The betting firms FanDuel and DraftKings are reportedly amongst the bidders for sports news site The Athletic, as per The Information.
The report further claims that The Athletic is seeking a valuation of more than $750M from bids that were due last month. The Athletic current investors includes Founders Fund, Courtside Ventures, and Powerhouse Capital.
The news follows the breakdown of a deal between Axios and The Athletic. NYT’s talk to buy The Athletic ended in mid-June.
The global sports marketing agency SPORTFIVE has signed a contract with the League Management Company Limited (LMC), The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to become the exclusive sales representative for the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and the Nigerian National Teams, headline by the Super Eagles.
Founded in 1972, the NPFL is the highest level of the Nigerian club professional football league pyramid and consists of 20 teams. The partnership was agreed for two years, starting in 2021.
SPORTFIVE will be responsible for the commercialization and for the distribution of NPFL marketing rights. One target in particular is to find new partners for the league and to expand the commercial marketing. As a holistic partner the sports marketing agency will furthermore provide the LMC and NFF with its vast service portfolio alongside distribution, production and commercialization.
Idriss Akki, Managing Director at SPORTFIVE Middle East & Africa, explains: “The partnership with the LMC and NFF is a proof of the successful work we have done so far in African sports business. We are grateful for this shown trust and look forward to a successful cooperation that benefits the Nigerian football.”
ImagineAR, an Augmented Reality Company that enables sports teams, brands and businesses to instantly create their own mobile phone immersive AR campaigns has been selected by the STA Group, headquartered in London, as one of the 2021 STA Startups Category Stage Winners for Fan Engagement.
“To be selected as a 2021 STA Startup Category Stage Winner for Fan Engagement is truly an honor and further positions our company as one of the up-and-coming global sports tech leaders,” said Alen Paul Silverrstieen, CEO and President of Imagine AR, “This STA selection can open up new sales and partnership opportunities for ImagineAR as well throughout the world”.
Mr. Silverrstieen continued, “We are excited to compete against other global winners for the overall 2021 Startup of the Year Award in the near future.”
STA Category Stage Winners compete in a two-stage process; first, the STA Group scrutinizes the international sports tech market to establish winners in individual categories. These are based on the stage of business – super-early, early, established and scale up – along with the sports sector in which they operate. Each category winner, including ImagineAR in the Fan Engagement category for early-stage startups, is invited to then pitch head-to-head in a bid to become The STA Startup of the Year.
England Netball is delighted to announce Nike’s further commitment to the sport with a three-year extension to the official partnership.
The exciting partnership, which commenced in 2018, will see Nike continue to supply the Vitality Roses, the Roses Academy and England Netball’s Performance team with industry defining training and performance apparel, featuring the latest innovation and on-court functionality.
England Netball and Nike will also join forces beyond the court, with a shared purpose to take netball to new communities and inspire more girls to play the game, with the leading performance and lifestyle brand committed to helping to grow the sport. Nike will continue to elevate the Vitality Roses, giving them a global platform to reach new audiences, connecting fans and young players with their heroes helping to inspire a generation of netballers.
Over 2.4 million women and girls play netball each year in England, making it the number one played female adult team sport in the country. England Netball staff will wear Nike training apparel with a fresh new look to deliver netball experiences across the country as we continue to drive the growth of the grassroots game and move into an exciting new decade for the sport.
Fran Connolly, CEO of England Netball, said: “Nike is a world leader in sport innovation and design, and we are thrilled to extend our partnership that will see our athletes continue to train and play in the very best performance apparel.
“But Nike are so much more than an apparel partner – they also share our vision to innovate the game and inspire women and girls through the power of sport and culture, connecting with audiences not just on the netball court but beyond the court to drive positive change and impact lives.
“Netball is an incredibly special sport, and together with Nike we look forward to taking our game to new and exciting places in the coming years, to reach new communities and grow our Netball Family.”
World Table Tennis (WTT), the commercial entity of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has announced an extension of the global partnership with Chinese apparel brand Li-Ning until 2022.
As China’s esteemed sportswear and sports equipment company, Li-Ning is currently a partner of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. Under the new deal with WTT, the Chinese sports giant will look to further expand its influence in international table tennis, at the same time working with WTT to promote top commercial table tennis events in China.
Li-Ning has been the Official ITTF Umpire & Referee Apparel Sponsor since 2018, and was also Officials’ Apparel Supplier of the table tennis event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Through its close collaboration with ITTF, Li-Ning has played a key role in modernising and standardising the referees, umpires and ball kids kit in international table tennis events.
The new deal will set Li-Ning as the exclusive apparel partner of WTT, further deepening its involvement in table tennis. The brand will provide apparels for referees, umpires, ball kids, ITTF and WTT staff and officials at top international events, including the upcoming 2021 World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston, the first-ever to be hosted in America.
Li-Ning will also be redesigning a fresh look for officials at the rebranded WTT Series, and receive branding and activation opportunities at key events and markets.
