Dentsu adds TV rights to J-league representation package
October 11 – Dentsu will replace French agency Lagardere Sports as the sales agency for Japan’s J-League international broadcast rights between 2020 and 2022.
Football Marketing
Esprit becomes UEFA’s third women’s football partner alongside Nike and Visa
October 11 – UEFA have added global fashion brand Esprit as the Official Branded Apparel Partner of UEFA Women’s Football in deal running through to 2021.
LA fashion brand 424 cuts new cloth with two-year Arsenal deal
October 10 – Los Angeles fashion brand 424 has become the Official Formal Wear partner of Premier League Arsenal in a two-year partnership.
Why football’s impending TV rights disaster is a self-inflicted wound
By Paul Nicholson
October 9 – Football only has itself to blame for the bombshell dropped by beIN Media Group CEO, Yousef Al-Obaidly yesterday at the Leaders in Sport conference in London, who outlined a future of dramatically reduced rights fees from broadcasters worldwide, even for premium leagues and events.
Shared energy: Milan clubs fuelled by joint A2A partnership
October 9 – They are fierce city rivals on the pitch yet they share a stadium, want to jointly build a new one, and now share a sponsor. Italian club giants AC Milan and Internazionale have jointly announced A2A Energia as their official energy partner.
‘Your worst nightmare’. beIN’s Al-Obaidly tells ‘sleep-walking’ rights owners the TV bubble has burst
By Paul Nicholson
October 8 – The warning signs have been there for a while, the reality may only just be starting to hit home to a football business that is “still sleep-walking to a financial cliff”. Broadcast and media rights revenues that underpinned football’s massive growth are about to burst, and spectacularly so.
BT unveils Wales deal as part of multi-year rebrand anchored in Home Nations football
October 8 – The Welsh FA has announced BT as its exclusive lead partner in a deal that will run until 2024.
Azzurri turn green to mark football renaissance
By David Owen
October 8 – As we used to say in the TV era, “Do not adjust your set”: Italy really will be wearing green when they take on Greece in a European championship qualifier in Rome on Saturday night.
Man City blends sponsorship with retail product in Vejo deal
October 8 – Manchester City has announced health and wellness brand Vejo as the club’s Official Smart Blending Device Partner in a deal that will see co-branded retail product.
Serie A focusses on US as it seeks to boost its media footprint
October 7 – Italy’s Serie A has followed the lead of its Big 5 European league rivals LaLiga and Bundesliga, and opened an office in the US.
ESPN beefs up ‘MLS Decision Day’ coverage with all 12 end-of-season matches live
October 5 – US broadcast giant ESPN are set to carry a record amount of coverage this weekend for the final round of the regular MLS season.
Match to deliver Euro2020 hospitality sales for UEFA
October 2 – UEFA and MATCH Hospitality have teamed up for the exclusive sales of Euro 2020 hospitality tickets and packages. The agreement covers Spain, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Mexico, Peru and Colombia.
Bundesliga lands ESPN broadcast deal for US
October 1 – Germany’s Bundesliga, which has been targeting commercial expansion in the US market, has secured a six-year broadcast deal with subscription streaming service ESPN+.
Lagardere’s CAF contract under threat as FIFA-led admin makes new commercial play
Exclusive by Osasu Obayiuwana
September 30 – The 12-year billion-dollar contract between Lagardere Sport (LS) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is at risk of being a casualty of the ongoing CAF governance reforms being spearheaded by FIFA.
CFG grows its Man City deal with EA Sports to cover all its clubs worldwide
September 26 – Manchester City owners City Football Group has beefed up its club partnership with video game maker EA Sports, tuning it into a global deal across all seven of its owned clubs.