Euroleague Basketball has launched a new Digital Transformation Fund aimed at supporting Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs in projects that allow them to undertake a step forward in their digital transformation journey.

Euroleague Basketball launches Digital Transformation Fund

Euroleague Basketball has launched a new Digital Transformation Fund aimed at supporting Turkish Airlines EuroLeague clubs in projects that allow them to undertake a step forward in their digital transformation journey.

The fund is intended to help clubs carry out projects that will have a positive financial impact and solve some of the current digital operational issues that they are facing. The initiative takes advantage of the work that the Euroleague Basketball Business Operations & Club Services (BOCS) has done to help clubs benefit from each other's experience by sharing best practices to maximize revenues and create long-term business sustainability.

Roser Queralto, Chief Business Officer at Euroleague Basketball, said: "We firmly believe that it is important to proactively work at helping the clubs grow their market revenues. That is why we created EuroLeague BOCS two years ago, which is a unit that is exclusively devoted to sharing information amongst the clubs, researching best practices in the world of sports and entertainment applicable to the EuroLeague, and developing league-wide and individual plans to grow the business in every vertical. With the launch of the DTF, we are further supporting our clubs in all their efforts to improve their business operations and develop a solid backbone for all of their internal-facing and fan-facing operations."

The fund, which will count on the expertise of N3XT Sports – a sports consulting firm specializing in innovation, technology and investment strategy – in its execution, will assist clubs in the development of projects in the field of data collection, data analysis, data monetization and game experience.

In preparation for the launch of the fund, clubs were evaluated for their individual readiness to modernize and improve their digital systems. Those who applied to participate submitted detailed projects that were analyzed by and will be carried out with the support of Euroleague Basketball and N3XT Sports.

Mounir Zok, CEO of N3XT Sports, said: "We looked closely at the efficiency and effectiveness of the clubs' operations, at their physical and digital fan-engagement products, we analyzed their data architecture and developed a league-wide assessment report to assist the clubs and the league in determining best next steps. This step is absolutely critical because it provides an objective view of the digital, data, and technology capabilities of each individual organization and helps them develop the most efficient and effective digital strategy. As DTF evolves, our aim is to help the clubs' structure innovation activities, embrace digital and data as key assets for making decisions and for engaging with a new generation of customers and partners."

Among the improvements that the clubs plan to put into action are customer relations management and fan loyalty programs meant to build closer relationships with supporters; mobile app development with the integration of third-party services; market research into fanbases, markets and business-to-business opportunities; ticketing and access control systems; development of partner activations; and cooperation with startups, to name a few.

The Digital Transformation Fund is a two-year project that 12 teams have joined to improve their knowledge of and relationship with their supporters through increased digital expertise that ultimately enhances the basketball experience of the future for the key stakeholders of the competition – the fans.

The ECA Shareholders Executive Board met remotely on Monday, July 6, 2020, to agree on a set of proposals and discuss additional topics

ECA Shareholders Executive Board continues discussions to plan for the 2020-21 season

The ECA Shareholders Executive Board met remotely on Monday, July 6, 2020, to agree on a set of proposals and discuss additional topics, namely:

* Exceptional temporary measures for the 2020-21 season:

	- An alternative clubs economic distribution model based on giving additional weight to market pool distribution in order to increase economic certainty for all clubs and mitigate the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 global pandemic
	
	- 'Pandemic Response Guidelines', a group of health, security, and commercial recommendations for teams to alleviate customers’ fears of attending live events, provide fans with customizable payment plans, and create transparent and exhaustive communication channels to increase trust by fans when deciding to attend Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games
	
	- Additional commercial platforms to be accessible for clubs to increase their revenue opportunities, as well as new aggregated commercial models
	
	- Modified training camp dates, which may begin a maximum of eight weeks prior to EuroLeague Regular Season Round 1, or a maximum of five weeks prior to the first official game of the 2020-21 domestic league competitions (earlier date of the two)
	
	- Studying the delivery of a series of official preseason tournaments during the month of September 2020
	
* Reviewed Euroleague Basketball’s 2019-20 economic closing and 2020-21 forecast

* Agreed on continuing discussions around improved Financial Stability & Fair Play Regulations to increase the league’s and club’s sustainability and competitive balance, with the objective of approving the new criteria during the 2020-21 season

* Agreed on the 2020-21 bylaws proposals for the Euroleague Basketball competitions

* Reviewed the state of negotiations with the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA) and EuroLeague Head Coaches Board (EHCB) around potential European Framework Agreements with the aim to implement these from 2021-22 onwards

All decisions taken by the Executive Board will be presented at the ECA Shareholders Meeting for formal approval, to be held on July 9, 2020.

