The Briefing #087

19 Aug 2019 Posted by: Stephen O'Malley

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

STERLING LINKED WITH JORDAN DEAL

Raheem Sterling is set to sign a £100m boot deal with Nike Air Jordan, according to reports.

The Manchester City forward is one of the Premier League’s brightest stars and got his team’s season off to a fantastic start by scoring a hat-trick in their 5-0 opening day victory over West Ham United.

Jordan is a subsidiary of Nike and is best known for its work in basketball – the brand was established in 1984 by one of the sport’s legends, Michael Jordan.

It only emerged in the football market last year, when its branding was featured on Paris Saint-Germain’s kit. Now they’re ready to take it to the next level with a deal that’s thought to be worth around £100m, depending on the number of years offered.

Should the partnership go ahead, it would be the latest in Sterling’s collection of big-name sponsorships and endorsements. EA Sports and Microsoft are already connected with him, and H&M and Gillette are thought to be considering deals as well.

For more on this story, please visit The Sun

NBC LAUNCHES OTT SERVICE FOR US

NBC Sports has developed a new OTT service specifically for bars and restaurants in the United States.

NBC Pub Pass gives establishments access to 140 live Premier League matches, as well as Grand Tour cycling and rugby union.

The service has been built in collaboration with AEG, and the company’s Dan Lyle said: “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with NBC Sports to bring the most popular and requested international sports to American audiences in their preferred neighbourhood locations.

“There is no substitute for the incredible atmosphere that is created when passionate fans get together in a pub or restaurant to watch their favourite sports and favourite teams.”

Portia Archer, NBC Sports’ vice president of direct-to-consumer services, added: “We understand the importance and excitement of fans watching their favourite sports together.

“NBC Sports Pub Pass will support the traditions and strong communities within Premier League soccer, rugby and cycling, to make it easier for fans to watch together live or via replay on demand.”

For more on this story, please visit Digital TV Europe

FAN ENGAGEMENT KEY FOR NBA

Finding new ways to encourage fan engagement is critical to the future of the NBA, says the league’s President of Team Marketing & Business Operations, Amy Brooks.

The league has been experimenting in recent years, with broadcast partner Turner Sports broadcasting single-player streams via Twitter and ESPN streaming the second game of the NBA Finals with an approach aimed specifically at teenagers.

Speaking to Sports Pro Media, Brooks explained that such experiments are very much part of a wide-ranging strategy to keep fans interested. “We very much have a test and learn philosophy,” she says.

“We see the media area as the most rapidly changing part of our business in how fans consume our content, so if we are not out in front working with a multitude of different partners, embracing start-ups, testing different products, different ways for our fans to consume the game, then we’re doing our fans a disservice in the long run.

“We are very focused on the fan, and it differs depending on region, depending on age, but we want to be out there testing all types of new technologies.

“The future is personalisation, and we’re very focused on how we can get technology to a point along with our product to deliver a personalised experience for all of our fans globally, in an era where only one per cent of our fans globally can ever actually come to an NBA game.”

For more on this story, please visit Sports Pro Media

EA AND PSG ARE A-OK

Electronic Arts has signed a deal with Paris Saint-Germain that makes them one of the club’s premium partners.

The brand first teamed with the French champions in 2011 and this new deal will extend their collaboration until 2024.

As part of the deal, PSG will have additional club assets on the forthcoming FIFA 20 game and digital content will be co-created by the pair throughout the season.

“We know that a large proportion of the people who engage with Paris Saint-Germain, not least our fans all over the world, regularly play the various games created by EA Sports,” said Marc Armstrong, PSG’s chief partnerships officer. “The extension of this partnership is also a way for the club to strengthen its relationship with its fans.”

Antoine Cohet, senior marketing manager at Electronic Arts, added: “We have chosen to strengthen our commitment to the club and give ourselves the freedom to create new content that will captivate the community.

“Paris Saint-Germain’s fans will continue to have the chance to play with their club and their favourite players with increasingly unrivalled authenticity on FIFA.”
For more on this story, please visit psg.fr

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