Zhang Xiangdu, General Manager of the Li-Ning Brand Project Management Centre said: “Table tennis is a core part of Li-Ning’s business, and we are glad to have witnessed the growth in the sport first-hand since getting involved with ITTF in 2018. In the last years, the ITTF set up WTT to take table tennis to new heights, and we are thrilled to continue working with WTT to further promote table tennis at a global level, at the same time delivering a reimagined table tennis experience to fans. The professionalism and dedication of the officials, ball kids and staff are core to the success of table tennis globally, and Li-Ning is proud to provide attractive and comfortable apparel for their demanding work using cut-through technologies and materials.”
Matt Pound, WTT Managing Director said: “In 2018, the partnership with Li-Ning was a historical one. For the first time, the ITTF and the Umpire and Referee Committee had worked with a global apparel supplier to professionalise officials’ apparels. This extended partnership marks the transition to a new era, where we share the vision of reimagining and redefining table tennis globally. We believe this is just a start, and we look forward to many more years of deeper collaboration as we further drive the sport to greater heights.”
The Philadelphia Eagles have announced a multi-year partnership with Canva, the global visual communications platform. This innovative partnership marks the first of its kind in the NFL and the first for Canva across professional sports, bringing together the creative power of Canva with the unrivaled passion Eagles fans have for their team and city.
In this digital and globalized era, sports fans have developed a loyalty to their teams and players through visual brand identity. With the rise and accessibility of social media, fans have been easier to reach and more competitive to engage. Canva will assist the Eagles in driving fan engagement by making it easy to create and share visual content across social media platforms.
“We are thrilled to welcome Canva as a Proud Partner of the Philadelphia Eagles,” said Catherine Carlson, Senior Vice President, Revenue and Strategy, Philadelphia Eagles. “For years, Canva has been helping businesses bring their visions to life by delivering high quality, creative products with their platform. We look forward to integrating Canva products and services across our organization and working together to drive increased awareness and affinity for Canva’s brand.”
As part of the partnership, Canva will provide all Philadelphia Eagles employees with Enterprise-level access to its visual communications platform. Canva’s easy-to-use, customizable design and brand management tool will empower the Philadelphia Eagles to create, manage and share visual content across departments while maintaining brand consistency. Canva’s Brand Controls will also enable the Philadelphia Eagles to easily share their brand assets and guidelines with their extensive network of corporate partners for use in their own marketing and communications materials.
“The digital revolution has powered a visual revolution and sporting organizations now need to engage with their fans in even more innovative and compelling ways,” said Jonathan Harley, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Canva. “This partnership shows the world what’s possible when you combine the power of visual communications with an iconic brand and passionate fans, and we’re excited that Canva will help the Eagles’ brand and fan engagement soar to new heights.”
The Philadelphia Eagles will provide Canva the ability to host events at Lincoln Financial Field and offer unique, exclusive networking opportunities. Canva will also get the chance to engage with the Philadelphia community by participating in events with Eagles Care Partners.
FC Internazionale Milano has announced an agreement with AOA Sports, Inter’s new Official Regional Partner in Asia.
AOA Sports is a new power in the sports and entertainment industry in Asia. It strives to bring the most advanced data system, broadcast service and fund management system to sports fans all over the world. In recent years, through unremitting technological innovation in services, AOA has accumulated rich operating experience, which has made it a reputable platform with the service covering events in 136 countries.
Thanks to this three-year partnership, Inter and AOA Sports will promote each other’s image in Asia, and continue to make breakthroughs in their respective fields. Meanwhile, AOA Sports will focus on technological upgrades and strive to win the trust of sports fans all over the world through the concept of providing “the smoothest and most comfortable experience”.
AC Milan is set to become the first football club to launch an NFT campaign on the fan engagement and rewards app Socios.com, partner of the Rossoneri since January 2021.
The launch will take place on Sunday 31 October when 100 limited edition NFTs will be minted to commemorate the biggest AC Milan moment from their game with AS Roma. The NFTs will be subsequently dropped to $ACM Fan Token holders.
To be eligible to receive the NFT, fans need to have at least 10 $ACM Fan Tokens in their Socios.com wallet and must first predict the outcome of Sunday’s game with AS Roma using the predictor feature in the Socios.com app. The initiative is part of the partnership between AC Milan and Socios.com, which has seen the Club launch an $ACM Fan Token on the popular platform. The partnership highlights AC Milan’s commitment to innovation and it is a strategic move for the Rossoneri to enhance their digital presence and stay closer to its global fanbase made of over 500 million fans.
The AC Milan NFT launch will be the first of many similar launches to be held with the Club, increasing the opportunities for Fan Token holders to be rewarded through the app and fully integrating NFTs as part of the Socios.com offering.
Sportradar , a leading global sports technology company creating immersive experiences for sports fans and bettors has announced that the Company will serve as UEFA’s exclusive authorized collector and distributor of data for betting purposes, as well as extending its role as UEFA’s official integrity partner.
