Mediacom picks up a slice of the future with Brazil and Real Madrid starlet Vinicius Jr
June 16 – Move over Neymar Jr, Brazil’s hottest young talent Vinicius Jr has signed a big deal with a giant agency.
Football Marketing
AFC opens up bid process for Middle Eastern TV rights by territory
June 12 – The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has issued an RFP (request for proposals) covering broadcast rights for 10 Middle Eastern territories.
Snapchat snafu: Alli’s ban will keep him out of crunch Spurs vs Man Utd restart
June 12 – Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli has been banned for one match by English football authorities over a post on social media about coronavirus.
OneSoccer grabs DFB-Pokal rights as Canadians tune in to Alphonso Davies
June 10 – The standout performances of Bayern Munich’s Canadian sensation Alphonso Davies has prompted OneSoccer, Mediapro Canada’s dedicated soccer service, to acquire the live rights to the semi-finals and final of Germany’s DFB-Pokal, the country’s top cup competition.
Norway’s stay-away superstar Hegerberg swaps Puma for new Nike deal
June 9 – Former women’s Ballon d’Or winner and Norwegian star striker Ada Hegerberg has signed a long-term deal with sportswear giant Nike.
Everton drive new sponsor line-up with Cazoo taking shirt in £27m deal
June 9 – Premier League Everton have announced a replacement for front of shirt sponsor betting brand SportPesa. On-line car sales site Cazoo will take the premium position in a three-year deal reportedly worth £27 million.
EFL agrees £10m Sky rebate and gives club season ticket holders free access to live streams
June 8 – The English Football League has agreed a £10 million rebate with its domestic broadcast partner Sky, in a revamped TV deal that will see all 108 remaining matches broadcast live across linear and digital platforms.
AXA step up to ensure future of Swiss women’s league
June 8 – AXA is to become the title sponsor for the Swiss women’s league after signing a two-year deal with the Swiss Football Association (SFA).
Stay at home: UK viewers to get a free-TV feast of Premier League football
June 4 – The Premier League clubs meeting today are expected to rubberstamp a domestic TV schedule that will see 33 of the remaining 92 fixtures broadcast free to air.
Nike made to wait as Liverpool complete season in New Balance kit
June 3 – New Balance, who are being replaced by Nike as Liverpool’s kit supplier from next season, have agreed a short-term extension to their current contract that will see them through to July 31 and the likely crowning of Liverpool as Premier League champions.
Besiktas ring the changes with return of Beko as main shirt sponsor
June 3 – Vodafone are giving up the shirt sponsorship of Turkish giants Beşiktaş from next season, but are retaining the naming rights to the club’s stadium that were agreed as part of 10-year $145 million deal in 2013.
Mediapro and TF1 to debut dedicated Telefoot channel in France with August restart
June 2 – French professional football will return in August with a large bulk of matches broadcast on a dedicated football channel – Telefoot – as Mediapro Group makes its debut in France in a joint venture with TF1 Group.
Bournemouth cash out of M88 shirt deal
June 2 – Premier League Bournemouth have ended their shirt sponsorship with Asian online bookmaker M88 following the launch of a Gambling Commission investigation into the betting site and associated brands operated by parent company Mansion Europe.
FC Midtjylland score with drive-in but fail to net in the match
June 2 – Weeks after announcing a novel scheme for allowing fans to watch games, Danish Superliga leaders FC Midtjylland stuck to their word and organised a movie-style Drive-In to compensate for fixtures played behind closed doors as a result of Covid-19.
LFP agrees reported €16.5m with beIN to settle season’s international TV rights
June 1 – Amid growing scrutiny over the French decision to cancel the season, the LFP and rights-holding broadcaster beIN Sports have reached a compromise over the outstanding international broadcast rights fee payments.