Lucerne, February 9, 2000: ISL and Sport+ (the sports rights acquisitions arm of the Canal+ group) have announced a strategic television and marketing partnership to further promote the exciting new FIBA EuroLeague.
ISL has recently secured a four-year selected marketing and all media rights agreement for the FIBA EuroLeague. The new partnership with Sport+ will further strengthen the handling of the commercial activities for the next four seasons until 2004.
The agreement, which covers four seasons starting with the 2000-01 season, will see a new structure for European Club Basketball. 24 teams from across Europe will compete in a re-branded and better-defined competition, which will give old fans a richer experience and will attract new fans to this dynamic growth sport.
Mr Jerome Valcke, Managing Director of Sport+ said, ‘Following a very successful partnership with FIBA and ISL in European Basketball, Sport+ is pleased to be involved in the exciting new EuroLeague project which will see European Basketball reach a new level of popularity and success.’
ISL has been working with FIBA for over ten years helping to develop FIBA European Basketball. This has included the television coverage of the 1998 World Championships (Men’s) in Athens and the 1999 European Championships (Men’s) in France.
Mr. David Schiller, Managing Director of ISL Television said: ‘We are delighted to be developing the FIBA EuroLeague television coverage in partnership with Sport+. Sport+’s unparalleled reputation for excellence in their coverage of sports events guarantees that the new EuroLeague will have the best production of any League in Europe. By combining the expertise of ISL in Sports Marketing and TV sales, Sport+ in Sports TV production & TV rights and the exhilarating competition of the top European Club Basketball teams this new project will be a very exciting experience.’
Contact: ISL Worldwide: Lilly Frei at lilly.frei@islworld.com or ++41 1 388 91 27
Background information about ISL Worldwide and the ISMM Group
ISL is the world’s leading independent sports event media & marketing company. It markets on behalf of international sports federations and other governing bodies on an exclusive worldwide basis event media and marketing rights including TV, video and other electronic media rights, sponsorships, licensing & merchandising rights and all related services.
ISL and its affiliate companies Copyright Promotion Group (CPG), En-Linea and Sponsorship Research International (SRi) are part of the ISMM (International Sports Media & Marketing) Group. The ISMM Group serves its business partners and sponsor clients with 460 staff members in 34 offices located in the world’s major markets.
ISL’s major business partners include the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), the Union of European Football Association (UEFA), the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the international Basketball Federation (FIBA), ERC-Rugby, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP Tour Inc.), the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the International Swimming Federation (FINA) and others.
For further information on ISL Worldwide, respectively the ISMM Group, please refer to ISL homepage at www.islworld.com or www.ismmgroup.com.