FIA World Rallycross Championship Launches OTT Platform

The FIA World Rallycross Championship is launching a new RX+ broadcast platform, which will take fans behind-the-scenes of the popular dual-surface discipline and right to the very heart of the action.

The 2021 World RX season is approaching apace, and promises to deliver an irresistible blend of doorhandle-to-doorhandle duels, lightning-quick cars, talented drivers, intriguing plot twists and drama by the bucketload. It’s going to be an unmissable rollercoaster ride – and all of it can be
experienced in glorious HD quality through RX+.

Every race will be shown live – from the very first Qualifying contest right the way through to the Final in the World Championship, the new FIA RX2e Championship, Euro RX1, Euro RX3 and visiting CrossCar series – but that is only the tip of the iceberg.

Boasting hundreds of hours of content available to watch live or on-demand, the premium production will offer subscribers exclusive access, from a choice of viewing angles to in-depth expert analysis, special features and interviews with the stars of the show, allowing them to truly get to know the personalities behind the helmets.

In addition to enjoying the very best moments, highlights, previews and replays, on-board cameras will enable fans to experience the full adrenaline rush like never before by putting themselves in the driving seat, while a high-profile presenting team – to be revealed later today – will bring the on-track action and off-track stories to life like never before.

What’s more, with no geographical restrictions and full access anytime, anywhere and on any device, subscribers can watch and re-watch at will and need never miss a second of what is sure to be a showstopping season ahead.

Arne Dirks, Executive Director, Rallycross Promoter GmbH, said: “Rallycross was designed to be an engaging broadcast product when it was invented more than 50 years ago, and that premise still rings true today, with short, sharp races and non-stop entertainment. But we wanted to really push the envelope and give our fans even more, and RX+ gives us the opportunity to do just that.

“We have worked very hard to put together a package offering unprecedented access to this wonderful sport, that will not only enable subscribers to watch all of the races whenever, wherever and however they wish, but will also allow them to delve deeper and feel like they are right there in the paddock, rubbing shoulders with their heroes and soaking up rallycross’ unique and unmistakeable atmosphere.

“Moreover, we are delighted to be able to reward our passionate and loyal fans with a special introductory offer to RX+, and we will continue to innovate and shift the goalposts over the course of the campaign, to ensure we are consistently delivering the very best broadcast experience possible.”

Johan Kristoffersson, Three-Time FIA World Rallycross Champion, added: “This is a big day for rallycross fans. For me – and I think for many people – rallycross is the most exciting form of motorsport around. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s unpredictable and it’s hugely entertaining. I get such a buzz from driving, and I know fans get such a buzz from watching it.

“RX+ really is a game-changer in terms of what viewers can look forward to now. Growing up and watching my father race, I really wanted to learn more about the discipline and get to know all the drivers, but this kind of exposure was always a bit of a pipe dream. Now it is a reality, and rallycross finally has the kind of coverage and platform that it deserves. It’s the start of a bright new era for our sport, and it’s going to be awesome!”

The Full Season Pass is currently on sale for the special launch price of €29,99, representing a 40% discount on the regular price of €49,99 and offering access until the end of the year. The Event Pass for World RX of Catalunya – which will kick off the 2021 action on 23/24 July – is currently available for €4,79 (using promo code RXPLUS40), again representing a 40% saving on the regular price of €7,99.

UFC Collaborates With Crypto.com In A Historic Partnership To Connect With Fans

UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and Crypto.com, the world’s fastest growing crypto platform has announced a historic long-term partnership that represents an evolutionary step in the branding of both companies and Crypto.com’s latest strategic move to connect with mainstream consumers.

Crypto.com will become UFC’s first-ever global Official Fight Kit Partner, entitling Crypto.com to place their branding on UFC fight kits as worn by UFC athletes in competition, as well as fight kit apparel worn by the athletes’ corner men/women. From the locker room to the world-famous Octagon®, Crypto.com will have meaningful visibility in front of UFC’s global fan base of more than 625 million people and over 150 million social media followers, including the 900 million TV households in 175 countries with access to UFC’s broadcasts.

Crypto.com will also receive the designation of UFC’s first-ever Official Cryptocurrency Platform Partner, creating a new sponsorship category for UFC.

Crypto.com has built a leading reputation within the cryptocurrency industry with over 10 million users worldwide and is a top-ten finance app in both the App Store and Google Play. In addition to building the world’s fastest growing crypto platform, the Crypto.com Visa Card is the world’s most popular crypto card available in 30+ countries. Crypto.com has led the industry in sports sponsorships, last week announcing that the company became the first Official Cryptocurrency Sponsor and NFT Partner of F1®. Earlier this year, Crypto.com became the first crypto platform to partner with an F1 team (Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One), the first to partner with an NHL team (Montreal Canadiens), and the first to partner with a professional sports league (Lega Serie A).

