AS Monaco Re-Enlists Opticians Brand As Official Partner

AS Monaco has re-signed AFFLELOU, one of the leading French optician brands, as its official partner until June 2020.

As part of the deal, the brand AFFLELOU will feature on the back of the AS Monaco jersey and on the club’s communication platforms, starting from March 9, during the home game AS Monaco-Bordeaux.

AFFLELOU, which has about 700 retail outlets in France and 1,400 worldwide, was the sponsor of the Principality’s club from 1986 until 1988 and again from 2015 to 2016

The partnership includes digital activations, in line with AFFLELOU’s momentum.

Oleg Petrov, Vice-president and CEO of AS Monaco, said: “We are very pleased to once again partner with the group AFFLELOU, a historical sponsor of AS Monaco, with whom we share common values: competitiveness, team spirit and the desire to exceed our limits.”

Alain Afflelou, founder of the group bearing his name, said: “It’s important to remain loyal, as the long history between AS Monaco and the brand AFFLELOU shows. Since our first partnership in 1986, which was reignited in 2014, Monaco-AFFLELOU has time and time again proved to be successful.”

“I have always believed in this collaboration. I am proud to reunite with the club. I am very pleased with this new partnership, which was achieved thanks to Marc Baron, the initiator behind the previous sports sponsorship with AS Monaco.”

 

Land Rover Partners Japan Rugby World Cup Legacy Programme

Land Rover, Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2019, and the Japan Rugby Football Union (JRFU)  have announced a new partnership making the automobile brand the first official partner of Impact Beyond, the legacy and rugby development programme of World Rugby in the build-up to Rugby World Cup 2019.

Land Rover will work with World Rugby, Asia Rugby and the JRFU on a programme of grassroots festivals with thousands of youngsters across Japan introduced to rugby during 2019.

The initiative was first launched in Japan in 2018 when 171 rugby schools in all of the 12 RWC 2019 host cities held a Rugby Introduction Day with around 3,000 children participating.

Rugby World Cup Tournament Director Alan Gilpin said: “The Impact Beyond legacy programme is central to World Rugby’s mission to grow the game globally and was at the heart of the decision to bring the Rugby World Cup to Asia for the first time.  Japan 2019 is on track to be the most impactful Rugby World Cup ever, with the Impact Beyond programme already surpassing its ambitious target of reaching one million new rugby participants across Asia.”

(An exclusive interview with Alan will feature soon in iSportconnect TV’s Market Influencers series).

JRFU President Tadashi Okamura said: “This year, Land Rover, who are long-standing contributors to the sport, will join us on our journey of growing rugby further as the new event partner. We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to them for their support and to the enthusiasm and co-operation of all the rugby schools across Japan who are taking part in the programme.”

 

NBA Extends Alibaba Partnership

The National Basketball Association has extended its association with Chinese e-commerce platform Alibaba.
The partners will launch an NBA Section across Alibaba’s platforms leveraging Alibaba’s technology and consumer insights to allow fans in China to enjoy personalised and engaging content, in addition to shopping for NBA merchandise.
The original programming will cover a wide range of popular basketball and cultural topics, including game predictions, fashion, sneakers, and memorabilia. Also, there will be short videos and live streaming by celebrities and influencers.
The NBA has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei.
NBA China Chief Executive Derek Chang said: “We share the same goal, which is to provide fans with one-of-a-kind online content consumption and shopping that leverages the latest technology. We look forward to working with Alibaba to continue to grow the game of basketball in China.”
Toby Xu, Vice President of Alibaba Group, said: “With this expanded partnership, we will fully leverage Alibaba’s ecosystem to create a unique digital experience and bring the NBA closer to fans and consumers in China.”

Triathlon Signs Texaco For OTT

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has named Texaco Havoline as its first Official OTT Digital Partner.

It has further unveiled its overhauled OTT platform TriathlonLive.tv with over 40 live events already scheduled for 2019. The new platform will provide users a more complete experience and live coverage as well as a brand new mobile app to help update with all the action. Viewers will further see an exclusive new 30-minute show before and after all WTS races being launched for the 2019 season.

The new platform is also available as an app for Apple iOS & tvOS, Android, Android TV, Amazon Fire and Roku.

Infront Vice President of Summer Sports Julien Ternisien said: “This is a fresh approach that takes the pure entertainment of live racing and combines it with content that has a broad appeal for triathlon newcomers and experienced athletes alike.”

ITU President and IOC member, Marisol Casado said: “The relaunch of the TriathlonLive.tv platform, with Texaco Havoline as our first official OTT Digital Partner, brings the front-end user experience right up to date in line with the progress we have made with the broadcasts.

“In conjunction with our long-term digital media partners Infront, we will be expanding our coverage at each event and bringing more live races, including ITU World Cups, the World Paratriathlon Series, Multisport World Championships and many more, including races not organized by ITU like the SuperLeague or the Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, to provide even more entertainment for our users.”

 

Eleven Sports Extends Distribution In Belgium

Eleven Sports has extended its distribution partnership with telecom operator Orange in Belgium and Luxembourg.

As part of the agreement, Eleven Sports 1, 2 and 3 will continue to be distributed for free in Full HD in Orange’s standard digital television package for Orange Love customers.

Orange customers in Belgium and Luxembourg will have access to premium football on Eleven Sports with up to 10 LaLiga matches, five Serie A matches and five Bundesliga matches every week, FA Cup and the EFL, and internationals from the UEFA Nations League and UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers.

