Stan Sport Secures UEFA Champions League Rights

Nine’s Stan Sport has agreed a three-year partnership with UEFA to broadcast the UEFA Champions League among other European football competitions.

As part of the deal, Stan Sport will stream UEFA Champions League and Europa League, as well as the Europa Conference League

Stan acting CEO, Martin Kugeler, said: “Today’s multi-year partnership announcement with UEFA reflects Stan’s commitment to bringing premium sports to Australian fans.”

“Since Stan Sport launched in February, we have been delighted with the way Australians have taken up the service.

“The addition of the UEFA Club Competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, represents a unique strategic opportunity that will continue the momentum for Stan Sport and aligns directly with the Nine Group sports strategy.

“Featuring the most outstanding players in the sport, the UEFA Club Competitions bring together the best clubs for more than 400 matches of world-class football.

“We can’t wait to showcase the most prestigious club football tournaments in the world and we thank UEFA for its trust in Stan to deliver their iconic football products to Australia,” Kugeler said.

UEFA marketing director, Guy-Laurent Epstein, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Stan in Australia. Stan has strong ambitions in the world of sport, and as a sports-loving nation, Australian football fans will benefit from Stan’s world class broadcast and production capabilities throughout the 2021-24 cycle.”

Rugby World Cup France 2023 Signs TotalEnergies As Official Sponsor

TotalEnergies has become Official Sponsor of Rugby World Cup France 2023.

By partnering with France 2023, TotalEnergies will support the tournament’s mission of making Rugby World Cup France 2023 a moment of sharing and celebration across all regions in France. It will provide an opportunity for the company to present its broad energy profile to a wider audience and, through this ambition, strengthen ties with its stakeholders.

Rugby World Cup France 2023 and TotalEnergies are both committed to sustainability as an integral part of their strategy, projects and operations. Putting this into action, both parties will work together to create an environmentally responsible event, notably through the deployment of a decarbonised mobility plan and the supply of green energy.

Commenting on the announcement, Claude Atcher, CEO of France 2023, declared: “TotalEnergies wants to shift lines and play its full role in meeting the climate challenge. We want to move forward together towards the new energies that need to be at the center of Rugby World Cup France 2023, and participate in its positive impact for society. I am delighted to have TotalEnergies, with its know-how and its expertise, among our Official Sponsors. TotalEnergies is a long-standing supporter of French rugby. We feel certain that its dense nationwide coverage will significantly contribute to our event’s success.”

Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman & CEO of TotalEnergies added: “It is an honour and a pleasure for TotalEnergies to be an Official Sponsor of Rugby World Cup France 2023. Integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect are key features of this sport, and they match our company’s values. More importantly, rugby is organised first and foremost around a team, just like TotalEnergies: a collective of women and men committed to the energy transition.

“France is our home, especially southwestern France, a land of rugby that is an integral part of our history and DNA. We want to celebrate our ties and close relationship with our stakeholders and customers across the country I am delighted that TotalEnergies’ teams will be putting their energy into making this great sports event a festive and popular French success worldwide!”

Curveball Digital To Provide Digital Media Service To E1 Series

Curveball Digital has signed an agreement with E1 Series – the world’s first electric powerboat championship – to provide a broad scope of digital media services, including social media management, strategy, content creation and original video series production.

The partnership will help E1 Series grow their global following on social media in the run up to the competition’s launch, as well as promote the brand’s key pillars in sustainability, technology and world-class sport.

Curveball’s expertise in social-first content strategy, creative campaigns and video production will mean that the stories important to the E1 Series will be told in unique, eye-catching and engaging ways.

Paddy Sloane, co-founder of Curveball Digital, said: “We are hugely excited to be working with such an innovative new series that is using its platform to push for a more sustainable future. Digital media plays a vital role in the growth of any sport and we will be creating original content to tell E1’s stories through a short and long-form content strategy. Our experience in creating behind-the-scenes video series for events like Champions League finals, UFC and boxing world-title fights will help us bring fans closer to the action and feel like they are part of the E1 journey.”

