Post Consumer Brands is dishing up a partnership with Major League Soccer. The multi-year deal will see Post serve as the league’s exclusive cereal sponsor and be visible in stadiums at more than 370 MLS games, including national-television broadcasts. Throughout June and July, select retailers will feature limited-edition MLS cereal boxes spanning the Post cereal portfolio, as well as a range of other MLS-related activations.
The FOX Sports House at the 2018 South by Southwest will open its doors from March 9-12 running 11a-8p each day of the event. Highlights will include: the South by Southwest Sports Kickoff Party on March 9 at 7p, “Women of FOX Sports” Present: The Art and Science of Social Media on March 10 at 11:30a and 24/7 Viewership and the World Cup at 4p; Nossa Chape Behind-the-Scenes: Connecting Community and Sport through Film on March 11 at 12:30p and The World Becomes the World Cup at 3:30p; among other activations.
Michelob ULTRA unveiled Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold in partnership with 11-time surfing world champion Kelly Slater. The launch marks the first time “a large light beer brand has developed a brew with organic grains” Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold will also serve as the presenting sponsor of The Founders’ Cup of Surfing, which will be the first public competition at Slater’s Surf Ranch from May 5-6.
The New York Mets and New Balance announced a long-term landmark agreement making New Balance the official footwear and apparel company of the Mets and Citi Field. The deal will include year-round New Balance presence throughout Citi Field beginning in 2018 including a significant sized sign above the Shea Bridge, below the auxiliary scoreboard, along with external signage outside the ballpark. The agreement will also include uniforms for a variety of staffing groups on event nights at Citi Field in the form of polo shirts, shoes and jackets. Additionally, Mr. Met and Mrs. Met will be decked out with New Balance footwear. The Mets and New Balance will collaboratively plan and execute a variety of marketing, advertising, community and promotional programs and platforms to maximize the impact of the partnership, including serving as the Presenting Partner of the Mets Future Stars Program.
Major League Baseball is teaming up with Mitel, a specialist in business communications, to “power the league’s communications tools and connections across the 30 MLB ballparks” as Mitel transforms the existing 30 independent platforms for dugout, bullpen, video review rooms and press box communications into a common, unified system featuring enhanced security and call recording capabilities. This new system will also provide the capability to record and monitor all communications conducted on the phone lines to ensure compliance with all Major League Baseball rules and regulations.
Latin American soccer streaming service Fanatiz and MP & Silva finalized an agreement that will see Fanatiz live stream all Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana games carried in the US and Canada. The Copa Libertadores will begin with qualifying rounds from late January all through February, followed by the group stage from Feb. 27-May 24.
Today sees the New York Road Runners host the United Airlines NYC Half Kick Off Show on Facebook Live. The Kick Off Show will be used to announce the 2018 Pro Athlete Field and to provide a tour of the brand new course starting at noon.
At the conclusion of the Winter Games, Facebook examined the Olympic-related conversation over the course of the competition.
Most talked-about athletes on Facebook (Globally):
- Shaun White
- Red Gerard
- Adam Rippon
- Chloe Kim
- Scott Moir
- Tessa Virtue
- Martin Fourcade
- Lindsey Vonn
- Nathan Chen
- Mikaela Shiffrin
Most talked-about sports on Facebook (Globally):
- Figure Skating
- Curling
- Snowboarding
- Bobsleigh
- Biathlon
Most talked-about sports on Facebook (in the United States):
- Curling
- Figure Skating
- Snowboarding
- Luge
- Speed Skating
Lionsgate is partnering with Overwatch League’s Los Angeles Valiant to promote season three of the Starz Original Series Ash vs Evil Dead. The partnership will see the show become the Valiant’s sole and exclusive jersey sponsor through at least Stage 2 of the inaugural season of OWL. As part of the deal, Valiant fans will be given “unprecedented access to Ash vs Evil Dead experiences, including exclusive screenings at Lionsgate’s studios in Santa Monica, Q&A/AMAs with creative voices behind the franchise, meet-and-greets, and more.”
Gfinity announced that it has been tapped by Microsoft Studios’s Turn 10 Studios to serve as as the Global Tournament Operator for the 2018 Forza Racing Championship. Under the deal, Gfinity will oversee all league operations, including online qualifiers and local area-network-based events.
Esports Battle League and WHAM Network Inc. announced a digital media partnership that will deliver EBL’s inaugural season to WHAM content platforms starting in June. Co-founded by Scott O’Leary, with former National Lacrosse League Commissioner George Daniel, and former NBA Players Association Chief Counsel Bob Lanza, the EBL expects to field eight to ten teams in the upcoming season, each competing in a traditional league format with the team that has the best two out of three scores advancing in the competition.
In year two of their partnership, Events DC and NRG Esports are opening a new training home in Washington, DC that will house NRG’s developmental Overwatch Roster for the Contenders Series. “We are beyond thrilled that NRG has chosen the District of Columbia to locate a house for their Overwatch Contenders team. One of our priorities at Events DC over the last 18 months has been to create and execute an esports strategy to position Washington, DC as a leader in this important economic development and tourism space,” said Max Brown, Chairman, Board of Directors at Events DC.
Kings/Golden Knights face off on NBCSN at 10:30p.
