beIN MEDIA GROUP’s Post

How many people in the MENA region watched the Spain-England UEFA EURO 2024 final? If you're a data person, like me, and are following the marketing and advertising boom within sports, entertainment, and esports - specially in the Middle East region - some of these numbers from beIN SPORTS are impressive. Campaign Middle East recently carried a story on the effectiveness of BYD's Euro 2024 sponsorship campaign through the lens of its impact on brand-building and sales in the Middle East, and the numbers revealed in an interview with Hasan Nergiz spoke for itself. This latest report by beIN MEDIA GROUP, which has claimed a new record for cumulative viewership of the UEFA Euro 2024, with more than 1.2 billion views of its multilingual coverage across the 51 games played through the tournament adds more colour to the massive boom within sports sponsorships, marketing, and advertising in the Middle East region. Read in. #Sports #Viewership #Marketing

Mr. collins okinyo, a veteran sports journalist and the founder of Soka25east.com, shares insights into the intricate landscape of African sports. Mr. Okinyo does this by analysing the shortcomings in the industry as compared to the ones in developed countries such as a lack of sponsorships, issues related to match-fixing, problems in player scouting, payment discrepancies, and constraints in broadcasting airtime, among others. Read the full Interview: https://lnkd.in/dkMHNzNk #iGamingAFRIKA #Sports #SportsDevelopment #GamblingNews #iGaming #Gaming #Betting #MatchFixing #iGamingAFRIKA

JUST IN; SuperSports Won’t Broadcast AFCON Due To Unsecured Tournament Rights Multichoice’s SuperSport will not broadcast the 2023 AFCON tournament after losing the rights to a rival broadcaster. In a statement, Multichoice confirmed, “SuperSport Channel will not broadcast the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023…because the channel has not secured the rights to broadcast the tournament.” However, it noted the games “will be available through our partner broadcast stations on Free to Air (FTA) channels” This comes after New World TV, a Togo-based network, secured an exclusive three-year deal with CAF to air all its competitions across 46 African countries until 2025. This is the first time an African broadcaster has obtained exclusive AFCON rights, ending SuperSport’s long-running monopoly. The statement assured that multichoice “remains committed to ensuring football fans across Africa continue to enjoy unrivalled access to entertainment and football games.” However, the loss of AFCON rights is a major blow after they had broadcast every edition since 1992. Fans now face uncertainty over where they can watch the games. The 2023 African Cup of Nations, known for short as the 2023 AFCON or CAN 2023 and for sponsorship purposes as the TotalEnergies 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, is scheduled to be the 34th edition of the biennial African association football tournament organised by Confederation of African Football. The tournament is set for January 13-February 11, 2024 in Ivory Coast. WhatsApp Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit

From the NYT: FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, is close to an agreement with Apple that would give the tech company worldwide television rights for a major new tournament, a monthlong, World Cup-style competition for top teams that will be played for the first time in the United States next summer. The agreement could be announced as soon as this month, according to three people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to discuss the deal publicly because it has yet to be officially confirmed. It comes after several false starts for a competition championed by FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino. Plans to hold it in China in 2021 were scuttled because of the pandemic. The value of the deal might be as little as a quarter of the $4 billion FIFA had first estimated, the people said. It is unclear if the deal with Apple will include any free-to-air rights, meaning the entire event could be available only to subscribers of Apple TV +, a factor over which senior executives at FIFA have raised concerns. Should the deal go through, it would be the first time that FIFA, which will stage the first expanded 48-team men’s World Cup in the United States in 2026, has agreed to a single worldwide contract. It would also represent the latest foray into soccer for Apple, which in 2022 signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion agreement for the global streaming rights to Major League Soccer. Streaming services have become increasingly interested in live #sports, as they seek to woo more subscribers. Peacock streamed a National Football League playoff game last season and Amazon Prime has been #streaming Thursday night National Football League (NFL) games since 2022. Apple also has a deal to stream Major League Baseball (MLB) games. Netflix focuses more on sports documentaries, though it recently pushed into live “sports-adjacent programming,” including a multibillion deal to stream WWE’s flagship weekly wrestling show, “Raw.” FIFA was hoping that the tournament, which will feature a mix of successful teams from across the globe, including 12 from #Europe, where most of the world’s top talent plays, would create huge demand from broadcasters and commercial partners. But a combination of poor planning and delays prompted broadcasters to balk at the figures FIFA had sought. Sponsors have so far also been reluctant to commit the $150 million that the organization is seeking for sponsorship packages, according to the people. A global deal with a major company like Apple may give the tournament, which will be played every four years, the veneer of high quality that Infantino has been trying to secure.

