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Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for January 19

Sportico Staff
·12 min read

Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.

PERSONNEL

Jim Spadafore Joins Scripps Sports as Senior Director of Revenue

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Jim Spadafore has been hired as senior director of revenue for Scripps Sports to help meet the growing demand for local and national sports rights partnerships with The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP). Spadafore, who has nearly 25 years of media and sports sponsorship experience, will start Jan. 22 and report to Tony Lamerato, vice president of revenue and sponsorships for Scripps Sports. He will be the point of contact for Scripps’ local stations with Scripps Sports assets and serve as sales lead for the Golden Knights, Coyotes and Big Sky as well as for new deals signed in 2024 and beyond. For the past seven years, Spadafore served as regional vice president at Comcast Advertising (Effectv/Comcast Spotlight), overseeing all sales operations (TV and streaming) for the Midwest region.

Carole Robinson Named Chief Communications Officer of Nielsen

Carole Robinson has been named chief communications officer at Nielsen, CEO Karthik Rao announced. Robinson will be responsible for all of Nielsen’s global communications, including external media relations, internal communications, corporate philanthropy and executive communications for Rao and the Nielsen management team. Robinson most recently served as chief communications officer at BuzzFeed Inc, where she was responsible for the company’s media and public relations teams, as well as internal communications. Prior to her role at BuzzFeed, Robinson spent more than 30 years at Viacom, where she rose through the ranks to serve as EVP of corporate marketing and communications from 2011 to 2015.

Creative Artists Agency Promotes Six to Agent/Executive

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) announced that it has promoted Sebastian Brogan, Olivia Brooks, Kaitlin Gascoyne, Ross Lee, Jeff Lynds and Jenna Powell. Brogan was promoted to agent in basketball. Based in New York, Brogan is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he earned degrees in finance and marketing. Brooks, based in the Los Angeles office, has been promoted to executive in the CAA Foundation. In her new role, she will head internal initiatives to increase global employee engagement, in addition to advising many fashion designers, models and digital talent on their philanthropic goals. Gascoyne, based in Texas, has been promoted to executive in basketball. New York-based Lee was promoted to executive in global client strategy, where he will focus on helping launch scalable, commercial businesses for sports clients, as well as traditional talent across the agency. Based in New York, Lynds was promoted to executive in basketball, where he will continue to identify and execute marketing opportunities for the agency’s basketball clients. Powell has been promoted to executive in corporate communications. Based in Nashville, she will continue to focus on building out communications initiatives and media relations for CAA’s music touring, digital media, theatre and gaming divisions.

PARTNERSHIPS

NBA, Amazon Agree to Livestream NBA Games In Mexico

The NBA and Amazon announced a multiyear agreement to livestream more than 50 regular-season and playoff games each season in Mexico on Prime Video. The livestreams will tip off with a doubleheader on Jan. 22 when the San Antonio Spurs host the Philadelphia 76ers followed by the Atlanta Hawks visiting the Sacramento Kings. This package of exclusive NBA games on Prime Video is the latest addition to the Amazon Prime membership. Featuring live commentaries in Spanish from local announcers, Prime Video will livestream up to two games on Mondays and select weekends through the remainder of the 2023-24 regular season, in addition to up to 19 playoff games. As part of the agreement, NBA League Pass will also be available in Mexico through Prime Video.

AC Milan Welcomes CFI Financial Group as New Global Partner

AC Milan has formed a partnership with CFI Financial Group, an online trading provider headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. CFI becomes the Official Online Trading Partner of AC Milan. With over 25 years of experience in the Middle East North Africa region, CFI also operates globally across major locations like London and Larnaca, with access to over 26 markets, including stocks, commodities and currencies. This new partnership aligns with AC Milan’s commitment to collaborating with industry leaders, and CFI Financial Group’s expertise in financial trading complements the club’s focus on the club’s global fan base.

NBA, Fastbreak.ai Agree to Partnership for Scheduling Platform

Fastbreak.ai announced the NBA as its latest customer and NBA Equity as a seed round investor as part of a long-term agreement. The NBA will incorporate Fastbreak.ai’s Software-as-a-Service solution into their scheduling process. As part of this agreement the NBA will also leverage Fastbreak.ai for scheduling the WNBA, G League and the NBA2K League. The NBA joins pro and college leagues including the NHL, Southeastern Conference, the Big East and Major League Pickleball in utilizing the Fastbreak.ai for league scheduling. As part of the partnership, NBA Equity joins Fastbreak.ai’s seed round as a strategic investor. Earlier last year, Fastbreak closed a $5.2 million seed financing round led by Greycroft, with investments from The Charlotte Fund and professional athletes including Greg Olsen, Larry Fitzgerald Jr., Gordon Hayward, Luke Kuechly, Whit Merrifield, Kelvin Beachum, Kurt Kitayama and Alison Lee.