Yanni Andreopoulos, Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer at E1, said:: “I’m super happy to welcome onboard Curveball Digital as our social media and digital content agency. Building a fan base for any new sport is centred around driving interest and excitement, particularly on social media platforms. With Curveball Digital, we have a trusted partner who has a vast amount of experience working on creative campaigns around live sporting events.

We want E1 Series content to be seen as widely as possible, therefore a digital-first approach will be key in the run-up to our debut season in early 2023. Paddy and Kev have grown some of the biggest accounts in world sport and created some of the most innovative sports video series on social media, so we’re proud to be partnering with them to help tell our story in a new era of electric powerboating.”

Kev Blundell, co-founder of Curveball Digital, said: “”After working with the E1 Series team on the launch of the RaceBird, we can’t wait to get going on a long-term social media strategy. At the core of our strategy is a mission to make fans feel like they’re part of the E1 journey – wherever they’re based in the world. We’ll be using their social media accounts to bring fans closer to the sport, athletes and teams, while also showcasing all the excitement that comes from motorsport and the positive consequences of more sustainable living.”

Manchester City Strikes Partnership With Expo 2020 Dubai

Manchester City have announced a new partnership with Expo 2020 Dubai that sees the largest event in the Arab world become the Club’s Official Exhibition Partner.

The partnership will cover both City’s men’s and women’s teams, as well as the Club’s esports operation.

From 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai will be an unmissable global experience, hosting participants from more than 190 countries, and acting as a launch pad for a dynamic and diverse programme spanning innovation, culture, art, music, food and sport.

Expo 2020 Dubai is dedicated to bringing together people, communities and nations to build bridges, inspire actions and deliver solutions to real-life challenges. Through this partnership, Manchester City will be able to contribute to Expo’s journey and harness knowledge from world-leading initiatives to expand on its values of innovation, sustainability and driving social change through football. 

Roel de Vries, City Football Group’s Group Chief Operating Officer, said: “At Manchester City, we are constantly striving to find the best solutions to achieve success, whether that’s on the pitch or everything we do beyond that to engage with our global fanbase, operate in a sustainable way and help to support our communities. Partnering with Expo 2020 and exploring its wealth of expertise will provide a fantastic opportunity for the Club to develop its knowledge across many areas. 

“We are also looking forward to unveiling a Manchester City presence at the Expo where we will showcase on a global stage how the Club is leading the way in the football industry.”

Reflecting the global nature of Expo 2020 and its participants, as well as the diverse, multicultural population of the UAE, the partnership will also be amplified around the world through the City Football Group network, with exciting local activations planned at a number of City’s sister clubs, including Mumbai City FC, New York City FC, Melbourne City FC and Yokohama F. Marinos.

Sholto Douglas-Home, Chief Sales & MarComms Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Both Expo 2020 and City Football Group are passionate about bringing people together to create meaningful change in important areas, such as youth empowerment, gender equality and inclusion, as well as the use of technology for good.

“As Manchester City’s Official Exhibition Partner, we are excited to see how the powerful, universal language of football can inspire millions around the globe to be part of a truly exceptional World Expo and a historic milestone for our vast region.”

Racecourse Media Group Renews Distribution Deal For British Racecourses With Sport Information Services

Racecourse Media Group (RMG) and Sports Information Services (SIS) have announced a further three-year agreement for the distribution and transmission of audio-visual and data from British racecourses, which are licensed for the term 2023-2026, to licensed betting offices (LBO) across UK and Ireland.

Following an ultra-competitive tender process, SIS were awarded the contract, which will run from April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2026 and follows the current five-year agreement which started in 2018.

Martin Stevenson, CEO of RMG, said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with SIS for a further three years. LBO revenue remains an extremely significant media rights income source for RMG’s racecourses. This deal will further increase the value of LBO rights by invigorating betting turnover via first-rate production and presentation of horseracing for the LBO audience.

