By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Basketball Champions League has launched a new multi-year partnership with sports business agency SPORTFIVE, the competition announced Thursday, with an aim to take BCL to the next level and reshape the landscape of club competitions in the Old Continent.
Per championsleague.basketball:
FIBA ClubCo and SPORTFIVE today announce a multi-year partnership, which sees SPORTFIVE as the exclusive agency managing a combined set of marketing and global media rights for the Basketball Champions League and the FIBA Intercontinental Cup for the next three years, beginning with the upcoming 2021/22 season.
The agreement is signed between SPORTFIVE and FIBA ClubCo, a joint entity which was formed by FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, and the US-based investment group GCBH LP in 2020. Through integrating the commercialization of media and sponsorship rights as part of a single enterprise, the new partnership will take the Basketball Champions League to its next level and reshape the landscape of club competitions in Europe.
As a global sports business agency, SPORTFIVE will act as a holistic partner providing FIBA with its vast service portfolio alongside production, distribution and commercialization. A joint target of the partnership is to continue the growth of the competitions and further develop a truly fan-first basketball experience driving global exposure and leading to a premier commercial product for broadcasters and brands.
Patrick Comninos, CEO BCL, says: “We are very pleased to welcome SPORTFIVE as BCL’s partner in marketing our media and sponsorship rights. This appointment comes as the conclusion of a wider review in view of the sales strategy for the coming seasons and we now have the opportunity to develop a comprehensive commercial partnership with an industry leader. I would like to acknowledge the extensive internal resources that we have benefited from over the last 5 years which have contributed to the development and growth of the BCL. We look forward to further developing the commercial value of the BCL with the support and expertise of SPORTFIVE through this innovative integrated partnership.”
Robert Müller von Vultejus, CGO SPORTFIVE, explains: “SPORTFIVE has extensive experience and proven track record in developing rights-holders and taking them to the next commercial level. I am thrilled that FIBA ClubCo trusts our full-service approach in this regard and I am convinced that we will justify this trust via innovative solutions as well as contemporary distribution and partnership models, which will provide one of Europe’s premier basketball competitions with the ideal professional framework to appeal not only to their fans but also suitable brands.”