The DataPOWA view on the most important talking points in the worlds of sport sponsorship and digital.
THE SPORTSTECH ALLSTARS PODCAST
SportsTechX latest podcast features DataPOWA CEO Michael Flynn. Hosted by Benjamin Penkert – data & Insights about SportsTech startups and the surrounding ecosystem.
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NBA GLOBAL PUSH FOR SPONSORS
The success of the NBA jersey patch sponsorship program has inspired an expanded global initiative for its member teams. From this season each team will be able to work with up to two sponsors on advertising campaigns outside the USA and Canada, an expansion of the league’s global marketing activity fueled in part by the results of its separate, two-year-old jersey sponsorship program.
Teams previously couldn’t participate in marketing campaigns or events outside the markets where they play home games. While that rule remains in place domestically, teams now can have their branding or players appear in other countries, for example, at a retail sponsor’s store, or they can distribute non-game content on a sponsor’s social-media channels in other countries.
NBA Top Ten Territories outside USA (POWA index data)
| China | Brazil | Canada | Philippines | Australia |
| Italy | Indonesia | France | Spain | UK |
For more on this story, please visit Wall Street Journal
RAKUTEN’S STRATEGIC PLAY
Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta is now in his second season in Japan’s J League’s Vissel Kobe. Rakuten, the Japanese technology giant which instigated the transfer, is leveraging the player’s brand to capture a global audience. The FIFA World Cup winner appears to hold the key, not only in drawing crowds to the J League, but also for its entry into international markets, where the name Iniesta is earning victories of a new kind. In May of last year Rakuten manufactured a transfer that uprooted the Nou Camp star, and it was a deal that not only represented a coup for the competition, but also heralded a new beginning for the club Rakuten acquired in 2015.
For more on this story, please visit Soccerex
HOUSTON (& NBA) WE HAVE A PROBLEM
In the complex ‘Houston Rockets, NBA & China furore, Law In Sport explain why understanding diplomacy is the No.1 rule for navigating the Chinese sports market. Using the NBA’s recent fallout with China as an example, this article elaborates on why the Houston Rockets and NBA have faced public criticism in China, the importance of diplomacy when navigating China’s sports market; and key points for sports organisations and stakeholders when engaging with Chinese fans.
For more on this story, please visit Law In Sport
SOFA OR HOT TUB?
Marriott Hotels is making dreams a reality at Old Trafford, by awarding fans from around the world the chance to sit in its Seat of Dreams. Picked at random from competitions, special submissions and lucky draws, fans will have the opportunity to be upgraded to the best seat in the house, taking in a match from Marriott Hotels’ Seat of Dreams. For more on this story, please visit ManUtd.com
However, Falkirk FC say that’s they’ve been there and done that: Falkirk FC Twitter This week they are offering spaces in their American Hot Tub for the upcoming match against Dumbarton!: Falkirk FC Twitter
W-N-I-TED IS THE CHANNEL FOR ME
Spring Media has made its latest moves in the streaming space by teaming up with Red Bee, the UK-based media services company, to create an international OTT platform for women’s football ‘Wnited’. It will be the world’s first global OTT service dedicated to women’s football will go live in the first quarter of 2020. The channel will aggregate “high-level multi-camera content from top tier leagues in Europe, Asia and the Americas as well as national team matches”.
For more on this story, please visit Sport Business
GOOD SHOUT
Bloomberg: Fries With Those Season Tickets: 49ers Try a New Business Model
Sydney Morning Herald: Premier coup: Former EPL boss Scudamore signs on to help A-League
The Guardian: NRL fans accuse Gold Coast Titans’ sponsor of scapegoating Indigenous captain
Forbes: Red Bull Boosts Junior F1 Team Sponsorship By More Than 1,000%
Prolific North: Etihad Airways unveils Manchester City-branded plane
LFC: The Biggest Game in English Football – LFC vs MUFC
The New Yorker: The Tragedy of Diego Maradona, One of Soccer’s Greatest Stars