“This is a partnership between two companies that are the best at what they do,” said UFC President Dana White. “No company has done more to grow the popularity of combat sports than UFC, and now we’re one of the biggest sports brands on the planet. We can help Crypto.com reach more people around the world through the strength of our brand.”

“It’s a historic moment as the fastest growing cryptocurrency platform joins forces with the fastest growing sport to help accelerate the world’s transition to cryptocurrency,” said Kris Marszalek, co-Founder and CEO of Crypto.com. ”This is just the beginning of a long relationship with UFC, and we’re looking forward to what we will build together.”

Ryder Cup Europe Agrees One-Year Deal With RBC

RBC, the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe have announced a one-year agreement establishing Canada’s largest financial institution as a Worldwide Partner of the 2020 Ryder Cup, which takes place September 21-26, 2021, at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.

Established in 1927, the biennial competition pits 12 of the top professional golfers from the U.S. against the top professional golfers from Europe in a head-to-head match play competition, and has become one of the world’s greatest sporting events, captivating an audience of millions around the globe.

“The Ryder Cup is an iconic event, embodying the very best of golf – bringing a worldwide audience together and creating a special energy and excitement connected to team competition in golf,” said Mary DePaoli, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer, RBC. “One of the most highly anticipated dates on the global sports calendar, RBC is proud and excited to be a Worldwide Partner of the 43rd Ryder Cup, and to help bring this historic event to RBC clients and golf fans around the world.”

RBC’s partnership with the 43rd Ryder Cup will include prominent on-course branding, a strategic media integration and exclusive onsite hospitality for RBC clients. This hospitality will provide special viewing areas for RBC clients as well as unique golf and event experiences. RBC will also receive prominent broadcast and digital assets, deepening RBC’s presence in golf during one of the premier events of the season.

“We’re very pleased to welcome RBC to the Ryder Cup family in 2021, for what is shaping up to be one of sport’s most anticipated international events in recent memory,” said PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh. “RBC has long established itself as a financial leader with a sterling reputation that knows no borders, which aligns perfectly with the Ryder Cup’s global reach.”

“RBC has been a long-term supporter of golf and we are delighted they will now join our commercial family for the Ryder Cup, becoming the latest global brand to be part of our Worldwide Partner programme,” said Guy Kinnings, European Ryder Cup Director. “We look forward to working together at Whistling Straits and we hope everyone associated with RBC enjoys the experience of one of sport’s most iconic events.”

RBC has a long-standing commitment to the game of golf in both the U.S. and Canada, and is currently title sponsor of two PGA TOUR events, the RBC Heritage and the RBC Canadian Open. RBC is also proud to support a world-class roster of Team RBC golfers who represent the RBC brand and compete on the PGA and LPGA TOUR.

With 14 Canadian, U.S. and international ambassadors – including World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Ryder Cup U.S. Team Vice Captain Jim Furyk, European Team Vice Captain Graeme McDowell, and World No. 5 Brooke Henderson — Team RBC embodies the pinnacle of golf performance. RBC was also a Proud Supporter of both the 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cup matches.

“It’s such an honor to be a Vice Captain for the U.S. Team at the 43rd Ryder Cup, and having RBC as a Worldwide Partner for this year’s event is incredibly special,” said Furyk. “RBC is a great supporter of golf, and I’m really looking forward to getting back into the Team Room at Whistling Straits.”

“I’m very proud to be a Vice Captain for the European Team at the 43rd Ryder Cup,” said Team RBC ambassador Graeme McDowell. “Having been a player at this event four times and part of the support team in 2018, my experience and memories from the Ryder Cup are incredibly special. It’s fantastic to have RBC as a Worldwide Partner for this year’s event.”

NENT, beIN Sports, Sky Deutschland Secure Audiovisual Rights For Premier League

The Premier League has concluded deals for live audiovisual rights for the three seasons 2022/23-2024/25.

Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) has further expanded its Premier League coverage and has bagged the broadcast right for the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Sky Deutschland will broadcast the PL in Germany, Austria and Switzerland while beIN Sport will broadcast in North Africa and Middle East.

Streaming platform, LIVENow will offer single match passes for the English Premier League 2021/22 season. LIVENow will provide a new flexible service for football fans in Singapore, who will now have the option to purchase pay-per-view passes for one Premier League fixture per match week.

