Taruka Srivastav, Author at iSportConnect

RLWC2021 Appoints The Value Xchange For Sponsorship Sales

RLWC2021 has appointed The Value Xchange to support the tournament with their continued sponsorship sales activity in the run up to the event which takes place in England later this year.

RLWC2021 is a purpose led and inclusive tournament with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments being held concurrently for the first time ever at a major sporting event. 32 teams from 21 unique nations will play a total of 61 matches at 21 world class venues in October and November, including St James’ Park, Anfield, Emirates Stadium, Elland Road and Old Trafford.

The Value Xchange is a sports, media and entertainment marketing consultancy with extensive experience of helping brands and rights owners maximise the impact partnerships have for the brand, the rights-owner and the fan experience. Their brand experience covers sectors including automotive, charities, healthcare, logistics and technology, in a variety of sports including football, motorsport, mass participation events and Rugby League.

RLWC2021 is looking to add to its existing sponsorship roster, which includes Cazoo as Principal Sponsor, Eversheds Sutherland, Deloitte, Manchester Metropolitan University, Kappa, Kuehne+Nagel and Assura.

Opportunities are available for brands to align with the tournament in championing inclusivity, accessibility and creating positive social impacts in communities via a wide range of activity including being the first tournament to deliver a mental fitness charter, education resources, volunteering and a multi-million-pound capital grants programme.

RLWC2021 owns all the commercial and broadcast rights for the tournament, which will see every minute of every match shown live on the BBC and 750,000 expected fans attending matches, to add to the 14 million followers of Rugby League in the UK.

Jonathan Neill, RLWC2021 Commercial Director said: “Sponsorship plays a hugely important role for the tournament in driving revenue, supporting our wider tournament objectives, and the commercial legacy beyond the event this year. We’ve made progress to date and are very grateful to the brands who have shown trust in us.

“We want to continue to build on this and welcome further brands to help deliver the biggest sporting event to be held solely in England this year, whilst supporting the business community at such a critical time as we emerge from the pandemic. We take a flexible, data and insight led approach to partnerships, and are finding brands want to align and add value to our vision and values, whilst delivering against their brand and business objectives via positive engagement with our audiences.

“The Value Xchange will play a vital role in this success. They share our enthusiasm, understand our strategic framework and have tremendous skills and experience to continue to move us forward and maximise the opportunity we have.”

David Peters, Founder and Co-Owner of The Value Xchange added: “We’re delighted to be appointed to work with RLWC2021 on their sponsorship sales efforts. The tournament’s ambition to create mutually beneficial partnerships which leave a long-lasting legacy is consistent with our values as a business and it is great to see RLWC2021’s plans to make this a reality. We are certain this resonates well with brands who want to be part of a high-profile sports event which will also have an enduring and positive social impact.”

Snack Media Appoints Rocket Long As Creative Producer For GiveMeSport Team

Ex-Soccer AM Star, Rocket Long, has joined Snack Media as Creative Producer for the GiveMeSport team.

Rocket, who is best known for his 15 years at Sky Sports’ Soccer AM, presenting and producing fun football themed features has held a number of Senior Sports Producer/Presenter roles producing branded and editorial content, podcasts and live shows prior to joining the Snack Media & GiveMeSport team.

His Creative Producer role will involve creating ideas for potential branded partnerships, producing editorial content with talent and creating engaging videos for GiveMeSport.

Speaking about his new role Rocket said: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining the Snack Media & GiveMeSport family at a very exciting time in the business. I’m looking forward to producing creative hard-hitting and engaging branded campaigns and helping grow our already well established audience’.

Marwan King, Head of Social & Platforms at Snack Media said: “We’re delighted to welcome Rocket onboard during this exciting time in the company. Rocket is an extremely talented Creative Producer with outstanding award-winning experience in original, premium episodic content. By combining Rocket’s energy with our successful strategic shift into themed content, delivering millions of daily video views across social and web, creates the perfect fit in producing first-class content.”

LaLiga Antipiracy Builds New Global Alliances While Eliminating More Illegal Content

The fight against audiovisual piracy is one of LaLiga’s priorities, with the aim of protecting its product and defending one of the clubs’ biggest assets: audiovisual rights.

To do so, it has developed a range of its own technology tools including Marauder, Lumière, Blackhole and Neko. These tools have sparked the interest of public and private organisations, which have turned to LaLiga in search of its knowledge and experience in the fight against audiovisual piracy based on three spheres of action: technology, legal and communications.

