The INDY 500 has secured a first-of-its-kind new deal with ELF Cosmetics, utilising social media to expand the open-wheel car racing competition to new and diverse audiences. Meanwhile, Hockey Australia has extended one of the most enduring partnerships in Australian sporting history.
Welcome back to B&T’s Spotlight on Sponsors series, where we break down all the major sponsorship news from inside the sporting world.
B&T unpacks all the latest news in sports sponsorship below!
Kookaburra Sports x Hockey Australia
For the next three years, The Kookaburras will proudly showcase ‘Kookaburra’ on their front-of-shirt after Hockey Australia secured a long-term major partnership with one of hockey’s most iconic brands, Kookaburra Sport.
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The three-year agreement renews one of Australia’s longest-standing partnerships, which dates back 30 years to when Kookaburra Sport initially partnered with Hockey Australia to name the men’s national team after Australia’s iconic native bird.
In addition to becoming the Official Front-of-Shirt Sponsor for Australia’s men’s national hockey team, the Kookaburras, the sporting brand will also feature on the Hockeyroos front of skort and become the Exclusive Ball Partner for Hockey Australia, its National Championships and the Hockey One League.
“This announcement is an incredibly exciting moment for our sport. It’s fantastic to align the Kookaburras, one of Australia’s proudest national teams, with Kookaburra Sport, a proud Australian-owned company. Both brands have a lasting legacy synonymous with Australian sport over many decades and align through shared values, a mutual passion for hockey and the understanding of the importance of community in our game,” said Hockey Australia CEO David Pryles.
Gravity Media x Crankworx Cairns
Gravity Media Australia has confirmed that it will deliver the international broadcast technology and production outcome for Crankworx Cairns, the world’s largest mountain bike festival, from 22 to 26 May, with coverage of the event delivered across Red Bull TV.
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Gravity Media Australia has been the broadcast technology partner for Crankworx Cairns since its successful debut in 2022. Across five courses and four days of competition, Gravity Media will use 90 camera positions, satellite broadcast technology, and 23 cameras, including specialty cameras and drones, to capture the ultimate mountain biking experience.
Gravity Media Australia’s role with Crankworx Cairns builds on its long-term partnerships with major cycling events in Australia, including Tour Down Under, Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Geelong, and the UCI MTB World Championships in Cairns.
Gravity Media Australia also delivered the broadcast technology and production requirements for the UCI BMX Racing World Cup, held in Brisbane earlier this year.
“Crankworx Cairns is a spectacular event,” said Marcus Doherty, account executive of media services and facilities at Gravity Media. “The landscape and the scope of Crankworx presents some broadcast challenges requiring innovative technology and production solutions”.
“We look forward to creating and delivering the global coverage of Crankworx from tropical north-east Australia”.
Deakin University x Melbourne Vixens
Netball Victoria and the Melbourne Vixens have renewed their partnerships with Deakin University as exclusive education, insights, and research partners for a further three years.
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Deakin has helped advance the development of netball in Victoria since 2019, providing integrated learning and research projects, professional development and graduate employment opportunities. The partnership extension feeds into Deakin’s real-world approach to sports education, preparing its students to shape the sports industry while also providing insights to keep Netball Victoria and the Melbourne Vixens ahead of the pack.
“For the last five years, Deakin has helped Netball Victoria and the Melbourne Vixens develop as leaders in our field, and with the extension of this partnership, we’re looking forward to seeing where the sport and team can grow further,” said Netball Victoria CEO, Andrea Pearman.
“We’re thrilled to have the commitment of a world-renowned education destination in Deakin, whose commitment to advocating for women’s sport at the community and elite level and growing career opportunities in women’s sport is strongly aligned with our core values as an organisation”.
Cisco + ELf COsmetics x INDYCAR
Penske Entertainment announced this week that it will partner with global technology leader Cisco, making the company an official partner of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Penske Entertainment will leverage a wide range of Cisco’s industry-leading technology solutions, including networking infrastructure, collaboration, wireless, cloud management, and more, to securely connect all aspects of its business. Additionally, the two organisations and existing partners like NTT will explore opportunities for technological enhancement across the Penske Entertainment portfolio and the use of Webex collaboration technology for fan engagement opportunities and press interviews.
Cisco will also become the presenting sponsor of the NTT INDYCAR Series Business Hub. This customer hospitality area will be seen on-site at highlight events on the 2024 season calendar.
“The Penske Entertainment portfolio includes some of the marquee races and venues in all of motorsports, and we are thrilled to build upon our existing customer relationship to continue to provide a wide range of Cisco technology solutions to meet the demands of their first-in-class properties,” said Ashley Marusak, Leader, Global Sports Marketing at Cisco.
In another massive signing for the open-wheel car racing competition, the INDY 500 has also signed a first-of-its-kind partnership with ELF cosmetics. This partnership will bring immersive activations to new audiences through drone shows, @roblox, @snapchat, and more.
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Xbox x Professional Squash Association (PSA)
Xbox has been unveiled as the title sponsor for the Professional Squash Association World Tour Finals 2023-24, which is bringing the world’s best squash players to Bellevue, United States, between June 18-22 for the season’s final event.
The Xbox PSA World Tour Finals will be held at the Boys and Girls Club Hidden Valley Field House in Bellevue and will feature the top eight male and female squash players on the planet.
Alongside title sponsorship, Xbox will also receive extensive branding on-site as well as on the all-glass show court, which will be broadcast to millions of squash fans worldwide via PSA’s social media channels, linear TV partners and OTT platform, SQUASHTV.
“We are delighted that Xbox, a household name in the technology and video gaming industry, has decided to partner with one of the most prestigious events on the PSA World Tour,” said PSA Chief Commercial Officer Tommy Berden.
“The Xbox PSA World Tour Finals showcases the incredible skill, athleticism and captivating drama that professional squash has to offer, and we’re thrilled to have Xbox on board for the season finale”.
CJ Media x Tennis Australia
Tennis Australia and CJ Media have renewed their broadcast partnership. The new multi-year deal will see CJ Media’s linear channels and OTT platform TVING continue to broadcast the Australian Open in South Korea until 2027.
A broadcast partner of the Australian Open since 2021, CJ Media’s tvN Sports channel provides coverage to more than 95 per cent of households in South Korea. Its digital platform TVING is the number one domestic OTT service with 3.8 million subscribers.
“We are delighted to extend our agreement with CJ Media, to broadcast the Australian Open to our large and growing fan base in South Korea,” Tennis Australia chief commercial officer Cedric Cornelis said.
“Growing tennis in the Asia region has long been a priority for Tennis Australia, and our partnership with CJ Media is another important step on this journey”.
“Asia accounts for 35-40% of the AO’s global viewership and South Korea consistently ranks in the top five Asian countries by viewership, making it a key market for us”.