OKX Upgrades Partnership With McLaren Formula 1 Team in 2024 

OKX, a Web3 technology company and Official Primary Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team, announced that as part of an expansion of its partnership with the team, the OKX logo will be featured on the side pods of the McLaren F1 car livery for 20 races in the 2024 F1 season, in addition to other OKX branding placements on the car. McLaren’s new 2024 car livery, announced this week and featuring the OKX branded side pods, took inspiration from the OKX-McLaren jointly designed “Stealth Mode” livery revealed in September 2023.

Arena League, American 7s Partner in Football Talent Development Project 

The Arena Football League (AFL) announced a partnership with American 7s Football League (A7FL) to develop the next generation of football stars and increase the overall depth of talent across both leagues. The AFL—an  8-on-8 indoor tackle football league—and the A7FL, which operates a 7-on-7 format with no helmets and no pads in a tackle football league, is designed to help enable athletes to seamlessly transition between leagues. As part of the partnership between the AFL and A7FL, both leagues will collectively align on marketing efforts that will spotlight these transfers.  Additionally, the AFL and A7FL will coordinate joint events and pursue mutual sponsorship opportunities, leverage collective branding strategies and optimize media rights partnerships.

TNA Partners With StarTimes to Bring Wrestling Coverage to Africa

TNA Wrestling (formerly Impact Wrestling)—a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment and a division of Anthem Sports Group—announced a partnership with global entertainment platform StarTimes, bringing TNA content to more than 30 countries throughout Africa starting this month. The agreement further extends TNA’s reach, making the wrestling organization’s flagship weekly series TNA Impact! widely available to over 45 million users in locations such as Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa and the Ivory Coast. As part of the deal, StarTimes viewers will also be able to enjoy exclusive TNA+ specials and Pay-Per-View events.

Upper Deck, NHL Alumni Association Agree to Trading Card License Extension

Upper Deck, the entertainment and sports collectibles company, announced it has agreed to a long-term license extension with the NHL Alumni Association. Upper Deck will continue to be the exclusive licensed producer of physical trading cards for the NHLAA. Authentic Digital Collectible Trading Cards will also be part of the assortment of licensed products from Upper Deck in the future.

Houston Rockets,Toyota Center Partner With Evolv Technology 

The Houston Rockets and Toyota Center they have partnered with Evolv Technology, a security company featuring machines with touchless security screening. This new technology will allow fans to enter Toyota Center at an accelerated rate as the machines will screen visitors. Evolv Technology machines will be placed at multiple entrances around Toyota Center beginning Saturday when the Rockets host the Utah Jazz.

PrizePicks Inks Multiyear Sponsorship Deal with Wave Sports + Entertainment 

PrizePicks, a daily fantasy sports operator in North America, announced the company has signed an exclusive multiyear partnership agreement with Wave Sports + Entertainment (WSE). The deal includes exclusive gaming sponsorship of the company’s original podcast, ”New Heights,” hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce. PrizePicks will also continue to serve as the Presenting Sponsor across WSE’s wider slate of original series’, which includes “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & The Kid Mero,” “Podcast P with Paul George” and “The Right Time with Bomani Jones.” The deal will also extend to new shows launching in 2024 as the company continues to expand its premium originals network. PrizePicks branding will appear across YouTube, audio and show art, as well as social media collaborations throughout the NFL and NBA seasons, and live sponsorship events throughout the year.

Orange County SC Unveils Global Sportswear Brand Hummel as Kit Partner

USL’s Orange County SC has announced a three-year partnership with Danish apparel brand Hummel, who will serve as the club’s official apparel partner. The sportswear brand will provide OCSC’s home, away and third kits, in addition to training apparel. OCSC will become the fifth USL Championship club to partner with the Danish brand. Hummel’s bumblebee logo and chevron designs can currently be found on the kits of the Danish national team, Premier League side Everton, the Bundesliga’s Werder Bremen and La Liga’s Real Betis. Orange County SC’s kits will be revealed in the lead-up to the 2024 USL Championship season, with players and staff wearing Hummel training apparel when they report to preseason Jan. 22. A Hummel kit release party will be announced shortly.

