Nenad Lalovic Re-Elected As United World Wrestling President

Serbia’s Nenad Lalovic has been re-elected as the President of United World Wrestling (UWW) after standing unopposed for the position at the body’s Congress in Belgrade on Sunday.


The International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, who has led the worldwide governing body since 2013, is set to serve a fresh six-year term.

Lalovic had been due to be re-elected in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the UWW to postpone its Congress until this year.

He first became President after being chosen to serve for the remaining two years of Raphael Martinetti’s term following the Swiss official’s resignation. Nenad Lalovic was a key figure in Serbian sports after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. After the war, his son Milos started to wrestle at a local club in which Mr Lalovic became involved before joining the national federation. He became President of the Serbian Wrestling Federation a year later and helped shape the new nation’s sports history. Indeed, during his presidency, he helped transform the organization into a professional federation with new offices and an organizational structure and it began organizing international competitions that laid the groundwork for building international recognition. The Junior European Championships in Greco Roman style were held in Subotica, Serbia, in 2002 and the Senior Championships were held in 2003 in Belgrade. Serbia won its first medals in the sport of Wrestling in both competitions.

Martinetti resigned after the IOC Executive Board’s recommendation to drop wrestling from the program after Rio 2016.

“The Tokyo Olympics As A Marketing Platform Has Maintained Its Aura And Positive Benefits For Brands”

Taruka Srivastav talks to a number of sporting executives in order to get their thoughts on how brands can still benefit positively from an Olympics without fans in attendance.

Before the Tokyo Olympics kicked off, a Kyodo News survey found around 80 per cent of Japanese people wanted the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo to be cancelled or postponed.

To make matters worse, a COVID-19 state of emergency in Japan meant that this year’s Olympic Games were to have no domestic or foreign spectators.

The decision taken to assure the safety of the citizens and athletes had a major side effect on the brands associated with the tournament. More than 60 Japanese corporate sponsors are paying a record $3 billion to associate their products with an event that is normally popular and widely watched.

“Sponsors need to be very careful they fall on the right side of history, and they can’t trust rights holders to make that decision for them.”

The survey and no spectators lead to Toyota Motor Corp, a top corporate sponsor for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics deciding to pull all of its Olympics-related TV commercials in Japan. Electronics giant Panasonic, also a sponsor, moved in a similar fashion as its CEO did not attend the Games’ kick-off. They were joined by more Telecom and IT firms NTT, NEC and Fujitsu who announced similar plans for their executives.

To find out how, with no spectators allowed, brands can still have maximum engagement with fans for Tokyo 2020 I spoke with Matt Readman, Chief Strategy Officer at Dark Horses who said: “Sponsors need to be very careful they fall on the right side of history, and they can’t trust rights holders to make that decision for them. I am a huge advocate of the International Olympic Committee and a believer in the Games. But we have seen several examples in the last year of how right holders’ judgement can be out of touch with that of society. In their desperation to recoup lost earnings and protect their sports many are making questionable moral judgements.

“With all that doom and gloom out of the way, there is still a phenomenal opportunity if sponsors play it right. Earlier this year I argued that nothing signifies the incredible resilience and determination of humanity than the Olympic Games. I still believe that to be the case. It is a festival of hope that celebrates what is possible and what the human race can achieve. Brands that can capture that spirit and focus on the future can still make amazing work.”

Meanwhile, according to Roger Breum, Director of Marketing for Hookit, “CMOs of the biggest brands, especially Olympic TOP partners, are realizing that social media gives brands a bigger, more real-time and measurable platform than ever before to reach and engage fans and their target consumers via partners such as athletes and sports organizations, who, in some cases, have massive followings.”

Social media has enabled 50 billion direct connections between fans, brands, and sports properties. For example, the 2021 X Games also had limited fans, but the social reach of the athletes and event itself was over 11M fans across social media. The combined social followers of the athletes, NOCs, & federations for this year’s Olympics number north of 2.5 Billion.

“In just the first 3 days of the Tokyo games, there were 2000+ branded posts generating well over $1M in sponsorship value AAV.”

He concludes, “Of course, brands can and will run TV ads, but the scale of reach and fan engagement that can happen on social media eclipses that of any other media platform. In just the first 3 days of the Tokyo games, there have been 2k+ branded posts generating well over $1M in sponsorship value AAV. With no fans in the stadiums, now more than ever, brands must leverage social media and data to evolve their sponsorships.”

