Sports business news from IMG Reliance, JIO, Premier League and other news

IMG Reliance wins global mandate to market Cricket Australia virtual inventory rights

IMG Reliance has won the global mandate to market Cricket Australia’s ‘Virtual Inventory’ rights, after a competitive bid process recently concluded.

IMG-Reliance will be the exclusive global agency for Cricket Australia to bring on board brand partners for the virtual inventory that features in the television coverage available to viewers outside Australia, including the Indian subcontinent.

IMG Reliance has a mandate to represent Cricket Australia for the upcoming Indian tour in December which includes four tests, three ODIs and three T20s.

JIO sponsor Women’s T20 challenge and IPL sponsors join in to raise the Women’s Cricket T20 league

The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) has announced Reliance Jio the official title sponsor for the 2020 edition of the Women’s T20 Challenge. The partnership will also have the support of Reliance Foundation Education and Sports for All (RF ESA).

The sponsors of the Dream11 IPL have followed JIO and have extended their partnership with the BCCI to the 2020 Jio Women’s T20 Challenge. Dream11, Tata Altroz, Unacademy, Paytm and CEAT have all become Official Sponsors of the Jio Women’s T20 Challenge.

This is the first time in the history of women’s cricket in India that a sponsorship has been signed.

UK’s second COVID19 lockdown prompts Premier League set to scrap PPV model

The Premier League’s controversial domestic pay-per-view (PPV) model is likely to be ditched after this weekend’s matches, the PA news agency understands.

It is understood that English soccer’s top flight is most likely to revert to the model which was in place at the start of the current season, where all matches in the UK were screened by one of the competition’s broadcast partners, mostly Sky or BT Sport, with Amazon and the BBC being awarded a handful of games between them.

Further discussions must still take place with broadcast partners before plans can be confirmed, and PPV is therefore not completely off the table.

Nielsen predicts that social cause-based messaging by sports stars during Covid-19 will reshape the future of sports marketing

A number of sports stars have seen a significant increase in their social followings and engagement rates this year after using their platforms to campaign against inequality and social injustice, according to new research by Nielsen.

Since January, 50% of posts by Marcus Rashford, Naomi Osaka, Lewis Hamilton and Megan Rapinoe have referenced a social cause. Marcus Rashford’s free school meals campaign contributed to 65% growth in his Twitter following.

Premier League working with Boston Consulting Group over reform plans after the ‘Project Big Picture’ snub

The US-based Boston Consulting Group is assisting with the Premier League’s plans for reform but had been brought on board before the emergence of the controversial Project Big Picture (PBP) proposals, the PA news agency understands.

England’s top-flight soccer league’s strategic review began in February and the Boston Consulting Group was appointed by the Premier League board early on in that process.