Anouk Mertens, Managing Director, Eleven Sports in Belgium and Luxembourg, said: “It has always been our aim to make premium sports content available to as many fans as possible, regardless of the platform they use. We are delighted that the very best domestic and international sports action on Eleven Sports will be more accessible than ever for Orange Love customers who will now have access at home and on the move through their Orange subscription.”

 

Manchester City Extends Gatorade Deal

Manchester City has extended its multi-year partnership with Gatorade by naming it as the Official Sports Nutrition Partner of their women’s team.

As part of the partnership, the women’s team will have access to Gatorade portfolio of sports fuel products, equipment and cutting-edge science through the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI).

Gatorade will further have a match day LED presence, as well as bespoke dugout branding for all FA Women’s Super League and domestic cup home matches of the women’s team.

Gavin Makel, Head of Women’s Football at Manchester City said: “Everyone at Manchester City is excited to welcome Gatorade as an official partner of our women’s team. As a market leader in the sports fuel industry, Gatorade’s knowledge of what it takes to power athletes to perform is unparalleled and we look forward to collaborating with them to help fuel our athletes on the pitch”

Lina Nawas, marketing director, Gatorade International, commented: “Gatorade has decades of experience partnering with the world’s elite athletes and clubs. Expanding our ongoing partnership with Manchester City to now also fuel the women’s team is a wonderful opportunity to work with one of Europe’s best women’s football teams as they continue to challenge for titles.”

 

PUMA Trusts Football Campaigns To Dark Horses

Sports marketing agency Dark Horses has been handed over the football creative mandate by clothing brand PUMA.
The London based agency will handle strategy and creative across PUMA Football campaigns for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and Spring/Summer 2020.
The agency whose roster of clients include Nissan, Peloton, Southampton FC, Just Eat and Wiggle, will work with PUMA on a project-by-project basis.
Clément Lacour, Teamhead, Teamsports Marketing Europe, said: “We’re looking forward to working with Dark Horses and seeing these projects coming to life in the near future.
“We were really impressed by their understanding of our audience and our brand. Their challenger brand mentality fits to our mindset and we hope to achieve great things together.”
Dark Horses Executive Creative Director Steve Howell said: “PUMA is one of the world’s most iconic sports brands. We’re tremendously excited to start working with them and their roster of athletes, football clubs & national sides.
“In particular, the opportunity to work on the Women’s World Cup this summer – a watershed moment for the game – is work we’re relishing to make.”

UFC Strikes Live Commentary Deal With BBC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced a partnership with British broadcaster BBC to bring fans live event coverage on the radio and online.

As part of the deal, BBC Sport online and BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra will be offering live commentary of a minimum of four UFC events during 2019.

The partnership kicked off with UFC 235 on Saturday and will now feature MMA series’ event at London’s O2 Arena on March 16.

David Shaw, Senior Vice President of International and Content at the UFC, said: “We have enjoyed numerous synergies throughout the years with the BBC and this deal represents another important strategic step forward in our partnership as we continue to collaboratively build the profile of the sport.”

“Our UK fans are some of the most passionate in the world and with the help of the BBC we are delighted to bring them the additional UFC access that they deserve.”

Ben Gallop, Head of Radio and Digital for BBC Sport, said: “Our comprehensive coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website will bring fans every moment of the action from the forthcoming series of events.”

 

ESPN Secures Latin American Rights For MLS

ESPN has acquired the rights in Latin America and the Caribbean for Major League Soccer (MLS), which kicked off its new season on Saturday..

As part of the four-year deal, ESPN now owns the right to all US professional soccer league’s 408 regular-season matches, as well as the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, the MLS All-Star Game, and the MLS Cup.

The matches will broadcast live on ESPN OTT channels  ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3, ESPN Caribbean and ESPN Play.

Michael Walters, ESPN’s VP for Programming and Acquisitions, said: “This agreement with MLS reflects our steadfast commitment to deliver world-class soccer content to fans across Latin America and the Caribbean.

“We are thrilled to continue expanding our content offering and build on the success we have had over the years in showcasing marquee soccer leagues to fans in the region.”

Seth Bacon, MLS Senior VP of Media, said: “The move marks significant investment in attracting world class talent from across the Americas. This new agreement with ESPN will allow us to showcase these players to one of the most soccer-savvy audiences in the world.

“We know that ESPN’s multi-platform approach to distributing content will give fans more opportunity than ever to engage with MLS.”

 

Also in the News…

Chelsea and England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has signed an endorsement deal with Wow Hydrate. The player will also be part of the water brand’s #PushIt campaign which aims to encourage those with a passion for exercise to challenge themselves, and always keeping moving and working towards bigger goals.
Betfred is the new title sponsor of the British Masters golf tournament taking place May 9-12 in  Southport, England. The agreement with the PGA European Tour is for an initial two years with the event, which has been part of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai for the past four seasons after returning to the schedule in 2015 following a seven-year absence. Tommy Fleetwood, the 2017 Race to Dubai Champion, will host this year’s event. He is a native of Southport.

The two teams visiting Japan for the MLB Opening Series this month will play games against Japanese teams as part of the tour. The Seattle Mariners take on the Yomiuri Giants and the Oakland Athletics will play the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. The AL West rivals open the 2019 MLB season with a two-game set March 20-21 at the Tokyo Dome.

MGM Resorts is the title sponsor, the company’s first major marketing activation around an MLB event. MGM plans fan-facing events outside the ballpark, while also having its logo on a jersey patch on the Athletics’ right sleeve during the Opening Series.

Arsenal has named Zoom as its official enterprise video communications partner. The US based company which  provides cloud platforms for video, voice, content sharing, will use Arsenal’s worldwide profile to build its global brand awareness, through in-stadia inventory and direct communications.