to sports, and at the same time selfishly innovating to make the experience better for sports fans like us.

How has the transition been from being a sportsperson to the sports management side? What have been the learnings?

I think being involved with and playing sports teaches you so much that is applicable to both your personal and professional life. It’s even more important for younger children in helping inculcate positive values like teamwork, commitment, strategy, learning how to win and lose, hardwork and much more. I’ve been fortunate enough to have been exposed to a wide variety of sports while growing up and I hope that I can continue to inculcate the learnings I’ve got from the sport field in everything I do.

WTT Rebrands Court Design And Playing Format To Attract More Viewers

World Table Tennis (WTT) is rebranding the court design, colour scheme, broadcast innovations for WTT Macao which hits the screens between 25 – 29 November 2020.

World Table Tennis (WTT) is steering the sport into a bold, fresh direction and WTT Macao, a special promotional showcase, is where the journey begins. Introducing a thrilling playing format, scoring system and a dynamic prize money structure, it will feature many of the sport’s biggest stars in striking WTT surrounds.

An octagon-shaped court design is set to catch the eye and raise the heartbeat of all athletes who step inside it. It will take the spectators’ viewing experience to new heights.

“It is very exciting to see WTT’s visual identity coming to life. The image of our WTT events is vital to convey a bold and exciting approach to run table tennis events across the globe. WTT Macao offers a first glimpse of what’s in store from 2021 onwards.” – Joachim Davy, WTT Creative Director

WTT Macao welcomes three equipment partners, Double Happiness (Official Table), Double Fish (Official Ball) and Enlio (Official Sports Floor), all of whom are embracing the visual changes.

The table will feature orange lines and a special undercarriage fitted with LED panelling. Contrasting with the table will be a deep black flooring – a first for table tennis. Both orange and white balls will be tested at the event.

“Double Happiness has been a long-term partner of the ITTF, and we are very excited to enter the next era of table tennis with WTT. WTT Macao represents a fresh start for the sport with multiple innovations and DHS is proud to be showcasing our latest signature rainbow undercarriage with LED to add to the presentation of our sport on the world stage.” – Lou Shihe, General Manager of Shanghai Double Happiness

“We are thrilled to present our new broadcast-optimised court layout at WTT Macao, which is but one of many changes WTT has made to deliver the best value for our partners. The new colour scheme is the first of its kind in table tennis, and we are happy that our long-term partners Double Happiness, Double Fish and Enlio have come on board to support us in making this a reality.” – Kimberly Koh, WTT Head of Partnerships

NBA Unveils The Structure And Format For 2020-21

The NBA has announced the structure and format for the 2020-21 season, which will include a Play-In Tournament to determine the teams that will fill the seventh and eighth playoff seeds in each conference. 

The NBA’s 75th regular season will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and feature 72 games for each team.  The opponent breakdown for the regular season  is described below:

  • Each team will play three games against each intraconference opponent (42 total games per team), with each pairing featuring either two home games and one road game or one home game and two road games.Within each team’s division, the league office has randomly assigned which two opponents will be played twice at home and which two opponents will be played twice on the road.
  • All five teams from within a division will play all five teams from one other intraconference division twice at home, and all five teams from the remaining intraconference division twice on the road.
  • Each team will play two games against each interconference opponent (30 total games per team), with each pairing featuring one home game and one road game.

The 2020-21 regular-season schedule will be released in two segments.  The schedule for the First Half of the season will be released around the start of training camp.  The schedule for the Second Half of the season will be released during the latter part of the First Half portion of the schedule.  The Second Half schedule will include the remainder of each team’s 72 games not scheduled in the First Half as well as any games postponed during the First Half that can reasonably be added to the Second Half schedule.


The All-Star break is scheduled to take place March 5-10, 2021, between the First Half and Second Half of the regular season. 


Earlier today, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved a proposal to implement a playoff Play-In Tournament on a one-year basis for the 2020-21 season.  The Play-In Tournament, which will take place after the regular season and before the first round of the playoffs, will include the teams with the seventh-highest through the tenth-highest winning percentages in each conference.


