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Centralisation of archive allowed Fifa to offer matches free says commercial chief Thomas
Fifa’s chief commercial officer Simon Thomas has said the decision by the governing body to take its audiovisual archive services in-house has enabled it to offer more than 30 historic matches free of c…
SIS suspends all non-essential operations
Sports Information Services has announced that it is to suspend all non-essential operations and furlough “a significant number” of its permanent staff, effective immediately in response to the Covid-19 pan…
MotoGP launches #StayAtHomeGP virtual racing, Spanish GP postponed
Motor cycling’s MotoGP has announced the launch of a virtual racing competition involving star riders from the series.
Red Bull Media House chief Meier set for exit
Gerrit Meier, the global managing director of Red Bull Media House, the media and content arm of the energy drinks brand, is to leave the company, according to reports in Austria
IMG and World RX join motorsport’s drive to esports
The World Rallycross Championship (World RX) has become the latest motorsport championship to introduce an esports series to compensate for the lack of events during Covid-19
Wanda to sell Ironman to Advance Publications in $730m deal
Wanda Sports Group has announced it has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement to sell its Ironman business to Advance Publications, the American media company that owns Condé Nast and holds …
Discovery taps into $500m credit facility amid ‘unknown’ Covid-19 impact
US-based media group Discovery has borrowed $500m (€456.9m) under its credit facility as it seeks to tackle the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Endeavor lays off 250 staff with more cuts to come
Endeavor, the talent agency and sports and entertainment group that owns sports marketing agency IMG, has laid off around 250 staff as the sports and film industries continue to be on shut down amid the…
ICC opens up archive to broadcast rights-holders
The International Cricket Council has become the latest sports body to open up its archive of match footage and programming to its broadcast rights-holders amid the ongoing effect of the Covid-19 pandemic
Covid-19 drives F1 to a crossroads
The future of Formula 1 is an uncertain one, as the Covid-19 pandemic wreaks havoc on its schedule. Christian Sylt looks at the options for the motorsport.
Octagon’s John Shea: The pent-up demand from a consumer standpoint will be there
Global agency president looks to work through current public health crisis, plan ahead for return of sports industry to full activity
Porsche strengthens Tag Heuer link through esports championship
Global automotive manufacturer Porsche has added luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer as a sponsor of its virtual racing esports championship
World Athletics begins search for general counsel
World Athletics, the sport’s international governing body, has initiated a recruitment process for a director of legal and business affairs, general counsel.
Sponsors restate commitment to ‘safe’ Tokyo Olympic Games
Olympic sponsors are stressing the importance of continuity and a "safe" Tokyo Olympic Games following the IOC’s postponement of the Tokyo Games.
Atrium Sports recruits Blaszczak to commercial role
Atrium Sports, the automated video and data sports production company, has recruited Robert Blaszczak as its commercial operations director
Bach: Sacrifices and compromises needed for Olympics rescheduling
Task force created to reschedule Olympics as soon as possible.
Dorna makes MotoGP documentaries available free
MotoGP’s commercial rights-holder Dorna Sports has made a number of the motorcycling series’ documentaries available to watch free of charge in the absence of live sport due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Motogp.com
Deltatre continues ‘significant investment’ with two commercial appointments
Sports streaming technology company Deltatre has made two additions to its commercial team, appointing World Wrestling Entertainment’s Adam Bigwood and former Perform executive Adam Bowley.
Eurosport Events moves into esports with virtual WTCR pre-season series
The Discovery-owned Eurosport Events has reached an agreement with esports promoter RaceRoom to produce a pre-season virtual racing series for its forthcoming Esports WTCR series
Infront continues to sign up MXGP sponsors amid Covid-19 crisis
A number of sponsors have recently agreed to support the International Motorcycling Federation’s (FIM) Motocross World Championship (MXGP) and since the rebrand of the series’ promoter from Youthstream to …
Payne: Tokyo postponement ‘mind-boggling in its complexity’ but no Winter Olympics knock-on effect
Olympic marketing expert Michael Payne believes that the postponing of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will not have a knock-on effect on the subsequent Winter Olympics, but acknowledges that the complications…
Motorsport Games to broadcast #NotTheGP esports events
Motorsport Games, the video game division of digital media group Motorsport Network, has agreed a strategic partnership with Formula E driver Jean-Éric Vergne and esports group Veloce to produce and broadcast …
Streaming geo-blocking restrictions lifted as FIH makes programming commitment
The Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH), hockey’s world governing body, has opted to remove any geo-blocking restrictions on full re-runs of FIH Hockey Pro League matches played in 2019 and 2020.
Abe, Bach agree to delay Tokyo 2020 Games
The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics will be delayed following an agreement reached early on March 24 between Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach
ISA postpones World Surfing Games
The International Surfing Association and the government of El Salvador have jointly agreed to postpone the World Surfing Games in light of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic
Carey outlines plan for reduced F1 calendar
Formula 1 chief executive Chase Carey has said the motor-racing championship is targeting a revised 2020 calendar of between 15 and 18 races, adding that the current situation surrounding Covid-19 gives…
Calamitous Argentinian Superliga international rights tender is scrapped
The widely-criticised international broadcast rights sales process led by Argentina’s Superliga, the top-tier of domestic football in the South American country, has been scrapped.
Azerbaijan GP latest to fall as F1’s virtual series nets strong audience
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix has become the latest stop on the 2020 Formula 1 calendar to be postponed because of the global spread of the Covid-19 pandemic
Misfits Gaming Group lands SoFi sponsorship
Global esports company Misfits Gaming Group (MGG) has signed a sponsorship contract with digital personal finance brand SoFi
Ironman launches Virtual Racing series
The Ironman Group has announced that it is set to launch an all-digital version of its iconic triathlon series, Ironman Virtual Racing, allowing athletes to continue to train and compete from anywhere…
IIHF cancels Switzerland’s Ice Hockey World Championship
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has cancelled its 2020 World Championship due to the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, admitting that it may be difficult for Switzerland to retain hosting…
World Snooker Championship and Invictus Games postponed, Turkish Süper Lig and Pro-14 ‘suspended indefinitely’
The World Snooker Championship has been postponed just days after promotor Barry Hearn suggested that the event could take place behind closed doors during the Covid-19 pandemic
LaLiga, F1 launch virtual competitions amid disrupted schedules
Football’s Spanish LaLiga and the Formula 1 motor-racing series have today (Friday) announced plans to fill the gaps left by their respective postponements by launching virtual competitions for fans t…
Sponsors should be bold and engage with fans in shutdown, say agency heads
Leading sports marketers have urged sponsor brands to use bold creative ideas and stay relevant with sports fans during the Covid-19 pandemic
F1 delays rules overhaul as European season hit, Monaco GP cancelled
The Formula 1 motor-racing series has postponed events in the Netherlands and Spain and cancelled the Monaco Grand Prix altogether due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has also led to a delay in the implementation…