January 30 – LaLiga has combined with the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC) to launch a global competition for digital start-ups with football related product that are “disruptive solutions”.
February 1 – New MLS franchise Inter Miami CF that will start play in 2020 has picked KIN Partners in London as its exclusive sponsorship sales representation agency.
January 30 – Concacaf have agreed an exclusive broadcast rights deal with digital streaming service FloSports for the new Concacaf Nations League which will start in March.
January 24 – Socios.com, the tokenized fan-voting platform based on crypto currency is expanding into Latin America.
January 23 – Football is increasingly reliant on commercial revenues. Sponsorship and brand partnerships remain significant with 25-60% of commercial income coming from brands. Yet the capability to report the true value of these brand associations still remains flawed, according to sponsorship expert Toby Hester
By Samindra Kunti and Paul Nicholson
January 22 – FIFA, UEFA, AFC, La Liga, the Premier League and the Bundesliga have today issued a joint statement condemning “clear and flagrant” pirating of games by satellite channel beoutQ, but refrained from naming Saudi Arabia as culpable for the infringements though the channel broadcasts from the country.
By Paul Nicholson
January 22 – Following the launch of a website detailing the broadcast piracy of Saudi Arabia-based beoutQ, the Premier League has issued a statement saying it has appointed legal counsel to fight the copyright theft and reassuring rightsholders it will work with them to stop the illegal broadcast.
January 22 – Adidas have unveiled the ball for the Champions League final to be played at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
January 17 – Germany’s Bundesliga is to open an office in Beijing, China, in March to build on the relationships the league has established with the Chinese FA and various regional sports authorities.
By Paul Nicholson
January 15 – The issue of broadcast piracy has arisen at the Asian Cup in the UAE where the AFC has issued a statement condemning Tele Liban for rebroadcasting matches without having paid for the rights.
By Paul Nicholson
January 13 – Broadcaster Eleven Sports has added its voice to media rights holder calls for Serie A to reverse its decision to play its Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, saying the decision has “considerable implications for Eleven Sports and for the longer term value of Italian football rights.”
By Paul Nicholson
January 11- Qatar-based pan-regional broadcaster beIN Sport has written a second letter to Serie A urging new CEO Luigi De Siervo to change the venue of the Italian Super Cup final that will be played in Jeddah next week to a location outside of Saudi Arabia.
January 11 – Forget legal letters, World Trade Organisation petitions, and multi-stakeholder pressure groups, beIN Sport may have at last found the killer application to end beoutQ’s rampant piracy of their TV output – Jose Mourinho.
January 11 – Matches from the second tier of Spanish football are to be broadcast on Youtube with English commentary in a bid to boost the division’s international appeal.
January 11 – Sticker albums, the staple collectable and ‘education’ tool for growing football fans, are back in fashion. Panini have announced it will almost double revenue on the back of the Russia 2018 World Cup to about €1 billion.