ITF, BeIN Sports Grow Tennis Coverage -- Sponsor Spotlight

(ATR) The International Tennis Federation says its agreement with beIN Sports means fans from all countries competing in both the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup are able to watch the first round ties live.

The ITF reached a long-term agreement with beIN Sports in 2015 but it wasn’t until this year that it came into full effect. The plan is for beIN Sports to create and deliver a global strategy for the development of Davis Cup and Fed Cup as premium television properties.

For fans in the participating countries, that means easier access to watch the events. All eight of last weekend’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group first round ties were broadcast and all eight of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group and World Group II ties will be broadcast.

To make that happen, the ITF and beIN Sports have taken a two-pronged approach. First, many of the historic free-to-air broadcasters of the ITF’s flagship events have renewed ther agreements with beIN for the Davis Cup and Fed Cup.

Second, the traditional coverage is being supplemented by new agreements with sports channels and internet platforms worldwide.

"We now operate in a multi-media landscape that is constantly evolving," said ITF President David Haggerty in a statement. "We believe that as a rights holder we must identify and embrace new and innovative ways to connect with as wide an audience as possible. That is why we are excited about our partnership with beIN Sports."

Seoul Welcomes PyeongChang 2018 Countdown Clock

The countdown for the final year to the 2018 Winter Olympics is ticking for all to see in downtown Seoul.

The traditional Omega clock was unveiled at City Hall the day before the one year mark to the open of the Games in PyeongChang, three hours to the east of the capital city.

The christening included IOC member and PyeongChang coordination commission chair Gunilla Lindberg, PyeongChang 2018 president Hee Beom Lee and Omega chief executive Raynald Aeschlimann. Omega is an IOC TOP sponsor, supplying timing and scoring services for the Olympics.

Lindberg tellsAround the Rings the event marked an important milestone in garnering enthusiasm for the Games.

"It is now one year to go; it is a symbol," Lindberg said. "Also, there is the launch of the ticket sales tomorrow. The Games will be promoted."

An Omega spokesperson confirmed to ATR that the Seoul clock will be the only one counting down until the 2018 Olympics. For the last Winter Games, Sochi received a countdown clock 1,000 days ahead of the Olympics and eight separate clocks were installed in major cities to mark the final year.

Click here to read more about the countdown clock ceremony.

Samsung Galaxy S8 to Release in April

The next flagship smartphone for Olympic TOP sponsor Samsung is expected to release at the end of April, according to Venture Beat.

While Samsung typically launches its new smartphones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain at the end of February, the faulty batteries in the Samsung Note7 have caused delays in the usual release cycle.

Full details regarding the new phone are anticipated to be released on March 29 in New York with sales expected to begin on April 21.

Samsung began its Olympic sponsorship as a local sponsor for the Seoul 1988 Olympics and became a TOP sponsor at the Nagano 1998 Games. The company is the exclusive wireless communications equipment partner of the IOC and provides the Olympic family with its premier smartphones during the Games.

The Galaxy S8 will be the phone utilized by Olympic stakeholders during the next Winter Olympics in Samsung’s backyard. The 2018 Winter Games will take place in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Written by Gerard Farek, Aaron Bauer and Kevin Nutley.

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