SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
The Automobile Racing Club of America, Procter & Gamble, and Menards locked in a deal to mark the national consumer goods corporation a major sponsor of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. Procter & Gamble’s Bounty brand has also been named the sponsor of ARCA’s Rookie of the Year program. “This motorsports sponsorship program is a direct result of the business-to-business relationship between Procter & Gamble and Menards,” said Mark Gundrum, Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Partnerships for ARCA. “The end result is increased business, product sales and sales promotion for Procter & Gamble and a number of their consumer brands.”
The NFL announced the launch of the Inspire Change platform, designed to showcase “the collaborative efforts of players, owners and the league to create positive change in communities across the country,” with a focus on education and economic advancement, police and community relations as well as criminal justice reform. As part of the league's ongoing commitment to social justice, the joint NFL players-owners working group recently approved two new social justice grants focused on the three priority areas. The grants were issued to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) and Operation HOPE.
Major League Soccer partner Heineken reportedly made a bold trademark application to become the 'Official Beer of Soccer' in the US. The trademark application was filed to the US Patents and Trademarks office on Jan. 4, according to The Drum.
Ahead of the Australian Open, Tennis Channel and Hall of Famer Rod Laver will light One World Trade Center Spire in Manhattan today. Laver, who won seven Australian Open championships as a player and is considered one of the greatest of all time, will light the spire atop the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere from the tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 10,000 miles away. The spire's light will alternate between the red, white and blue of the Australian national flag and the signature light blue of the Australian Open's iconic tennis courts.
Oscar Mayer inked a deal to become a sponsor with Roush Fenway Racing and NASCAR driver Ryan Newman. Daytona will see Newman power the No. 6 Oscar Mayer Ford Mustang on Feb. 17. The brand created a 47-second video to unveil the sponsorship.
DIGITAL, DATA & TECH
In time for the Super Bowl, CBS Corp. and Nielsen Holdings Plc reached an agreement to use Nielsen’s national, digital and local audience measurements. The previous contract between the companies had expired on Dec. 31, leaving CBS without Nielsen viewer data used to set advertising rates.
ESPN+ announced plans to gives fight fans anytime access with more than 150 hours of high-quality, on-demand UFC content – including some of UFC’s greatest fights, biggest stars, the full replay of the recent blockbuster Khabib Nurmagomedov - Conor McGregor main event and more. Available on demand now at ESPN+ are more than 125 individual episodes from: UFC 25 Greatest Fights; UFC Reloaded; UFC Main Event; UFC Unleashed; UFC Fight Flashback; UFC Top 10; and UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor (full event replay).
ESPORTS
Riot Games locked in a deal with Kia Motors to serve as the LEC’s automotive sponsor for the 2019 season, as the European League of Legends organization preps for its new season. The deal sees Kia serve as the presenting sponsor of the ‘Player of the Game’ segment. Kia will also be making appearances at LEC “roadshows and offline events.” LEC starts on Friday at noon and continues on Saturday at 11a.
Across the Atlantic, Riot detailed broadcast times and matchups for the LCS North American league. The season kicks off on Jan. 26 with matchups that include: Cloud9/Team Liquid and TSM/100 Thieves. Saturday games will start at 5p ET, while Sunday games begin at 3p.
Fnatic announced a partnership with Worldwide Asset eXchange to distribute authentic digital collectibles and branded physical merchandise to global esports fans through WAX's blockchain ecommerce platform. Additionally, an entirely new line of Fnatic x WAX digital memorabilia and collectibles will be released during the live event.
Gfinity will host the third EA FUT Champions Cup April as part of the EA SPORTS FIFA 19 Global Series in addition to the four previously announced events: the Gfinity FUT Champions Cup December, which took place at the end of last year, and three Licensed Qualifying Events which will run each month from January to March. All events will be held at the Gfinity Esports Arena in London. The tournament will span April 5-7 and feature 64 of the world’s best FIFA 19 players who have qualified through in-game online competitions.
THE MAIN EVENT
Canadiens/Bruins on NBCSN at 7:30p.
