Football Grows In Popularity In Biggest Asian Market

Interest in football is on the rise in Asia’s three largest countries of China, India and Indonesia, according to new research.

The biggest increases were seen in Indonesia and China, according to a study by GfK.

Among the most avid sports fans interviewed, football remained the favourite sport in China and Indonesia, and was the second favourite in India.

The project in Asia consisted of 5,000 online interviews, lasting 15 minutes each, with internet users between 16 and 69 years of age, who were representative of the population of internet users in each country, during November 2017 and November 2018.

Over half of respondents in the three countries stated that they are “very interested” in football. The level of interest has grown by seven percentage points in the period analysed, rising from 45% to 52%.

Particularly notable was the growth in Indonesia, with an increase of over nine percentage points to reach 59%, as well as in China, with a seven point increase reaching 43%.

Although more moderate in India, interest also rose by four percentage points to 53%.

In China football was in first place alongside basketball, in Indonesia it occupied first place, and in India it was the second-favourite sport behind cricket.

GfK conducted the study in 10 Asian market on behalf of LaLiga, which an excellent image in the markets with 80% of football fans in the countries studied rating it positively, as being of “high quality” with “prestige” and having the “best players in the world.”

Unaided awareness of LaLiga has increased by four percentage points in the three biggest countries.

According to Javier Gomez, GfK’s Brand and Customer Experience Director, “In our experience with regard to brand tracking studies, growth in brand awareness of one percentage point in one year is a very good figure. The result obtained by LaLiga, with a rise of four percentage points in a single year, is extraordinary.”

Additionally, the number of viewers who watched at least one LaLiga match per month last season increased by three percentage points.

In the 12 months analysed, this figure rose from 59% to 62% of the internet users interviewed.

BT Sport To Continue FIM Speedway Coverage

The FIM Speedway World Championships has extended its broadcast agreement with BT Sport in the UK and Ireland in a three-year deal

As part of the agreement with the series rights holder, BSI Speedway (an IMG company),  BT Sport will continue to show every round of the FIM Speedway Grand Prix series and Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations up to and including the 2021 season.

The 2019 season will begin from Saturday 4 May with Race Off 1 of the Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations.

BSI Speedway Managing Director Torben Olsen said:“Extending our relationship with BT Sport is fantastic news for everyone connected with the SGP series and Monster Energy SON. Their coverage of the racing, presented by a true speedway fan in Natalie Quirk, continues to be first rate. With expert analysis from Scott Nicholls and commentary from Nigel Pearson and Kelvin Tatum, they have an excellent team that really brings viewers up close to the action.”

“British fans will have enjoyed watching Tai Woffinden make history with his third world title win last season. And BT Sport will be across all the action as he goes for No.4 this year.”

 

Eleven Sports Names New Chief For Belgium

Eleven Sports has appointed Guillaume Collard as Managing Director for Belgium and Luxembourg.

Collard has been with Eleven Sports since 2016 and was previously Head of Business Development for Eleven Sports in Belgium and Luxembourg. He will take over from Anouk Mertens, who was appointed as COO of the Eleven Sports Group in November.

Prior to joining Eleven Sports, Collard held various management positions at Proximus, including Head of Content Strategy.

Collard said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue the great work done with Anouk and the team to create a very successful business in Belgium and Luxembourg. We have a first-class team that is eager to keep improving and innovating our offer for fans all over the country. I am looking forward to working together to ensure we reinforce and grow our strong market position.”

Group COO Mertens, said: “Having worked with Guillaume in our Belgian team for almost three years, I am confident our business is in very capable hands. This will be a seamless transition and I look forward to continuing our close working relationship.”

“Guillaume has excellent knowledge of the local business and the market dynamics. As part of our team he has helped to establish Eleven Sports as a leading sports provider in the market.”

 

UEFA Will Deliver With FedEx Express

UEFA has agreed a four-year multi-tournament deal with FedEx Express.

As part of the deal, FedEx Express will become the official logistics partner and will cover more than 400 competitive national team football matches played across 55 European countries in eight tournaments.

FedEx Express which is also sponsor of the UEFA Europa League, will get an opportunity to engage throughout Europe with more fans, customers and employees with in-stadium branding, ticketing, hospitality and other exclusive programmes as part of the agreement.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director of UEFA Events SA, said: “We are pleased to welcome FedEx Express into the national team competition sponsor family as our Official Logistics Partner.

“FedEx Express have proven over the years as a trusted and valued sponsor of the UEFA Europa League that they have extensive logistics capabilities throughout the continent. I am sure this knowledge and expertise will prove to be invaluable in the run-up to and during UEFA EURO 2020 – a tournament which will encompass 12 different host cities.”

Wouter Roels, Senior Vice-President, International Marketing, FedEx Express, said: “Our commitment to European football is a central part of our community and commercial strategy here in Europe. Today’s sponsorship announcement is particularly exciting, since being the Official Logistics Partner for UEFA EURO 2020 allows us to actually help deliver the competition across multiple European locations, demonstrating the power of Europe’s premier logistics business, our values and the possibilities we create.”