The positive results achieved in recent years have convinced companies to continue to place their trust in LaLiga.

This month LaLiga confirmed its status as the global benchmark for protecting audiovisual content with the renewal of its agreements with Dorna Sports and the Belgian Pro League, along with the recent agreement struck with Sky Sports in Mexico. In addition to this, a new collaboration in Italy has led to the blocking of five piracy sites which had been receiving more than a million monthly visits in the country.Loading…

Renewing partners Dorna Sports and Jupiler Pro League

LaLiga’s antipiracy collaborations first began with the Jupiler Pro League, the top tier competition of Belgian football, in February 2017. This agreement has now been extended until June 2023. Meanwhile Dorna Sports, the organiser of the Moto GP and World Superbike competitions which began working with LaLiga one year ago, has extended its partnership until February 2022.

In both cases, LaLiga offers services including the monitoring and removal of content on social media, fake social media accounts, mobile apps in official app stores and the deindexing of URLs hosting illegal streams and IPTV platforms which offer the competition illegally.

“The championships that we manage from Dorna; MotoGP and WorldSBK have benefitted enormously from the different tools created by LaLiga’s technological protection team, which is a global benchmark and, therefore, a guarantee of safety for our competitions,” said Manuel Arroyo, general director of Dorna Sports.”

Leander Monbaliu, CBO of Jupiler Pro League added: “The fight against piracy has no end, but by taking advantage of technology developed by LaLiga, we are well equipped to protect our product, our rights holders and our game. The renewal of our cooperation was evident, given the encouraging results we have seen in recent years.”

Sportradar Agrees Data Partnership With NBL1

Sportradar has signed a long-term data and audio-visual partnership with Australia’s professional semi-elite basketball league, NBL1.

The Sportradar deal covers all national NBL1 Conferences for both men’s and women’s competitions, as well as the Victorian-based State Championship.

Sportradar has secured the official data and audio-visual rights to over 1,500 Australian basketball games annually, which the company will supply to its downstream partners alongside other basketball properties in its portfolio such as the National Basketball Association (NBA) whom it has worked with since 2016.

David Edwards, Sportradar Director of Sports Media and Partnerships, Oceania, said: “We’re very pleased to secure a long-term official data and audio-visual rights agreement with one of the most exciting semi-professional sporting leagues in the region. The NBL1 competition is a stepping stone to the NBL, one of the world’s top professional basketball leagues, and it is important that they have a flexible, state of the art technology platform to help showcase that talent and engage new fans.”

NBL1 Chief Commercial Officer Brad Joyner said: “Sportradar’s technology and data-driven approach is especially effective and relevant in today’s sporting environment. Their knowledge of Australian sports and fans, together with their technology-focused approach and global track record in sports content was instrumental in our decision to announce Sportradar as our Official Data Partner to the NBL1 Competitions.”

The British Olympic Association To Build Website With GoDaddy

The British Olympic Association has appointed GoDaddy as official domain name, website builder and web hosting partner ahead of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The move comes as a first phase of GoDaddy’s new partnership with the British Olympic Association and will see Olympic boxing medal hopeful Cheavon Clarke team up with GoDaddy to turn his entrepreneurial dreams into reality by building a new website to showcase his ‘Level Up’ brand.

To fuel his upcoming professional sporting career and prepare for life after the ring, heavyweight boxer Cheavon started a side hustle, Level Up Nation clothing. Until now, the business has existed solely on social media, with Cheavon taking orders directly, managing the inventory and distributing products to a growing number of loyal customers.

However, with the launch of www.c4boxing.com, designed, built and hosted by GoDaddy using its Website Design Service, Cheavon – who is ranked number five in the world – hopes to take his brand to the next level. The website will showcase Level Up Nation’s full clothing catalogue and enable fans to purchase branded hoodies, t-shirts and other merchandise, as well as showcase Cheavon’s community involvement.

Heavyweight boxer and GoDaddy Ambassador, Cheavon Clarke, said: “I have always been entrepreneurial, from selling chocolate at school to now running my own clothing label. The Level Up mentality is to start and grow. Challenging yourself by being consistent and persistent even in hard times, knowing you’re doing your best to reach the next level. That message has never been more relevant and I’m pleased to be on this journey with GoDaddy – a brand that has the same philosophy.