The IOC however has gone ahead with the unprecedented broadcast coverage and digital innovation to connect fans around the world. In Japan, TV coverage of Tokyo 2020 is expected to be around double that of Rio 2016. In the USA, NBCUniversal will air more than 7,000 hours of coverage across TV and digital platforms – a US Olympic record. Across Europe, Discovery Eurosport will air up to 4,000 hours of coverage on its TV and digital platform. This unprecedented level of content will be available in 48 territories.

Andrew Georgiou, President of Sports, Discovery affirms: “One of the biggest strengths we bring to the IOC is a massively engaged fanbase, I think we have about 113 million sports fans per month that engage with Discovery Sport in some way on our platforms.

“There’s also a point that the local markets have got to engage well in order to try to create some of that feeling of a connection between the home fans who can’t travel and their team halfway around the world, so it’s partly digital platforms but it’s also partly a way that the content will be created in the markets trying to engage with fans.”

Scott Young, Senior VP of Content and Production, Discovery Sports agrees that one of the challenges is that COVID has restricted access to the athletes which makes fan engagement even more difficult.

He goes on, “We have created a virtual fan engagement site where you can actually upload messages to your favourite team or athlete, and those messages will be seen as part of some of the broadcasts and sent back as part of the Olympic coverage. We can also capture some of those messages and embed those through our own digital product as well so there’s got to be a very unique aspect of fan engagement that has been brought around by COVID.”

“With the Olympics, there’s almost sort of layer of two Olympic marketing. One is the activity that happens in the host market. So in Japan, then you have big global campaigns that will run across markets. And then you also have specific activations and campaigns connected to each Olympic Committee, in domestic markets around the world.”

Joel Seymour-Hyde, Managing Director of Octagon UK believes that in the case of Tokyo it has definitely been challenging but the Olympics as a marketing platform will still maintain its aura and its positive benefits.

“Compare it to Brazil or London 2012 to 2016 and 2012, we have had a lot of big national brands, who were very present in their campaigns to support the games and sports team. That piece has definitely been difficult.”

He continues, “And there’s different political pressures because you unfortunately, have a challenging situation which made it probably more difficult for big national Japanese brands to be as active as they would have normally been. So you compare it to Rio 2016 or London 2012, we have had a lot of big national brands, who were very  present in their campaigns to support the games and sports team. That piece has definitely been difficult. However, once you get outside of that specific Tokyo issue, I think the ability and opportunity for brands to create fan engagement has kind of been very consistent with previous games.

“And it’s been a massive opportunity. Because ultimately, the key thing about the Olympics, when you’re watching, as a fan around the world, especially this time round as you can’t be there is the athlete stories, whether you’re a brand that sponsors the games as a whole or Team GB or US Olympic Committee, or you’re a brand that sponsors an individual athlete, every day there are  stories to celebrate, to talk about to share to build stories and content.”

PTO Inks Deal With Zwift

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and Zwift, the virtual training platform, have agreed a partnership that will see Zwift as the Official Virtual Training and Events Partner of The Collins Cup in 2021.

Scheduled to take place on 28th August at the extraordinary x-bionic® sphere in Šamorín, near Bratislava, Slovakia, The Collins Cup is a new race format modelled after the Ryder Cup, which will see teams of European, International and USA athletes pitted against one another and put on display the excitement, rivalry, drama and personalities of the sport of triathlon.

The partnership centres around ‘The Collins Cup Tri Series by Zwift’  which will be a 4 week digital activation in the lead up to the Collins Cup race on 28th August. This global community based activation will consist of a competition which means the kilometers ridden or run by participants across the globe will contribute  to their chosen teams total – either Team International, Team Europe or Team US. The winning team will earn the right to select the first race day match up at the opening ceremony on Wed Aug 25th which will be broadcast to a global audience.

There will also be a dedicated Zwift Zone as well as a dedicated area for pro athletes at the  x-bionic® sphere in Šamorín on race week where athletes will lead a group ride and run for the Zwift community. Zwift will benefit from broadcast exposure across the Collins Cup course and from a content series with PTO athletes which will be delivered over the coming months.

Craig Taylor, Director, Growth Marketing – Tri & Run at Zwift said : “We are excited to partner with the PTO for the inaugural Collins Cup to bring new and different event formats to the triathlon community. Zwift shares in PTO’s commitment to elevating the sport of triathlon to a global audience. With many of the pro athletes competing in The Collins Cup being regular Zwifters, this was the perfect opportunity to allow the community to join together in supporting their Team and idols to snag the crucial first race day match up.”