“We look forward to working with SIS on new and innovative ways in which the quality content from our racecourses can be produced and presented, including the introduction of in-play betting on racing in betting shops. This deal guarantees quality, core content for bookmakers in UK and Ireland until 2026, while ensuring there is minimal ‘leakage’ from the sport, in line with RMG’s ethos of returning its profits to the sport. We are very grateful to all the parties who expressed an interest with a range of compelling offers.”

Richard Ames, Chief Executive of SIS, added: “SIS is very pleased to extend the relationship we hold with RMG and are confident that this agreement will continue to deliver excellent value for racecourses and bookmakers with a collaborative approach to growing the value of horseracing. Winning this extension in a competitive situation is testament to the good work and excellent relationship that has been fostered between the companies over the last three years. I look forward to RMG’s premium racing content being the cornerstone of SIS’ racing services for many years to come.”

Nevin Truesdale, Chief Executive of The Jockey Club, said: “Following such a rigorous and competitive process we can be confident this new agreement with SIS represents the best possible LBO rights arrangement for our sport. Betting media represents such a key revenue stream and one that is fundamental to how racecourses fund their substantial contribution to prize money levels.

The process has been a great example of multiple stakeholders working together to try to achieve the best outcome and I would commend the leadership of RMG and our fellow racecourses in this regard.”

Tour De France To Continue Keeping Time With Tissot

Tissot has renewed its partnership with the Tour de France, La Vuelta and the great cycling classics organised by A.S.O.

Official Timekeeper of the world’s most prestigious cycling races and a long-standing partner of the UCI for 25 years, Tissot has once again confirmed its passion for the sport by renewing its partnership with the Tour de France, La Vuelta and the great classics organised by Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.). Performance, team spirit and surpassing oneself are the strong values that the Swiss watch brand shares with cycling enthusiasts by offering indispensable and extremely precise solutions for timing, scoring, ranking and statistics, to suit the requirements of organisers, athletes and fans.

In the Tour de France, which this year is taking place from 26 June to 18 July, victory is sometimes decided by a fraction of a second, or a tenth of a centimetre of a wheel on the finish line. Tissot has been developing, mastering and improving the technical tools to calculate the time difference between victory and defeat since 1938, when the brand first became involved in sports timekeeping. It is now one of the key players. When a sprint finish cannot be analysed with the naked eye, the Swiss watch brand plays the role of judge with increasingly sophisticated technological tools.

To guarantee a reliable result for organisers, competitors, spectators and television viewers of the most prestigious cycling races, high-speed cameras capable of taking 10,000 images per second are trained on the finish lines of each stage. Thanks to multiple devices capable of producing the “photo finish”, Tissot can provide all the detailed information related to timing, scoring, ranking and statistics in a matter of seconds.

This requires outstanding organisation and total dedication. During the Tour de France, the world’s premier cycling race, no less than eight Tissot timekeepers – assisted by almost a dozen additional technicians during the time trials – are on the ground during the 21 stages of the competition. On average, they carry out just over 4,200 photo finish judgements for an estimated 2,600 hours of work, including 280 hours of preparation! Without them, there would be no results and no rankings. They are in the shadows, but thanks to them, the world’s most prestigious cycling race retains its reputation. Tissot’s involvement is driven by a passion for cycling.

Official Timekeeper for the Tour de France from 1988 to 1991 and again in 2016, the Swiss brand is also the Official Watch of “La Grande Boucle” (or “The Big Loop”, as the Tour de France is also known). A major partner of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for 25 years, Official Timekeeper for La Vuelta since 2016, Tissot is without doubt the watch-making king of this sport. In 2020, the Swiss watch brand also welcomed Slovenian cycling champion Primož Roglič to its team of sports ambassadors.

The renewal of the partnership contract between Tissot and Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.) is a sign of the brand’s determination to build lasting links with the biggest names in cycling. “Tissot is pleased to announce the extension of its partnership with A.S.O. as Official Timekeeper of the Tour de France and La Vuelta as well as legendary classic races such as Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and La Flèche Wallonne,” says Sylvain Dolla, CEO of Tissot. “We have teamed up with A.S.O. for many years, providing extremely precise timing solutions.”

