Tag: SportsPro

Posted on by

Endeavor merges On Location and IMG events group into single division – SportsPro

Endeavor merges On Location and IMG events group into single division - SportsPro

Global sports and entertainment conglomerate Endeavor Group Holdings has merged its premium experiences business On Location with IMG’s events group into one division.

Paul Caine will become president of the new subsidiary, with Jon Lavallee named as its chief financial officer.

Caine previously served as the president of On Location, which was acquired by Endeavor in 2020 for a reported US$660 million, and has also worked as chief revenue officer of Bloomberg and chief executive of Westwood One.

Lavallee was most recently the chief financial officer of On Location, and was previously the chief operating officer of PrimeSport, which merged with On Location.

IMG’s events group owns, operates and represents hundreds of sports, entertainment and fashion events globally. 

Earlier this year, On Location was the official hospitality partner of the 2022 Super Bowl, marking the experiences firm’s largest ever event. 

On Location’s partnership portfolio spans more than 150 rights holders, and includes the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the National Football League (NFL).

Last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) revealed On Location as its hospitality provider for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the Milan 2026 Winter Olympics and Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games.

“Bringing together these two dynamic businesses will serve to supercharge our consumer experiences within our extraordinary global events portfolio,” said Mark Shapiro, president of Endeavor.

“Paul and Jon have brilliantly led On Location’s resurgence from the pandemic and I’m confident they will elevate these two highly complementary businesses with the full support of the Endeavor network at their backs.”

Posted on by

BWF adds four new stops to World Tour with several events expanded – SportsPro

BWF adds four new stops to World Tour with several events expanded - SportsPro

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has announced the addition of four new World Tour stops for the 2023 until 2026 cycle, with investment from the governing body and the Infront agency funding the circuit’s expansion. 

The BWF World Tour’s revamped 31-event calendar will see the introduction of new Super 500 tournaments in Australia, Canada, Finland and Japan. The series’ other 500-level competitions will take place in Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.

As part of the World Tour’s expansion plans, the Malaysia Open will become one of the tour’s Super 1000 tournaments, joining the All England Open, China Open, and Indonesia Open.

Meanwhile, the India Open and Singapore Open have both been promoted to 750 status, with existing events in China, Denmark, France, and Japan remaining at the Super 750 tier. Elsewhere, the HYLO Open and Orléans Masters competitions have been elevated to Super 300 level.

“Badminton is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world with all-time high participation and fan numbers,” said BWF secretary general Thomas Lund.

“More tournaments give us a fantastic opportunity to enhance the sport’s reach around the world, not only in established territories, but into new ones as well. It also allows for more players to enter our elite circuit and gain valuable experience.

“We were very encouraged by the large number of high-quality bids we received and that bodes well for a bigger and better tour across the next four years. It enables us to commit to higher prize money, greater coverage on television and online, and spectacular presentation, all contributing to an enhanced world-class sports product that we seek.”

Posted on by

Big Interview | Rugby League World Cup’s treble vision for major events – SportsPro

Big Interview | Rugby League World Cup’s treble vision for major events - SportsPro

In a session from SportsPro Live in London, Eoin Connolly talks to senior leaders from this year’s Rugby League World Cup: chief executive John Dutton, social impact director Tracy Power and tournament director Dean Hardman.

They lay out a distinctive vision for the event, which will unite the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments in England in October and November.

They discuss its aims to support key community initiatives, the challenges of managing such a complex commercial and logistical delivery in Covid conditions that triggered a one-year delay, and the chance for the sport to excite new and existing fans alike.

Like what you hear? Discover more podcasts in our archive.

Posted on by

World Athletics targets new events to boost revenue – SportsPro

World Athletics targets new events to boost revenue - SportsPro
  • World Athletics CEO Jon Ridgeon reveals organisation is “exploring possible ideas” around events, products and data
  • Governing body not looking to sell existing rights

World Athletics is seeking to put on new events which it says will help boost income for the global governing body and its athletes.

The Times reports that World Athletics has turned to sports marketing agency Two Circles and Oakwell Sports Advisory – which advised CVC Capital Partners on its UK£365 million (US$495 million) Six Nations rugby union investment – as part of efforts to generate new revenue streams.

Speaking to The Times, World Athletics chief executive Jon Ridgeon said there was no plan for the organisation to sell any of its existing rights and, instead, would be looking to create new opportunities.

“This is in the early stages and it will start by exploring possible ideas,” Ridgeon said. “We are not doing this because we are in any trouble as an organisation. Financially we are doing pretty well.

“But we now need to look at ways to take the sport forward at a time when we have so many major events coming up. It’s about looking at new events, new products, utilising data – and hopefully providing more money to more athletes.”

World Athletics had already revealed its intention to expand its calendar when it announced China’s Wanda Group as the title partner of the Diamond League series in September 2019. The ten-year agreement, which is reportedly worth more than US$100 million, included provision for a new annual Diamond League meeting in China organised by Wanda Sports.

Also included in the contract was a media rights agreement for a secondary international athletics series, the World Athletics Continental Tour, which replaced the World Challenge competition. So far, the new tour is set to hold 130 meetings in 2022.

This year’s World Athletics schedule is headlined by the World Athletics Championships, which will be held in Eugene, Oregon, from 15th to 24th July. Other notable competitions in 2022 include the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Serbia from 18th to 20th March and the World Athletics U20 Championships in Columbia from 1st to 6th August.