Sam Renouf, CEO of the PTO, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Zwift for the first ever Collins Cup. Zwift is the perfect partner to help us raise awareness of the event and encourage engagement. Their global community of both triathletes and cyclists will showcase the race to a huge global audience of Zwifters and The Collins Cup Tri series will encourage international rivalries to be amplified on Zwift weeks before the Collins Cup race day on 28th August as fans across the world back their respectiveTeams in advance of the race.”

Allianz Becomes Global Partner And Extends Agreement With FC Barcelona Until 2024

FC Barcelona and Allianz have renewed their partnership for the next three seasons, until June 2024.

Via this new agreement the two organisations extend and strengthen their relationship, which until now was regional in nature but moving forward will be global, excluding China.

To celebrate the beginning of this new era, the Barça players will wear the Allianz logo on their shirtsleeve in the preseason fixtures against Stuttgart and Salzburg. The first of these games will come on 31 July in Germany with the second against the current Austrian league champions on 4 August.


The widening of the partnership agreement between FC Barcelona and Allianz has been made possible thanks to the close relationship between the two parties after having worked together over the last ten years and they now take another step forward in their strategic alliance.

It is a partnership that is looking to the future after the limitations placed on the world of sport due to the pandemic. A future in which the objective is to promote various projects based on a shared philosophy of confidence, self-improvement, and mutual support.

It is in this context that FC Barcelona and Allianz will collaborate on activities in line with the pillars that have made Barça ‘More than a Club’ such as their support for women’s football, their social commitments, their constant search for innovation and their commitment to sporting excellence and a unique style of play. For that reason, the agreement extends not only to the first team but also the Barça Women and Barça B with regards to associated image rights. At the same time, FC Barcelona and Allianz will work together via the Foundation, Barça Innovation Hub and the Barça Academy on concrete long-term projects that have an impact on these areas that form part of the Club’s essence.


Within the social area, Allianz and the Barça Foundation will launch a new project Confidence in Tomorrow & Barça Foundation within their programme for social inclusion and that will benefit 200 children in vulnerable situations in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area.

Via the Barça Foundation’s Futbolnet methodology, the project promotes the inclusion of children and young adults from vulnerable communities affected by poverty, disability, illness, inequality and different forms of discrimination. The objective is to promote equal opportunities to children and young people at risk of social exclusion, whether it be for socio-economic reasons, gender, ability or origins.

Within the framework of the partnership, Allianz will also be one of the principal partners at the sporting innovation congress, Sports Tomorrow Congress, organised annually by BIHUB, the platform for scientific research, innovation, and dissemination of FC Barcelona knowledge. Taking advantage of the forum, the Club and Allianz will launch a competition for start-ups to help support initiatives connected to the promotion of wellbeing and healthy habits.


With regards to Barça Academy, Allianz will be present at the Barça Academy World Cup, the international competition that every year brings together more than 2000 boys and girls from the Barça Academies from around the world in other to carry out Clinics and events based around competition.

The extension of the agreement between FC Barcelona and Allianz is part of the strategy of global expansion for the blaugrana entity and strengthens their commitment to finding the best agreements possible in all areas of partnership to help the Club to continue to be a model not just on the field but also in the area of partnership and sports marketing.

New York Football Giants Collaborates With Marvel For Comic Book

The New York Football Giants and Marvel Entertainment have announced a collaboration to debut a series of Super Hero-themed integrated content and experiences when the Carolina Panthers visit MetLife Stadium on October 24th.

The collaboration will include a Giants-themed comic book that will be released during the game. The story will feature six Giants players: Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Leonard Williams, Logan Ryan and Blake Martinez, marking their first appearances alongside the Avengers in the Marvel Universe.

The first 30,000 fans who enter MetLife Stadium plaza gates for the game will receive an exclusive collectible print copy of the comic book, while a digital version will also be available for fans to view on Marvel.com. An exclusive Giants-themed Marvel poster will also be available for season ticket holders later in August.


“As we welcome fans back to MetLife Stadium, we will continue to look for ways to engage our consumers,” said Pete Guelli, Chief Commercial Officer, New York Football Giants. “The Giants and Marvel are two iconic brands with a storied history, and we can’t wait to see this collaboration featuring our players come to life.”

“The overlap between sports and entertainment continues to grow, and this collaboration with the Giants will result in some of our most integrated work yet with the NFL and Marvel’s iconic heroes,” said Mike Pasciullo, Vice President, Marketing and Communications at Marvel Entertainment. “We look forward to seeing the Giants come to life in the pages of our comics, and we are excited to share Marvel’s storytelling with Giants fans everywhere.”

