Licensing & Merchandising
Premier League enters VR gaming with Rezzil investment and licensing deal
The English Premier League today announced it has acquired a stake in virtual reality software firm Rezzil and agreed a new four-year licensing agreement.
Ralley leaves World Rugby for St Andrews commercial role
James Ralley, World Rugby’s director of partnerships and brand, has left the organisation to become the commercial director for the St Andrews Links Trust, the body that manages the seven links golf courses at St Andrews in Scotland.
Laporta threatens Nike termination as club seeks ‘best contract’
FC Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta has ramped up the pressure on kit supplier Nike to either quit or pay more to the debt-laden LaLiga club.
NFL’s expanded Global Markets Program adds five countries, four teams
The National Football League has once again expanded its Global Markets Program, taking the initiative to five new countries in South America, Asia and Africa and opening up commercial opportunities for four more franchises.
Topps retains F1 contract in competitive trading card space
Topps, the physical and digital trading card brand owned by global merchandising company Fanatics, has retained its contract with Formula 1 motor racing in a multi-year renewal.
Castore beefs up English football presence with Umbro sublicensing
SportBusiness understands Castore is positioned to take over all existing Umbro football kit contracts in the UK, with exclusive windows to become each club's kit supplier after their Umbro contracts expire.
Fifa 2023 revenues buoyed by WWC, sponsorship makes up 39 per cent
World governing body FIFA enjoyed income of $1.17bn (€1.07bn) in 2023, boosted by strong commercial revenues from the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
NWSL strengthens Amazon ties with merchandise sales remit
The National Women’s Soccer League is building on its partnership with one of its new domestic media rights-holders, Amazon, today (Monday) unveiling the e-commerce giant as its exclusive retail sponsor.
DFL extends licensing agreement with Mondelez International
The German Football League (DFL) has announced an extension of its licensing deal with Mondelēz International as the confectionery company rolls out a different strategy to its approach in English football.
Dortmund taps Legends to overhaul e-commerce operations
Borussia Dortmund has announced a new multi-year agreement with global experiences and merchandising platform Legends to upgrade the German club's e-commerce offering.
F1 sponsorship market heats up as 2024 season looms
All 10 Formula 1 teams are in a pre-season race to secure sponsorship agreements ahead of the new campaign, prompting a deluge of deals to roll in over the course of the week
Woods and TaylorMade reveal ‘Sun Day Red’ lifestyle brand
Tiger Woods and his clothing and shoe line partner TaylorMade have revealed the new name and logo combination for their nascent "active premium lifestyle" brand
Women’s Euro 2022 generated commercial income hike but remains loss-making
Uefa has reported a massive hike in commercial revenue for the 2022 Women’s Euro, despite continuing overall losses for the tournament after distributions are taken into account.
Topps replaces Panini to regain UFC trading-card licence
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced a multi-year deal with Topps for its trading-card licence, with the Fanatics-owned brand reacquiring the licence from Panini in the latest development…
Winners Alliance to manage cricketers’ collective commercial rights
Winners Alliance has announced a new agreement to manage select group commercial rights for the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA).
Endeavor invests in Chess.com, WME to handle representation and brand partnerships
Endeavor Group, the sports and entertainment conglomerate, has made a major move into chess, announcing a strategic investment into the leading gaming platform for the sport, today (Thursday).
Castore expands into Nascar with Hendrick Motorsports
Castore has made its first entry into Nascar via an agreement with the Hendrick Motorsports team.
New Balance agrees ‘exclusive’ kit deal with São Paulo in Brazil
New Balance will take over from Adidas as the kit supplier to Brazilian club São Paulo from January 2024 in a deal that makes the sports brand exclusive to the club in Brazil.