IBSF Strikes Strategic Partnership With IMG

The International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has signed a long-term strategic partnership agreement with IMG to work alongside the organisation on multiple aspects of their business from 2022-2030.

The IBSF and IMG will work jointly on marketing the media and sponsorship rights following the federation’s decision to manage their commercial business in-house. IMG will also provide support and expertise across other areas such as licensing, production, digital, streaming, hospitality and data analytics.

IBSF President, Ivo Ferriani, said: “Following a tender process over the past months we decided to work with IMG as they have shown the same passion and vision for our sports. The sports world faces many challenges going forward and we are happy that we will have IMG as our strategic partner onboard to walk beside us for the next two Olympic cycles.”

Christian Salomon, SVP, IMG, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, said: “Our aim is to support the IBSF and take these great properties to the next level, attract a younger, more modern audience and expand the footprint globally. We plan to help develop the event structure and improve production and content creation so we can increase reach, revenue and brand awareness. This is a very exciting partnership!”

The IBSF has 74 members and conducts almost 200 races on three continents – North America, Europe and Asia – including the World Championships which take place each non-Olympic year. There are seven disciplines: 2- and 4-man Bobsleigh, Women´s Monobob and 2woman Bobsleigh, men and women’s skeleton as well as Para Bobsleigh.

Paris 2024 Signs PwC As Official Partner

PwC, the consulting and audit firm has become an official partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as of the French Olympic and Paralympic Team for the next three editions of the Games (Tokyo this summer, Beijing in 2022 and Paris 2024).

PwC France’s leading multidisciplinary offer, a reference in supporting organizations on complex projects and aimed at creating a positive impact, allows it to support Paris 2024 in the holding of the most important sporting event in the world.

Team GB Strikes Marketing Partnership With Salesforce

Salesforce, the global leader in CRM has signed new, long-term marketing partnership with Team GB, to deliver marketing programs that will bring fans and Team GB closer than ever before.

As part of NBCUniversal’s bespoke Olympics partnership, Salesforce also announced that it will activate campaigns across Sky Europe, including Great Britain, over the next seven years.

As part of the marketing partnership, Salesforce will engage millions of fans around the world, building the most engaging fan community in sports for Great Britain. Salesforce will partner with Team GB, and use data to create hubs and visualizations, to help engage fans. Through Trailhead, Salesforce will also partner with Team GB athletes, to help with reskilling during and post their athletic careers.

“Our mission at Salesforce is to help customers achieve success from anywhere,” said Zahra Bahrololoumi, President and CEO, Salesforce UKI. “We’re incredibly proud to support Team GB by helping them do the same — engaging with their fans around the world.”

British Olympic Association CEO, Andy Anson, said: “Engaging with Team GB fans through an effective data strategy is at the heart of our plans for the next Olympic cycle. Working with a market leader like Salesforce is incredibly exciting for the BOA. We really couldn’t ask for a better equipped partner, whose expertise in this field will help drive the BOA forward and we’re excited to get started.”

This announcement builds on Salesforce’s multi-year partnership with Team USA and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As a Founding Partner of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Salesforce will provide Customer 360 technology to deliver an engaging fan and athlete digital experience over the next seven years.

The Hundred Strikes Partnership With LEGO And Sky

The Hundred has announced a ground-breaking partnership with the LEGO Group and Sky ahead of the launch of the 100-ball competition this summer.

The new partnership will include a video where LEGO Minifigures of Andrew Flintoff, Ebony Rainford-Brent and a host of stars from The Hundred including Ben Stokes, Heather Knight, Moeen Ali and Kate Cross will highlight the fun, action packed nature of the new competition while introducing fans to the new rules and format.

During The Hundred, the players themselves will be challenged to put their LEGO building skills to the test with the help of the content creators embedded in each Hundred team. The content creators are part of The Hundred Rising programme designed to uncover and support young talented professionals.

All three organisations share many core values in providing opportunities to learn and inspiring positive change while ECB continue to work with Sky to grow the game and show that cricket can be a sport for everyone.

Ebony Rainford-Brent said: “This partnership with Sky, the LEGO Group and The Hundred is so cool. We want to help even more kids fall in love with our great game and working with a partner like the LEGO Group is a fantastic way to do just that. The video gives a first glimpse into how much fun every game of The Hundred will be on Sky Sports and I can’t wait to see what the teams themselves manage to create and build during the competition.”

London Spirit captain Heather Knight said: “Who wouldn’t be excited to see a LEGO Minifigure of themselves coming to life! Everyone remembers playing with LEGO bricks as a kid so it’s pretty cool to see it link up with cricket. I can’t wait to get out on the pitch for The Hundred this summer and this partnership makes it even more exciting.”

