Twitter Faces Competition for NFL Rights

Social media platform Twitter will face strong competition if it is to renew its live streaming rights deal for NFL american football.

Facebook, Youtube and Amazon have all submitted  rival bids to secure digital streaming rights for the 2017 season, with all four competing companies having previously bid for the 2016 rights.

Twitter won 2016 rights with a $10m bid, but the financial implications of this year's deal may be higher.

The NFL selected Twitter as its exclusive partner to deliver a live over-the-top digital stream of Thursday Night Football games to a global audience across all devices and for free during the course of the 2016 regular season.

Twitter streamed the 10 Thursday Night Football games broadcast by the NBC and CBS networks, which were also simulcast on cable television broadcaster NFL Network, securing the league’s targeted ‘tri-cast’ distribution model of broadcast, cable and digital platforms

Durban Chosen as Host City for 2022 Commonwealth Games

The South African city of Durban has officially been selected to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games and will become the first African city to do so. 

The city's bid was a formality after Canadian city Edmonton withdrew from the bidding process in February, leaving Durban as the only candidate city in the running.

The announcement was made at the at the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) general assembly in Auckland, New Zealand.

New CGF President

The CGF general assembly also saw Scotland's Louise Martin named as the federation's new president, beating the incumbent Prince Tunku Imran of Malaysia.

"I want to make sure the best athletes in the Commonwealth make the Games the cornerstone of their calendars," said Martin, who becomes the first female president of the CGF.

"To achieve everything I want costs money and as we know, our income is under extreme pressure from our expenditure.

"I believe the answer is to open our doors to commercial sponsorship and while it will be difficult I'm convinced that once we sign our first top-tier sponsor, others will follow."

Outgoing CGF president Prince Tunku Imran said: "As a movement we stand together to support the very first games on African soil."

The games are scheduled to take place on July 18, 2022, which marks the birthday of former South African president Nelson Mandela, who died in 2013.

The Commonwealth Games will be held in the Gold Coast in Australia in 2018.

 

World Rugby Sets Deadline to Japan 2019 Over World Cup Delivery

 World Rugby has set a deadline of September for Japan 2019 to reassure the organisation that it is still capable of staging the Rugby World Cup after plans for a new national stadium were scrapped and will not be the host venue for the tournament.

The Japanese government decided to remove the stadium from among the 2019 Rugby World Cup venues.

World Rugby is seeking formal reassurance regarding the following key hosting criteria by the end of September in order to undertake a thorough review and analysis of the information:

1, A revised detailed host venue proposal that delivers exceptional team and fan experience, maximising opportunities for fans to be a part of rugby’s showcase event

2, A revised tournament budget with appropriate financial security

World Rugby remains confident that the criteria can be met by the Japan Rugby 2019 Organising Committee and that the first Rugby World Cup in Asia will be a resounding success.

TV Sports Awards Set to Launch at SPORTEL Monaco

The inaugural TV Sports Awards, which will recognise and celebrate excellence in the sports media industry, has launched today in support of Play for Change, a global sports charity that supports vulnerable children.

Sponsored by Eurosport and co-organised by SPORTEL and Play for Change, the awards ceremony will be held at the Yacht Club de Monaco on Monday 12^th October 2015 to raise valuable funds for the charity’s sports and education programmes around the world.

It will also coincide with the annual SPORTEL Monaco convention and will feature an array of sporting legends as well as high-profile guests from the world of sport, entertainment and media.

Awards will be presented across five categories including; Best Sports Broadcaster, Best Live Event Coverage, Best Digital Project, Best TV Rights Deal and Media Executive of the Year, voted for by SPORTEL attendees.

There will also be a special ‘Play for Change’ award presented on the night which will recognise a top-class athlete who is responsible for extraordinary social responsibility work through supporting, funding and advocating worthy campaigns, initiatives and projects for vulnerable children through sports.

Three nominees will be shortlisted in each category by an independent committee formed of representatives from several influential and well-respected sports media partners, including iSportConnect, Sports Media and Finance, Sportcal, SportsPro, TV Sports Markets and SportBusiness International. Award winners will be decided by SPORTEL attendees who will be able to cast their votes for the nominees online.

Marie Le Page, Director for Play for Change, said: “Play for Change are thrilled to be working with SPORTEL who are not only committed to honouring excellence in the sporting world, but also to promoting sport’s ability to contribute to positive change in society. These awards compliment the SPORTEL convention perfectly by showcasing, and celebrating the very best of the sports media industry in the past year.

