Industry Shorts: Monterosa, The R&a, Sports Loft

Monterosa has appointed former Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore as a Non-Executive Director, as it aims to scale its media and sport offering globally. 

The agency is consolidating its digital engagement work into Monterosa / Interaction Cloud, a platform providing back-end infrastructure and control systems for digital experiences, allowing users to create the likes of voting, native apps, live mobile game shows, in-venue interactive apps or messaging capabilities.

Scudamore will join the Monterosa Board, which also includes Robin Shenfield, Founder and former CEO of The Mill and investor group 24Haymarket. Monterosa says the appointment will help accelerate further growth for fan engagement in sport, and he joins as a number of media and sports businesses have adopted Monterosa / Interaction Cloud, with the likes of Liverpool and The BOA joining the likes of ITV, IMG Arena and ViacomCBS on the client roster.

The R&A will mark 100 days to go until the AIG Women’s Open – which is set to take place at Carnoustie – by offering 100 junior golfers a ‘golden ticket’ to the Championship. 

The organisation says the tournament aims to ‘champion the changing face of golf’ and will see the R&A work with clubs across Scotland to inspire the next generation of golf fans.

Participating clubs will award a golden ticket to junior golfers who ‘exhibit the values of the AIG Women’s Open’, which include inclusivity, inspiring others to enjoy the sport, and actively engaging with golf on and off the course. 

With a golden ticket, junior golfers will be treated to a special masterclass on Monday 16th August which will feature top tips from some of the world’s best players, while they will also be given an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Championship. They will also be welcomed back to Carnoustie for all four Championship days – while under 16s who are not ‘golden ticket’ winners, will also be admitted free of charge, when accompanied by a ticket holding adult.

Sports technology community Sports Loft has announced the launch of a new Advisory Board, appointing five executives and investors from the UK and US sport industries.

The Advisory Board will help shape how the community evolves, as well as providing insight and guidance to its members as they expand and grow. It will bring together a mix of rights holders, investors, and new properties and includes a host of names from within the sports space on both sides of the Atlantic.

Joining the Advisory Board are:

• Drew Crisp, SVP Digital Product, Media and Marketing, Liverpool;
• Jasmine Robinson, General Partner, Causeway Media Partners;
• Nick Bourne, Chief Strategy Officer, ATP Media;
• Arjun Metre, Head of Sports, Media and Entertainment Investments, Tennor Holdings and previously Investment Director, Intel Capital; and
• Yanni Andreopoulos, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, E1 Series. READ MORE  

World Rugby has announced a revised programme of men’s test matches, set to take place in July.

The governing body says it has agreed with all of its unions a revised schedule within the existing window, which will be headlined by the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa.

July will see a busy period of Test matches, with 25 of the top 30 ranked unions in action, with several hosting or being hosted for the first time since the pandemic began, including world champions South Africa and Rugby World Cup 2019 hosts Japan. 

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