Europe
Features
Lower league football | Exeter City’s turbulent past equips it to cope with Covid-19 crisis
English lower league club Exeter City's personal commitment to commercial partners has put the club on solid ground during the Covid-19 crisis. Callum McCarthy speak to club chairman Julian Tagg about the club's journey thus far and the hard road ahead.
Paul Garbett | French Open the first ‘land grab’ as the sporting calendar is ripped up by coronavirus
Paul Garbett, associate director at CSM Sport & Entertainment, gives his view on the impact and opportunities of a dramatically changed post-coronavirus sporting calendar.
Barcelona shifts focus as Olympic legacy lives on
Barcelona’s blueprint for Olympic legacy is widely respected. But how is the city’s approach evolving nearly three decades after the transformational Games? Bradley Rial reports.
Health and duty of care considerations override rights commitments as sports seek Covid-19 legal advice
UK law firms acting for clients in the sports industry say they are dealing with an unprecedented demand for advice after the Covid-19 outbreak caused the widespread cancellation of sporting events.
BT’s ‘Beyond Limits’ rebrand informs CSR-focused partnerships with Home Nations FAs
The telecommunication company’s 2019 rebrand saw it move toward a focus on community and social engagement, something it is intending to carry through into its lead partnerships of all four UK football associations.
EHF outlines plan for resumption of handball season
The European Handball Federation (EHF) has presented a competition plan to potentially resume playing at the beginning of June, with president Michael Wiederer having addressed the governing body’s plans t…
Hearn awaits clarification on closed-doors events in move for live TV content
Matchroom Sport’s Barry Hearn is continuing to look at ways to stage live sports events behind closed doors despite the UK being in a state of ‘lockdown’ due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
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Karajica to advise esports platform after ProSiebenSat.1 exit
Željko Karajica, a leading figure in the German sports media-rights industry, has taken up a position as consultant to #loggedinfestival, the new online esports platform.
Karajica recently left ProSiebenSat.
Tour de Suisse, Rouvy and Velon team up for virtual cycling series
The organisers behind the Tour de Suisse have become the latest rights-holders to turn to virtual alternatives to provide fans with sporting competition during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
Wolves turns to Ipsos’ retail monitoring to understand the customer journey
Why Premier League side Wolves has engaged Ipsos Retail Performance's footfall-counting technology in its club megastore.
Minamino signing helps Liverpool on long road to catch United in Asia
Signing Japanese international Takumi Minamino will be a boon for Liverpool's commercial activity in Asia, but the club's strategy to become number one in the region goes beyond a single signing. John Duerden reports.
World Snooker Tour looks to global future with rebrand
The World Snooker Tour revealed a new corporate identity and name at the start of this year as it marked ten years of ownership by Barry Hearn's Matchroom Sport. The rebrand is intended to see it towards another decade of international growth, with China, India and the Middle East on snooker's radar.
NBA to rotate Europe game across continent after first Paris fixture
After a nine-year stint at London's O2 Arena, the NBA is taking its annual European regular-season game to the French capital, in a match-up between the Hornets and Bucks. Going forward, the event will be taken around the continent, moving from city to city on a regular basis. Bob Williams reports.
Mud, sweat and tears | Where did it go wrong for Tough Mudder?
At its zenith, Tough Mudder posted a $10m profit, but the company now finds itself subject to bankruptcy proceedings in the US. Ben Cronin asks how it got to this point and whether a likely sale to rival Spartan can save it.
2020 Youth Olympics give Lausanne chance to take lead in driving ‘new Games’ era
Lausanne is home to dozens of sports organisations but, until recently, its event-hosting capabilities and ambitions have been relatively modest. How will the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games change the landscape? Bradley Rial reports.
Ajax’s Champions League run boosts visibility, but growth is underpinned by creative commercial team
Ajax's global popularity outstrips all of its domestic rivals, allowing the club to position itself as a brand platform for the Netherlands and beyond. Its chief commercial officer, Menno Geelen, tells Adam Nelson about the effects of Ajax's surprising run to the Champions League semi-finals, and how a creative commercial department has helped the club compete at the highest level.
Young, gifted and Parisian: why PSG means more than football to global youth
PSG wants the same kind of brand cachet as baseball’s New York Yankees or Italian motor racing team Ferrari. Frank Dunne reports.
Velon’s anti-trust case against UCI highlights shifting sands of rights-holder and governing body relations
When Velon announced that it had filed an anti-trust case with the European Commission against the UCI, in September, it exposed a fault line that had long been threatening to send shockwaves through cycling. Adam Nelson speaks with the organisation's chief executive, Graham Bartlett, about the implications of the case for the sport.
Football and Rocket League: A burgeoning relationship on the rocks
Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco have all invested in Rocket League esports, but the business case for doing so is shaky at best. Callum McCarthy examines an esport with huge, unfulfilled potential.
Focused activations | Ben Stokes’ tweet helps Specsavers make the most of its ECB partnership
Opticians brand Specsavers used its title sponsorship of this summer’s Ashes series to focus on the resonances between its products and Test cricket, while a quick response to a Ben Stokes tweet showed the value in reactive marketing. Adam Nelson reports.
Uefa and Team get off to winning Champions League start but caution prevails
Media rights increases for the Uefa Champions League in the UK, US and France have vindicated Team Marketing's decision to start its sales process early in these markets. But the agency won't be getting carried away just yet, writes Frank Dunne.
Beneliga discussion surfaces again, but is more of a symptom than a solution
The ever-growing influence of Europe’s top-five leagues is squeezing the life out of professional football in Europe’s lowlands. Callum McCarthy examines the commercial pros and cons of a merger between the Dutch Eredivisie and the Belgian Pro League.
Turkish football creates its own FFP to deal with years of mismanagement
Turkey’s qualification for the finals of Uefa Euro 2020 has given the country’s football authorities fresh hope that their ‘Golden Generation’ of young players will help drive the commercial transformation of the …
Real Madrid’s global partnership with Microsoft helps club to 30 per cent digital revenue growth
Spanish football giants Real Madrid have grown digital revenues over 30 per cent over the course of five-year partnership with Microsoft, creating a digital marketing platform that allows the club to engage with, and learn from, it's 450 million-strong global fanbase.
“It’s like a wave that hits you” | British Olympic federations on their commercial preparations for the Games
British Gymnastics chief executive Jane Allen, British Swimming chief executive Jack Buckner and UK Athletics chairman Chris Clark discuss their organisations' plans for the final run-in ahead of Tokyo 2020 and explain how to ensure a strong commercial return from the Olympic Games.
DFL wants Virtual Bundesliga to be seen as its third competition brand
The Bundesliga's esports property is seen as a valuable tool with which to engage a younger fanbase and expand the reach of the league and its commercial partners. Story by Bob Williams.
Bayern Munich at crossroads as club prepares for life without Hoeness and Rummenigge
As Bayern Munich have all but elected a new club president, Bob Williams takes a look at how the club's executive board is set to change in the coming seasons.
DAZN’s ‘logical’ interest in UK launch is hard to square with commercial realities
Rumours are swirling around DAZN's potential interest in a UK launch, but market conditions must be perfect for profitability to be a realistic goal. Callum McCarthy reports on the possibility of the streaming service getting off the ground in the country where it is based.