What were the #SportsMedia deal highlights over the last seven days? 1. BeIn Sports retains domestic and overseas rights in 40 territories for Turkish Süper Lig 2. DAZN becomes new main home of Ligue 1 in France agreeing joint €500m per year deal with BeIn Sports 3. U-Next secures exclusive Premier League and FA Cup rights in Japan until 2031 4. DAZN replaces Movistar+ as Serie A's broadcast partner in Spain with contract until end of 2026/27 season 5. National Basketball Association (NBA) confirms deals worth $77bn until 2036 with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon 6. WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) gets $2.2bn from those new rights agreements but can add more partners and revisit fees mid-contract 7. DAZN to show National League games in UK and worldwide until 2031 8. CBS Sports renews US rights for Serie A for two years to put 400 matches per season on Paramount+ 9. Foxtel Group lands multi-year extension to The Masters rights contract in Australia 10. Sky and DAZN renew Euroleague Basketball deals in Italy until 2025 11. CazeTV secures Ligue 1 rights in Brazil until 2026/27 12. Disney Star to broadcast Women's Asia Cup 2024 and produce world feed Stay up to date with this running log of the most significant media rights agreements signed globally 👉https://lnkd.in/dTRMs-Nb

Apple TV+ may broadcast a soccer tournament similar to the World Cup - https://lnkd.in/dPrxwpBt Apple could be close to signing a deal with FIFA, soccer's global governing body, to secure global rights to broadcast a month-long World Cup-style tournament in the United States next summer, according to a new report. Apple TV+ could broadcast a new World Cup-style soccer tournament A deal between FIFA and Apple could be finalized this month, according to a report in the New York Times. He cited three anonymous sources. FIFA chief Gianni Infantino has led multiple failed efforts to launch a new competition, including a plan for 2021 in China that fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report noted that the deal could be worth only a quarter of FIFA's initial estimate of $4 billion. And it's not yet clear whether the deal will limit streaming to Apple TV+ or include free streaming rights for broader broadcasts. Even the name of the tournament remains in doubt, but the “FIFA Club World Cup” is under review. Big football move for Apple TV+ If the deal is closed, it will be the first time that FIFA has agreed to a single contract globally. The agency also plans to bring an expanded 48-team World Cup to the United States in 2026. And it would mark another big soccer move for Apple, which signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal in 2022 to stream Major League Soccer games. Apple also owns the streaming rights to Major League Baseball games with its Friday Night Baseball series. But so far it's not going according to plan. The competition is scheduled from June 15 to July 13, 2025, after the European football season. The report suggested that a “combination of poor planning and delays” caused broadcasters and commercial partners to avoid paying the huge money FIFA was expecting from the new tournament. And sponsors have not committed to the $150 million that FIFA wants for sponsorship packages. FIFA has also not yet closed agreements on stadiums for matches. "The deal needs to close soon so it can be announced ahead of upfronts later next month, during which entertainment companies will try to attract advertisers by talking about future programming," the report states. Neither FIFA nor Apple commented on the story. "As a general practice, FIFA neither confirms nor denies commercial discussions," FIFA said in a statement. Keynote USA News For Latest Apple News. Follow @Keynote USA News on Twitter Or Google News.

Don't miss our Sports in MENA series this month! First article available below - join us as we explore how streaming is changing the sports landscape across MENA. Subscribe now to get exclusive insights! 👇

SPONSORED CONTENT: SARU's recent press release on the sports rights disputes involving eMedia, SuperSport, and the SABC misses the mark entirely, with eMedia stepping in to correct the record and shed light on the ongoing legal battles over broadcast agreements, leaving us all wondering who's playing fair in this game of rights and wrongs. #SportsRights #SARU #SuperSport #SABC #eMedia"

Exploring the Next Frontier in Sports Streaming: The Middle East. As global sports continue to captivate audiences worldwide, the Middle East emerges as a dynamic player in the realm of sports investment and streaming. From iconic sponsorships like Emirates’ early support of Premier League giants Arsenal to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030, which aims to diversify its economy through sports investments, the region has steadily grown its influence. With high-profile ownership of football clubs and hosting rights for various sports events, the Middle East’s impact on sports rights values is undeniable. Read on for more insight: https://bit.ly/3IoXnnf #SportsStreaming #MiddleEast #DigitalTransformation #SportsMedia #Innovation

📺 FIFA is reportedly on the verge of striking a landmark deal with Apple, granting the tech giant global television rights for the FIFA Club World Cup tournament. The deal is estimated to be valued at around $1 billion. 🎆 The agreement could reshape the streaming landscape as it is unsure if it will include the "free to air rights" limiting viewership of the tournament to Apple TV+ subscribers only. If this deal goes through, it will be the first time FIFA has engaged in such a contract. 📺 If this deal materialises and excludes the "free to air rights" it will continue to raise concerns about the accessibility of the tournament to other geographical areas that have no or little Apple TV+ subscribers. 📺 This disparity will exacerbate inequality in sports. This goes against the sustainable development goals nr 10. (SDGs) that were created by the United Nations in 2015. 🎆 This agreement will debunk FIFA standards between commercial interests and equitable sporting enjoyment. 🎆 Exciting times are ahead, as this deal might change the way we consume football ⚽.