The Euroleague Basketball Finance Panel has rendered its decision concerning the compliance status of Khimki Moscow Region with the Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations (FSFPR).

The proceeding had been opened on the basis of an alleged infringement of overdue payables under Article 32. a) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code.

The case was referred by the Euroleague Basketball Management Control Commission for the Finance Panel to review the proceeding.

As a result of that review, the Finance Panel has ruled:

1. Khimki is responsible for the infringements contemplated by Article 32. a) of the Euroleague Basketball Disciplinary Code.

2. Khimki is sanctioned with a limitation on player expenses for the two upcoming seasons it participates in the Euroleague Basketball competitions.

3. The ban on registration new players and coaches in force as a result of a previous proceeding referred to the Finance Panel will likewise apply as long as the Overdue Payables remain outstanding pursuant to Article 2(k) of the Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations.

Finance Panel resolution in Khimki

Board members sign off guiding principles of first-ever collective agreement with the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA)
2022 Final Four hosting rights awarded to Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin
The Euroleague Commercial Assets Shareholders Executive Board members met on Wednesday, July 7, in Barcelona, with team representatives welcoming LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne and FC Bayern Munich to the table after they were confirmed as licensed teams.

The meeting concluded with the following decisions:

Financial report: reviewed and approved 2020-21 closing figures and 2021-22 projections.
Clubs' economic distribution: approved main principles for the 2021-22 distribution criteria, giving market pool distribution a higher weight over the total with the objective of reducing revenue uncertainty for EuroLeague clubs.
Players' European Framework Agreement: approved the terms of a landmark first-ever three-year collective agreement with the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA) that will establish league-wide standards in the working relationship between players and Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs. Euroleague Basketball and the ELPA will announce further details on the agreement in the coming weeks.
Final Four: Approved awarding Berlin and Mercedes-Benz Arena with the hosting rights for the 2022 event.
The decisions taken by the Executive Board, together with those taken in its previous meeting, will be brought to the ECA Shareholders Meeting, to be held on July 8, 2021.

ECA Executive Board holds second preseason meeting in Barcelona

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Meeting in Barcelona, the Euroleague Commercial Assets Shareholders reviewed performance of the competitions during the 2020-21 season and discussed the future, taking the following decisions:

- Reviewed end-of-season data on different topics:

o All competitions completed, with 18 games (5.5%) having been rescheduled in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 21 games (11%) having been rescheduled in the 7DAYS EuroCup, where 2 games (1%) were also relocated.

o Steady growth in audience levels in both competitions, highlighted by:

a 79% growth in EuroLeague regular season and 50% in EuroLeague playoffs live audience figures.
51% growth in EuroLeague social media engagement and 39% in video views, with the Final Four seeing higher growth levels of 82% and 99% respectively. The EuroCup registered 17% growth in social media engagement.
22% growth in EuroLeague interest levels in the competition’s territories compared to 2019, with Spain, Italy, Israel, Turkey, France and Germany driving highest growth rates; 19% growth in EuroCup interest levels in the competition’s territories compared to 2019, with Greece, Spain, Turkey and Italy driving highest growth rates (research conducted by Nielsen Sports in March/April 2021).
65% to 85% of fans willing or highly willing to attend a live basketball game when restrictions are lifted (research conducted by Nielsen Sports in March/April 2021).
- Approved 2021-22 competitions bylaws, which include the following modifications, amongst others:

o Minimum EuroLeague club budget set at €7 million (previously at €5.4 million) from 2022-23 onward.

o Updated EuroLeague shareholders’ contribution limitations:

2021-22: 55% of budgeted expenses instead of 50%
2022-23: 50% instead of 40%
o Transitory EuroLeague and EuroCup marketing provisions that were introduced in the 2020-21 season and help limit impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing available commercial assets for clubs are maintained for the 2021-22 season.

o EuroLeague and EuroCup game technical rules:

Instant Replay System (IRS) review of basket value to be performed during the next timeout or at the end of the quarter to reduce game interruptions, except in last two minutes of regular time and overtime.
Head coaches will be allowed to call one "challenge" per game to ask the referees to review a play within the established IRS reviewable situations.
o Medical and Health & Safety Protocols: reviewed progress of the Team Doctors and EB Medical Officer meetings, including main concepts concerning rule updates on both protocols.