Euroleague Basketball singled out three clubs for their outstanding work off the courts over the past year by naming them the recipients of the annual Devotion Marketing Awards. Anadolu Efes Istanbul is the Gold Award winner for 2019-20, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade was selected for the Silver Award and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul for the Bronze Award.

Efes gets the gold in Devotion Marketing Awards

Euroleague Basketball singled out three clubs for their outstanding work off the courts over the past year by naming them the recipients of the annual Devotion Marketing Awards. Anadolu Efes Istanbul is the Gold Award winner for 2019-20, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade was selected for the Silver Award and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul for the Bronze Award.

The winners were announced during the virtual EuroLeague Business Area Directors Meeting on Wednesday with their colleagues and other top executives from Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup clubs watching.

To enter the Devotion Marketing Awards, clubs were invited to present a marketing initiative they had carried out during the previous season in areas such as digital strategy, sponsorship activation, brand development, ticketing and game presentation.

Efes was named the overall winner on the strength of its new action plans and strategy during the COVID-19 crisis. The club made health the center of its campaign and integrated fans, season-ticket holders and sponsors to maximize the effect. The club arranged numerous digital events on its web site and through social media. Efes also focused on ways to digitalize the game experience to generate innovative content and new revenue models.

Zvezda achieved new record attendance during the 2019-20 season after investing in an upgrade of the in-game experience for fans. The club paid special attention to families and young fans while improving activities during halftime and timeouts. Likewise, Zvezda unveiled a "Together we Stand, together we can" campaign to commemorate it’s the club's 75th anniversary and collaborated with Billy Baron on his Billy Gym training program on Instagram during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Fenerbahce and its name sponsor Beko teamed up on a global initiative, "Eat like a pro" to empower new generations to live healthier and to help parents to feed their children healthier foods. The program both created awareness and engaged Fenerbahce fans in innovative and fun ways. The use of Fenerbahce players in the program, both in person and through social media, was a pillar of its success.

Congratulations to the winning clubs, and to all the others who submitted outstanding entries!

Broadcasts of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup games in the Baltic states will remain in good hands after Euroleague Basketball and TV3 Group reached an agreement that will keep the games on the leading premium sports platform in the region for the next three seasons. TV3 Sport channel will air more than 240 live broadcasts during the EuroLeague regular season plus all the playoff and Final Four games to its customer in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. These games will also be available via TV3 Group OTT platform -Go3.

Euroleague Basketball andTV3 Group extend partnership in Baltics

Broadcasts of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup games in the Baltic states will remain in good hands after Euroleague Basketball and TV3 Group reached an agreement that will keep the games on the leading premium sports platform in the region for the next three seasons. TV3 Sport channel will air more than 240 live broadcasts during the EuroLeague regular season plus all the playoff and Final Four games to its customer in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. These games will also be available via TV3 Group OTT platform -Go3.

Through its platforms, TV3 Group will deliver fans in these basketball-loving countries a full complement of EuroLeague coverage. Loyal fans of the competitions in these countries will continue to receive commentary in their local languages plus highlights packages, interviews, profiles, archived material and pre- and post-game analysis.

"We are very satisfied to extend our relationship with the TV3 Group for three more seasons. TV3 Group provides us one of our most important exposure windows on the Baltic area and I am confident that all our Lithuanian, Estonian and Latvian fans will celebrate this agreement," said Mr. Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO. "I would like to thank TV3 Group for its continuous support, after a very complicated season we are planning an outstanding comeback of both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup because we all deserve to enjoy again the best basketball on the continent."

"We are delighted to continue our partnership with Euroleague Basketball and we look forward to providing basketball fans the best entertainment experience across all platforms," Jan Wykrytowicz, Pay TV CEO of the TV3 Group said. "EuroLeague and EuroCup matches are very important for the Baltic audiences because of the deep and long-lasting basketball traditions in the region. We will broadcast more than 80 percent of the games on an exclusive basis and continue to be the leading premium sports provider in the Baltic region."