The teams with the seventh-highest and eighth-highest winning percentages in each conference will each have two opportunities to win one game to earn a playoff spot.  The teams with the ninth-highest and tenth-highest winning percentages in each conference will each have to win two consecutive games to earn a playoff spot.


At the conclusion of the regular season, the team with the seventh-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the eighth-highest winning percentage in its conference in a Play-In Game (the “Seven-Eight Game”).  The winner of the Seven-Eight Game in each conference will be the seventh seed in the playoffs for its conference. 

The team with the ninth-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the tenth-highest winning percentage in its conference in a Play-In Game (the “Nine-Ten Game”).  The loser of the Seven-Eight Game will host the winner of the Nine-Ten Game in a Play-In Game, and the winner of that game will be the eighth seed in the playoffs for its conference.

Roc Nation Sports Forays Into Cricket With Lungi Ngidi Signing

Roc Nation Sports has signed the 24-year old South African cricketer Lungi Ngidi.


Cricket South Africa’s 2020 ODI and T20I Cricketer of the Year, Ngidi, is the first cricketer to join the Roc Nation Sports family, and the third South African talent, following the recruitment of Springbok Captain, and Rugby World’s ‘Most Influential Person’, Siya Kolisi, and Top 14 phenomenon, and Rugby World Cup-winner, Cheslin Kolbe.

The fast bowler joins a Roc Nation Sports International family that, in addition to Kolisi and Kolbe, includes the likes of Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), and Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan). Roc Nation Sports are also the exclusive consulting partner of European footballing powerhouse AC Milan.


Roc Nation Sports will manage all areas of Ngidi’s career, including his on-field contract, effective immediately.

“Lungi is a wonderful, talented, young man. He has the ability and the drive to be the best fast bowler in the world. We are thrilled to be on this journey with him, to achieve all of his goals and objectives on-and-off the field. His compassion, and his dedication to philanthropic work, aligns perfectly with our company values and spirit.

“South Africa is a very important market to Roc Nation and, having spent a lot of time on the continent over the last 12-months, our desire to support development of talent and offer a Global platform for the stories of these incredible athletes to be told has grown 10-fold. The people of South Africa have welcomed us in with open arms and, as a company, we will continue to support the country in whatever way we can,” said Michael Yormark, President of Roc Nation Sports International

Boston Celtics Appoints Vistaprint As Marketing And Design Partner

Vistaprint, the marketing and design partner to millions of small businesses, and the 17-time NBA World Champion Boston Celtics have signed a multi-year partnership in which Vistaprint becomes the Exclusive Marketing and Design Partner of the Boston Celtics.

As part of the partnership, the Vistaprint logo will appear in Celtics signature team colors on the front left shoulder of the Celtics’ game jerseys beginning with the 2020-21 season.

The partnership between the Celtics and Vistaprint is designed to make a lasting impact on local small businesses throughout the Greater Boston area and across New England. Throughout the partnership, Vistaprint will work closely with the Boston Celtics and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation to support the efforts of the Boston Celtics United for Social Justice initiative, including building economic opportunity and empowerment in minority communities.

“As a company with deep roots in the Boston area, we are thrilled to announce this partnership with our hometown team, the Boston Celtics,” said Vistaprint Chief Marketing Officer Ricky Engelberg.

“Even more so, we’re proud to join up with the Celtics to shine a spotlight on the important role small businesses play here in our community and across the country. Though our partnership with the Celtics is just beginning, Vistaprint’s partnership with small businesses has been in place for more than 20 years. We are excited to use this new platform to help enhance that 20-year commitment in a way that we’ve never done before. This work has never been more important as small business owners face economic hardship brought on by the pandemic.”

The collaboration will provide resources for local small businesses, including financial assistance, educational resources, and marketing and design services. The Celtics and Vistaprint will commence by working together to support Boston-area small businesses with integrations into highly visible team platforms, including digital and social media content, fan engagement and promotions. The partnership also includes significant assets across the Maine Red Claws and CLTX Gaming, including primary jersey patch placement for both teams, which marks the first time that has been included across NBA, G League, and NBA 2K League franchises.

