Deutsche Telekom builds connectivity and content with old foe Sky

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By Paul Nicholson
November 1 – 64% of people don’t leave home without their smartphone, 45% use their smartphone at events, and 43% would rather stop drinking beer than using their smartphone. These were some of the fact thrown out by Deutsche Telekom’s senior VP for Sports Marketing Henning Stiegenroth, speaking at the International Football Arena in Zurich on Monday.

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Investors give early thumbs-up to BT’s sports strategy

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By David Owen
November 1 – Stock market investors seem to have given a thumbs-up to BT’s strategy of acquiring highly compelling sports content, such as live rights to Barclays Premier League football matches, after yesterday’s publication of the telephone company’s first quarterly financial results since the launch of BT Sport on August 1.

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PSG close massive €150m deal with Qatar Tourism Authority

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By Andrew Warshaw
October 31 – Qatar’s relentless bid to secure a major profile in Europe has been significantly enhanced by a deal between Qatar Tourism Authority and Paris Saint Germain worth a reported €150-€200m a season. Widely rumoured last season, the partnership is designed to promote Qatar as a tourist destination to European audiences.

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CSKA get UEFA stadium sanction for racist chanting, but remain in denial

CSKA fans

By Andrew Warshaw
October 31 – UEFA has ordered the partial closure of CSKA Moscow’s stadium for their next home Champions League tie as a result of the highly published racist chanting towards Manchester City’s Yaya Toure. The Russian club, which strongly denied the claims, were charged after Toure complained about being verbally abused by a section of the crowd during City’s 2-1 win on 23 October.

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IFA closes with passionate debate on the future for ‘mega events’

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By Paul Nicholson
October 30 – The final session of the International Football Arena (IFA) event in Zurich lived up to expectations, producing a passionate debate across a wide range of issues surrounding the hosting of big events. If the final verdict was that there is still a place for mega events, the conclusion was clearly that more needs to be done in communicating what hosting of the events will entail.

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Act global think local, FIFA rethinks World Cup marketing packages

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By Andrew Warshaw
October 30 – For the first time ever, FIFA plans to offer companies the opportunity to purchase regional sponsorship packages for the World Cup, starting with Russia in 2018 and Qatar four years later. Speaking at a post-LOC 2018 board meeting in Kazan, FIFA’s Marketing Director Thierry Weil confirmed the new commercial structure, highlighting the opportunities and value on offer.

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