UFC unveiled an activation with AirAsia, presenting sponsor of UFC Fight Night Singapore: Cowboy vs. Edwards on June 23, that will see the first UFC-branded livery on an AirAsia Airbus A330-300. The aircraft will be the first of its kind in the world to feature UFC branding. “This exemplary partnership between UFC and AirAsia is a testament to the passion behind these two inspiring brands,” said UFC Vice President, International Marketing Partnerships, Rene Valencia. “Today is a momentous occasion, one that we are very proud of and we look forward as travelers embark on this magnificently branded AirAsia Airbus.”
At the Vive Ecosystem Conference in Shenzhen, HTC reveals new VR partnerships with MLB and Formula One’s McLaren Racing, according to multiple reports. The deal will see the HTC/MLB initiative see two fan engagement activations in China, including the Chinese-language reality TV show Perfect Pitch to the Tencent video network, and a Baseball Park roadshow to 10 major cities across the country. The McLaren alliance, meanwhile, will see a joint-production of VR products and VR/AR content.
SportsEngine is partnering with Telemundo Deportes to promote participation in youth soccer programs across the US. During the World Cup this summer on Telemundo, SportsEngine’s youth sports directory, will dedicate its homepage to soccer programs. The site will feature local programs from across the country and resources to help families find clubs in their area that are the right fit for their children who are interested in soccer. Additionally, SportsEngine is launching its first bilingual advertising campaign, in partnership with Telemundo, to promote the sport of soccer to youth across the United States.
Iron Dragon TV signed a deal with martial arts league Karate Combat to feature content on the Iron Dragon TV channels. The platform will now exclusively feature Karate Combat events in 4K Ultra HD with the events being remastered by 4K Studios and streamed on the Iron Dragon TV channel on the UltraFlix network.
The North American League of Legends Championship Series will now be carried on newly launched streaming service ESPN+ starting with the summer split in a multiyear deal. The nonexclusive agreement will not affect services that currently broadcast League of Legends such as Twitch, YouTube and Riot’s in-game player. According to ESPN, Riot Games stated that the new ESPN+ partnership will replace the previous deal between BAMTech and Riot Games, which was a seven-year agreement beginning in Dec. 2016 in which BAMTech agreed to pay Riot $300 million through 2023.
ReKTGlobal unlocked strategic investment in OverPowered Network, an esports company dedicated to promoting the growth of gaming and esports in the Gulf Cooperation Council and greater Middle East and North Africa region. In addition to the investment, ReKTGlobal will work closely with OPN founders and members of the Royal family, Ali Al Khalifa, Ahmed Al Khalifa and Abdulla Hamad Al Khalifa, open an office in the capital and recruit and sponsor MENA-based gamers for ReKTGlobal’s esports organization Team Rogue.
Grizz Gaming inked a sponsorship with FedEx that will include presenting entitlement for the team’s virtual court and FedEx presenting custom-branded digital content features to be pushed through social and digital channels, along with a weekly social-based feature among other opportunities. “Esports and competitive gaming are rapidly evolving and offer engaging digital opportunities for the FedEx brand to reach new audiences,” said Patrick Fitzgerald, senior vice president of Integrated Marketing and Communications, FedEx. “We’re proud to be able to enter this new dimension in sports sponsorship by building on one of our most successful sports sponsorships and teaming up with the Memphis Grizzlies and Grizz Gaming for its inaugural season.”
In other partnership news, SteelSeries tied up a deal with FaZe Clan that make the company the exclusive peripheral partner of the team and includes sponsorship of all eSports teams including Counter-Strike Global Offensive, Call of Duty, Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, Fortnite, Rainbow Six Siege and FIFA.
Turtle Beach announced a new multi-year partnership with Overwatch League outfit the Houston Outlaws that will see the team will use Turtle Beach’s Elite gear in training, streams, and practice, and the two organizations will collaborate to bring Outlaws fans closer to the pro players with behind the scenes content and activations.
Astros/Yankees on MLB Network at 7p.
