AC Milan gets card sharp with Repx licensing deal
June 16 – Serie A’s AC Milan have signed a new licensing partnership with UK fintech company Repx, which will see the launch of a new debit card on the Repx platform.
Football Marketing
UEFA takes first steps towards blockchain and crypto with AntChain deal
June 15 – UEFA has agreed a five year global partnership for blockchain technology with AntChain, the blockchain subsidiary of Ant Group which also owns AliPay, who are already three years into an eight year sponsorship with UEFA.
Official: Messi is a rock star, a Hard Rock one
June 15 – Argentina and FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi will be a brand ambassador for Hard Rock in a five-year deal to mark the 50th anniversary of the brand.
Fan protest over ‘soft porn’ ads forces Norwich City to ditch £5m shirt sponsor BK8
June 14 – Norwich City fans have objected to the club’s new shirt sponsor BK8 forcing the club to drop its £5 million one year deal with the online bookmaker just five days after announcing the record deal.
Demand for Argentina Fan Token sees extra launch batch sell out in 30 seconds
June 14 – Socios.com have had an overwhelming response to the launch of the Argentina national team Fan Token, increasing its all-time record of users on the app by 50% and triggering a decision to launch an extra batch of tokens.
Canal+ cancels TV deal in protest against Ligue1 opening domestic door to Amazon
June 14 – Tech and e-commerce giant Amazon has won the broadcast rights for Ligue 1 for €330 million per season for the next three seasons, prompting Canal+ to withdraw from its deal with Ligue 1, leaving French club football on the brink of another broadcast-triggered financial crisis.
BeIn secure UEFA club rights in near $600m 3-year deal
June 11 – BeIN Sports has scored a victory in the TV rights arena by seeing off a bid from a Saudi broadcaster to renew a three-year deal for UEFA’s prime club competitions across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
SPFL signs record 5-year title sponsorship with car etailer cinch
June 10 – The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) has unveiled online used car marketplace cinch as its new title sponsor in a five-year deal it is saying is the biggest the SPFL’s history.
LATAM Airlines fly to rescue with Chilean sponsorship in time for Copa America
June 10 – With all the nervousness surrounding the staging of the Copa America in Brazil and the pull out of sponsors Mastercard and Ambev, support for the international game on the continent has been found via LATAM Airlines who have signed on as the official airline of the Chilean national soccer team.
Telecoms giant TIM renews with Serie A as brand flexes its Italian muscle
June 9 – Italy’s Serie A and telecoms giant TIM have extended their partnership with a new three-season deal, taking the sponsorship deal beyond the 25-year mark.
Sokin expands into France with first Ligue1 deal with AS Monaco
June 8 – Financial technology specialist Sokin has added Ligue1 club AS Monaco to its sponsorship roster in a three-year partnership.
Norwich City gear up for Premier League return with BK8 shirt sponsorship
June 8 – Premier League returnees Norwich City will be arriving back in the top tier with a new shirt sponsor. Online betting brand BK8 Sports will be the club’s new principal partner in a one-season deal estimated at £4 million.
Optus agree deal rerun of Women’s World Cup 2023 rights for Aussie
June 4 – FIFA have awarded the TV rights for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 to Optus Sport in the host market Australia, the world federation announced on Thursday.
EFL announces record viewing for its iFollow streaming service with revenue topping £42m
June 3 – The English Football league (EFL) has reported a record level of subscribers to its iFollow streaming services that was launched in 2017.
LaLiga expands Relevent Sports partnership to include Mexico
June 3 – Spain’s LaLiga has expanded its North American 50/50 joint venture with the US-based Relevent Sports Group to include Mexico as part of the territories that it manages.