The extended cooperation ensures that TV3 Sport and Go3 will continue to offer the richest portfolio of elite global sporting entertainment with EuroLeague and EuroCup games highlighting a slate that also features UEFA Champions and Europe Leagues, English Premier League, KHL hockey, ATP Tennis, Moto GP, NBA and UFC, among others.

Euroleague Basketball and TV3 Group extend partnership in Baltics

The Euroleague Commercial Assets Shareholders Executive Board met remotely on Monday, June 22, to discuss proposals to be presented at the upcoming ECA Shareholders Meeting in July.

ECA Shareholders Executive Board discuss Financial Fair Play, stakeholder framework

The Euroleague Commercial Assets Shareholders Executive Board met remotely on Monday, June 22, to discuss proposals to be presented at the upcoming ECA Shareholders Meeting in July.

The Executive Board proceeded to:

* Approve the 2019-20 Euroleague Basketball financial closing, with economic club distribution being reduced by 14% compared to the pre-season forecast, despite total revenues being reduced by 30% following the season cancellation due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The amount distributed to EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs corresponds to 100% of the forecasted market pool distribution as well as 100% of the forecasted sports pool distribution for the games played until March 12

* Review progress of the conversations with the EuroLeague Players Association and the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board, with the goal of reaching short form European Framework Agreements with both collectives

* Review improved Financial Stability & Fair Play Regulations to be applied from the 2021-22 season onwards, with the objective of increasing clubs’ sustainability as well as competitive balance. Previously approved regulations apply for the 2020-21 season. The main proposals include establishing player salaries based on Net Basketball-Related Market Revenues. The proposals will be further discussed at the next Executive Board meeting that will take place in early July 2020

* Reject Panathinaikos Athens’ request to transfer its EuroLeague Club License, due to the fact that no guarantee has been provided by the club that it will fulfill all associated commitments towards the other ten licensed clubs and Euroleague Basketball. Clubs also reiterated the statement previously issued on June 12

* Approve the 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup Team List, selecting Dolomiti Energia Trento to replace Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt who have withdrawn from the competition

All decisions taken by the Executive Board will be presented at the ECA Shareholders Meeting for formal approval, to be held on July 9, 2020.

In light of the recent statements made by Mr. Dimitris Giannakopoulos, ten EuroLeague Licensed Clubs wish to express the following:

Statement by 10 EuroLeague Licensed Clubs

In light of the recent statements made by Mr. Dimitris Giannakopoulos, ten EuroLeague Licensed Clubs wish to express the following:

1. All ten clubs, with no exception, have believed in the collective Euroleague Basketball project and continue to believe in it.

2. The clubs remain united and strong together, having achieved success thanks to this unity.

3. The positive evolution of the EuroLeague in the past 20 years, and most especially in the last decade, has only strengthened this belief and the determination of the group to continue building on its success and bringing European basketball to the next level. This growth has been outstanding with regards to reach, awareness and following of the EuroLeague, but also regarding the economics around it. This has attracted numerous business partners to the EuroLeague ecosystem who see the property as the perfect tool to drive additional growth for their organizations.

4. Since 2000 the EuroLeague Licensed Clubs have established the highest standards of integrity. These include financial, regulatory, transparency, disciplinary and officiating aspects, to mention only those that have been questioned. Such governance standards can be compared only with those of the best sports organizations in the world.

5. The EuroLeague, according to every projection and analysis, continues to enjoy an immense potential for future growth. The clubs remain fully determined to continue taking all necessary steps to bring European professional club basketball to the next level and to deliver the highest-quality competition on the continent to an ever-increasing fanbase.

6. All clubs express their firm desire for Panathinaikos Athens to continue on the EuroLeague path because the club has been an integral part of this venture over the past 19 years. However, the repeated grave and unfounded defamations made by Mr. Giannakopoulos will not be tolerated. The clubs will take any action that they deem necessary to protect the reputation and integrity of their collective and individual properties, and to ensure that the club complies in full with every obligation to which it has committed itself as a member of the group.

