SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
PBR is set to take part in the Super Bowl activation festivities this weekend, with the first national brand commercial in the sport’s 26-year history, launching its new ad campaign, “Be Cowboy,” ahead of kick off on the Super Bowl pregame show on CBS. The new spot created by Endeavor Global Marketing and “demonstrates the inner cowboy of everyday people.” “We want to show that you don’t have to wear the hat, the buckle or the boots to be a cowboy – it’s the values you have, how you act and live,” said Sean Gleason, CEO, PBR. “The campaign is a call for everyone to rediscover and unleash their inner cowboy.”
The International Cricket Council and Coca-Cola inked a five-year global strategic partnership that will see the Coca-Cola Company’s brands serve as the exclusive non-alcoholic beverage partners of the ICC until 2023. The five-year agreement includes all ICC events around the world including the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales, the ICC men’s and women’s T20 World Cups in Australia in 2020, the ICC Women’s World Cup 2021 in New Zealand and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India in 2023 amongst other global tournaments.
La Liga signed on to sponsor tennis’s Davis Cup competition for the next four years. La Liga will promote the Davis Cup via international broadcasts in 200 countries during league matches throughout October. “La Liga is pleased to partner with Kosmos Tennis as it represents a great opportunity to link our brand and those of our clubs with a worldwide sport and entertainment icon,” said Oscar Mayo, La Liga’s international business development director.
ESPN launched a month-long commemoration of Black History Month that will include a televised special, a musical remake with artist Aloe Blacc and other content, highlighted by Unapologetic: The Black Female Athlete, a television special on Feb. 24 at 10p on ESPN2. Beginning today,, a collection of films, features and other related content will be available on the ESPN App across mobile and TV-connected devices.
DIGITAL & STREAMING
NextVR and the NHL, in association with Disney Streaming Services, unlocked a new partnership designed to bring fans unique experiences in virtual reality, featuring digital highlights from select 2019 NHL marquee events. NextVR will launch the exclusive partnership by releasing a virtual reality experience captured at the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Saturday. “We are always looking to create new experiences for our passionate fans, and are pleased to partner with NextVR, a global leader in producing virtual reality content. Not every fan can experience our marquee events in-person, but NextVR’s immersive content will bring fans closer to the on-ice action than ever before and make them feel like they are at a live NHL game,” said Chris Golier, NHL Vice President of Business Development.
ESPORTS
Blizzard is giving an upgrade to its Overwatch League offerings, announcing with Twitch that the Overwatch League All-Access Pass for the 2019 season will now include an enhanced Command Center that enables extensive viewing options including the first-person point of view from any in-game player.In addition, the package also offers perks such as 200 Overwatch League Tokens, ad-free viewing, a discount on Overwatch League merchandise, reward incentives, new prize-driven challenges throughout the season, and more for the $14.99 price point. The season begins on February 14.
The Capcom Pro Tour unveiled its schedule for the 2019 season, along with format changes and new events as the league dangles a prize pool of more than $600K for Street Fighter players. The season kicks off in Atlanta on March 15 with Final Round 2019 and will continue into December with the Capcom Cup. New this year will be Super Premier Events, a trio of tournaments that will offer higher point values and prize pools, and include Evo 2019, Japan Premier and North American Regional Final. Overall, the year will include 11 Premier Events across North America, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, as well as Regional Finals for each.
IZOD will launch its first event on Twitch, with the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers joining FIFA gamer Edwin “Castro” Castro in a showdown liveon Castro’s Twitch channel, playing gamers from Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) in a 2-on-2 match. The IZOD activation includes an entire suite of media assets that includes owning a Homepage Takeover and First Impression Video Takeover on Super Bowl Sunday. IZOD will match up to $50,000 of fan donations to WWP through an interactive fundraiser.
N3rd Street Gamers named sports marking executive Rob Johnson as Chief Marketing Officer. Johnson joins NSG from Jackbox Games where he led the company’s consumer and business marketing strategy and will be responsible for NSG’s branding, marketing initiatives, social media, public relations, event planning, and brand activation. In addition, he will be responsible for NSG’s newly created National Championship Series, an amateur esports series created to provide an avenue for players of all skill levels the opportunity to compete at a high level.
THE MAIN EVENT
Super Bowl: Patriots/Rams at 6p on CBS.
