Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for September 1
Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
FTN Network Announces Multiyear Contract With Football Data Analyst Aaron Schatz
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FTN Network, a company built for delivering NFL data for betting, season-long fantasy and daily fantasy, has signed football data analyst and DVOA creator Aaron Schatz to a multiyear contract and named him chief analytics officer. Schatz joins FTN after leaving Football Outsiders, which he created in 2003. FTN Network will now feature Schatz’s DVOA, a statistical method of evaluating football teams, units or players, and all of Schatz’s football-related content. His insights will be on FTN Bets, FTN Daily and FTN Fantasy.
Logitix Names Sports Industry Executive Travis Apple as Chief Revenue Officer
Logitix has named Travis Apple as chief revenue officer. Apple will oversee all revenue for Logitix in sports and entertainment ticketing. Apple’s sports industry experience includes overseeing ticket sales and service for organizations in the NBA and MLB. Apple joins a Logitix team that works with over 400 teams and properties from the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA and other live event companies. As CRO, he will connect the ticket-selling world to Logitix’s platform that analyzes real-time data points and provides insights during live events.
PARTNERSHIPS
Verizon Extends Partnership With MetLife Stadium, Jets, Giants
Verizon announced a deal with MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Jets and New York Giants, to provide network upgrades for 2024 and beyond to accommodate the exponential increase in data customers use during stadium events held throughout the year. Additionally, Verizon is extending its long-term cornerstone partnership with the Giants, Jets and MetLife Stadium. MetLife Stadium is having its busiest summer ever with over 1.2 million guests and a record 18 concerts. The stadium heads into the NFL season with back-to-back national night games—Giants-Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, Sept. 10, and Jets-Bills on Monday Night Football, Sept. 11.
DirecTV and Big Ten Announce Landmark Sponsorship
The Big Ten Conference and Big Ten Network have reached a new multiyear sponsorship agreement with DirecTV, bringing fans behind the scenes of the athletic conference. In addition to the creation of original content across football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and more, DirecTV will be a supporting partner of the Big Ten’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as a presenting sponsor for at least one Big Ten championship event in each year of the partnership.
USC Trojans Name an Official Mocktail for LA Coliseum Games
Recess Zero Proof, a collection of 0% ABV craft mocktails, has become the official mocktail of the USC Trojans at the LA Coliseum. The mocktails will be stocked at all of the stadium bars, alongside traditional alcoholic options. The Coliseum stops selling alcohol during the fourth quarter of each game, making Recess an alternative when alcoholic drinks are no longer available. Recess Zero Proof comes in four cocktail-mimicking flavors: Lime “Margarita,” Grapefruit “Paloma,” Watermelon “Mojito” and Ginger Lime “Mule.”
SailGP and T-Mobile Leverage 5G for Fan and Athlete Experiences
SailGP has expanded its collaboration with T-Mobile for Business for Seasons 4 and 5, spanning 2023 through 2025. SailGP will leverage a 5G Hybrid Mobile Network from T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced Network Solutions (5G ANS) portfolio to provide views of live race action and provide SailGP athletes on-water performance analysis. All SailGP’s F50s are now 5G-connected and feature POV cameras to stream live, high-definition video from each F50 to SailGP’s London broadcast studio.
C4 Energy and Overtime Boxing Crown Four New Fighters in Sponsor Program
C4 Energy, the inaugural sponsor and exclusive energy drink of Overtime Boxing, announced “The C4 Four,” the next generation of boxing talent. Throughout August, C4 Energy and the Overtime’s OTX Fight Night series hosted weekend match cards with boxers going head-to-head. The four headliners who were crowned winners—Elijah Pierce, Albert Bell, Kurt Scoby and Vlad Hernandez—will also join the Team C4 roster, receiving a one-year contract as a C4 Athlete, joining the likes of the Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields, WWE’s Seth Rollins and racecar driver Lindsay Brewer.
Hisense Extends Strategic Partnership With UEFA to Sponsor Euro 2024
Global consumer electronics and appliances corporation Hisense has signed as a global sponsor of UEFA Euro 2024. This will mark the third consecutive UEFA Euro that Hisense will sponsor after being a partner for the two previous editions and a successful sponsorship of FIFA World Cup 2022. Hisense will also gain sponsorship rights for UEFA European qualifiers in 2023-24 & 2025-26, UEFA Nations League finals in 2025, UEFA U21 Euro 2025, Finalissima 2024 and UEFA Futsal 2026 as part of the deal.
PRODUCTS
Onit Taps Into The Brandr Group Portfolio of Athletes to Launch Collegiate Trading Cards
The Brandr Group (TBG) has launched a new partnership with Onit, an entrant into the trading cards and sports memorabilia space focused on creating trading cards tailored to the NIL marketplace. Over time, Onit will be releasing sets of team-specific trading cards featuring large sets of men’s and women’s athletes from approximately 50 school partners of TBG, starting initially with the various athletic programs at Ohio State, Texas, Auburn, Nebraska, Michigan State and at least 15 other universities.
Arena Football League Introduces Billings Outlaws as League’s Inaugural Franchise
The Arena Football League (AFL) has introduced the Billings Outlaws as the league’s inaugural franchise, which will play all home games at TDS Fiber Field at MetraPark in Montana. The Outlaws—which are owned by acclaimed attorney Steven Titus—join the AFL after spending the past two seasons competing in the Champions Indoor Football (CIF) league. The team will be coached by Cedric Walker, a former AFL standout who previously coached the Gillette Mustangs in the CIF league. The announcement of the Billings franchise is a new addition to the initial team markets that the AFL announced in mid-July.
NFL and Enthusiast Gaming Launch Season 2 of NFL Tuesday Night Gaming
The National Football League and Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: EGLX; TSX: EGLX) announced the second season of the popular video gaming series, NFL Tuesday Night Gaming, premiering Sept. 12, 2023, on NFL TNG’s Twitch, YouTube and X channels. The weekly live show will launch with a special Play Day episode hosted by rapper Quavo on Sept. 5, live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons. The second season of NFL TNG will feature NFL players and legends teaming up with top gaming creators to go head-to-head across popular video game titles from a variety of genres.
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