Sportradar secured the exclusive landmark agreement following UEFA’s first competitive tender process for its data distribution rights for betting purposes. The agreement covers 1,550 matches from the 2021/22 season through to the end of the 2023/24 season across all UEFA properties including UEFA EURO 2024, the European Qualifiers, the UEFA Nations League, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Women’s Champions League and UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, Under-21s and UEFA Futsal Champions League and UEFA Futsal EURO Championship.
The announcement comes as European football’s governing body seeks to maximise the value of its match data and drive deeper engagement worldwide with football fans. Through its global network of more than 900 bookmaker clients, Sportradar provides access to football fans in 120 different countries worldwide.
Carsten Koerl, Chief Executive Officer of Sportradar, said: “Sportradar has more than 20 years’ experience collecting and building valuable products from football match data, and now, as the world’s leading sports technology company, we’re the only organisation with the technological capabilities and unique resources to truly support the growth of one of the biggest federations in global sport.”
“Football remains the world’s most popular sport and we’re extraordinarily pleased that UEFA selected Sportradar in their competitive process. We look forward to working with them closely to support their engagement with the betting industry.”
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director, said: “We are very happy to enter into this partnership with Sportradar, who are a global leader in delivering sports data. It follows a long-standing partnership with the company as our official integrity partner and it links to our recent announcement of Bwin as the first betting partner for one of our competitions. The combination of the two partnerships allows UEFA to engage more openly with the sports betting sector, giving greater access to market intelligence and support from both a sports integrity and a commercial perspective.”
As part of this agreement, UEFA and Sportradar will extend their long-standing integrity cooperation, which will now include dedicated Intelligence & Investigation Services to support UEFA’s anti match-fixing unit. Sportradar will also continue to provide UEFA with its robust and proven bet monitoring services to protect the integrity of UEFA and its member associations’ competitions as it has for the last 12 years, to safeguard the sport from match fixing activities.
The agreement with UEFA continues to strengthen Sportradar’s existing portfolio of football rights, which includes high profile partnerships with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
Luis Vicente has been appointed as the Chairman of APEX CAPITAL.
The Portuguese C-Level Executive has extensive experience in the sports industry, with a 28- year history of innovation and commercial growth, supporting brands, athletes, teams and government bodies, returns to Portugal and joins APEX after a spell as CEO of Global Sports Media Group Eleven Sports. In his recent professional career, he was part of FIFA Management Team as the football governing body first ever Chief Digital Transformation & Innovation Officer, with responsibilities for the implementation of new technologies, for the Gaming and esports area, for Data and BI as well as the digital and content areas.
The Portuguese has previously worked with some of the world’s biggest brands, leaders in football and motorsport. He began his career in talent management, representing Luís Figo and Ronaldo Nazário, among other world-class athletes and since then he has been following a unique career in the world of sport, having held leadership positions at clubs such as Manchester City and Valencia CF and providing strategic guidance to clubs such as Real Madrid or AC Milan, global sports organizations such as La Liga and other major brands in global sport such as Red Bull, Ferrari or Lotus. APEX Capital was founded by Formula E 2020 season Champion, António Félix da Costa and António Caçorino, is a platform born at the heart of the sports world, created to offer exclusive investment opportunities to athletes.
With almost 1 year of existence and 7 operations closed, APEX Capital has been positioning itself in the industry for its innovative vision and concept, offering athletes a platform of exclusive investment opportunities, as well as all the monitoring and advice in order to convert the opportunities in successful businesses. Apex has a unique philosophy, highlighting all the potential that a professional athlete has to become a lead investor and entrepreneur.
António Félix da Costa, Co-founder Apex Capital, said: “We’ve known Luís for many years and we share a similar view on the role and potential of high competition athletes as entrepreneurs. We are going through a transition of power in the Sports Eco-System and we all feel that Athletes and Fans should have a more relevant role to play. Through Apex, we will also invest in innovative and disruptive concepts in the field of sport and we are sure we can play our part on the growth the athlete entrepreneur movement. “
Mitch Evans, Co-founder Apex Capital, said: “Apex has been bridging Athletes and investment opportunities for the past 12 months, carving a new entrepreneurial path for professional athletes who have the appetite to position themselves as strategic investors in the sports and entertainment ecosystem. We strongly believe Luís Vicente will play a clinical role as part of our executive committee, Luís has been vocal about the entrepreneurial athlete concept for many years, that will certainly bring Apex a competitive edge.”
António Caçorino, CEO Apex Capital said: “It’s a privilege to be able to count on Luís in this growing phase of our business. All your experience, network and know-how are undoubtedly an asset to Apex and our ambitions”
Luís Vicente, Chairman Apex Capital said: “I have known and admired António Felix da Costa for many years and have been following the exciting path of Apex Capital over the past 12 months. I defended for many years that athletes have a much greater role to play in the sports industry, and projects like Apex Capital clearly demonstrate the growing influence of athletes as entrepreneurs. In the United States we have witnessed the development and maturity of several similar initiatives with visible exciting results and I believe that the potential for the development of similar initiatives more focused on the European market is massive, which adds even more value and scalability to the Apex Capital project. It is a great pride to be part of this project and to be part of a fantastic work team. I am really excited to start contributing for a journey I really believe in”