Signed by: Anadolu Efes Istanbul, AX Armani Exchange Milan, CSKA Moscow, FC Barcelona, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Real Madrid and Zalgiris Kaunas.

Dear fans,

This is the most difficult letter that I have ever had to write to you.

Due to the international pandemic that is devastating communities across the world, we have had to cancel the 2019-20 seasons in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup.

Letter to the fans from Jordi Bertomeu

Dear fans,

This is the most difficult letter that I have ever had to write to you.

Due to the international pandemic that is devastating communities across the world, we have had to cancel the 2019-20 seasons in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup.

Of course, it is an extremely sad moment for all of us. It hurts even more because, thanks to you, this had been the most successful season, in all areas, of our history. We witnessed more of you cheering in our arenas and saw more of you engaging with our content than ever before. For that, we are truly thankful. Your faith inspires us to continue, as always, basing our decisions on doing what is best for the fans.

There are times when organizations are required to stay true to their beliefs. Above and beyond any other interests, we seek to protect the integrity of our competitions. To assure that, the health and safety of everyone involved in making the games great must come first – as it has in this moment. Such values are paramount, and even under trying circumstances such as these, we shall always strive to keep them front and center.

I am extremely proud of how the entire Euroleague Basketball family has reacted during this crisis. Our players, coaches, clubs and commercial partners have shown how committed they are to our communities and to the sport of basketball. We applaud all of them, as we do the many people who have been in the first line of defense against the virus. We know from you, the fans, that no one succeeds without great support, and to see the communities where we play staying united these last two months has been an especially touching reminder of the values we all share through our mutual love of this sport.

Since we suspended our competitions on March 12, you have stayed close and showed how much you wanted basketball to come back. We are saddened that, due to forces beyond our control, we could not make it happen as soon as we all wish. Nonetheless, in the upcoming months, while we focus on getting back on the court stronger than ever for the 2020-21 season, we will continue to bring you ways to enjoy this unique brand of basketball through content offerings on our communications channels.

We at Euroleague Basketball are fans at heart, just like you. We cannot wait to see the players back on the court, the games in action again, and, most importantly, hearing you cheer. Together, we will enjoy all of those moments again soon.

In the meantime, I wish all the best for each and every one of you.

Best regards,
Jordi Bertomeu
President & CEO
Euroleague Basketball

2019-20 EuroLeague and EuroCup seasons cancelled

Current EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs confirmed places for 2020-21 season

2020-21 EuroLeague and EuroCup seasons to start on October 1 and September 30, 2020, respectively

The Euroleague Commercial Assets Shareholders Executive Board met remotely on Monday, May 25, for the fourth time since the season was suspended on March 12 due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) global pandemic.

ECA Shareholders Executive Board announces decisions regarding 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons

### 2019-20 EuroLeague and EuroCup seasons cancelled****

### Current EuroLeague and EuroCup clubs confirmed places for 2020-21 season****

### 2020-21 EuroLeague and EuroCup seasons to start on October 1 and September 30, 2020, respectively****

The Euroleague Commercial Assets Shareholders Executive Board met remotely on Monday, May 25, for the fourth time since the season was suspended on March 12 due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) global pandemic.

Following the decision taken on March 12 to temporarily suspend all Euroleague Basketball competitions, the league, clubs, players and all stakeholders have maintained their willingness and continuous efforts to resume the competitions.

Having explored every possible option, the Executive Board has made the decision to cancel the 2019-20 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup, as well as the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament and EuroLeague Academy due to the following considerations:

* The health and safety of our athletes, fans, staff, partners and local communities remains our top priority

* The varied evolution of COVID-19 in different EuroLeague and EuroCup territories does not guarantee that all teams can hold their training camp and prepare for official games under the same conditions

* The above has resulted in local authorities imposing differing restrictions on the movements of their citizens, with no guarantees that all teams can travel to and from the designated location

* A reduced training camp schedule compared to the previously approved three weeks minimum would cause an increased injury risk for players

* For reasons of sporting integrity, all competition system modifications including a reduced number of teams were discarded

* Despite elaborating an exhaustive medical protocol for the competitions, the medical protocols currently being implemented by public health authorities require a period of self-isolation for any player, coach or referee that tests positive for COVID-19. Therefore, during the past two and a half months the necessary guarantee that the competitions could be completed regularly in July has not been obtained

* Our decision not to modify self-imposed deadlines – late May for taking a final decision and late July to finish the competitions – in order to avoid changing and impacting the 2020-21 calendar, including domestic league games as well as national team games in summer 2021

In keeping with our continued values of sports integrity and fairness, the Executive Board decided not to recognize any team as the champion for the 2019-20 EuroLeague, nor the EuroCup.