“We share much in common with Vistaprint, but where we feel most connected is our shared values of commitment to excellence, innovation, and community,” said Rich Gotham, Boston Celtics Team President. “This partnership will allow us to work together to bring out the best in both organizations.”

The collaboration is the latest effort by Vistaprint in a series of initiatives to support businesses during the pandemic and beyond. Earlier this year, Vistaprint partnered with the Celtics on the “Food for Heroes” program, purchasing food from hard-hit local restaurants and donating it to front line workers.

In addition to Vistaprint’s work with the Celtics, the company launched the Save Small Business Fund, a $1 million grant program in partnership with the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation to help alleviate the financial losses small business owners faced as a result of Covid-19. Vistaprint has also become a leading provider of face masks, face shields and custom printed materials to help small businesses get back to work safely. To date, it has raised $5 million in cash and in-kind product donations to support small businesses through its mask sales.

Paralympian Ali Jawad: “WADA Needs To Be Transparent To Gain Confidence Of Athletes”

Last week, athlete representatives from 14 countries joined forces with 14 leading National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs) to collectively call on meaningful reform at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). iSPORTCONNECT spoke with Ali Jawad, the British Paralympic powerlifter who won silver at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016 to know more about what athletes are hoping for from WADA. Excerpts:

Why do you think WADA needs reform and to adapt?

In the last 4 to 5 years, ever since the Russian doping scandal, athletes have demanded a more meaningful say in the decision making of WADA. WADA claims to be athlete central and its all about the athlete’s voice but at the same time athletes are not allowed to vote on the foundation board of WADA which is the decision making of the organisation. This means that when the athletes are trying to influence the system, there is no meaningful way to do it. Unfortunately, lot of athlete commissions are not elected. Therefore, it is important that athletes have a say and vote in the decision making of the organisation.

What do you think it shows by this number of organisations calling for change?

With many organisations calling for change, it is important that the national anti-doping agencies and athlete commissions are united in this. It is not just the athletes calling for changes and reforms, it is also the NADOs. The NADOs are very important because they are the spine of the anti-doping system. If not for the NADOs, athletes would struggle to implement clean sport. Therefore, the athletes and NADOs coming together, we are hoping that WADA would hopefully engage with us more.

What do you think needs to be done in terms of athletes rights?

When it comes to athletes rights, it is very important that first and foremost, sanctions and standards around the world needs to be consistent. WADA also needs to be transparent when it comes to all the decisions they make and be honest with the athletes. We also need a system where athletes can influence the decisions of WADA like an elected athletes commissions voted by athletes and not handpicked by WADA itself. Also, an athlete or athletes on the foundation board that have a meaningful vote regarding decisions making on behalf of athletes, a stronger voice is needed going forward.

And till these changes are made, I can’t see athletes being confident in the system. Unfortunately, for us, WADA has been very slow in this and there seems to be no reason as to why and if there is, they are not saying anything which I think is still bad because if they came out and explained why they are so slow and problems involved with it, atleast athletes will be aware but we just don’t know why it is taking so long.

What has your experience with WADA been like from an athlete perspective?

My experiences with WADA have been mix. I think they have done great work in terms of trying to improve the international standards around the world within the code in terms of education and science and samples of testing later. That side is quite impressive however, when it comes to athlete representation and athlete rights, I am very concerned that they are still in the old ages. The system doesn’t appreciate how valuable the athlete is.

In my opinion, athletes are the number one stakeholder in the system. Without athletes, there will be no sports, no WADA, no Olympics etc. It seems they lack any sort of respect for athletes both individually and collectively. If they did respect athletes, there would have been more representation on the foundation board and more voting rights for athletes. I hope our recent partnership will make them consider it as we are here to help. However, due to their governmental constraints, we are going to struggle.

