Tag: Sports Coverage

Australia – ESPN and Fetch TV have officially announced a multi-year extension of their channel distribution partnership, which includes ESPN and ESPN2. Since 2012, these channels have been available on Fetch.

The channels will continue to provide live sports coverage in the United States, as well as studio commentary shows like SportsCenter, NBA Today, NFL Primetime, and the acclaimed ESPN ’30 for 30′ documentaries and special features.

Sports fans in Australia can enjoy a wide selection of sports content on Fetch, which includes ESPN’s U.S. sports coverage, extensive local and international sports coverage from free To air networks, and additional subscription sports content from beIN Sports, Optus Sport, Stan Sport, Paramount Plus, and Prime Video.

Speaking about the renewal of their partnership, Kylie Watson Wheeler, senior vice president & managing director of The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand, expressed, “We’re excited to extend our long-standing relationship with Fetch TV, which serves Fetch viewers with access to our comprehensive slate of ESPN programming, flagship studio shows and extensive major sport properties.”

He added, “We have a huge summer of programming ahead on ESPN, including the NFL playoffs and 2024 Super Bowl. Combined with the NBA Finals, NHL, MLB, UFC, and every game of the NBL, ESPN has the world’s biggest sporting moments covered for sports fans to enjoy.” 

Meanwhile, Sam Hall, chief content and commercial officer at Fetch TV, said, We are thrilled to announce the extension of our long-running agreement with ESPN for carriage of the ESPN and ESPN2 channels, which remain top performers on the Fetch platform. ESPN is the go-to media outlet for premium US sports including the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, and the ESPN channels are particularly strong during the Aussie summer months.”

Australia – Marketing platform XRii has revealed details on how various sports clubs are utilising a mix of digital experiences and experiential marketing in order to drive resulst for their respective clubs. This comes at a time where interactivity and engagement have been prevalent through the rise of virtual venues and concerts enabled by AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) technology.

First off, the baseball league Perth Heat tapped XRii to develop a customised app, which facilitated a AU$50,000 cash giveaway, enabling data collection and rewarding users with in-app incentives. The seamless integration of XRii’s AR technology with digital campaigns and in-venue experiences led to noticeable results.

Meanwhile, the popular sports organisation Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) also tapped the agency for various digital experiences. In 2022, it released FIFA+, an AR app that offers viewers immersive content via mobile devices to bring the action to fans wherever they are, which is sure to bring interaction to the current FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand.

In addition, the Major League Baseball (MLB) also releasedits immersive ‘MLB All-StAR Scavenger Hunt’ last July, bringing the game to life like never before. The first-of-its-kind MLB scavenger hunt engaged fans, earning participation and gaining valuable customer information that could be further used to personalise experiences.

Lastly, the National Football League (NFL) introduced an app with augmented reality (AR) features. Fans can use their cameras to create and share images, incorporating virtual helmets and eye black, on social media platforms. Moreover, it also collaborated with popular sandbox game Roblox to develop a series of virtual experiences.

According to Matthew Endresz, CEO and founder of XRii, the impact of the digital revolution goes beyond enhancing the quality and accessibility of live events. It is also reshaping the business landscape of sports and entertainment, generating new and innovative business models.

“The integration of technology has opened up a plethora of revenue streams, allowing for monetisation opportunities that were previously untapped. To truly capitalise on this exciting time and this massive opportunity, sports clubs must evolve. They have to ensure sports remain captivating for the next generation of fans whilst keeping the current state of sports fandom strong,” he said.

Tokyo, Japan – With the previously postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics now gearing up for its upcoming opening ceremony on 23 July, visual media company Getty Images has announced the deployment of their award-winning photographers, editors and operations staff that will capture imagery from every event at the Olympic Games.

Composed of over 100 people, Getty Images’ media endeavor follows after it has been appointed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to be the ‘Official Photographic Agency’ for the upcoming games.

For the first time, Getty Images will edit photos from the Olympic Games remotely with over 50 editors live-editing from various locations around the world. Getty Images will connect key photo positions from inside all 42 Olympic venues directly to the Getty Images office in the Main Press Center and to editors around the world in real-time. This enables a photograph to be taken at an event and then uploaded to their main website in as little as 30 seconds, empowering Getty Images’ global customer base to tell more immediate and impactful visual stories.

According to Cassie Trotter, director of photography for APAC at Getty Images, their media participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics matters truly, as this year’s games now rely more on visuals, which has never played a more important role in connecting the world’s media, partners, licensees, and fans and family at home with all the action on the ground in Tokyo, as there will be no live spectators for the event. 

Furthermore, she added that planning for this event began in 2013 and Getty Images has been innovating throughout the pandemic to create iconic images viewers can look back on in years to come.

“Our elite roster of award-winning specialist sports photographers, including four contributors from Australia and New Zealand, are ready to show the Games and its athletes at their best. They are equipped with cutting edge technology, including robotic and remote cameras, to capture every angle of athletic endeavor and deliver images to our customers at record speeds,” Trotter said.

Getty Images has covered 13 Olympic Games and 13 Olympic Winter Games since 1968 as Allsport and subsequently Getty Images.