The Marvel Super Hero™ Day experience will begin from the moment fans enter the building, including Marvel-themed integrations throughout the plazas, MetLife Central. Video platforms throughout the bowl and concourses will showcase Marvel-themed videos, player headshot graphics, animations, and interactive trivia/features.

Williams Racing Welcomes Julia Computing As Dorilton Ventures Partner

Williams Racing has welcomes Julia Computing, a transformative enterprise solutions and simulation specialist, as part of a new investment by Dorilton Ventures.

Formula One is at the cutting edge of innovation in new technology, including aerodynamics, materials science, engine performance, fluid dynamics, modelling and simulation. JuliaHub from Julia Computing is a cloud-based platform for modelling and simulation that powers these innovations. JuliaHub makes it easy for engineers and data scientists to turn any laptop or desktop computer into a virtual supercomputer with hundreds or thousands of CPUs and GPUs available on demand.

Backed by Dorilton Ventures, the early-to-mid stage investment arm of Williams Racing owner Dorilton, Julia Computing was founded by the creators of Julia – the fastest and easiest high-performance computing language for artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics, data science, modelling, and simulation. Julia is used by more than 10,000 companies worldwide, including AstraZeneca, BlackRock, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Moderna, Pfizer, as well as NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Originally developed at MIT, the open source Julia programming language has been downloaded more than 29 million times by users worldwide, including thousands of open source developers who have contributed to Julia and its 6,000 registered packages. Having some of the fastest packages for data science, modelling and simulation, Julia is in use by over 10,000 companies worldwide. Over 1,500 universities worldwide are using and teaching Julia, including world class institutions such as MIT, Stanford, and UC Berkeley. The Julia co-creators are the winners of the 2019 James H. Wilkinson Prize for Numerical Software and the 2019 Sidney Fernbach Award.

In partnership with Dorilton Ventures, the Julia Computing logo will be proudly displayed on the FW43B at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

James Bower, Commercial Director for Williams Racing, said: “We are delighted to welcome Julia Computing to Williams as a partner of Dorilton Ventures. Investing in companies building best-in-class cloud technology is a strategic focus for Dorilton and Julia’s versatile platform, with revolutionary capabilities in simulation and modelling, is hugely relevant to our business. We look forward to embedding Julia Computing in the world’s most technologically advanced sport and are excited to be involved in their future successes.”

Viral Shah, co-founder and CEO of Julia Computing and co-creator of Julia, added: “Working at the very centre of technical computing, our mission is to modernise technologies in industries in danger of being stuck with the same approaches to their challenges. High fidelity simulations are driving an engineering revolution, as seen in our work with faster pharmaceutical development, better batteries, energy efficient buildings and climate modelling. We are delighted to be exploring several ways in which our technology may be leveraged to support Williams.”

Daniel Freeman, General Partner, Dorilton Ventures concluded: “We are proud to bring together two great Dorilton companies. The early stages of collaboration between Julia and Williams have only scratched the surface of potential synergies. Connecting Julia’s transformative technology with Williams’ ambitions on the track promises to be an exciting journey for both.”

Extreme E To Race In Sardinia

Extreme E, the new electric off-road motorracing series has reached an agreement in principle with Sardinian officials to host the fourth event of its opening season, the Island X Prix, from 23-24 October.

The move to the Italian island follows the series’ decision to postpone its originally planned events in Brazil and Argentina due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation in Latin America.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said: “I am pleased to confirm that Extreme E is finalising plans to hold an Island X Prix in Sardinia, Italy, and that we are delighted to have the support of Sardinian president Christian Solinas, and the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) as we plan our first European event.

“Extreme E was built around the ethos of racing electric vehicles in remote environments in an effort to raise awareness for climate change issues and showcase the performance and benefits of low carbon vehicles. However, this crisis is not a problem which only affects remote locations. It is becoming increasingly noticeable closer to home, across North America, and here across Europe, with rising temperatures, heatwaves and wildfires, which currently rage in Sardinia itself, being some of the latest devastating examples.

“Together with our supportive hosts and our Scientific Committee and Partners, we will use the power of sport to educate on the causes of these climate issues which are taking place right here in front of us, as we aim to open eyes even wider to the need for all of us to take collective action, now, before it’s too late.”