 

FC Barcelona Unveils Football+Motorsport Video Game

FC Barcelona has bolstered its eSports inventory with the launch of  Rocket League team, a video game that combines football and motorsports.

The Barça roster will include the Spaniard Adrián “Bymateos” Mateos and the British players David “Deevo” William and Daniel “Bluey” Brian, both winners of the most recent Rocket League Championship Series. Furthermore.

Barça will further participate in tournaments such as Rocket League Championship Series and DreamHack.

Robert “Roken” Kendall will be managing Barça team. He said: “Being part of FC Barcelona is the greatest thing that any athlete can achieve, so I am deeply honoured to lead this team. The fact that FC Barcelona is joining the Rocket League is a success for both the club and the community.”

 

CBS Will Carry BIG3 Basketball League

The BIG3, a basketball league founded by Hollywood actor Ice Cube has named CBS and CBS Sports as its broadcasting partner.

As part of the deal, over 20 hours of live coverage will be provided throughout the season on Saturdays and Sundays, beginning with a prime-time game at 8 p.m. ET on June 22.

The 2019 season will roll out 12 teams this year, up from eight in previous seasons.

Big names returning this season include Amar’e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, Rashard Lewis and Stephen Jackson. Other players joining the fold include Lamar Odom, Josh Smith, Gilbert Arenas, Mario Chalmers and Jason Terry. All have NBA pedigrees.

Ice Cube said: “Since day one, BIG3 has always been about hard-nosed, fierce competition. Now we’re ramping it up with more teams, younger players, and a shiny new TV deal with CBS Sports.Our first two years were about showing that our vision was credible. This year is about taking the game to a whole new level. This is a big deal.”

PGA Tour Will Use Reuters Direct Platform

Reuters sports media agency Action Images has signed content deals with The PGA Tour, Professional Squash Association and Lagardère Sports.

All the three sports partners will use Action Images services to distribute sports highlights on the Reuters Connect Platform.

Through the Connect platform, the PGA Tour will make available tournament previews, round-by-round recaps, player interviews, and press conferences for media broadcasters.

The Professional Squash Association will be providing daily coverage across video, pictures, and text for the largest squash tournaments worldwide

Rob Schack, Vice President, Reuters Sports, said: “Action Images is in a unique position to apply its know-how to help sports leagues and rights holders to create and distribute coverage from their events.Reuters news clients are thirsty for easier access to a more diverse selection of sports highlights and content that only the leagues can produce.”

 

 

Formula 1 And Will Smith Partner For Sports Entertainment

Formula 1 has joined forces with Westbrook Studios and Apollo World Touring for sports entertainment content.

The initiative is set to be launched by 2020 and will include range of A-list celebrities, stunts and challenges, supported by live music performances in host cities over F1 Grand Prix weekends.

The collaboration aims to further bolster fan engagement.

Sean Bratches, managing director , commercial operations, Formula 1 said: “As we continue to build F1’s entertainment and content offering, partnering with Will and Westbrook and the team at Apollo is an amazing opportunity to attract even more star power to F1 and the Grands Prix around the world, engaging with an even wider audience.”

Smith said: “I’ve always been a massive fan of the Formula 1 world and fell even more in love with the sport while shooting an episode of ‘Will Smith’s The Bucket List’ with Lewis Hamilton at last year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. F1’s commitment to creating engaging and inspiring content for its fans mirrors our mission at Westbrook Studios. The synergy of our storytelling is undeniable, and I’m excited for fans to join us on this wild ride.”

 

The New Data Tool That Is Helping LaLiga Clubs To Transform

The efficient use of data is becoming more and more important in the world of business, as it is for Netflix in entertainment, UBER in transport or Airbnb in accommodation. As such, data tools and efficient data processing have become increasingly necessary for all companies, including LaLiga and Spanish professional football clubs.

With this in mind, LaLiga has developed a new ‘Sandbox’ tool, which works with data kept in the cloud and allows for detailed analysis and data visualisation. Each club has its own Sandbox that allows them to work in an autonomous manner with data provided by LaLiga and their own data.

To find out how, click here.

Premier League Extends Talksport Partnership Until 2020

Premier League has extended its association with Talksport until 2020.

Talksport will have the live audio rights to broadcast Premier League games across all three time slots on Saturday – 12.30pm, 3pm and 5.30pm.

Talksport has also been awarded an exclusive rights for all matches scheduled to kick off at 12 noon on Sunday.

Wireless CEO Scott Taunton said: “Talksport is now the game day destination for live Premier League action. We’ve consolidated our position as the Premier League’s only national commercial radio partner, winning more games and a key new slot on Saturday lunchtime, meaning we’re the only radio network delivering live coverage from the first kick to the final whistle on Saturday.”