The Sports Business Weekly Wrap-up is written with both a tinge of sadness and immense pride this week after the final of Euro 2020 last Sunday. Yes, football didn’t come home in the end but this England team is something we can be incredibly proud of. What they stand for, the issues they stand up for and speak out on and the way they conduct themselves is a credit to this country.
There’s an incredible day of sport ahead of us this Sunday as The Open Championship comes to a head at Royal St. George’s, the Tour De France reaches the Champs-Élysées and the British GP at Silverstone will see 140,000 people in attendance.
Anyway, here’s some of the biggest sports business news stories you may have missed this week…
Monday
Apple TV+ x NFL
We’re starting this week off on the other side of the pond as Apple are in talks with the NFL about acquiring the rights for the Sunday ticket out-of-market package for Apple TV+.
AT&T currently have the rights but are looking likely to give those up in 2022 when the contract expires. Talks are only in the preliminary stages at the moment but Amazon and Disney’s ESPN are also supposedly interested. We’re seeing more and more streaming services move into sports, arguably bringing a breath of fresh air to sports broadcasting.
Tuesday
Euro 2020 Final viewing figures
It probably comes as no surprise but the viewing figures for the final of Euro 2020 delivered gigantic numbers in the UK.
The game was watched by an average of 29.85 million people with it peaking at just over 30 million in extra time across both BBC and ITV. Interestingly, according to BARB figures, BBC was the heavily featured choice with 25 million choosing the station over ITV.
29.85 million viewers represented 82 percent of the available television audience on Sunday night which made it the most watched broadcast since Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 and it is also the biggest UK audience for a football match since the 1990 World Cup semi-final against Germany.
Audience figures slowly grew as England progressed through the tournament which obviously makes a lot of sense as more tuned in as England’s success continued. Credit must also go to the team and getting so much of the country invested in their progress. Gareth Southgate has done a lot of work to change the perception of the team since he took over after Euro 2016. Hopefully, this investment will continue in Qatar 2022 next winter.
Thursday
SBX Studios x Facebook
Over to the world of boxing on Thursday as SBX Studios have linked up with Facebook, this means that Anthony Joshua will get original Instagram content. Over the next 12 months, Facebook will team up with the production agency to produce content for a pool of sporting talent including Joshua, F1 driver Alex Albon and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.
SBX Studios launched last October after being set up by Joshua and Soapbox. Cris Bowyer, athlete partnerships manager at Facebook said “we’re delighted to be partnering with SBX Studios on this. Giving athletes an authentic and purposeful voice is at the heart of what we do,”.
Friday
Aston Martin F1 x TikTok
There’s a new content creation partnership in F1 as Aston Martin have linked up with TikTok. The short-form social media video platform will become the team’s official ‘creator partner’ and will have the TikTok branding on both the driver headrest and inner halo of Aston’s F1 car.
On the content side of things, the two will work together to produce exclusive social content including launching a number of global hashtag challenges. This includes #CatchChallenge which will see users test their reactions to see if they can match the likes of Aston Martin driver, Sebastian Vettel.
Rob Bloom, Aston Martin’s chief marketing officer, said “We’re massively invested in developing and growing the contribution of the fans – and we know they’re becoming increasingly adept at building uniquely spun narratives around the teams and drivers they love. And, naturally, TikTok is the perfect home for this.
TikTok are doing a lot of good work recently and have partnered with some major sporting events and organisations. If you have never checked out the platform, TikTok is a very cool and creative space. However, I will warn you, it is very addictive.
That’s us and the Sports Business Weekly Wrap-up done for this week. Head over to our social media channels to let us know your thoughts on some of the stories that have been covered this week. There’s a great afternoon and evening full of sport so a night in front of the TV might be the best plan.
If you would like to read previous editions of the Sports Business Weekly Wrap-up, you can do so by clicking here.
