Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.
PERSONNEL
Venu Sports Names Its Founding Leadership Team
The forthcoming Venu Sports streaming service has named the members of its founding leadership team, under the direction of Pete Distad, who was previously announced as CEO. The team will consist of Brian Borkowski, chief marketing officer; Jessica Casano-Antonellis, senior vice president and head of communications; Tim Connolly, chief business officer; Amit Dudakia, senior vice-president and head of content; Skarpi Hedinsson, chief technology officer; David Hillman, chief legal officer; Gautam Ranji, chief financial officer; and Judy Schwab, senior vice president and head of people. In addition to the Venu Sports management team, there are currently over 150 engineers and executives dedicated to building the Venu product, which aims to serve sports fans outside of the traditional TV bundle.
Inter Miami CF Names Raúl Sanllehí and Xavier Asensi as Co-Presidents
Inter Miami CF has named Raúl Sanllehí and Xavier Asensi as co-presidents of the organization. Sanllehí will serve as president of football operations and Asensi will serve as president of business operations. The co-presidents will report directly to managing owner Jorge Mas. As president of football operations, Sanllehí will oversee all aspects of the sporting side of the club and execute ownership’s strategy of player development from the academy to the first team. As President of business operations, Asensi will continue to manage business operations for Inter Miami CF.
PARTNERSHIPS
Transmit and Lights Out Xtreme Fighting Announce Partnership
Transmit, a technology platform, announced a new partnership with Lights Out Xtreme Fighting, the producer of MMA events founded by former all-pro NFL linebacker, Shawne Merriman. The partnership, which marks Transmit’s first partnership with a combat sports league, is designed to maximize revenue and offer viewer engagement. As part of the partnership, Transmit will integrate its streaming ad technology across the spectrum of Lights Out Xtreme Fighting platforms, with a variety of advertising experiences, including Transmit’s picture-in-picture and L-Bar formats, offering uninterrupted ad breaks that both boost and engage audiences throughout the streaming experience. Light Out Xtreme Fighting will have access to the full scope of Transmit’s technological capabilities, including modern in-stream inventory, stream composer and creative studio.
Bird and Rapinoe’s Company Signs Podcast Deal With Vox Media
A Touch More, the production company founded by Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe, is partnering with Vox Media to relaunch and expand their sports and pop culture show, A Touch More live. Originally piloted as an Instagram Live series during the pandemic, the podcast will discuss the latest sports news, insider stories and the intersection of sports and pop culture. In partnership with Vox Media, the podcast will publish audio and video episodes weekly across platforms including Apple, Spotify, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. The video podcast will also be co-distributed by Togethxr, the media and commerce company also co-founded by Bird and athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim and Simone Manuel.
Cisco Becomes Official Partner of LA28, Team USA
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) announced a partnership with the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA to serve as the Official Network Equipment Partner. Cisco will provide secure connectivity through its networking infrastructure and build upon its existing relationships within the city and region to leverage networking technology to benefit residents and visitors to the area in both 2028 and beyond.
Michelob Ultra Becomes Official Partner of CONCACAF Club, MLS Competitions
Today, CONCACAF and Major League Soccer (MLS) announced major multiyear international partnerships with AB InBev. Effective immediately, the agreements cover the CONCACAF premier club competitions, the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, which crown the men’s and women’s regional club champions and serve as the pathway to the men’s and women’s FIFA Club World Cup. The agreement also includes all matches across the MLS regular season, including All-Star and MLS Cup, Campeones Cup. As part of the partnership, Michelob Ultra will be named the Global Official Beer of CONCACAF Champions Cup and CONCACAF W Champions Cup and the Official Beer Sponsor of MLS.
Adidas Partners With Esports World Cup for Exclusive Gear
The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) and Adidas announced a partnership that bridges the worlds of athletics and digital competition. As the official merchandise sponsor of the Esports World Cup, Adidas will provide esports athletes with exclusive gear. The partnership also extends to the event staff, with EWC crew, ushers and access control personnel sporting co-branded Adidas apparel. Beginning July 3, the Esports World Cup will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
PURCHASES
Loop Golf Completes $1 Million Seed Funding Round
Loop Golf (Loop), an online booking platform for golfers, has completed a $1 million seed funding round toward its goal to find and book any tee time at any course in the United States. Loop identified a gap in the market for a user-friendly platform that automates the tee-time booking experience for golfers in the U.S. Right now, more than 3,000 courses in the U.S. are supported on Loop’s platform. The funding was led by Jason Calacanis’ Launch with participation from major figures across finance, tech and sports including Joel Simkins, CEO & founder, XST Capital Group; Harry Campbell, owner, The Rideshare Guy; Colin Anderson, founding partner at Friends & Family Capital; and Mike Russo, founder, SparkOffer.
Casa Azul Announces Rob Gronkowski as New Investor
Casa Azul, the creator of Organic Tequila and natural Tequila Soda products, welcomes its latest partner and investor, Rob Gronkowski. Alongside Gronkowski joining Casa Azul, the brand announced the launch of its Playa Pack, a new variety of Casa Azul’s tequila sodas with real Tequila from Jalisco, Mexico. In addition to Gronkowski, Casa Azul has attracted investors including Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, actress Eiza Gonzalez, U.S. golf icon Michelle Wie West and former world No. 1 golfer Brooks Koepka.
PRODUCTS
Women’s Sports Audio Network Unveils Podcasts Devoted to Women’s Sports
iHeart Media and Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment have unveiled their inaugural lineup of original podcast shows for the Women’s Sports Audio Network (WSAN), the first audio platform dedicated exclusively to women’s sports. Additionally, Capital One, e.l.f Cosmetics and e.l.f SKIN join as founding partners of the new network. On Tuesday, WSAN launched regular “Women’s Sports Reports” across iHeartMedia’s broadcast radio stations nationwide, along with a slate of new shows. WSAN will spotlight and celebrate women athletes, with hosts including hockey stars Madison Packer and Anya Packer, tennis Grand Slam winner Rennae Stubbs, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes and golf media personality Tisha Alyn, as well as media personalities Khristina Williams and Sarah Spain.
CONMEBOL Partners With Legends on Official Store for Copa América 2024
Legends, a global premium experiences company, will handle the sales of official merchandise for CONMEBOL Copa América 2024, the 48th edition of the world’s oldest national team tournament. Fans of the tournament will be able to buy exclusive competition products such as jerseys, scarves, hats, flags, pennants and pins in all of the 14 host cities in the United States, as well as online.