A summary of the most exciting news in multicultural sports marketing. If you’re trying to keep up, consider this your one-stop shop.
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Fernando Alonso. Fernando Alonso, known for his career in Formula One, has invested in an esports venture owned by the Miami-based Motorsport Network. As part of his position on the board, Alonso will participate in the Motorsport Network’s negotiations with other prospects who are interested in joining Motorsport Games. “Esport is no longer a fantasy, it’s a reality and something I have been passionate about for some time,” the Formula 1 driver said. “Investing in, and helping to lead Motorsport Games will allow me to make a real contribution to this exciting aspect of motorsport’s future.
- The MLB has signed a four-year partnership extension with T-Mobile, designed to grow its OTT service MLB.TV subscriber base. The new agreement sees the telecommunication giant remain as title sponsor for the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby event, it also includes a provision offering T-Mobile subscribers a year’s access to MLB.TV, as well as premium features on the MLB At Bat app and other prize competitions. “We love baseball, and clearly, so do our customers. They streamed nearly three million hours of baseball with MLB.TV in 2018 – two times more than the year prior,” stated T-Mobile chief executive John Legere.
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The National Hockey League (NHL) franchise San Jose Sharks have announced it would provide Spanish-language commentary on its OTT platforms and TV broadcasts, in conjunction with Tico Sports. Users will be able to access the Spanish-language stream on either the Sharks + SAP Centre app or via an SAP setting on NBC California television broadcast. The partnership with Tico also includes helping the Sharks expand their Spanish-language social media presence. Games will be live tweeted from a dedicated Los Tiburones account alongside additional original content.
- ESPN+ locked UFC’s PPV events, becoming the platform’s exclusive distributor of events in the United States through 2025 and the single point of purchase for consumers. The deal kicks in with UFC 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 on April 13, as part of 12 live events per year. “With the addition of UFC PPV events, we are making ESPN+ an absolute must-have for any fan of the UFC and mixed martial arts,” said Kevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer & International, The Walt Disney Company. “In less than a year, ESPN+ has established itself as the leader in direct-to-consumer sports and this new programming agreement adds a significant business to our platform while reinforcing the value and strength of our product and our content lineup.”
According to a Washington Post poll, 38% of mixed martial arts fans are African-American, and 31% are Hispanics.
- Baseball team the San Francisco Giants have locked a ten-year, omnichannel retail partnership with Fanatics that will see the sports merchandise and apparel firm operate the team’s flagship store at Oracle Park, and all shopping experiences online and on mobile. As part of the agreement, Fanatics will combine its cloud-based technology and data platform with its on-demand manufacturing capabilities to identify unplanned ‘micro-moments’ so that it can create and distribute quick-turn Giants merchandise throughout the year.
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- The NBA has announced that the Chinese and Croatian national teams will join the 30 NBA franchises in the annual MGM Resorts NBA Summer League pre-season tournament. While China has already joined the NBA Summer League in 2007, this will be Croatia’s first time. For the second year in a row, Las Vegas will host all 30 NBA teams. In 2018, the Summer League set a new record for total attendance with 139,972 spectators with an additional 30.4 million hours of Summer League content watched on ESPN and NBA TV.
Combate Americas is returning to Monterrey, N.L., Mex. with its second, annual ‘Estrellas’ event, featuring a collection of the MMA sports franchise’s talent, live in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12a) and UDN and in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (10p) on April 12.
- USA Hockey and Chipotle Mexican Grill have renewed their partnership which makes de Mexican restaurant an official sponsor of USA Hockey. “We’re thrilled to have Chipotle continue as part of our corporate partner family,” stated Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey. “When our players and families think about a pre-game or post-game meal, Chipotle is a great choice. We look forward to enhancing our relationship and appreciate their engagement in growing and furthering our game.”
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