Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
YouTube Exec Named Chief ESPN Product and Technology Officer
Disney has appointed Google and YouTube vet Adam Smith chief product and technology officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Smith takes over the position following the June exit of Aaron LaBerge, who shifted to CTO and head of online-sports-betting company Penn Entertainment, which last year struck a deal with ESPN to rebrand Penn’s business from Barstool Sportsbook to ESPN Bet. Smith will begin in his new role Sept. 3, reporting to Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN chair Jimmy Pitaro
Wasserman Hires Chris Foy to Lead Rights Sale Business in North America
Wasseman, a sports, music and entertainment company, has hired Chris Foy as executive vice president and managing director, rights sales, North America. Part of Foy’s role will be to bolster Wasserman’s retained rights-holder roster by acquiring new clients as well as maximizing revenue for existing clients. Foy joins Wasserman’s rights sales team from premium experiences company, Legends, where he was executive vice president of global partnerships and oversaw numerous areas of the global partnerships business.
PARTNERSHIPS
Cleveland Clinic and Sports Data Labs Announce Partnership
Cleveland Clinic and Sports Data Labs Inc. (SDL) are partnering with the goal of creating the largest compilation of sports health data, which will be used to develop new technology-driven tools and services. As part of the partnership, Cleveland Clinic will also invest in SDL, a leader in AI-based collection, analysis and distribution of real-time human data from on-body sensors and other sensing systems. Cleveland Clinic will support SDL’s health services and insights for their global partners and utilize SDL’s advanced technologies and network at the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center (GPPC), which is expected to open in 2027. In addition, to accelerate the collaboration, SDL will relocate its headquarters to Cleveland.
Verizon Becomes Partner of Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena
Verizon has been named the Official 5G Wireless Partner and a Technology Partner of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. Verizon aims to enrich the fan experience at State Farm Arena by leveraging its network capabilities to enhance connectivity during games and events. Verizon Business and the Hawks are working together to make technology upgrades throughout the arena for everything from event entry to concessions.
OnBalance Health Signs Partnership With Wake Forest Athletics
OnBalance, an intelligence platform for mental healthcare management in college sports, is partnering with Wake Forest athletics. Wake Forest will utilize OnBalance’s technology to provide proactive mental healthcare management for its athletes. OnBalance offers intelligence to manage mental health issues by providing real-time data, predictive analytics and comprehensive care tools. The OnBalance platform, fully compliant with HIPAA, FERPA and NIST standards, was developed by Walt Norley, a former Division I quarterback and tech entrepreneur, in collaboration with clinical experts in college athletics.
SSC Napoli Enters Metaverse Partnership With The Sandbox
The Sandbox, a decentralized gaming platform and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, announced that Italian football club SSC Napoli will be entering the metaverse for the first time via its platform. The partnership offers fans a chance to connect with SSC Napoli fans worldwide. SSC Napoli will launch its first metaverse pop-up store inside four UGC experiences on The Sandbox. Inside the pop-ups, players can interact with the football club by hanging out with other Napoli fans. Different athletes from the Napoli team, including Leonardo Spinazzola, Frank Zambo Anguissa, Amir Rrahmani and Matteo Politano, will guide players through each pop-up. By visiting all four pop-ups, fans will have a chance to win tickets to SCC Napoli home games and signed merchandise. The partnership kicks off during Coppa Italia and will continue throughout the season.
Gotham FC to Team With MSG, DAZN on Chelsea Match Broadcast
NJ/NY Gotham FC is partnering with MSG Networks and DAZN to broadcast its friendly against Chelsea FC Women on Monday at 7 p.m. ET. The partnership will provide fans in the New York region and around the world access to the match between two championship-winning teams. MSG Networks is Gotham FC’s local broadcast partner for the 2024 NWSL season.
Original Muck Boot Company Partners With Dave Portnoy and Barstool
The Original Muck Boot Company has partnered with Dave Portnoy, founder and owner of Barstool Sports, with a collection of two limited edition colors of the Muckster Lite clog. The Limited Edition Dave Portnoy Signature Collection will be available online and on the Barstool Sports Store this month. The Dave Portnoy Collection includes exclusive colors of the Muckster Lite Clogs.
Serie A, Fox Deportes Announce U.S. Spanish-Language Media Rights Agreement
Lega Serie A has announced a multiyear Spanish-language U.S. media rights deal with Fox Deportes, following approval at the Serie A Assembly in Milan. The two-year Fox Deportes agreement will offer a Spanish-language broadcast product, providing the league with enhanced levels of reach and engagement. This partnership underscores Serie A’s commitment to fostering growth with a more diverse audience in the U.S., serving the Spanish-speaking community and providing visibility for the league to a significant bilingual audience. Serie A will be available to Spanish-speaking audiences via linear broadcasts, with Fox Deportes offering up to three matches per game week.
BeIN Renews Partnership for McDonald’s Ligue 1 & Ligue 2 BKT Championship
BeIN Media Group (‘beIN’) has renewed its exclusive rights deal with the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) for the McDonald’s Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 BKT Championship across the U.S. and Canada from the beginning of the 2024-25 season until the end of the 2028-29 season. Under the renewed five-year deal, beIN will continue to serve as a trusted partner of French football, delivering at least four live Ligue 1 matches per match week, as well as coverage of Ligue 2 fixtures. Alongside league matches, beIN will also show live and exclusive coverage of fixtures from the highly coveted Trophée des Champions national competition.
PURCHASES
KB Partners Joins Pro League Network’s $4.2 Million VC Round
KB Partners has invested in Pro League Network (PLN), closing its seed funding round and bringing the total raise to $4.2 million. KB Partners joins previously announced investors Eberg Capital, Kevin Garnett & Big Ticket Sports, John Brenkus, Chris Grove and Ezra Kucharz to finalize the seed funding round. PLN has produced more than 100 hours of live sports and shoulder programming in the past year. The company will use the funding to accelerate its programming schedule, with the goal of being a 24/7 network of purpose-built live digital sports. PLN’s portfolio of sports include CarJitsu Championship, SlapFIGHT Championship, Ultimate Tire Wrestling, Putt Tour, Pro Carrom Tour and the forthcoming 3×3 streetball-style league str33t, developed in partnership with Garnett and Big Ticket Sports.
