TikTok builds football portfolio with Portland Timbers and Thorns
February 25 – Short-form video-sharing app TikTok has agreed a multi-year partnership with MLS team Portland Timbers and the club’s NWSL side Portland Thorns FC.
Football Marketing
Messi, Pogba, van de Sanden and Sancho fizz for Pepsi activation
February 24 – Pepsi MAX is using its Champions League sponsorship to activate its new football ad campaign ‘Music Keeps Us Fizzing’.
Real Madrid close in on securing €150m Qiddiya sponsorship
February 23 – Real Madrid have reportedly held “advanced talks’” with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Qiddiya over a potential lucrative ten-year €150 million sponsorship deal.
K League launches dual-language OTT channel with eye on global markets
February 23 – Korea’s K League is launching a dedicated OTT platform for its top two leagues ahead of the start of the 2021 season that kicks off February 27.
UEFA lands Qatar Airways as airline sponsor of Euro 2020
February 22 – UEFA has announced that Qatar Airways as the official airline of this summer’s Euro 2020 tournament.
AS Monaco accelerates digital footprint with Line launch in Japan
February 18 – Ligue 1’s AS Monaco will become the first French club to launch on Japan’s Line social media platform when the club face Paris Saint-Germain this Sunday.
Beko sticks with Barca sponsorship but drops sleeve position
February 17 – Barcelona and Beko have extended their partnership by a year, but the parties have dropped the sleeve sponsorship rights in a re-worked sponsorship agreement.
New Balance open up in Serie A taking AS Roma kit deal off Nike
February 16 – New Balance are to take over as AS Roma’s kit supplier from the start of the 2021/22 season, the first Serie A club to join the US leisurewear company’s team roster.
Mediapro returns to Concacaf fold with international sales deal
February 15 – The Mediapro Group have picked up the international rights to Concacaf’s club and national team competitions outside of the North America, Central America and the Caribbean region.
beIN Sports steps up as LFP’s Ligue2 broadcast lifeline to end of season
February 12 – French professional football has been thrown a lifeline by broadcaster beIN SPORTS France who have done a deal with Canal+ for the domestic rights to Ligue 2 in France until the end of the season.
Spurs’s Levy reshuffles his executive pack bringing in ex-NFL commercial guru
February 12 – Tottenham Hotspur have appointed a former NFL executive as the club’s first chief commercial officer with the specific task of securing a naming rights deal for their state-of-the-art but currently under-used stadium.
Sport Forza goes exclusive with Sportradar’s ad:s service to boost revenue
February 12 – Sportradar has agreed a deal with Forza Football’s live scores app to exclusively manage its ad inventory via its ad:s ad server technology.
LaLigaTV breaks new ground in UK with Amazon Prime channel deal
February 12 – LaLiga has added its 24/7 English-language tv channel to the Amazon platform as one of the Prime Video Channels in the UK only.
Roma go from digital to physical with Nigerian link
February 12 – AS Roma is to open their first youth academy on the African continent in Abuja, Nigeria, the Italian club have announced.
English football tells Twitter and Facebook to stop protecting racist abusers
February 11 – English football bodies have joined forces to send an open letter to Facebook and Twitter demanding action amid increased levels of abuse aimed at high-profile players and officials on social media.