Christian Prudhomme, director of the Tour de France: “I am delighted that we are extending our partnership with the legendary watchmaker from Le Locle. Cycling events are often decided by a few seconds, sometimes even a few thousandths in some finishes. Tissot and A.S.O. share the same vision of cycling and excellence that the Tour de France should represent to highlight the efforts of great champions.”

Fnatic Strikes Global Partnership With Kaspersky

Fnatic, the high-performance esports brand, has announced a global partnership with Kaspersky, a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company.

The partnership includes multi-channel digital content campaigns, digital event series’, and will feature the Kaspersky brand mark on the jersey of the Fnatic Rising League of Legends team.

This Fearless Gaming partnership will help show gamers the power of Kaspersky anti-virus products in defending gamers from threats, securing in-game assets and ensuring the experience of gaming remains fast and uninterrupted.

Content will be featured across Fnatic digital channels, including multiple content series’ produced by Fnatic, activations in digital events, and more exciting initiatives across both the Fnatic and Kaspersky worlds.

This partnership is not the first time Kaspersky has entered the world of esports, having previously released a professional solution for esports tournament operators to counter cheating in esports. This software made its debut at the Berlin Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major in 2019.

Fnatic CEO Sam Mathews said: “We’re delighted to work with Kaspersky to deliver such an important message to esports fans and gamers across the world. Their mission for fair play and fearless gaming aligns perfectly with Fnatic’s mission, and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on.”

“In order to make gaming truly fearless you need to ensure it is thoroughly protected. We know that not only because we are a global cybersecurity company, but also because many Kaspersky employees are avid gamers. We understand gamers’ interests, needs and behavior, and aim to make sure they enjoy the best of what technology brings,” says Andrew Winton, Vice President for Global Marketing at Kaspersky.

“We are pleased to cooperate with Fnatic and support one of the world’s premier eSports teams achieve their ambitions, while at the same time, learn more from the professional eSports community to further improve our products for a wider gaming audience.” 

XB Net Renews Content Rights For Breeders’ Cup World Championships

XB Net has agreed to exclusive new deal terms and a three-year contract extension for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, bolstering the pair’s ongoing partnership for content rights, data, odds and signals around this flagship festival of global thoroughbred racing.

This agreement comprises worldwide broadcast and video-streaming distribution rights from the Breeders’ Cup whose 2021 renewal, consisting of 14 Championship races and over $31 million in prize money and awards, is scheduled to be held 5th-6th November  at Del Mar racetrack, near San Diego, California.

The 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championships will also raise the bar on equine wellbeing and safety standards, featuring the latest cutting-edge medication practices, testing protocols, equine security programs, veterinary exams, injury management protocols and race-surface testing.

XB Net’s end-to-end solution, corralling expansive content that covers approximately 75% of North American racing, affords access to many of the world’s most prestigious horse races. These include Triple Crown events at the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, the Pegasus World Cup and this grandstand finale at the Breeders’ Cup in California. This engaging, top-quality action is proven to retain eyeballs and promote betting activity across competitive digital-entertainment cycles, driving new revenue streams for a wide range of international clients.

Accordingly, XB Net is the proven pacesetter for live North American horse racing content, providing rights, betting data, live broadcast and video streaming on behalf of its growing global portfolio of partners. Harnessing low-latency feeds from more than 2,500 meetings, showcasing over 25,000 races per year, North American racing is helping a growing global group of operators proactively populate an otherwise uncertain schedule for live sports.

This progressive partnership also leverages natural synergies in content-provision between the Breeders’ Cup and 1/ST’s marquee stages – notably this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships venue at Del Mar racetrack, whose innovative content and betting services XB Net represents. Further, through its ground-breaking alliance with Total Performance Data (TPD) – the definitive source of live GPS-tracking data for horse racing – XB Net is also deepening in-running fan engagement at Del Mar this year via the saddle-cloths of all participating equine athletes.

