OL to stay on the Ho Chi Minh trail for another 3 years
March 25 – Olympique Lyon have extended their partnership to share best training practices and know-how with the Ho Chi Minh City Football Federation until 2023.
Football Marketing
Serie A secures $200m TV deal in US with CBS
March 25 – Serie A is switching broadcasters in US from next season with CBS Sports taking the rights from ESPN in a three-year deal.
West Brom renew Ideal Heating for another 3-year rollercoaster ride
March 24 – Premier League West Bromwich Albion have renewed their shirt sponsorship with Ideal heating for a further three years.
Women’s Super League agrees landmark BBC-Sky TV deal
March 23 – English women’s football has struck a ground-breaking deal reported to be worth around £24 million with Sky Sports and the BBC that will include up to 18 Women’s Super League matches per season being shown on the latter, the first time the league will be screened live to free-to-air channels.
UEFA delivers Takeaway.com sponsorship across major men’s and women’s properties
March 22 – UEFA has agreed a landmark sponsorship deal covering a bulk of its flagship men’s and women’s competitions with Just Eat Takeaway.com, adding to its already agreed Official Food Delivery Partner sponsorship of this summer’s Euro 2020 competition.
Man Utd log in for £47m a year deal with TeamViewer as Chevrolet hit the road
March 19 – Manchester United has signed a new five-year agreement with German computer software giant TeamViewer replacing Chevrolet as the club’s principal shirt sponsor.
Man City are latest to go crypto with launch of Socios.com fan token
March 19 – Manchester City have become the first of the Premier League’s big six clubs to embrace the blockchain-based Socios.com fan token platform.
AFC expands broadcast footprint with TV Start in Russia and CIS
March 16 – The AFC is continuing to advance its global footprint with the addition of a new broadcaster in Europe for its national team and club competitions.
French league hopes court win against Canal+ will put TV rights re-sale back on track
March 15 – France’s Professional Football League (LFP) has won a legal battle against Canal+ with a French commercial court ruling that the LFP was within its rights to tender only the TV rights abandoned by Mediapro following the collapse of the rights deal with the Spanish-sino agency.
Derbystar renews ball deal early for another four years of Bundesliga
March 15 – Germany’s DFL has renewed its official ball deal with Derbystar for a further four years, concluding the agreement a year before the current deal expires and taking the partnership through to the end of the 2025-26 season.
Tipico go all-in with Bayern sponsorship renewal to 2025
March 12 – Bayern Munich have extended their partnership with sports betting firm Tipico until 2025.
LaLiga teams with Panini for limited edition, blockchain based tradeable cards
March 10 – LaLiga is using blockchain technologies via its partner Panini in the US to securely enter the online card trading business.
Facebook shuns renewal bids for Champions League and La Liga broadcast rights
March 5 – Social media giant Facebook has not renewed its contract to stream the Champions League in Latin America and Spain’s La Liga in India.
Belgian top tier league turns to streaming platforms to drive distribution
March 5 – Belgium’s Jupiler Pro League (JPL) has turned to streaming platforms to expand its international broadcast footprint in a deal brokered by Mediarpro.
Man Utd’s new Chinese-owned African TV partner in court for non-payment
By Andrew Warshaw
March 3 – The Chinese company appointed by Manchester United to broadcast its matches in some 30 African countries is alleged to owe millions of dollars to a range of stakeholders across the globe.