The DataPOWA view on the most important talking points in the worlds of sport sponsorship and digital.
COWBOYS REMAIN MOST VALUABLE SPORTS FRANCHISE
The Dallas Cowboys are the world’s most valuable sports franchise for the fourth year running, Forbes has reported.
The American Football team are struggling on the field, but off it they remain one of the sport’s biggest draws, with nine of the 50 highest-rated sports TV broadcasts last year featuring them.
The brand is currently worth around $5 billion and $340 million of that is earned through sponsorship and premium seating at the team’s AT&T Stadium.
The New York Yankees are just behind the Cowboys in second with a valuation of $4.6 billion, while Real Madrid are fourth on $4.2 billion.
Barcelona and the New York Knicks round out the top five, while Manchester United are the highest ranked English Premier League team in sixth.
For more on this story, please visit Forbes
SPORTS RIGHTS HOLDERS GO ALL IN ON OTT
Self-owned premium over-the-top (OTT) services are being offered by more than a third of the world’s top football clubs, according to new research from NAGRA.
In addition, six of the top ten largest leagues and federations are doing the same, the pay TV and OTT solutions provider has said.
Among the leagues providing an OTT service are the NBA, NFL, NHL and NBA. Beyond the US, Formula 1 also has its own offering, while Manchester City announced its service in July.
Rights holders “must weigh the benefits of DTC revenues against the risk of diminishing the value of the rights packages they sell to distributors,” NAGRA says.
“To date, [rights holders] have mainly chosen to leave their rights deals intact and focus instead on creating supplementary, value-added content for loyal fans.”
For more on this story, please visit SoccerEx
TECH INNOVATIONS ON HORIZON FOR NBA AND NFL
NBA and NFL commissioners are looking to use technology to find new ways to engage viewers who are starting to look elsewhere for their entertainment.
Video games and streaming services like Netflix rule the roost at the moment, and sports are struggling to keep pace.
The NBA and NFL are therefore looking to make more innovative use of technology to enhance fan experience – be that at home or in the stadium.
“We recognize that we’re competing against every other possible form of entertainment and nice weather or anything else we could be doing and watching our games,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told CNBC.
“What can we do to make those games more of a lean-in experience? Providing statistics during the games, providing more information about the players, providing new camera angles, new ways to predict to produce them, augmented reality. And we’re experimenting in virtual reality.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell added: “Simply having Wi-Fi so that they can access their own devices when they come into the stadium [is key].
“They can use that technology to buy a jersey, to buy concessions, to find out the best way to enter into the stadium, or exit the stadium, what the traffic patterns are, what’s going on around the league.”
For more on this story, please visit CNBC
OPEN WINNER LOWRY SET FOR SPONSORSHIP WINDFALL
Shane Lowry is set for a massive boost in revenue after winning the Open Championship in July.
Lowry won the tournament ahead of England’s Tommy Fleetwood and rose from 33rd in the world rankings to 17th as a result.
The win secured him $1.935m, but as Joanne O’Sullivan from Teneco told independent.ie, he can expect to claim much more in endorsements.
“Shane is one of the most popular individuals in Irish sport and being associated with him will create a very positive impact for the right brand,” O’Sullivan writes.
“Shane already has an impressive stable of sponsors including Bank of Ireland, Kingspan and Immedis – all of which are Irish-based. His equipment sponsor is Srixon/Cleveland Golf.
“As a Major winner, Shane’s value to global brands is now at an all-time high and it will be interesting to see if he expands his sponsor-base beyond Ireland and attracts US and UK based-partners as he moves from being a much-loved Irish sports star to an internationally recognised star.”
For more on this story, please visit independent.ie
GOOD SHOUT
YAHOO FINANCE: Increasing Sports Sponsorships Will Drive the Global Sports Market to $614 Billion by 2022: The Business Research Company
NBC CHICAGO: Tokyo Olympics Bring New Sports as Event Embraces Millennials
IBC: The consumer shift to OTT
BBC SPORT: Scottish Rugby strikes ‘seven-figure’ deal to extend kit supply
ABC: Fortnite World Cup won by US teen ‘Bugha’ who takes home $4.3 million