American Ultimate Disc League Rebrands as Ultimate Frisbee Association

The American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) officially became the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA), completing a rebrand for the 24-team league, which has a social media audience of 1.5 million followers. The UFA has partnered with Sport Dimension Inc. (SDI), owner of the Wham-O family of brands, which includes Frisbee, to officially license the name for use across the league. The UFA will also be using its own new Professional Ultimate Frisbee for all games starting in the 2024 season. In addition to renaming the league, the UFA has unveiled a new logo and colors.

MLR, World Rugby, USA Rugby Launch MLR Expansion Team

Major League Rugby (MLR), the highest level of rugby competition in North America, announced a partnership between the league, World Rugby and USA Rugby to launch a new expansion club in Charlotte, N.C., committed to U.S. national team development. Anthem Rugby Carolina (RC) will join the competition in the 2024 season, playing at American Legion Memorial Stadium. This partnership represents a investment in the growth and development of the game in the U.S., looking ahead to the 2031 Rugby World Cup, hosted by North America. The team will predominantly be made up of the top American talent and will solidify MLR as the primary pathway for America’s best rugby players with aspirations to play for their country. Anthem RC, through the relationship with World Rugby and USA Rugby, will greatly further that high performance objective by investing in the long-term progress of the USA Eagles, the national men’s rugby team of the U.S, in advance of qualifying for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and 2031 tournament on home soil.

Momentum Worldwide Secures Milestone Sponsorship for Chevrolet Across MLS in Canada

Momentum Worldwide, a global sponsorship and experience marketing agency, has led strategic negotiations and secured an exclusive partnership on behalf of Chevrolet and Major League Soccer (MLS) in Canada. The agreement marks a significant milestone in the league’s history, as this is the first time a single brand has secured an exclusive auto-category partnership across the entire Canadian MLS footprint. As part of the new framework of the deal, Chevrolet will become the official sponsor of MLS in Canada as well as each of its three clubs—Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Toronto FC, and Montreal Impact—beginning with the 2024 season.

Pro Volleyball Federation Announces Bally Live and Stadium as Media Rights Partners

Women’s volleyball league Pro Volleyball Federation has announced a multiyear agreement with Bally Live and Stadium as official broadcast partners of the league. Bally Live will broadcast a majority of the live matches free on the Bally Live App during the 2024 inaugural season—with a minimum of 40 matches slated for the platform. Stadium will broadcast a “Match of the Week” live across its app, website, and OTT partners—with 20 matches slated for this coming year. These matches will also be simulcast on Bally Live.

PRODUCTS

Sportradar Launches FanID to Connect Fans With Rightsholders and Brands

Sportradar (NASDAQ: SRAD) launched Sportradar FanID, an end-to-end first-party marketing solution combining the first data clean room for the sports industry with the company’s proprietary marketing activation technology, to offer rights holders and brands personalized fan engagement in a post-third-party cookie world. The anticipated removal of third-party cookies in 2024 is compelling marketers to find alternative methods for collecting and leveraging data to connect with consumers. Sportradar’s data clean room addresses this challenge for the sports industry, allowing multiple parties to collaborate on first-party datasets. Sportradar FanID benefits rights holders by providing a greater understanding of fans’ interests and purchase intent, while enhancing the value they provide sponsors. For brands, Sportradar FanID facilitates scalable, direct engagement with fans through personalized ads.

Millennial-Founded Communications Venture Gray Wolf Launches

Gray Wolf, a millennial-founded communications firm, has launched to bring storytelling services to market for brands. Founded by Shaun Clair and Layton Lassiter, the agency’s leadership team brings three decades of experience across consumer, corporate and executive communications. Clair co-founds Gray Wolf after departing 160over90, the brand marketing arm of Endeavor. Lassiter has created earned media programs, strategic communications strategies and influencer marketing campaigns for brands including Anheuser Busch-InBev, Reebok, Under Armour and Marriott International.

Former USAA NFL Sponsorship Manager Launches Marketing Firm

Matt Gafford, a 20-plus-year marketing and sponsorship industry veteran, has launched The Barracks, a marketing and consulting firm to connect brands with the military community. For the last 10 years, Gafford managed USAA’s NFL sponsorship, which focuses on military appreciation as the NFL’s Official Salute to Service Partner. During that time, Gafford led efforts to bring current military, veterans and their families together with the NFL, member teams and players.

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