It’s Sunday which means one thing; it’s time for the AST wrap-up! However, there’s a twist this week as today’s newsletter is co-edited by the founder of The Final Whistle, Omari Coates. This week sees UFC legend, Khabib, embark on a new business venture. Wrexham AFC finds themselves in a lucrative investment opportunity. Footvolley is set to make noise with its recent association amongst Genius Sports. PlayStation pursues cheeky marketing tactics before the PS5 launch, and Novak Djokovic teams up with Jay Z to rustle a few feathers in the world of fitness.
UFC Legend Khabib Nurmagomedov soars into the telecoms industry with Eagle Mobile
The 29-0 fighter has already embarked on a new business venture since retiring by establishing a new network operator, called Eagle mobile. The initiative which will reward customers to with exclusively UFC merchandise, archived fight clips of Khabib or photo opportunities with the lightweight champion.
The operator will allow its consumers to access wireless communication services on any device through a SIM card across the Moscow region. Khabib will behave as the co-owner and front-face of the brand; however, he will have other skilled operatives running the groundwork of the business.
The former Russian athlete stepping into telecoms is a smart move considering the sector is sitting on €1,130bn. Plus, despite Khabib being retired from the UFC, he’s got a strong fanbase in the Moscow region that can likely convert to high volumes of subscribers to his new network.
This is an exciting move for the former MMA legend, and it will be interesting to identify the impact this makes for telecoms in the Moscow region and worldwide.
Wrexham AFC looks to claim Hollywood status
This Tuesday saw a groundbreaking event occur for fifth-tier English football. The Wrexham AFC supporters Trust approved Hollywood Stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as the club’s new owners.
The Deadpool duo has strong ambitions for the Welsh club to become a global force with a possible £2m being invested to them alongside a Netflix-themed documentary being in the works. Wrexham AFC is the third oldest club in the world which saw 98%+ of their supporters backing Ryan and Rob’s ownership of the club.
Wrexham AFC fans have a lot to look forward to with this investment which can lead the club into domestic success on and off the pitch.
Sports tech firm Genius Sports to launch exclusive Pro Footvolley Over-The-Top Platform
Genius Sports has penned a deal for the next decade with Pro Footvolley Tour to establish a live streaming service for the competition. Plus, the tech company has been given global rights to support betting companies with official data and video content from the tournament.
The partnership proves innovative as it expands the tours international sponsor network, commercial opportunity and audience. Over 500 TV hours have been broadcasted of the Footvolley tour since 2012 to domestic and international broadcast networks. The 2021 edition aims to feature 26 stops on the global tour while a yearly ‘World series of Footvolley’ will be created each summer.
We’re entering a new era for football and volleyball to prove their collaboration can leverage new audiences and interests to deliver immeasurable value to their global stakeholder base.
PlayStation deliver iconic marketing activation directly outside London’s Microsoft store
Written by Omari Coates; Founder of The Final Whistle
Leading up to the release of the Playstation 5 (PS5), Sony took over Oxford Circus to advertise the highly anticipated console. The marketing activation took place over 48 hours at Oxford Circus, with the iconic PlayStation shapes promoted inside and outside the tube station. Cheekily, the PlayStation shapes were seen outside the Microsoft Store which I’m sure was only a coincidence.
PlayStation executed this marketing activation to a tee and utilised its strong brand presence to create viral content. In addition to Oxford Circus, four other stations have also been rebranded to fit the PlayStation theme.
Mile End is now Miles End, which is a nod to Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Lancaster Gate is Ratchet and Clankaster Gate, Seven Sisters has been rebranded as Gran Turismo 7 Sisters, and West Ham has transformed into Horizon Forbidden West Ham. Although the four-tube names are temporary, rebranding will last until December 16th.
Jay Z and Novak Djokovic join forces to revolutionise the fitness industry
Written by Omari Coates; Founder of The Final Whistle
Music Mogul and Businessman Jay Z and tennis star Novak Djokovic have recently invested in fitness start-up Clmbr. Clmbr is preparing for the launch of 2021 launch of CLMBR Connected and CLMBR Pure vertical climbing machines.
CLMBR’s touchscreen shows on-demand classes, and its app tracks user data such as vertical feet climbed, and workout targets reached. Having two highly recognised public figures investing in the company will help to position CLMBR as an innovator in the fitness and lifestyle industries.
Jay-Z’s investment in CLMBR through his Marcy Venture Partners firm comes one week after his wife, Beyonce, announced a partnership with indoor cycling platform Peloton.
Jay-Z and Novak Djokovic join venture capital and private equity firm KBW-Ventures; exercise physiologist and founder of 22 Days Nutrition, Marco Borges and co-founder and former CEO of YouTube, Chad Hurley, as key members of CLMBR’s investment team.
That’s a wrap! How will Eagle mobile fare in the telecoms world? Is the potential for commercial growth unlimited now for Wrexham AFC? What will the footvolley global audience look like in a year? Did you find PlayStations PR stunt a sweet or salty move and will Jay-Z’s and Djokovic’s investment in fitness prove worthwhile?
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