Scots are latest football body to cut ties with betting sponsors
February 22 – The Scottish FA is the latest British football body to announce the end of a major betting company sponsorship.
Football Marketing
Dortmund doubles up on shirt sponsors with 1&1 and Evonik splitting competitions
February 21 – Germany’s Borussia Dortmund will have two shirt sponsors from the start of next season with telecoms company 1&1 taking over for the Bundesliga short position while long running partner Evonik take over for European and other competitions.
J League deepens SNTV deal with launch of YouTube channel
February 21 – Sports News Television, SNTV, have struck a deal to manage the J League’s new international YouTube channel.
Gent agree Belgian TV terms leaving Antwerp as remaining block to deal
February 18 – KAA Gent has signed up to the Belgian broadcast deal with Eleven Sports, leaving Antwerp as the only club to oppose the agreement for the country’s domestic TV rights.
Beckham’s Inter Miami lands £180m Qatar deal, say reports
February 18 – Inter Miami, the new MLS franchise where David Beckham is an owner has reportedly secured a £180 million sponsorship deal with Qatar.
Everton terminate SportPesa’s shirt deal three years early
February 17 – With sponsorship of football by gambling firms very much on the radar of UK regulators, Everton have become the first Premier League club to announce they are ending their deal with Kenyan online gaming giant SportPesa.
Juve re-sign Allianz in €130m deal
February 14 – Italy’s Juventus and global insurance giant Allianz have extended their partnership until 2030 in a deal worth €103.1 million.
Barca embrace blockchain with €80m issue of 40m digital fan tokens at €2 each
February 13 – FC Barcelona have become the latest club to embrace blockchain technology with an agreement with Chiliz to launch a ‘Barca Fan Token’.
Belgian Pro League secures new €103m TV deal but clubs battle over the cash
February 13 – The Belgian Pro League has awarded its new TV rights deal to Eleven Sports for a record €103 million in a five-year deal, but not all the clubs are happy with the proposed income distribution from the new agreement with both Antwerp and AA Gent opposing.
Canal+ and beIN Sports tie knot on landmark French distribution deal
February 12 – French media giant CANAL+ Group and Qatari pay broadcaster beIN SPORTS have closed the distribution and sub-licensing deal announced last December.
TV deals show balance shift to OTT as NENT adds Bundesliga to Premier League
By Paul Nicholson
February 11 – The likely shape of Europe’s premium broadcast deals in the future is starting to reveal itself, and it will be a case of evolution rather than revolution.
Man Utd put China pre-season tour talks on hold over coronavirus fears
February 11 – Manchester United are reported to have stalled talks over a possible pre-season visit to China because of the coronavirus outbreak which has now infected over 43,000 people (more than 42,500 in China) with more than 1,000 dead.
Benfica and San Francisco Giants form cross-code trans-Atlantic business partnership
February 7 – Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants have partnered with iconic Portuguese club Benfica in a commercial version of moneyball.
Premier League cracks open next broadcast rights cycle with a big Scandinavian deal
February 6 – The Premier League has concluded its first broadcast deal for the rights cycle beginning 2022 and it’s a big one.
Emirates takes main sponsorship of Olympique Lyonnais in 5-season deal
February 6 – Emirates airline has agreed a five-season main sponsorship deal with Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais’ men’s team, starting with the 2020/21 season.