Sky will distribute the content created by the partnership across its channels, including Sky Kids where the partnership with LEGO and The Hundred will play a crucial role in engaging a younger audience during the competition this summer.

F1 And FIM Both Cancel Australian Grand Prixs

The FIA has decided that the Australian Grand Prix will not take place in 2021 and The FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports have also cancelled the Red Bull Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

The F1 race, which was scheduled for November 19-21 at Albert Park in Melbourne, was set to be round 21 of 23. Meanwhile, the FIM, IRTA and Dorna Sports have confirmed the addition of the Grande Premio do Algarve to the 2021 FIM MotoGP™ World Championship calendar.

A spokesperson for Formula 1 said that while they are disappointed that event can’t take place they “are confident we can deliver a 23-race season in 2021 and we have a number of options to take forward to replace the place left vacant by the Australian Grand Prix.

“We will be working through the details of those options in the coming weeks and will provide further updates once those discussions are concluded.”

FIM Launches Electric Off-Road Motorcycle Series

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the global governing body of motorcycle racing, has confirmed the launch of a new international all-electric off-road motorcycle series entitled the
FIM E-Xplorer World Cup.

Kicking off in early 2022, the series will be a world first at this elite level and is set to continue the growing appetite for electric motorsport. Leaders in this sector, the FIM started competitions for electric powered motorcycles in circuit racing back in 2010 with the FIM E-Power International Championship – the forerunner to the current MotoE series – and in more recent years off-road competition with the FIM EBike Enduro World Cup, the FIM E-XBike World Cup and the FIM Trial-E World Cup.

Sanctioned by the FIM, the series will be run by CEO and Promoter Valentin Guyonnet, who has more than a decade of experience working as part of motorsports’ world governing body and will be joined by the highly regarded global sports marketing and events developer Carina Munte as CCO. In addition, the series is backed by Alejandro Agag, CEO of Extreme E and Chairman of Formula E and the E1 Series, plus Eric Peronnard, respected promoter and sporting advisor of ESPN X-Games and Red Bull Straight Rhythm.

Five races are set to take place during the first season in a mixture of urban and natural environments across the globe, with provisional locations ranging from the United States to Switzerland, all designed to encourage viewers to explore the outdoors whilst minimising any environmental impact.

A total of 10 teams will each compete with two riders; one male and one female and be made up of a mixture of leading OEMs and existing professional race teams. Competitors will race on two-wheel off-road motorcycles propelled by a single 100% electric motor with a maximum weight of 130kg. A review process will also be carried out this month to identify additional manufacturer needs, alongside a rigorous testing programme which is already underway.

Jorge Viegas, President of the FIM, said: “The FIM has long been a leader and a strong advocate of sustainability in sport, our FIM Environmental code is both extensive and seen by many others as the benchmark for delivering sustainable events, so our continued and growing commitment to integrating electric motorcycles into our existing championships has always been a natural path. However, the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup marks a significant moment on this important journey. The FIM is proud to be part of this exciting new project and will provide all the necessary support to ensure its success during its inaugural season and long into the future during which time electric power will become a dominant player in our sport.”

Alejandro Agag, regarded as one of the pioneers of sustainable motorsport and a supporter of the new series, said: “I have always had a vision that the future of motorsport should be electric, and that is now being realised. From where it all started with Formula E, to Extreme E, the E1 Series and now, and now E-Xplorer. The FIM, Eric Peronnard and the highly experienced team at E-Xplorer, have big plans and names to reveal over the coming weeks and months as they prepare for next year’s inaugural event and what I have no doubt will further promote the electric revolution on two-wheels.”

Renowned motorcycle promoter Eric Peronnard joins the project as a consultant and added: “We are long overdue a credible motorcycle series in the off-road segment and for me E-Xplorer is it. I’ve been a fan of electric bikes from the get-go – even creating the first electric motorcycle race in 2008 – and been riding them ever since they’ve been on the market; they’re quiet, better for the planet, better for racing and simply more fun! Having a platform like E-Xplorer presents the ideal opportunity for manufacturers to come onboard to showcase not only their technology but their support for the future of riding.”

E-Xplorer CEO Valentin Guyonnet said: “We are delighted to be making this announcement today alongside the FIM. We have seen the growing trend for electric racing and the fusion of sport and sustainability, so for us the next step was to expand that to motorcycling. In addition to creating a platform to test electric two-wheel technology, we want to challenge the current perception of motorbikes and their riders to excite the next generation, and to present a global e-mobility solution that isn’t just limited to cars.”