SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Visa is extending its run with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, signing an eight-year sponsorship deal that runs 2026, marking Visa’s only NGB sponsorship. Visa is the title sponsor and preferred way to pay at both the online U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Shop and the on-site merchandise experiences.“We’re thrilled to renew our sponsorship deal with Visa,” said Dan Barnett, chief marketing officer, U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Having a prestigious, global brand like Visa support our organization makes it possible for our athletes to achieve excellence in their sports and continue to fight to be Best In The World. Visa continues to be a champion of the global Olympic movement and we are excited that their commitment for the next eight years will have such a positive, direct impact on our athletes.”
U.S. Soccer and Deloitte locked in a multi-year agreement for Deloitte to serve as the Official Professional Services Provider of the U.S. Soccer Federation and Foundational Sponsor of SheBelieves, beginning with the 2019 season, and running through 2021. As part of the agreement, Deloitte will be the title sponsor of the second annual U.S. Soccer SheBelieves Summit. “Inspiring young women and girls to reach their dreams is key to moving the needle and getting more women in the workforce to have confidence and position themselves for leadership positions,” said Cathy Engelbert, chief executive officer of Deloitte. “Deloitte is dedicated to fostering an inclusive culture in the workplace and more broadly in communities, and is thrilled to see SheBelieves move that mission forward. We look forward to supporting not only the upcoming SheBelieves Cup, but also the SheBelieves Summit—helping to elevate the conversation around female leadership and empowerment.”
DIGITAL, DATA & TECH
Intel, in partnership with Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC and Manchester City, announced plans to deliver immersive experiences via Intel® True View at Emirates Stadium, Anfield and the Etihad Stadium. The trio will leverage Intel True View to capture every match element from every angle re-creating the action on the pitch and presents that from an ideal vantage point or player’s perspective, using Intel’s unmatched data-processing capability to deliver the experience to fans. with features that include multi-angle views of a play, a laser wall and “be the player” capabilities:
The Olympic Channel announced that it is now available on Amazon Fire TV “The launch of the Olympic Channel on Amazon Fire TV demonstrates our commitment to expanding our distribution to wherever our viewers are watching content,” said Mark Parkman, General Manager of the IOC’s global Olympic Channel. “Through distribution on connected TV devices and streaming media players, fans have even more options to discover, engage and be inspired by their favourite sports and athletes.”
NBC Sports Gold launched INDYCAR Pass, providing fans in the US with one location to watch live coverage of all NTT IndyCar Series qualifying and practice sessions, and Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires races, plus full-event replays of all NTT IndyCar Series races, and 15-30 minute race cutdowns of both series. Overall, the platform will provide 200+ hours of programming, including 50+ hours of coverage surrounding the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
Bleacher Report reports that the platform ranked as the top sports brand for engagement across all social media Super Bowl Sunday with more than 7 million social engagements and 21 million video views. According to company data, Bleacher Report performance of NFL content ranked first across all platforms with 5.4 million engagements and 16.1 million video views while generating 1.3 million Twitter engagements, ranking as the #2 account on the platform trailing only behind Korean pop sensation BTS.
Production company Iconic Saga, from Cam Newton and David Ricks, and digital production house Liquid Light announced the launch of The Cam Newton YouTube channel, which provides a never-before-seen look into the life and career of athletes and football stars. The channel will host a Vlog Series on Newton's life during the offseason, as well as during season. Other formats on the channel will focus on Newton's 7-on-7 league with his father, training process with other pro athletes, and fashion/lifestyle content.
Physical activity app Zift announced its partnership with PHIT America, in a move to improve overall health and improve academic performance for children in the United States. “Screen time is one of the main reasons why our children have become less active, affecting their overall health and even academic performance,” said David Savage, Co-founder of Zift. “That’s why we’re so excited to be teaming up with PHIT America to reverse the ‘Inactivity Pandemic’ and offer parents resources, in addition to, solutions to these issues. With Zift, parents can gain transparency into their child’s digital life and even take action by pausing activity on the device to better promote physical activity and healthy digital habits.”
ESPORTS
ELEAGUE is partnering with 2K and the National Basketball Players Association to stage an NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 tournament at NBA All-Star 2019, in which rising stars and former legends will compete at Saber Interactive’s two-on-two arcade basketball game. The event will be hosted by Turner’s Casey Stern with analyst Dennis Scott, with live streaming coverage available via Twitch, B/R Live and ELEAGUE.com beginning Feb. 15 at 2p. The event’s best moments will be captured for a special airing on TBS at 11:30p.
A week from launching season two of Overwatch League, the org detailed its carriage plans with partner ESPN, announcing select matches that will run on ESPN, Disney XD and ABC throughout the 2019 season, while all 2019 regular season Overwatch League matches will be available to watch on the ESPN App. On the broadcast front, three matches per week will air on Disney XD: the final match of the day each Thursday, which begins at 11:30p ET, as well as the first two matches each Sunday, which begin at 3p and 4:30p. Select matches will also air on ABC and ESPN2 with the semifinals and finals for Stages 1 and 2 as well as the All-Star Game slated for ABC while ESPN2 will carry the Stage 3 finals. Overwatch League also announced plans to collaborate with Overwatch streamers and host a Community Countdown. Overwatch League players, broadcast talent and community streamers will compete in a series of rivalry-building scrims and custom matches, starting Saturday.
Super League Gaming is partnering with Logitech G and Best Buy to launch the inaugural Logitech G Challenge, running through April. Contestants will be invited at the beginning of each month to align with one of four League of Legends themed alliances. For the remainder of the month, players will compete weekly in 5v5 League of Legends matches, with their individual performance and the success of their alliance tracked and published in real time. Competition will be carried every week on SuperLeagueTV via Twitch, with shoutcasters calling the action from the SuperLeagueTV esports desk.
ROSTER/INDUSTRY MOVES
The unified global governing body for MMA, IMMAF – WMMAA, announced that referee Marc Goddard will be joining its administrative team in a full-time position as Director of Regulatory Affairs. Marc Goddard has served in a voluntary capacity on IMMAF’s Regulatory Affairs Committee since 2012 and already acts as lead on officials’ education and licensing, and as Head Official across IMMAF – WMMAA Championship events.
US Lacrosse announced a strategic partnership with the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) and Women’s Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL) to support its U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP). Lacrosse will work with the PLL and the WPLL on the first phase of a multi-stage trials system that will ultimately support “USA Select” teams for high school-aged boys and girls.
THE MAIN EVENT
Duke/Virginia on Saturday at 6p on ESPN.
