Betano secures naming rights to Copa do Brasil in 3-year deal
December 7 – FIFA’s first betting sponsor Betano has added the naming rights for the Copa do Brasil to its sponsorship portfolio.
Football Marketing
Queue jumping. Man City use WaitTime to speed up match-day experience
December 6 – Premier League Manchester City is to install an artificial intelligence platform that will provide real-time information on crowd density, traffic and movement of fans.
MUTV distribution expanded to smart TVs and key digital platforms
December 6 – Manchester United have increased the distribution of their broadcast channel making the MUTV app available on Samsung, LG and Android smart and connected TVs.
FC Barcelona extend SK Enmove deal into middle eastern territories
December 6 – Korean motor lubricant company SK Enmove has expanded is Asian regional sponsorship with FC Barcelona into the Middle East to include the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.
LaLiga and UFC come out fighting for Hispanic hearts and minds
December 2 – LaLiga North America has teamed up with mixed martial arts organisation UFC, for a joint promotional partnership to engage with fans across both sports.
World Cup sponsor Mengniu takes first steps in club football with PSG
December 1 – Qatar 2022 World Cup regional sponsor Mengniu has expanded its sponsorship footprint into European club football becoming an official regional partner in China for Paris Saint-Germain.
Will DeRucci help Belgians wake up in time for a last-16 qualifying performance
December 1 – Chinese bedding brand DeRucci has signed the Belgian national team as its partner in China for 2022-23.
LaLiga turns goal-scoring balls into collectibles with new tracking technology
December 1 – LaLiga is to make every goal-scoring balls available to fans, aided by the use of new technology that identifies the ball that ended up in the back of a net.
beIN Sports reports record breaking 1bn+ viewers for Qatar 2022 openers
November 30 – BeIN Sports, the broadcast rights holder for the MENA region for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, is claiming more than 111 million viewers tuned in for the Opening Ceremony, while a cumulative total of more than 900 million watched the first 16 group stage games.
FanFest agrees Socios.com hook-up to provide more utility to Fan Tokens
November 30 – While FIFA is franchising out its FanFest internationally and attempting to establish a brand footprint in the area, the US firm of the same name that has already been working on the ground has struck a deal with Fan Token specialists Socios.com.
Football Australia launches men’s and women’s team accounts on TikTok
November 30 – TikTok has further expanded its presence in football stiking a deal with Football Australia for the men’s and women’s senior teams, the CommBank Matildas and Subway Socceroos.
Spanish federation to launch Copa del Rey video-based NFTs with RealFevr
November 29 – The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has struck a deal with Portuguese-based video NFT specialist RealFevr to create digital collectibles of historic and iconic moments of the Copa del Rey.
Crypto winter casts chill over FIFA’s deal with Algorand and CBF’s Bitci agreement
November 28 – The cryptocurrency winter is biting deep, including into football sponsorship with two of the biggest commercial scalps – FIFA and Brazil’s CBF – being hit with non-payment issues right when a World Cup is in full flow.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Qatar’s beIN and Saudis in new broadcast spat
November 27 – With relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia seemingly having found a new level cordiality in polar opposite to the Saudi-led blockade of the country two years ago, a new dispute has arisen around broadcast rights that could threaten the detente.
Betano puts its money on FIFA as governing body embraces sports betting
November 22 – FIFA, whose articles of association used to prevent it from betting partnerships as it was operating under Swiss chartable laws, has announced its first World Cup betting partner for an event that is taking place in a muslim country where all forms of betting are outlawed.