The complete bylaws of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and of the 7DAYS EuroCup will be made publicly available in the upcoming weeks.

- Approved proposed lists of 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup participating teams.

- Approved 2021-22 season calendar:

o EuroLeague to start on September 30.

o EuroCup to start on October 20.

- Approved 2020-21 closing financial figures and 2021-22 projections.

- Approved first-ever European Framework Agreement with the EuroLeague Players Association, which will regulate the working relationship between EuroLeague clubs and players for the next three seasons.

ECA Shareholders hold 2021-22 season inaugural meeting

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Euroleague Basketball’s FanXP Innovation Challenge has partnered with Tech Barcelona to elevate the mentoring program of the event and connect the participating start-ups to a wide-ranging investor network.

With the aim of offering fans the best experience possible, the FanXP Innovation Challenge – staged in collaboration with N3XT Sports – challenges the latest generation of tech startups to join the sports fan revolution with creative and unique ideas. 38 applicants threw their hats into the ring - ranging from arena management to digital fan engagement - to take part in the biggest basketball startup competition in the world, with those entries facing a review by a jury panel before the top nine are selected to join a virtual final event. Content creation platform Slate took the prize among this years’ finalists ImagineAR, LivXp AG, Fanprime, Seyu Solutions Ltd., Sceenic, LiveDuel, FanDome FRM and Clupik.

Supporting the contest, Tech Barcelona is an independent and non-profit association that works to consolidate Barcelona as a technological and digital hub of international reference. Created in 2013, it represents more than 1,000 members - entrepreneurs, founders, executives or investors - and has more than 70 partner companies, leaders in their sector, committed to the project.

Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball’s Chief Business Officer, said: “We are committed to staying at the forefront of technology innovations within the framework of professional sports, and partnering with initiatives like Tech Barcelona will help maintain our position as a progressive and forward-thinking organization.”

Didac Lee, Vicepresident of Tech Barcelona said: “The collaboration between Euroleague Basketball and Tech Barcelona is good news for the sports tech ecosystem. Startups and corporations have to work hand in hand to generate the growth dynamics that we want for Barcelona, which is already the third most preferred city for European entrepreneurs, for it to be consolidated as an international hub for the tech and sports industries.”

Euroleague Basketball partners with Tech Barcelona

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Club executives came together this week to make plans for the coming season and beyond with a series of online meetings as part of the Euroleague Basketball Institute Annual Workshops.

The media directors spent several hours on Monday afternoon focused on continuing to engage fans through both club digital platforms and cooperation with traditional media outlets. They briefly reviewed what content initiatives helped boost the EuroLeague's digital audience last season before exchanging new ideas with which to attract new and younger fans going forward through bespoke storytelling and content synergies with third-party creators.

Chief among the goals discussed was the need to make the EuroLeague experience even stronger for fans returning to the arenas next season by meeting all their sports and logistical information needs while consistently adding entertainment value to each interaction.

Jenny Gravia, Media Director for Olympiacos Piraeus, appreciated the opportunity to spend time with her peers from other clubs.

“The meeting was very useful because we have a common goal with EuroLeague which is to grow the league and make more people love basketball,” she said. “We have to do that in collaboration with the league, and the meeting means we can exchange ideas and start new projects. That is a big benefit for all the teams and the league as a whole. For next season, I think fans are thirsty for basketball and want to see their idols from close distance again.”

The media directors joined Lara Toscani Weems, Head of Corporate Communications for Elevate Sports Ventures and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, in a discussion of how to manage and foment media coverage on the business side of basketball by setting priorities, training spokespeople and recognizing off-the-court storylines of interest to general and specialized media.

