Surrey’s post-World Cup T20 sales fuel continuing ambivalence for The Hundred
Surrey County Cricket Club has seen a surge in ticket sales thanks to England’s victory in the ICC Cricket World Cup and a new family zone at the Kia Oval. Chief executive Richard Gould talks to Ben Cronin about the club's commercial successes and offers his take on the ECB Hundred.
“The intention is that each team will eventually be independently owned” | Russell Coutts, SailGP
SailGP, the nation-versus-nation sailing league pioneered by Kiwi yachtsman Sir Russell Coutts and Oracle founder and chief executive Larry Ellison, made its British debut during Cowes week. SportBusiness spoke to Coutts after the event
IAAF tries to draw a line under Diack legacy
The IAAF has renegotiated a controversial contract with Dentsu agreed by its former president Lamine Diack. SportBusiness has seen a copy of the agreement and a letter from the IAAF's lawyer in which he describes some of the 'unusual provisions'. Ben Cronin reports.
Ice cream and Kimekomi dolls | Developing a licensing programme for the Rugby World Cup in Japan
IMG Licensing says it has secured contracts with 25 Japanese licensees and 21 global licensees for this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan. Ben Cronin reports.
Tom Hill, World Rugby | Dual award of 2015 and 2019 World Cups helped mitigate Japan risks
Tom Hill, chief commercial officer, World Rugby speaks exclusively to SportBusiness about the commercial programme for the 2019 World Cup in Japan
Play Sports Group acquisition allows Discovery and Eurosport to ‘super serve’ cycling fans
Discovery’s acquisition of the Play Sports Group in January this year served further notice of its strategy to focus its energies on cycling. Ben Cronin speaks to Sameer Pabari, SVP, content & business development, Discovery, and Simon Wear, CEO & founder of PSG ahead of the Tour de France.
Brexit and Bribery Act cause Wimbledon to revamp its hospitality
The All England Club has expanded its hospitality offering and introduced a more flexible approach to attract smaller bookings and target high-net-worth individuals. Ben Cronin speaks to James Ralley, AELTC head of marketing and commercial, about the changes.
Kermode defends his ATP achievements following council coup
The decision by the ATP Council not to renew Chris Kermode's contract as ATP executive chairman and president caused surprise when it was announced in March. Ben Cronin speaks to the outgoing tennis chief about his record.
Heineken calls for Uefa to ‘nurture’ sponsors with more free-to-air Champions League coverage
Hans Erik Tuijt, director global sponsorships, Heineken, speaks to Ben Cronin about the brand’s 25-year association with the Uefa Champions League and how it plans to activate its rights at this year’s final in Madrid.
Virtual advertising technology unlocks split sponsorship inventory and multi-lingual graphics for Formula One
Formula One is likely to implement virtual advertising more widely in its global broadcast feed following its sponsorship and data rights partnership with ISG. But the sport needs to be careful not to fall foul of broadcast regulations concerning product placement. Ben Cronin reports
IMG Arena bets that golf is a ‘sleeping giant’ for sportsbooks
The complexity and expense of gathering enhanced betting data at golf tournaments has to date limited the amount of in-play betting on the sport. IMG Arena’s senior vice-president, commercial, Max Wright, explains how the company’s acquisition of betting rights to both the PGA and European Tours will attempt to change this.
“We are not interested in the discussion of integrity fees” | Keith Wachtel, NHL
The National Hockey League has been swift to capitalise on the repeal of PASPA and the subsequent legalisation of gambling in some US states. Starting next season, the organisation will introduce puck and player tracking to create more in-play betting markets around its content. SportBusiness speaks to the league’s chief revenue officer and executive vice-president, global partnerships, Keith Wachtel.