Industry Shorts: Atp, Dugout, Saul Alvarez

The ATP and Nitto have announced a new five-year extension to their partnership, which will see the pair stay together until 2025. 

The extension will see Nitto continue as title partner of the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, in partnership with the Italian Tennis Federation (FIT).

The event will move to a new home of Turin in 2021, following twelve years of being hosted at The O2 in London.

Dugout has entered into the OTT streaming market for the first time with the announcement of a new partnership with streaming platform, Fanatiz, which serves the Americas.

The partnership will complement Fanatiz’s current OTT offering, which will house Dugout’s live, behind-the-scenes, and archive footage.

The recently launched Dugout LIVE streaming service will provide Fanatiz with streaming opportunities to complement its existing rights portfolio which includes the likes of La Liga, Superliga Argentina, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and Copa Argentina.

Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez is to sue streaming service DAZN and promoter Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Productions over a ‘breach of contract’.

The lawsuit, which has been filed in California, relates to a promised $365 million contract signed between the boxer, the promotions company and the streaming service in 2018.

Private Equity group ALK Capital has appointed CSM Sport & Entertainment for strategic communications.

The news comes as the agency formalises its communications offering, and after ALK Capital announced two recent investments in London-based football technology businesses AiScout and Player LENS.

The agency’s communications team supported those announcements, and will continue to advise the US investment group on media relations and 
communications.

The Athletic Founder, Alex Mather, has confirmed that the digital sports media outlet has hit 1 million subscribers.

The news comes as the publisher’s UK business announced the hiring of former Dow Jones Sports Intelligence Head, Simon Greenberg, as Head of International, Business and Corporate Development.

Tottenham Hotspur have signed a new deal with international trading platform Libertex, which will become the Premier League side’s new Official Trading Partner.

The partnership will see the brand look to provide ‘unique and exciting rewards’ to Spurs fans, including exclusive events and premium matchday experiences at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, when fans return to matches. 

The brand will also be present on the club’s digital channels as well as on the perimeter LED boards around the pitch on matchdays. 

The Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) has announced partnerships with Rugby League Cares and Mental Health UK (MHUK).

Tournament organisers will work closely RL Cares, MHUK and existing partner Movember to deliver campaigns to improve mental fitness and help encourage conversations around mental health. 

The news comes on World Suicide Prevention Day, and will help to deliver on the tournament’s Mental Fitness Charter which aims to educate players and fans on mental wellbeing as part of the tournament’s legacy.

Wealth management firm Arbuthnot Latham has announced a new partnership with the League Managers Association (LMA) and will become the organisation’s Private Banking Partner.

The private and commercial banking, wealth management and specialist finance group currently works with a number of clients across the sporting world, and says the partnership will give it further opportunity to work with more clients from the world of football.

Digital mental health services provider XenZone has announced a complete rebranding and name change, and will now be known as Kooth PLC.

The rebrand was led by M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment as part of an ongoing partnership between the two companies. The agency crafted the strategic positioning and social strategy, as well as designing the Kooth brand identity and creating an animated showreel. 

Sport England will support a new podcast series from The Game Changers – hosted by Sue Anstiss.

The series aims to inspire women of all ages, and will feature a line-up including Jessica Ennis-Hill, Judy Murray and Sarah Storey.