Friday Press Review I April 9, 2021

Here are some of the most interesting articles of the last weeks selected by The Consultancy Group: 

Euro 2020 Q&A: Will fans be in stadiums? How many? And which countries? 

It is a significant week for this summer's European Championship, with host nations set to submit their plans to UEFA for fans being allowed into stadiums. Despite the continued pandemic, and a rise in infections in several European countries sparking renewed lockdowns, countries hosting the Euros are hoping for as many fans as possible in their stadiums for games. So what is the situation as it stands? Which countries are planning for supporters? And how many? Sky Sports News chief reporter Bryan Swanson answers key questions. Read more...

Tribute to Marvel's inspirational heroes

Inspired by historical character watches, including some of Gérald Genta's timepieces from the 1980s, Audemars Piguet wanted to pay tribute to the next generation of inspirational Super Heroes and chose to focus on the powerful Marvel Universe. A strong legacy of cross-interdisciplinary collaborations Chief Executive Officer François-Henry Bennahmias’ long-lasting friendship with Marvel Cinematic Universe Avenger Don Cheadle, who portrays Marvel’s War Machine, sparked the beginning of this partnership in 2017 – a dream come true for François-Henry Bennahmias who first aspired to collaborate with Marvel over 15 years ago. Read more...

Op-Ed: why sustainability is more than just a trend in sport  

Sustainability is not necessarily a word that we would have associated with sports sponsorship in the previous decade, but with the unprecedented year of 2020 now behind us, this theme seems more significant than ever. Research by GlobalWebIndex has shown that conscious consumerism is now mainstream with almost 60% of consumers stating they would now pay more for sustainable and eco-friendly products.  Read more...

Sport events to host fans as part of new government pilot scheme

A number of sporting events will take place in front of fans in April and May as part of a new series staged to test the return of crowds. The EFL's Carabao Cup final, the FA Cup final - as well as one semi-final - and the snooker World Championships will see limited numbers of fans in attendance, while a series of three 10k events organised by London Marathon Events will also test the return of mass participation, with some spectators also allowed to attend. Read more...

LTA launches new youth programme to boost participation

The LTA has launched a new junior programme aimed at bringing children aged 4-18 into tennis through fun sessions designed to create ‘skills for live, on and off the court. ’The fresh approach builds on the Tennis for Kids and Team Challenge initiatives launched by the national governing body for tennis in the UK in recent years.  Read more...

Visa rolls out stablecoin pilot program with partner Crypto.com

Major card network provider Visa, is rolling out a pilot program to settle transactions with a digital stablecoin via the cryptocurrency Ethereum. San Francisco-based Visa said in a press release today that it’s tapping a pack of partners to make the new service happen in its evolving efforts to bridge traditional fiat currencies to the world of digital assets. USD Coin is a stablecoin backed by the U.S. dollar and its standards were developed by Centre Consortium. Read more...

Luxury: digital initiatives, narratives now essential for the industry

In the course of twelve months, the relationship between luxury labels and the general public has changed radically. Caught up short by the first lockdown, labels initially fumbled in the dark. Then they began to explore a new digital landscape, seeking to start conversations and forge links with their customers, and introducing a spate of original digital projects, more often than not without a direct connection with their products: competitions, cultural initiatives, online courses, cookery and colouring sessions, games, conferences and more. A year later, the exercise is still relevant, boosted by increasingly creative and innovative content forms. Read more... 

Fifa 2023 Women’s World Cup host cities and stadiums announced 

Fifa, soccer’s global governing body, has announced the host cities and stadiums for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.Nine cities and ten stadiums across the two countries will stage games for the soccer showpiece, which will mark the first time the national team tournament will feature 32 teams, as well as being the first co-hosted Fifa Women’s World Cup. The opening match will be held at Eden Park in Auckland, while the final will take place at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Read more...

BT Sport and Santander team up to launch educational sport show for children 

BT Sport has announced that it will broadcast a new Saturday morning show which explores the role played by maths and science in sport. Entitled It’s A Numbers Game, the weekly show is a collaboration between BT Sport and Santanderm and will air on BT Sport 1 as well as on its BT Sport YouTube page.Exploring a range of subjects from aerodynamics to Z-Curves, the series will cover the role of science in sport in an ‘entertaining and educational’ format.  Read more...

Coke ads insert different flavors into memorable basketball moments

To tap into interest around March Madness — which returned after last year's cancellation — Coca-Cola created the "Unbelievable Double Take" ad using video tech to play on nostalgia at a time when ad production is still limited by the effects of the pandemic. The ads were made in partnership with Warner Media, Ryff and UM, which uses what Coke bills as first-time, cutting-edge 3D technology to render product models into into iconic sport scenes. Read more...

NFL player and AI entrepreneur team up for NFT play 

Collectible NFTs are becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. In fact, CNBC reports that some NFTs are selling for over $400,000 — and one NFT by digital artist Beeple sold for over $6 million.Initially, a lot of those NFTs were being generated by the art world – memes and graphics specifically created for NFTs. Then, some pop artists began creating video NFTs. Now, musical artists like Kings of Leon and Shawn Mendes are creating NFTs to enhance the user-experience. Next up? Sports memorabilia.  Read more...

TeamViewer signs five-year partnership with Mercedes F1 and Formula E teams

TeamViewer has announced a new five-year partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team and Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team. The software company - which was also recently unveiled as the new shirt sponsor for Premier League side Manchester United - will provide the Mercedes teams with remote connectivity solutions and technology to drive greater performance as an Official Partner. Read more...

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