Sardinian president Christian Solinas has confirmed the news that the Sardinian Region will work alongside the organisers for the success of the event.

Scientists are warning of worsening extreme weather patterns if global temperatures continue to rise without solutions being put in place to cut carbon emissions, and that greenhouse gas levels are already too high “for a manageable future for humanity”.

Richard Washington, Professor of Climate Science at the University of Oxford, and founding member of Extreme E’s Scientific Committee, explains: “Rising temperatures and wildfires are now a threat across every continent. In just the last couple of years we have seen devastation in the Amazon, Australia, Siberia, Canada and the Mediterranean region. With thresholds already crossed by climate change, wildfires are more extensive, more intense, more damaging and last longer. New ways of forecasting wildfires and new ways of adapting to them are urgently needed.

“Ultimately, the driver of all this is climate change. To reduce the devastation, we need to stem the driver of that change and that means cutting carbon emissions. Continue to live as we do, and the carbon emissions by the end of the century will make the wildfires of recent years look modest. Extreme E is at the forefront of the drive towards a better future, a new way of doing things and a world which does not rely on deadly carbon emissions.”

So far the series has journeyed to the deserts of AlUla, Saudi Arabia, and the beaches of Senegal, West Africa, where it has so far educated on the issues of desertification, coastal erosion and plastic pollution, and is about to race in Greenland to shine a spotlight on the melting ice cap. The sport for purpose series highlights the impact of climate change and promotes the benefits of electric vehicles and low carbon solutions in the fight to help reduce global emission levels.

President Angelo Sticchi Damiani – President of Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) said: “The ability to look to the future and to design or support new initiatives that have an important horizon both from a technical evolution and from a sporting spectacle perspective, has always been in the DNA of the Automobile Club d’Italia, which since its inception has been the “engine” of motorsport, anticipating motorsport trends and developments over the years.

“In this broad context, the ACI, the Region of Sardinia and Alejandro Agag are working together on an agreement to host an Extreme E event. A championship for off-road cars conceived by the FIA International Automobile Federation and dedicated exclusively to electric SUVs, which will take place in Sardinia on 23 and 24 October 2021. As usual, ACI has played a fundamental role in the birth of this event and will follow it by supporting in its development.”

Extreme E includes top racing names from the biggest and best disciplines in motorsport. Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg’s Rosberg X Racing (RXR) currently leads the championship standings, closely followed by Seven-Time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team. Former F1 competitor Jenson Button also leads his own JBXE entry. The world-class drivers in Extreme E include rally legends Carlos Sainz Snr. and Sébastien Loeb; FIA World Rallycross Champions Johan Kristoffersson, Timmy Hansen and Mattias Ekström, competing alongside leading female drivers, including Molly Taylor, Jamie Chadwick, Catie Munnings, Cristina Gutiérrez and more.

All teams include a male and female driver who complete a lap apiece of the Extreme E race course, with a driver ‘switch’ taking place midway, with both drivers competing together for success.

Extreme E races – known as an X Prix – take place over two days, within an area no larger than 10 km2. Course designers are tasked with carefully selecting options, which provide the most challenging and exciting racing action whilst crucially generating no negative impact from either environmental or social perspectives. Routes will be designed to incorporate existing obstacles and features with elevation changes and jumps, without the need to adapt the environment.

As well as using sport to shine a global spotlight on climate issues in its five locations, Extreme E will work alongside local experts in each region to implement positive legacy initiatives dependent on local needs. Further details on the Island X Prix’s overall purpose and legacy plans will be confirmed in coming weeks.

Foxtel Groups Agrees Broadcast Deal With Professional Triathletes Organisation

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and the Foxtel Group have agreed a partnership, arranged by IMG, that will see The Collins Cup screened live across Australia on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.

The Collins Cup is the PTO’s inaugural flagship event taking place on 28th August in Šamorín, near Bratislava, Slovakia and is a new race format modelled after the Ryder Cup, which will see teams of International, European and USA athletes pitted against one another and put on display the excitement, rivalry, drama and personalities of the sport of triathlon.

The deal sees the entire Collins Cup broadcast of over 7 hours broadcast live on Fox Sports and simulcast live on the Kayo OTT platform. Fox will also broadcast an hour-long highlights programme of the race action. The PTO’s 2-part Beyond Human documentary produced by Noah Media Group, which follows the journeys of three of the biggest names in the sport – Lionel Sanders (Team Internationals), Sebastien Kienle (Team Europe) and Heather Jackson (Team US) in their quest to see who rules triathlon will also be aired across Foxtel and Kayo.