And from a personal level for you, how are you progressing and looking forward to the Tokyo Paralympics next year?

On a personal note, training is going pretty well at the moment and I am actually quite pleased with the shape I am in. Delay in Paralympics means I have got an extra year to prepare which is an opportunity for me to work on my weaknesses. I am hoping that the next year will be extra special because it will be 5 years since Rio. I hope to get to Tokyo in a competitive way and I am looking forward to it.

Paris Saint-Germain Signs HotForex As Official Partner

HotForex, leading global Forex and commodities broker, has become Paris Saint-Germain’s Official Partner for the 2020-21 season. 

HotForex is an internationally acclaimed multi-asset broker of choice to over 2.5 million live accounts worldwide that has earned over 45 coveted industry awards in its ten-year history.

This new partnership will combine trading excellence and football finesse in an exciting collaboration between a leading football team and market leading broker that share the passion required to be at the top.

“We’re incredibly proud to announce that HotForex is an Official Partner of Paris Saint-Germain. This partnership is an exciting opportunity to bring together two brands who share global recognition for their commitment to excellence. Together we look forward to establishing new standards and offering clientele and supporters a truly unique experience” said HotForex CEO George Koumantaris, “Through this partnership, we are thrilled to offer our valued clients VIP tickets, exclusive gifts and events.”

Marc Armstrong, Paris Saint-Germain Chief Partnerships Officer added: “We are delighted to welcome HotForex as the club’s Official Forex and CFD Trading Platform. HotForex will provide Paris Saint-Germain’s fans all over the world with a reliable and effective trading platform.

“Through this partnership, HotForex will be able to use the club and players’ assets, to get stadium exposure in selected regions in the world as well as substantial digital content on Paris Saint-Germain’s official social networks.”

Australian Open Signs Ralph Lauren As The Official Outfitter

The Australian Open and Ralph Lauren Corporation have announced a new, global long-term partnership.

Ralph Lauren has been named Official Outfitter of the Australian Open and will outfit all on-court officials, including the AO ballkids and chair umpires, in a specially-designed collection of apparel and accessories.

“We are delighted to welcome Ralph Lauren to the Australian Open family and proud to partner with this prestigious global brand who have a role in some of the world’s biggest sporting events,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.

“The Ralph Lauren style and sophistication will bring a fresh new look to the Australian Open and the uniform designs reflect the contemporary, playful and premium AO brand. Our shared commitment to excellence, innovation and creativity, along with a deep connection to history and tradition, form the base of this exciting new long-term partnership.”

“For over 50 years, the Polo brand has embodied a spirit of sporty elegance and we are thrilled to partner with the Australian Open, adding this iconic event to Ralph Lauren’s incredible portfolio of sports partnerships,” Ralph Lauren Chief Innovation and Branding Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board, David Lauren said.

“The Australian Open is well known for its energy and personality and is a natural alignment for our brand as we continue our commitment to the world of sports and reaching consumers through their areas of passion.”

The Ralph Lauren Australian Open uniforms are inspired by the fresh energy and playful spirit of the tournament. Supporting the Company’s commitment to sustainability, the fabric making up each item in the uniform – the Polo shirt, short, skort and cap – will be made from yarn derived from recycled plastic bottles. The fabric will also have functional performance features, like stretch, moisture-wicking properties and UV protection, all constructed for active play.

The partnership will kick-off at AO 2021 and supports Ralph Lauren’s strategy to deliver sustainable growth and value creation – specifically supporting its priority to win over a new generation through high impact global events. The Australian Open’s 2020 global viewing audience reached 900 million homes daily across more than 215 territories, also aligning with the objective of exposure in key markets including Australia and Southeast Asia.

This is the third Grand Slam tournament in the Ralph Lauren portfolio, alongside Wimbledon and the US Open. Other prestigious sporting partnerships for the brand include the US Olympic and Paralympic teams, the PGA of America and the PGA Championship, the US Ryder Cup Team, the US Open Golf Championship and American Junior Golf Association.