“There are many parallels between running a business and boxing. Neither is a smooth ride. You have ups and downs, and it’s the attitude and the mindset you have when you’re down that counts – you can just lie there or you can Level Up and come back stronger. Persistence is everything.”

British Olympic Association CEO, Andy Anson, said: “It is very exciting to partner with such a strong brand in a dynamic sector, and is a timely reminder of the power of Olympic sport and Team GB in this country. GoDaddy have great plans for the partnership and we look forward to bringing them to life in the lead-up to and during the Tokyo Olympic Games, starting with the launch of Cheavon’s ‘Level Up Nation’ website today.”

Sakshi Anand, Managing Director, GoDaddy UK and Ireland said: “Ultimately, every athlete is a small business. Thousands of professional athletes compete each year without major corporate sponsorship and we want to help nurture their talent and give them all the tools and help to succeed online.

“At GoDaddy, we help people who try to do something extraordinary, and in today’s digital-first world, having a strong online presence is vital to every athlete and entrepreneur trying to grow their business. That’s why we’re proud to be an official Team GB partner, fuelling our athletes and entrepreneurs as they go for gold. GoDaddy wishes the entire team well as they complete their training for Tokyo 2020.”

Lega Volley Signs Data And Streaming Partnership With Genius Sports Group

Lega Pallavolo Serie A, better known as Lega Volley, the governing body of Italian men’s volleyball has formed an exclusive official data and streaming partnership with Genius Sports Group (“GSG” or “Genius”).

GeniusLive will be used to automate the production and distribution of every A3 game to Lega Volley’s OTT platform LegaVolley.tv, providing the league with new engagement and revenue opportunities.

As the live streaming platform to 14 European volleyball leagues and federations, GeniusLive is playing a critical role enabling the sport to increase its digital presence and adapt to the challenges of games being played without fans in stadiums.

Across the Lega Pallavolo Serie A2 and A3 leagues, GSG has been granted the exclusive, worldwide rights to capture, manage and distribute official live data and streams for betting purposes. GSG is the long-term technology partner to Italian volleyball, developing many of its market-leading coaching, scoring and video review solutions alongside the leagues and federation.

Massimo Righi, President and CEO of Lega Volley, commented: “We have a historic partnership with Genius Sports in Italy, and as soon as they entered the live streaming space we started to plan new projects with their team.

“With Genius’ expertise and GeniusLive technology, our Lega Volley is exploring news steps of digital enhancement for sport, with a common goal to expand the notoriety of our championships worldwide”.

Jonny Katanchian, Head of Commercial Partnerships – EMEA, at Genius Sports Group, said: “By removing the normal costs of video production and hardware, GeniusLive enables leagues at all levels to live stream every play and connect with new audiences.

“Lega Volley represents some of the premier competitions in world volleyball and we’re proud to be powering their new data and streaming strategy at such a critical time.”

ELEVEN Belgium Agrees Broadcast Partnership With Telenet

ELEVEN Belgium has partnered with Telenet, to bring its subscribers the best of Telenet’s Play Sports offering, which includes LIVE coverage of the Premier league, Eredivisie and UEFA Europa League.

ELEVEN’s audience already enjoys LIVE action from the Belgian Pro League (1A and 1B, Scooore Super League), LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga, the FA Cup, MLS, NBA, NFL, UFC and more.

From Friday 26th February, ELEVEN OTT subscribers in Flanders will also have access to Play Sports 1, 2, and 3 through a new ‘All Access + Play Sports’ pass, available for 19.99 euros per month.

The pass will give ELEVEN subscribers access to the best action from the Premier League, the Eredivisie, the UEFA Europa League and Formula 1, and will be the most comprehensive sports streaming package available in Flanders.

Guillaume Collard, Managing Director ELEVEN Belgium & Luxembourg and Chief Rights Acquisitions Officer for the ELEVEN Group, said: “This is a milestone moment for our digital sports service in Flanders, and brings together a unique package of premium sport in one place. It’s the result of a fantastic collaboration with Telenet, who share our commitment to deliver for Belgian sports fans in an innovative and accessible way. We’re delighted to be able to offer this comprehensive new pass to our subscribers.”