John Keitt, Executive Vice President and COO at the Breeders’ Cup, said: “The Breeders’ Cup is proud to extend and expand our close collaboration with XB Net to further broaden the international reach of our world-class festival of thoroughbred racing. Sports fans and bettors around the globe can look forward to even more coverage of Championship racing from some of the most storied venues in the United States over the coming years.”

Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President of International at XB Net, added: “It’s a privilege to continue working in tandem with the Breeders’ Cup team and some of our finest racetracks to optimize and increase the returns to North American racing during a challenging economic period. Securing this long-term partnership underscores XB Net’s commitment to the sport and our broader status as the leading international provider of North American racing. This deal is another sound endorsement of our business model and the collective power of our multivariate services.

“Our underlying resolve is to support the Breeders’ Cup’s efforts to distribute its horse racing content and wagering on a global scale. We’re confident these combined, complementary endeavours can further benefit horse racing’s consumer economy, both at home and abroad.

“Throughout the pandemic, North American racing distinguished itself as one of very few elite sports that was able to maintain both a solid timetable and a high bar for quality and data integrity with fast-settling content that can fill the gaps for elite sport, wherever you set your scene on the map. We witnessed record engagement levels around last year’s Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland and expect to see that trend extend at this year’s Del Mar renewal. It’s wonderful to see the sport’s global popularity surge during a crucial period.”

Discovery Unveils Discovery Sports As New Corporate Brand

Discovery has unveiled Discovery Sports as a new corporate brand to represent the dedicated group that operates its unrivalled portfolio of sports brands, channels and platforms.

Already collaborating across all aspects of content production, distribution and commercial activity, Discovery’s combined sports portfolio offers rights-holders and brand partners the unparalleled opportunity to reach an audience of more than 130 million people every month across all platforms where consumers are spending time — free-to-air, pay-TV, streaming and online.

The move provides an external corporate identity that embodies Discovery’s unique sports proposition. It highlights Discovery’s combined strength in sports media, spanning the scale of the growing discovery+, the leading real-life entertainment streaming service, and its broad free-to-air networks in Europe; the breadth of sports offering through Eurosport in more than 75 markets and 230m homes; the depth of international super-fan services with Global Cycling Network (GCN), Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN), Golf Digest and GOLFTV, as well as completing a full 360 offer with its events management and promotion arm, Eurosport Events.  While each of Discovery’s consumer facing sports brands will continue to be presented and operate as usual, Discovery Sports will support collaboration within all areas of the combined sports business that Discovery takes to market.

Andrew Georgiou will lead the full portfolio of Discovery’s sports brands and businesses as the President of Sports. Continuing to report to Discovery International CEO Jean-Briac Perrette, Georgiou is adding responsibility for GOLFTV and Golf Digest to his expanded portfolio. He already oversees Eurosport and Discovery’s global sports rights and marketing solutions, as well as Play Sports Group – which includes Global Cycling Network (GCN) – and Eurosport Events.

Jean-Briac Perrette, CEO, Discovery International said: “We have an unparalleled multi-platform offering for rights holders and marketers that uniquely provides the broad reach of television with the targeting and interactive capabilities of digital. With two Olympic Games in quick succession and Eurosport’s live content now rolling out onto discovery+ in many international markets, there has never been a greater opportunity to leverage the scale and expertise of our sports offer.

“As we organise all our sports business under Discovery Sport, I am hugely excited to have Andrew lead the charge for this consolidated group. His expertise, strategic vision and strong relationships have steered our sports business through last year’s challenging period for live sports, and set us on a course for further transformation and growth going forward,” Perrette said.

Andrew Georgiou, President of Sport, said: “When taken together, Discovery’s portfolio of sports brands, channels and platforms is unrivalled for its ability to engage audiences however the viewer chooses to watch. From the scale of Discovery’s free-to-air networks, to the breadth of sports offering through Eurosport and the depth of super-fan engagement from GOLFTV, Golf Digest and GCN, taken together Discovery Sport serves passionate fans everywhere and brings limitless opportunities for our brand and rights-holder partners.