"The inaugural nominees include some of the most influential executives, broadcasters, networks, international sports federations, distributors and right owners in the industry.”

She continued: “Together we can leave a legacy to those who need it the most, whilst strengthening our international voice and mission to transforming the lives of vulnerable children through sports and education.”

Discovery Acquires Full Ownership of Eurosport for €491m

Discovery Communications has acquired full control of European sports channel Eurosport from TF1 Group in a €491 million deal.

This deal follows on from Discovery/Eurosport winning the European broadcast rights in June for the Olympic Games from 2018 to 2024.

The TF1 Group has also announced it will exercise a put option on its 49% ownership stake as part of the companies’ previous 2012 agreement.

“Discovery Communications is excited to expand and deepen our investment in Eurosport as we continue to strengthen our newest global brand with locally relevant sports rights that create value for fans, advertisers and distributors,” said David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery Communications.

“In 2012, we began our investment with a 20% stake in Eurosport and increased that investment to 51% more than a year ago. Taking full control of Eurosport is the culmination of our commitment to strengthening Eurosport as a premier sports brand and fully integrating this business within Discovery’s unmatched global portfolio.”

Nonce Paolini chairman and CEO of TF1 said: “We are delighted by the excellent relationship between Discovery and TF1 since we began our partnership in 2012.

“After an initial phase of creating value via acquisitions of equity stakes, which accelerated the development of Eurosport and the theme channels, we intend to continue our collaboration in the years ahead.

NFL and Tottenham Hotspur Sign 10-Year Deal to Stage NFL Games in New Stadium

 

The National Football League (NFL) and English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur have signed a 10-year partnership for two NFL games to be played at the club’s new stadium per year in London.

The new stadium is due to open in the summer of 2018 and will feature a retractable grass field with an artificial surface underneath that would be used for NFL games.

(Image: Populous)

The field will add greater flexibility in the scheduling of games, with the NFL having its own playing surface for games held at this venue.

“With growing enthusiasm for the NFL in the United Kingdom, we are committed to hosting NFL games in world-class venues and are excited to partner with Tottenham Hotspur to play games at their future stadium,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“We share a vision and commitment to creating the best experience for our teams, fans and the local community.”

Other NFL games may take place at different venues in the UK during the span of the 10-year agreement however.

The NFL has two seasons remaining on an arrangement with Wembley Stadium, where it has so far staged 11 games since 2007, and are keen to extend the relationship beyond 2016.

Jockey Club Attendances Soar Past 1 Million in Record Time for First Half of 2015

Total attendances at Jockey Club Racecourses have risen by 19% in the first six months of 2015, according to new figures published today.

Setting a record pace for the year, this is the first time that crowds at The Jockey Club's racing events have surpassed the one million mark by the end of June.

Average attendances at The Jockey Club's 15 racecourses, which have so far staged events such as the Cheltenham Festival, the Crabbie's Grand National and The Investec Derby, also increased year-on-year by 27% from 5,319 to 6,744, despite hosting 6% fewer fixtures.

This bumper first half of the year puts The Jockey Club, which reinvests all its profits into the sport for British racing's long-term benefit, on course to beat its annual attendance record set in 2011 when crowds of 1.9 million attended its racing events.

At the halfway point of that year, 991,564 people had attended The Jockey Club’s fixtures – 87,437 fewer than the same stage in 2015.

Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “Our racing crowds are up 27% on average and 19% in total for the first half of this year and that’s seen us welcome more than 1 million people in the fastest time ever. We’re absolutely delighted and from asking our customers we know that our racing is increasingly being seen as a great thrill and a good value experience by people of all backgrounds and ages.

Baku 2015 Dismiss Empty Seat Concerns And Announce Closing Ceremony is Sold Out

By Christian Radnedge

The organising committee of the Baku 2015 European Games have announced that all 48,000 tickets for next week’s closing ceremony have been sold and that they are not worried about the empty seats seen so far at the Games.

Baku 2015 insisted that 168 sport sessions of a total of 281 across the 20 sports were sold out. However, swathes of empty seats were seen at venues such as Crystal Hall which is hosting volleyball.