MotoGP To Push Its Gaming Platform With Animoca Brands Partnership

Dorna Sports has signed an agreement with Animoca Brands, the developer and publisher of the successful blockchain games F1® DeltaTime and The Sandbox, to bring MotoGP Ignition to Flow blockchain.

Further expanding Animoca Brands’ push to bring mainstream consumers to blockchain, MotoGP Ignition is a competitive management and collectibles game platform based on MotoGP™. Built on the Flow blockchain, the first content sale will begin on the 26th of March 2021. Flow is developed by Dapper Labs, the company behind NBA Top Shot and CryptoKitties.

MotoGP™ is the oldest motorsports championship in the world, featuring the fastest riders and the most technologically advanced prototype racing motorcycles on the planet. MotoGP™ Ignition will allow fans to own and trade collectibles of their favourite MotoGP bikes and personalities on blockchain.

MotoGP™ Ignition will deliver two forms of MotoGP™-branded experiences centered around limited-edition non-fungible tokens (NFTs): a digital collectibles platform where users buy and sell cards of varying rarity, and a racing manager game. The game’s racing management experience will offer the bikes, riders, and champions of MotoGP as NFT collectibles that players use to assemble their racing teams to compete against other players.

Collectibles in the first ever MotoGP™ Ignition sale will be purchased using fiat currency with payment via credit card, and also using REVV, the utility token and in-game currency for branded motorsports blockchain games.

Flow blockchain is uniquely positioned to enable big brands to deliver richer user engagement and unique experiences, such as digital ownership or provable scarcity, in addition to offering access to a global, open ecosystem at launch. Coupled with innovative technology that allows for scalability without compromising decentralization, Flow offers unparalleled user experience for mainstream audiences.

Roham Gharegozlou, CEO and founder of Dapper Labs, creator of Flow blockchain: “Flow is the perfect platform for high quality developers like Animoca Brands to build on because it provides the opportunity to scale. MotoGP has done a fantastic job of engaging millions of fans of motorsports around the world, and those fans deserve a great, stable, fast experience.”

Pau Serracanta, Managing Director of Dorna Sports: “We are delighted to continue working with Animoca Brands and announce MotoGP Ignition, offering fans the chance to own and trade collectibles on blockchain – curating their own collections as well as competing against each other in the racing management experience. The digital sphere has been a key focus for Dorna for many seasons and we are delighted to give our hundreds of millions of fans around the world yet another opportunity to interact with their favourite sport and get involved with MotoGP.”

How LaLiga North America And Herbalife Nutrition Embraced The Power Of Multi-Language Content

The North American market is diverse and competitive when it comes to engagement with football fans. But with a growing love of ‘soccer’ and a World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico around the corner, the opportunities are impossible to ignore.

For LaLiga North America, the joint venture created between LaLiga and Relevent Sports Group in 2018, building strong commercial partnerships has been a central part of building local relevance, such as the partnership recently set up with the global nutrition specialists Herbalife Nutrition.

NBA And Hennessy Expand Partnership

Hennessy, the world’s best-selling cognac, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced a global expansion of their partnership, making Hennessy the “Official Spirit of the NBA” worldwide.

The multiyear agreement, which marks the league’s first-ever global partnership with a spirits brand, ushers in the next chapter of Hennessy’s relationship with the NBA and expands on the North American deal that was announced in February 2020.

“We are honored by the distinction as the first global spirit partner in the NBA’s history,” said Julie Nollet, Hennessy global CMO. “The NBA is more than basketball, and Hennessy is more than cognac. We represent global communities, and this partnership empowers us to support a game and culture that brings people together through entertainment and camaraderie despite the current challenges faced by fans around the world. We share the NBA’s core values of integrity, teamwork, respect and innovation, which are more powerful than ever as we work to inspire and unite people across the globe.”

“This partnership expansion marks an exciting milestone for the league as Hennessy becomes the NBA’s first-ever global spirits partner,” said Dan Rossomondo, NBA Senior Vice President, Media and Business Development. “We look forward to continuing to celebrate the game of basketball alongside this iconic brand and our fans around the world.”

The expanded partnership will tip off in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and South America with the launch of an adaptation of the “Hennessy x NBA: Lines” campaign that celebrates those who push the game forward. Fans around the world will be able to toast with new exclusive Hennessy VS and VSOP Limited Edition bottles, specially designed to commemorate the partnership. The Limited Edition bottles are now available in the U.S., and a worldwide release is planned for the second quarter of 2021.