Univision Deportes locked in Heineken, KFC, Nissan and Walmart as sponsors for its World Cup coverage content, which will include reporting and analysis of the month-long tournament. In addition to Univision Deportes’ state-of-the art studios in Miami, telecasts will originate from a special on-site studio at the Four Seasons in Moscow and include Minuto 45 on UDN, pre- and post-game shows on Futbol Central and more.
Major League Baseball unveiled the debut of the “All-Star Armed Services Classic presented by T-Mobile,” a new championship tournament that will feature co-ed softball teams from each of the five United States Military Branches – U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Coast Guard – competing for the opportunity to play at Nationals Park during MLB All-Star Week in DC in July. The Championship Game will stream LIVE on MLB.com,
The owners of Triple Crown contender Justify named Leverage Agency as the marketing, licensing and sponsorship Agency of Record for the thoroughbred racehorse as he contends to sweep the Triple Crown with a win at the upcoming Belmont Stakes on June 9. “Leverage Agency has an unprecedented track record working with Triple Crown contenders and maximizing opportunities for brands and sponsors,” said Elliott Walden, President/CEO of WinStar Farm. “Their intimate knowledge and understanding of the industry, along with their broad range of services makes them a perfect addition to our team.”
Twitter partnered with UNINTERRUPTED and Crown Royal for “Halftime is UNINTERRUPTED,” a live streamed halftime show on Twitter that will serve as as a social-driven companion event to the NBA Finals. Los Angeles Clippers’ Austin Rivers, Milwaukee Bucks’ Eric Bledsoe, San Antonio Spurs’ Rudy Gay, NBA Analyst and Cultural Critic Big Wos, plus more surprise guests will provide fans with commentary as the action unfolds throughout the NBA Finals.
Sony Crackle will launch Rog & Davo’s Guide to Russia, a series of 10 original shorts will air from June 11-13 ahead of the World Cup. The shorts will be hosted by Roger Bennett and Michael Davies, from NBCSN’s “Men in Blazers” and each four to six-minute installment will feature a specific country along with Roger and Michael’s predictions for that team. The series is produced by Embassy Row with Roger Bennett, Michael Davies and Jen Simons serving as executive producers.
The Olympic Channel announced the worldwide premiere of The People’s Fighters, the second film in its Five Rings Films signature series, which examines the triumphs and challenges faced by Cuban boxing. The feature-length documentary is directed by Peter Berg at olympicchannel.com and its mobile apps.
Sportech, the international betting technology business, and sports data company Sportradar, unveiled a commercial betting deal in the US. Under the terms of the agreement, Sportech will be able to offer Sportradar’s trading and risk management services, as well as its comprehensive range of tools and services for legal sports betting to licensed operators in the emerging U.S. sports betting marketplace.
The ELEAGUE Street Fighter V Invitational 2018 will be the first major fighting game tournament to track both competitors’ in-game eye movements at the same time, the league announced, when the five-week showdown begins Friday at 3p on Twitch. ELEAGUE, in collaboration with its technology and marketing partner Dell Gaming, will leverage eye-tracking technology to offer fans “unprecedented access to the minds of professional Street Fighter players” as the compete for $250,000. Micro projectors and sensors supplied by Tobii Group will track each player’s eye movements and use the data to create a visual of where the competitors look throughout a given match The overlay will be shown during special Dell “Getting Technical” studio analysis segments.
Lots of news from Riot, which announced that the 2018 NA LCS Scouting Grounds will return in November to the NA LCS Studio in LA where the top 20 unsigned players from North America will fight for “their chance to prove they have what it takes to go pro and showcase their skills in front of NA LCS organizations.” This year, the event will introduce the Scouting Grounds Selection Period, a 4-month timeframe where a player’s progress on the Challenger ladder will be tracked and recorded every two weeks.
Meanwhile, the EU LCS is heading to Madrid for the 2018 Summer Finals. Taking place at the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid, the 2018 Summer Finals will run on September 8-9.
Finally, Riot Games will consolidate its existing pro leagues in Latin America under one banner. The combined league will be played out of Santiago, Chile with the move designed to improve the competitive level offered by the region, per TEO.
NASCAR announced that Gene Stefanyshyn will lead the sport’s international efforts as Senior Vice President and Chief International Officer, while John Probst has been promoted to Vice President, Innovation and Racing Development, John Bobo upped to Vice President, Racing Operations, and Scott Prime has been promoted to Vice President, Strategic Development.
Saturday sees Game three of the Stanley Cup Finals with Golden Knights/Capitals at 8p on NBCSN.
