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Happy Friday!

It’s been a big week for partnerships. From Tiffany & Co. and Nike, and Tottenham Hotspur and the South African tourist board, to Prime Hydrate and the UFC, and Sorare and the Premier League, there really was no shortage of high profile announcements.

I’ve decided to take a look at the two latter deals (and just link to the others) so as to provide some focus on other areas of interest that caught my attention too.

Hope you enjoy!👇

MCC back ‘smart’ cricket ball to counter lacking umpire uptake
How the NBA is taking basketball back to the streets
Premier League signs NFT-based fantasy deal with Sorare
Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime Hydration partners with the UFC
FIFA+ to stream Club World Cup matches for free

MCC back ‘smart’ cricket ball to counter lacking umpire uptake 🏏

The MCC is reportedly set to roll out a ‘smart’ cricket ball this summer that will revolutionise umpiring in the amateur game with the use of an app, according to a report from The Telegraph.

There has been a sharp decline in the number of umpires available for club and village cricket, often leaving players to officiate their own matches. This, coupled with the contentious decisions that often result from it, has sparked action.

The idea is that a microchip which is inserted into the ball connects to an app on the umpire’s phone via Bluetooth and provides evidence that can reduce the inconsistency of their decision making. The app will provide tracking data for lbw decisions and a provide a function similar to ‘snicko’ thanks to a microphone within the ball.

Jake Goodwill @jakegoodwill1

Exclusive: ‘Smart’ cricket ball to be released for amateur game this summer amid umpire shortage. Idea is to bring reviews to the club game via an app that has ball tracking and snicko technology - and hopefully reduce controversy

telegraph.co.ukExclusive: MCC to back ‘smart’ cricket ball and bring DRS to amateur gameSmartphone app will enable ball-tracking and ‘snicko’ technology in bid to combat declining numbers of umpires and controversial decisions

How the NBA is taking basketball back to the streets 🏀

Last week saw the global launch of NBA All World, a real-world mobile basketball game from the creators of Pokémon Go.

NBA All-World features a familiar formula to previous titles from Niantic. After installing the free app, you’re given a starter player and can use the in-game map to navigate to real-world locations in order to collect items, earn cash or battle other players.

The big twist? Instead of visiting random points of interest, you’ll need to visit real-world basketball courts to earn your spot on local leaderboards - this has incredible potential to help drive activity and participation among a younger digital-first generation.

Andy Marston @AndyMarstonSP

Introducing NBA All-World 🏀🔥 An augmented reality mobile game from @NianticLabs the creators of @PokemonGoApp The game will be the first ever licensed by the NBA to enter the world of Web3 👇

P.S. For a long time I’ve been fascinated with how a similar concept could work in football, particularly if tied to an already popular video game like FIFA Ultimate Team. Imagine the uptick in kids attending a club’s summer training camps if it meant they could ‘collect’ a special FIFA Ultimate Team card via their phones as a reward.

Premier League signs NFT-based fantasy deal with Sorare ⚽️

Sorare, the $4.3bn (£3.5bn) NFT fantasy sports game, has signed a four-year deal with the Premier League, which now joins the likes of LaLiga, Bundesliga, NBA, and MLB in licensing official player cards.

Players of the game will be now able to purchase and use official Premier League-licensed NFTs to compete in fantasy games of five-a-side which are based on the real-time performance of players.

This will include ‘free-to-play’ modes, which Sorare have sought to introduce in their recent development to reduce focus on the ‘play-to-win’ element of the platform. They also recently added a “financial fair play” feature (no word on how they’re factoring for amortisation yet, though 😉)

Premier League @premierleague

So, you want to manage your own Premier League club? Build your squad on @Sorare, climb the ranks, and compete for big rewards - just like a real football club owner. #BuildYourLegacy Play now: go.sorare.com/krwrg

Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime Hydration partners with the UFC 🥊

Prime Hydration, the sports drink launched by YouTube royalty Logan Paul and KSI to “rival some of the biggest companies on Earth,” has been announced as the official global sports drink of the UFC.

The tie-up will see Prime branding integrated into key UFC assets whilst Logan Paul and KSI will leverage their huge social media audiences of almost 400 million followers to collaborate on creating original content with the MMA promotion.

I previously wrote about Prime Hydration, and why influencers are ditching traditional brands deals. Paul has claimed that Prime sold 100 million bottles and earned $250 million in retail sales in its first year. The duo hold such influence that it was reported their drinks were selling on the secondary market for between 10-50x their £2 RRP.

Logan Paul @LoganPaul

Prime just became the Official Sports Drink of @ufc

FIFA+ to stream Club World Cup matches for free ⚽️

FIFA’s streaming service, FIFA+, is set to provide free-to-air coverage of all seven of the 2023 Club World Cup matches across more than 50 territories, including in the UK.

Typically, the Club World Cup has struggled for relevance or viewership from broadcasters. This is the case even in the UK, despite Chelsea winning the competition in 2021 and Liverpool in 2019.

FIFA hope that by offering up the competition for free, it will be able to draw in more viewers and to gain a better understanding of the audience ahead of it proposed expansion to 32 teams in 2025.

Sports Pundit @SportsPunditHQ

Fifa+ is set to provide free-to-air coverage of the 2023 Club World Cup across more than 50 territories, including the UK⚽️ FIFA hope by offering up the competition for free, it will be able to draw in more viewers ahead of proposed expansion in 2025👇 sportspromedia.com/news/fifa-plus…

sportspromedia.comFifa+ to stream Club World Cup matches for free in UK and 50+ other global territories - SportsProAll seven Club World Cup games will air on the Fifa+ OTT platform in the UK and other key territories globally.

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