Chief operating officer of the Games Simon Clegg said the problem of empty seats was “obviously an issue with tickets being given to sponsors”.

“This is a challenge that any international event has on day one and two of competition as the system starts to bed down,” he said. “I recognize that some sports are more popular and some less in Azerbaijan.”

Nevertheless, the government is confident there will be no empty seats at the closing ceremony at the Olympic Stadium on June 28.

Speaking about the demand for tickets to Baku 2015, Minister of Youth and Sport and Chief Executive Officer for Baku 2015, Mr Azad Rahimov, said: “The response to the Games has been magnificent. The Opening Ceremony has inspired the nation and as a result we are seeing a huge demand for tickets from people who want to be part of Azerbaijan’s largest ever sporting event.

“I’m also extremely proud of our Azerbaijani athletes, they have all done our nation proud. The reaction they have received from the crowd has been magnificent and their performances will help inspire young people across the country to take up sport.”

NBA Looks to Expand in China with Ministry of Education Partnership

NBA China has agreed a partnership with the Ministry of Education of China to incorporate a fitness and basketball development curriculum in elementary, middle and high schools across China.

This unprecedented partnership is the NBA's first-ever collaboration with China's education authority and the Ministry of Education's first partnership with an American professional sports league.

China's Vice Premier Liu Yandong, Vice Minister of Education Hao Ping and Minister of Sport Liu Peng, along with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and NBA China CEO David Shoemaker announced the partnership during a signing ceremony at the MasterCard Center in Beijing.

The groundbreaking partnership will focus on basketball participation in elementary, middle and high schools across China and aims to provide enhanced basketball training to at least 3 million students by 2017.

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to sports education. We highly appreciate the NBA's efforts to promote basketball and improve the basketball education in Chinese schools," said Hao Ping. "I am fully convinced that with the joint efforts of the NBA and China's Ministry of Education, great success will be achieved in the cooperation of basketball education between the two sides, which will surely contribute to the development of China's basketball education and China-U.S. people-to-people exchange."

"Under the guidance and expertise of China's Vice Premier Liu Yandong and the Ministry of Education, we look forward to reaching millions of Chinese students through our joint fitness and basketball development curriculum," said Silver. "This partnership complements our long-standing commitment with the Chinese Basketball Association to grow the game in China."

As part of the curriculum, NBA players, legends and coaches will visit Chinese schools to conduct basketball clinics and provide specialized instruction to Chinese coaches and physical education teachers. Chinese coaches and physical education teachers selected by the Ministry of Education will also have the chance to observe and participate in coaching activities organized by the NBA.

The NBA will conduct the partnership through NBA China and will support the Ministry of Education in operating China's elementary, middle and high school basketball leagues.

The partnership with the Ministry of Education builds on the NBA's basketball and youth development efforts in China. In February 2014, NBA China and Yao Ming launched the first ever after-school basketball program in Beijing, providing basketball training and fitness programs for boys and girls at all skill levels, while also teaching the importance of teamwork, leadership and communication in a fun basketball environment. 

Roger Federer & Tiger Woods Top List of Most Valuable Athletes

Golf and tennis superstars Tiger Woods and Roger Federer are the most valuble athletes in the world, according to Forbes Magazine.

The duo are tied at the top of the list having both earned $46m with their brands in 2013.

Federer holds several endorsements such as Nike, Rolex, Lindt and Jura Elektroapparate, while Woods is also sponsored by Nike.

According to the ATP World Tour's website, Federer's name is so popular that it costs tournament organisers more than $1m just to get a starting guarantee from Federer's management. His his 10-year contract with Nike is reportedly worth a total of $100m.

Federer holds a record 17 Grand Slam tennis titles, while Woods has won 14 major golf titles - second only to Jack Nicklaus's record 18.

Top 10 most valuable athletes in 2013:

1. Roger Federer (Switzerland), Tennis - $46 million

Tiger Woods (USA), Golf - $46 million

2. LeBron James (USA), Basketball - $27 million

3. Phil Mickelson (USA), Golf - $25 million

4. Maria Sharapova (Russia), Tennis - $23 million

5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India), Cricket - $21 million

6. Usain Bolt (Jamaica), Track and field - $20 million

7. Kobe Bryant (USA), Basketball - $19 million

8. Li Na (China), Tennis - $15 million

9. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Football - $13 million

10. Lionel Messi (Argentina), Football - $13 million