“Think about challenging your front office executives to think like a publicist. Train them to look critically at every partnership agreement or business initiative with an eye towards relevancy across the media and industry landscape. What makes this deal unique or significant? What new trend does this ticket sales data reflect?" Ms. Toscani Weems said. "Challenge your executives to identify, rank and share their business priorities, as well as their wish list for media placement. What does a win in earned media placement look like to your CRO? A new sponsor? What outlet will make the phone ring in the Premium Sales department? There may be circumstances where local or regional business media coverage will produce more tangible business results than national coverage - our goal is always to drive the business forward; and while doing so, stimulate and inspire the global sports industry ecosystem by sharing our team and league innovation.”

Marketing directors met on Tuesday morning to discuss how to further develop the brand of the competition and its member clubs, with a focus on digital strategies for the modern audience across Europe and the rest of the world. Ensuring the competition is based around sustainability was another point of emphasis, with a roadmap to 2030 following guidelines set out by the United Nations.

“At Fenerbahce last year we started a new era and now we want to connect our past with our future, which is why we started our #YellowLegacy hashtag last year. We will continue with this by opening a club museum and a wall of fame, and at Fenerbahce, our great strength is our digital platforms, especially social media, so we want to be more aggressive with our digital strategy to attract more partners,” stated Murat Tankut, Marketing Manager for Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.

The results of consumer research carried out by Nielsen were presented, underlining that sports organizations need to think of themselves as competing with separate industries such as music, entertainment and shopping for the attention and interest of fans. The evolution of corporate partnerships and sponsorships was also on the agenda, highlighted by the need to adapt to change in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday afternoon it was the turn of ticketing executives to gather as they look forward to re-opening box offices and season ticket sales for the 2021-22 season, with the focus on ensuring that fans feel safe and comfortable to return to arenas.

Several examples for best practices around the reopening were shared, led by a fan-centric approach to make fans feel important and valued. The importance of clear and consistent communication to keep fans informed and prepared to return to games was emphasized along with ideas for new ways of using technology and offering creative season ticket packages.

The meeting was joined by special guest Chris Heck, President of the Philadelphia 76ers, who offered suggestions for unique ticket selling opportunities both for season tickets and individual games. He also painted a positive picture about the attitude of fans post-pandemic, saying: “People were so eager and ready to go [to games]. With the people who were vaccinated, it was almost immediate, there was no hesitation. In fact, there was probably more frustration that they were still told to wear their masks and there were a lot of restrictions. It reached a point by the end of our season that you would not have thought the pandemic existed.”

Oren Atar, Sales Manager for Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, emphasized the importance for clubs of working hard this summer to recover the revenue they lost during a season without fans in attendance, saying: “We were probably the first country to come back to normal reality and we already had a full stadium in the beginning of the June for our domestic league finals. We sold out the whole arena to fans who were thirsty for basketball after a year and a half without their number one passion, and my immediate priority right now is to focus on selling all the season tickets for the 2021-22 season.”



Media, marketing and ticketing executives planning for next season

The winner has been announced for the 2021 FanXP Innovation Challenge, with content creation platform Slate taking the prize in the biggest basketball startup competition in the world.

Nine of the 38 entries were selected for the finals and faced a review by an expert jury, whose members concluded that the best entry came from Slate, a new platform that US pro sports social media teams have quickly adopted to create more engaging content.

Winning team Slate is already working with organizations like the NFL, Fox Sports and the Houston Rockets to level up their social media content. Slate is made up of a team of experienced professionals who have run accounts for major brands.

"We were thrilled to participate in FanXP," Slate Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer Will Brooke said. "The mentorship gave us a veteran sounding board to share and get feedback on our solution, which was combined with keynote sessions where we could learn more about the needs and opportunities relevant to EuroLeague. It’s been great to see they’ve developed a platform for discussing new and innovative ideas in sport!"

The other finalists were Imagine AR, LivXP AG, Fanprime: MyEb+, Seyu Solutions, Sceenic, LiveDuel, FanDome and Clupik.