Foxtel Group Commercial Director – Sports Rebecca McCloy said: “We are very excited to partner with the PTO and look forward to providing the opportunity to bring The Collins Cup as well as the excitement and personalities of the sport of triathlon to our Australian audiences on Foxtel and Kayo.”

Tim Godfrey, Chief Marketing Officer at PTO, said: “We are thrilled to partner with the Foxtel Group for the inaugural Collins Cup. This will ensure the Collins Cup will be seen live across Australia and we are delighted to have a broadcaster with the reach of Foxtel and Kayo’s 2.4 million sports subscribers commit to such wide ranging coverage.”

BMW i Named As Race Title Partner For Berlin E-Prix

BMW i, the sub-brand of premium German car manufacturer BMW focused on developing sustainable mobility solutions, has been unveiled as the Race Title Partner of the Berlin E-Prix – the championship deciding rounds of the 2020/2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Held on August 14 and 15 at the city’s Tempelhof Airport, the BMW i Berlin E-Prix presented by CBMM Niobium, will stage rounds 14 and 15 of the all-electric race series with both the drivers’ and the teams’ championships to be decided. It will be the first time the series has crowned an FIA World Champion since receiving the prestigious status.

The BMW i Berlin E-Prix presented by CBMM Niobium will be the first Formula E race event to be on general sale to the public since the start of the global pandemic, with more than 10,000 General Admission grandstand seats available for the all-important double-header race weekend.

An incredible 18 Formula E drivers remain mathematically in contention to lift the coveted ABB FIA Formula E World Drivers’ Championship title following the recent Heineken® London E-Prix, with just 17 points separating the top six.

Dutchman Nyck de Vries currently leads the way, whilst Envision Virgin Racing sit on top of the ABB FIA Formula E Teams’ Championship heading into the season finale.


Jamie Reigle, CEO Of Formula E said: “Having featured in every season of Formula E, the BMW i Berlin E-Prix presented by CBMM Niobium is a popular race with our teams, drivers and fans. As BMW’s home race, I know everyone at BMW i is excited to be our Race Title Partner and welcome the safe return of thousands of German supporters to the grandstands. It is made even more special as it marks the conclusion of our first year as an FIA World Championship. In 2021 we’ve raced in iconic cities of the world including Rome, Monaco, New York, London, and Berlin will for the second year in a row deliver a wonderful finale.”



Stefan Ponikva, VP Brand Communication And Brand Experience BMW Group said: “BMW i has been a partner of Formula E from the outset, and we are delighted to conclude this unique partnership, after seven successful years, with another highlight, the title sponsorship at our home event in Berlin. I would like to thank Formula E and, on behalf of the whole organisation, Alejandro Agag, Alberto Longo and Jamie Reigle.”

“The BMW i Berlin E-Prix will be the highlight of the season for us. As well as the fully-electric BMW i3s and BMW iX3, we also have the MINI Electric Pacesetter in action as the safety car and are delighted to be able to present our latest products, including the BMW i4 and BMW iX, to the guests and spectators permitted at the event. We have our fingers crossed for our drivers Jake Dennis and Maximilian Günther, and the BMW i Andretti Motorsport Team at the season finale.”

CBS Sports Inks Multi-Year Agreement To Show SPFL

CBS Sports and Infront have announced a multi-year agreement for CBS Sports and Paramount+ to become the exclusive U.S. home of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL).

CBS Sports will present at least 85 matches annually through 2024-2025 from the cinch Premiership – the top division of the SPFL – as well as the second-division cinch Championship and the Premier Sports Cup.

Coverage begins on Saturday, July 31, with select matches throughout the deal streaming exclusively on Paramount+, ViacomCBS’ subscription streaming service, and others airing exclusively on CBS Sports Network. As part of the multi-platform deal, CBS Sports will feature every Old Firm match between Rangers and Celtic, as well as a weekly program with highlights from across the league.

“We are looking forward to presenting the action from the Scottish Professional Football League, highlighted by the iconic Old Firm rivalry,” said Dan Weinberg, Executive Vice President, Programming, CBS Sports. “The SPFL is an elite soccer league and a key addition in our growing portfolio of global soccer rights, and we are excited to capitalise on our digital and cable platforms to bring these matches to fans across Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network.”

“This deal with CBS Sports will ensure that even more football fans across the world will have access to our competitions,” said Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive. “This is great news for Scottish football and a strong indication of the continuing appeal that our game holds on the global stage.