“By collaborating as one global team, Discovery presents an unprecedented level of sports media expertise. We bring the only truly 360-degree offer, from platforms to promotion, that can truly grow an event, series or an even entire sport. Together we are able to unlock the power of sport with even greater impact, thanks to inspirational storytelling, best-in-class live coverage and sports journalism. This potential will only grow over the coming months as we increasingly bring our live sports content to discovery+ and the broad household audience it engages every day,” Georgiou concluded. 

Discovery Sport’s services engage fans and broad audiences in more than 200 markets and in over 20 languages, connecting them with the greatest sporting events in the world. This includes being the Home of the Olympics Games in Europe*; tennis’ Grand Slams; cycling’s Grand Tours and more than 200 days racing a year; the PGA TOUR year-round; the best new and existing electric racing series with ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and FIA eTouring Car World Cup; and every major winter sport World Championship and World Cup event. 

Olympique Lyonnais Signs MG Motor France As Major Partner

The international sport business agency SPORTFIVE has announced the new partnership between Olympique Lyonnais and MG Motor France for a three year period.

The famous car manufacturer becomes Major Partner of the French club and will be displayed on the sleeve of the men’s professional team jersey in Ligue 1 and European competitions starting from the 2021/2022 season.


To support its great comeback in Europe, MG Motor France, owned by the SAIC group (first Chinese car manufacturer), wanted to lean on the services and expertise of SPORTFIVE.

With their common commitments in soft mobility and environmental transition, SPORTFIVE has naturally brought together Olympique Lyonnais, an emblematic club of the French championship, and MG Motor France in order to offer the players of the professional team and some of the administrative staff, a new range of MG electrified vehicles.

The OL teams will have the chance to discover the performance of the MG Marvel R, a 100% electric SUV in C segment with a nearly 400 km autonomy, or to choose the MG EHS Plug-in Hybrid technology. Finally, everyone will be able to adopt the MG ZS EV, a 100% electric family car designed for urban rides. Using MG electric and rechargeable hybrid vehicles with contained CO2 emissions ranging from 0 to 43 g, Olympique Lyonnais confirms its commitment to environment and its desire to reduce its carbon footprint by adopting more responsible behavior in terms of mobility.

For MG Motor France, this new collaboration should support the development of its sales network in France, which has already opened 80 car dealerships in one year and is now aiming for 100 to 120 outlets by the end of 2021, including the one in Vénissieux, in Lyon’s metropolitan area, with the Jean Lain distribution group. United by the search for performance and a passion for innovation and technology, the two brands will share their common ambitions with Olympique Lyonnais fans, who will benefit from animations around MG electrified models in the Groupama Stadium as soon as the 21/22 championship starts in August.

Finally, SPORTFIVE has been selected to become the brand’s activation agency. This new collaboration has already led to the production of a film announcing the partnership, which can also be accessed via the digital press kit below.


This modern video tells the story of how two actors with a rich history of success join forces to lead fans into an electric season. The content highlights the aesthetics of the Marvel R Electric in an electric pregame atmosphere.

Jean-Michel Aulas, Président of Olympique Lyonnais: “We are honored to welcome MG Motor among our new partners. This collaboration with an iconic automotive brand will allow us to fulfill our common goal for a softer mobility, and strengthen our commitment for environmental transition, supported by sport stakeholders.2

Xinyu LIU, CEO of MG Motor France and VP Sales MG Motor Europe: “There are many reasons why we decided to work with Olympique Lyonnais. First of all, OL has collected great results in the French Ligue 1 and European competitions. Then, OL is already a supporter of environmental-friendly activities. MG also promotes sustainable energies and works to protect environment in France and Europe. On this, we share a common goal.”

Laurent MORETTI, France Managing Director of SPORTFIVE: “We are very pleased to work with MG Motor for their comeback in Europe. Olympique Lyonnais is the best match for MG because of their common values and commitments towards environment. We are excited for the coming 2021/2022 season with the comeback of fans in the stadium and many activations promoting the brand and its new electric-powered vehicles. This new season will be electric!”