The members of the jury were Mathieu Lacome (Head of Research and Innovation at Paris Saint-Germain); Didac Lee (Galdana Ventures Co-Founder and former Board Member and Head of Digital at FC Barcelona); Jasmine Robinson (General Partner at Causeway Media Operations); Susanne Timosci (Global Lead Key Account at Bundesliga); Sree Varma (iSportconnect Founder & CEO); Luis Vicente (Group CEO at Eleven Sports) and Gregory Davies (Founder AD!SRUPT!VE!NFLUENCE!).

With the aim of offering fans the best experience possible, the FanXP Innovation Challenge – staged in collaboration with N3XT Sports – challenged the latest generation of tech startups to join the sports fan revolution. All finalists are congratulated for their hard work and outstanding creative ideas.

 Winner announced in 2021 FanXP Innovation Challenge

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2021-22 EL and EC participants approved
FC Bayern Munich and LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne are granted long-term licences
The Euroleague Commercial Assets’ Executive Board members met on Friday, June 18, in Barcelona to discuss several topics. Among the main topics in the agenda were:

• Reviewing the current state of the business, including a detailed recap of the commercial performance over the last five seasons, as well as discussing threats and opportunities ahead.

• Reviewing and approving the 2021-22 Bylaws that regulate both the EuroLeague and EuroCup competitions, including revised Financial Stability and Fair Play Regulations with regards to shareholder contribution limitations in order to allow the clubs to better navigate the post-pandemic financials. Limitations are set at 55% for the 2021-22 season (instead of 50%) and 50% for 2022-23 (instead of 40%).

• Reviewing and approving the list of participating teams in the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague

• Anadolu Efes Istanbul

• AX Armani Exchange Milan

• CSKA Moscow

• FC Barcelona

• Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul

• Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv

• Olympiacos Piraeus

• Panathinaikos OPAP Athens

• Real Madrid

• TD Systems Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz

• Zalgiris Kaunas

• FC Bayern Munich

• LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne

• ALBA Berlin (WC)

• Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade (WC)

• Zenit St Petersburg (WC)

• AS Monaco (EC)

• UNICS Kazan (EC)

• Approving the terms between FC Bayern Munich, LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne and ECA for their integration within the ECA ownership, agreeing on welcoming both to the group of EuroLeague licensed teams.

• Reviewing and approving the list of participating teams in the 2021-22 7DAYS EuroCup:

• Boulogne Metropolitans 92

• Buducnost VOLI Podgorica

• Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana

• Dolomiti Energia Trento

• Frutti Extra Bursaspor

• Hamburg Towers

• Herbalife Gran Canaria

• JL Bourg en Bresse

• Joventut Badalona

• Lietkabelis Panevezys

• Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar

• MoraBanc Andorra

• Partizan NIS Belgrade

• Promitheas Patras

• ratiopharm Ulm

• Slask Wroclaw

• Turk Telekom

• Umana Reyer Venice

• Valencia Basket

• Virtus Segafredo Bologna

The decisions made at the ECA Executive Board will be brought to the ECA Shareholders Meeting, scheduled to be held on July 8, 2021.

ECA Shareholders Executive Board meets in Barcelona

Euroleague Basketball is pleased to announce that Sky Italia has purchased the rights to broadcast the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup in Italy for the next three seasons. Games will be broadcast on Sky channels and NOW. The agreement also includes daily updates on the Sky Sport 24 news channel and special EuroLeague and EuroCup coverage on skysport.it and on Sky Sport's official social media accounts.

The addition of the premier European club competitions gives Sky and NOW customers a plethora of sports offerings. In addition to EuroLeague and EuroCup games, Sky Italia features basketball international competitions, such as FIBA EuroBasket Women 2021, and the NBA.

On top of its basketball programming, Sky Italia broadcasts a host of national and international football, including 114 Serie A matches, all Serie B matches, more than 400 UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League matches, plus France's Ligue 1, Germany's Bundesliga and the English Premier League. Sky Italia also airs motorsports, tennis, rugby, golf and much more.

Sky Italia acquires rights to EuroLeague, EuroCup for three seasons

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Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four weekend traditionally brings together the who's who of the basketball world and even with the limitations in 2021, that would be the case. The first edition of the Basketball Innovation Summit aired as a Zoom meeting and gave space to tech companies and partners such as SAP Sports, 4YFN and YBVR to showcase their projects and solutions within the sports tech ecosystem.

