The Briefing #061

23rd August 2018Posted by: Michael Flynn

The DataPOWA view on the most important talking points in the worlds of sport sponsorship and digital.

LA LIGA’S AMERICAN DREAM

Spanish football is heading to North America after La Liga revealed a long-term partnership with media, sports, and entertainment group Relevant.

The deal is designed to raise La Liga’s profile in Canada and the United States and will see in-season matches played in the US for the first time.

“This unique relationship will create new opportunities for millions of North American soccer fans to experience the most passionate, exciting, and highest level of soccer in the world,” Relevant chairman and owner Stephen Ross said.

Added La Liga President Javier Tebas: “We’re devoted to growing the passion for soccer around the world. This groundbreaking agreement is certain to give a major impulse to the popularity of the beautiful game in the US and Canada.

“Relevent has filled stadiums across the US with the International Champions Cup, we’re thrilled to partner with them on a joint mission to grow soccer in North America.”

For more on this story, please visit The Drum

F1 SPONSORSHIP STALLS

Sponsorship growth in Formula 1 has slowed to its lowest point in the last ten years, Forbes reports.

Liberty Media bought the sport in January 2017 and predicted that sponsorship would be a key area for immediate-term growth. However, this investment has yet to materialise.

Forbes notes: “F1’s sponsorship haul increased by only $11 million in 2017, which is less than the growth in any other year over the past decade as the graph below shows. Before Liberty stepped into the driving seat, the total decreased four times and also increased in four years with each uplift coming to more than $11 million.

“The greatest gain was in 2013 when Rolex and Emirates joined F1 and boosted its sponsorship tally by $53.4 million. The two brands paid even more than that.”

DHL, Rolex and Heineken are among the big names already involved in F1 sponsorship.

For more on this story, please visit Forbes

BUD SAYS ‘WHAZZZAAAP’ TO ENGLISH FOOTBALL

Bud Light has signed a new sponsorship with the England Senior Men’s Team.

The brand is now an Official Partner and Official Beer of the team and replaces Carlsberg, who announced in February this year that its long-standing deal was coming to an end.

Aina Fuller, marketing manager at Bud Light UK, said: “Since hitting the UK in 2017, Bud Light has ‘Dilly dilly’d’ across the country, and seen some of the strongest growth across the category.

“This exciting new partnership allows Bud Light to share its passion for football with British fans, allowing us to engage an even wider audience.”

For more on this story, please visit Campaign

PSG ESPORTS TEAM SIGNS SHIRT DEAL

Paris Saint-Germain’s esports team has signed a shirt sponsorship deal with Chinese streaming site Douyu.

The agreement will last for a year and covers PSG.LGD’s involvement in Dota2 competitions.

Fabien Allègre, director of merchandising and diversification at Paris Saint-Germain, said: “We are very happy to welcome Douyu into the PSG eSports Dota2 team.

“We hope to be able to utilise our knowledge and respective experiences in the video game world to win new titles, with the upcoming tournament ‘The International 8’ in Vancouver in our sights, for which we have been particularly well prepared since the beginning of our Dota2 adventure.”

PSG.LGD has also recently signed with Monster Energy in another one-year deal.

For more on this story, please visit Sports Pro

GOOD SHOUT

GUARDIAN: Facebook wins La Liga rights in India

ZDNET: Why sport is one of the most disrupted industries

DAZN: DAZN signs fresh Serie A rights deals

REUTERS: Coca-Cola bets on Kobe sports drink in fight with Gatorade

SPORTSPRO: Luis Suarez signs UK£1million Puma deal

SPORTSPRO: UEFA Champions League checks in with Expedia