The two-hour event included the annual FanXP Innovation Challenge, which was a huge moment for the nine start-up companies that were announced as finalists. ImagineAR, LivXp AG, Fanprime: MyEB+, Seyu Solutions Ltd., Sceenic, Slate, LiveDuel, FanDome FRM and Clupik are shooting to be the winner of the week-long mentorship program with Euroleague Basketball staff for instruction and insight.

"We didn’t lose our fans, the content of the team. There is no quarantine on the internet." - Marija Jurkstaite

Innovation is not just something for start-ups as EuroLeague clubs FC Bayern Munich and Zalgiris Kaunas exhibited during the summit. Une Marija Jurkstaite, the Chief Business Officer at Zalgiris, talked about the Lithuanian club's innovation strategy for the next five years - aimed at best understanding what the teams' fans and ultimately end-users want and how to keep the business moving forward. One of the main components for the club is the online Insider platform, which was built up during the pandemic to help improve the fan experience and engagement with the club.

"The idea came a year ago, when we lost all of our normal revenue streams, the biggest from ticketing. But we didn’t lose our fans, the content of the team. There is no quarantine on the internet," said Jurkstaite, who is responsible for sports business strategy, sports innovations and experience marketing at Zalgiris.

The Insider platform, which has users buy virtual tickets, features games and quizzes as well as podcasts, videos and Zalgiris-based TV shows.

"The idea is to let the fans be even closer to their team," Jurkstaite said. "We saw that we have 1 million 'passive' fans that we do not monetize at the moment. So this is the potential we see, and we want to engage better at least a part of this target group."

Bayern has a similar online platform - called Virtual Audi Dome - and Sebastian Ferschl said innovation is one of the core values of the club. And the pandemic pushed forward the club’s plans - just like it did with Zalgiris."

"The pandemic accelerated the need for innovations, maybe innovations which we did not focus that much on before," said Ferschl, Bayern's Head of Corporate Partnerships. "I do not think current projects were permanently closed, but more adapted to the 'new normal', which maybe will lead to an even better output when they are finished."

Part of Bayern’s three-year plan started in 2020 was to find start-up companies to integrate the latest innovation to the SAP Garden, the team’s future home arena for games. Bayern has already opened the doors to the Virtual Audi Dome for some home games, including the EuroLeague Playoffs.

"We wanted to create an authentic home game atmosphere. One person in the club said it was even better than the real arena," Ferschl said.

The platform includes a shootout challenge where fans can win prizes and a fan shop with even better deals than the existing fan shop. So far, more than 7,000 spectators from 21 different companies have used the Virtual Audi Dome platform.

"We were forced to create this, but we can also use it as a benefit for the future," Ferschel said.

The summit also showed that not only start-ups and EuroLeague clubs are interested in investing in the future of sports but also current players. Sinan Guler, who played for Efes from 2008 to 2013, talked to attendees about his perspective on how athletes can prepare for their retirement by investing in the game - whether that is on the tech and innovation side or not.

Guler, who played at two EuroLeague Final Fours and won the 2016 7DAYS EuroCup with Galatasaray, has invested in more than 30 start-up companies. And he places a high value on the community of networks he has built.

"We were forced to create this, but we can also use it as a benefit for the future." - Sebastian Ferschl

"From the financial side, the main purpose of today's system is to gain more capital and gain more investment. With my network, I understand that community is wealthier than the money you can accumulate," said Guler, who has been an owner of start-ups in the past.

"The more people who can put more value into something, if they know one or two more people, it can be that much bigger. There is a lot of value to be created. Innovation has an exponential value you cannot imagine right now."

Guler explained that Europe consisting of numerous countries with varying legal systems and regulations in terms of business creates more obstacles for ideas planned for multiple countries. But he added: "The potential is for sure endless."

The first edition of the Basketball Innovation Summit took place in collaboration with 4YFN, LaSource, SportstechX and N3xtSports.

Technology, innovation come to forefront at Summit

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