Euroleague Basketball thanks the many cities and regions that have shown their commitment to basketball in recent weeks, including volunteering to host the remaining EuroLeague and EuroCup games with maximum health, safety and operational guarantees, including in several cases, full government support. These candidates have put forth enormous effort and displayed great determination to ensure that every detail was in place to hold a safe and successful end of season.

Statement from Euroleague Basketball President & CEO Jordi Bertomeu:

"Without a doubt, this is the most difficult decision we have had to take in our 20-year history. Due to reasons beyond our control, we have been forced to cut short the most successful and exciting season in European basketball history. This comes after two and a half months in which all the league's stakeholders maintained their determination and exhausted every possible avenue in trying to deliver a complete and uniquely special season to our fans, whose passion is the driving force for all our efforts. That is our commitment and our passion every single season, and so falling short due to forces beyond anyone's control is what saddens us most. Nonetheless, record-breaking data showing how much our fans enjoyed the games to date gives us more energy than ever to start planning for an even better 2020-21 season.

"I am especially proud of how the EuroLeague and EuroCup communities have remained united in incredibly tough times. Proud of our clubs and their ownership for the courage in their decisions and for their generous contributions to their communities in such difficult times. Proud of our commercial partners, who have shown their continued commitment to and belief in our brand and what it represents. Proud of our players, coaches and referees who have been supportive and understanding throughout. Proud of our fans, who have remained close to us and have constantly expressed how much they wanted the competitions to come back. This is an extraordinary community, and we are privileged to be a part of it.

"Obviously, we had many motivations to resume the 2019-20 season, but in such an exceptional situation, we have to put people’s health first and ahead of any other interest: our players, our coaches, our referees, our clubs, their staff, our league staff, our broadcasters, and all of their families. By doing so, we stay true to our beliefs and what we stand for.

"In the coming months we only have one mission: to do everything in our power to help our communities come back stronger, and to build the best version of ourselves – on and off the court – for when we can be reunited with the fans. This is not an end, but rather a new beginning.”

Additionally, the Executive Board agreed on the following with regards to the 2020-21 season:

* The 2020-21 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season will count upon the participation of the same 18 teams, namely: ALBA Berlin, Anadolu Efes Istanbul, AX Armani Exchange Milan, Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade, CSKA Moscow, FC Barcelona, FC Bayern Munich, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul, Khimki Moscow Region, KIROLBET Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv, Olympiacos Piraeus, Panathinaikos OPAP Athens, Real Madrid, Valencia Basket, Zalgiris Kaunas and Zenit St Petersburg

* The 2020-21 7DAYS EuroCup season will reserve guaranteed spots for the eight teams that qualified for the 2019-20 quarterfinals, namely: AS Monaco, Partizan NIS Belgrade, Promitheas Patras, Segafredo Virtus Bologna, Tofas Bursa, Umana Reyer Venezia, Unicaja Malaga and UNICS Kazan. The remaining 16 spots will be awarded to teams qualifying through their domestic leagues’ final standings. As in previous seasons the EuroCup Board will propose the final team list for approval by the ECA Shareholders Meeting

* 2020-21 EuroLeague training camps will run for extended durations compared to previous seasons in order to allow players to recover their physical and mental shape in time for the new season

* The 2020-21 EuroLeague and EuroCup seasons will start on October 1 and September 30, 2020, respectively, as previously approved. The league and clubs will continue to monitor the evolution of COVID-19, staying in close contact with governments and public health authorities to ensure optimal conditions for all participants when the season starts

* EuroLeague Basketball and its clubs will devote all possible efforts and launch league-wide and individual actions to support their community’s recovery efforts


* EuroLeague Basketball will explore opportunities to organize a season-opening charity event to celebrate the EuroLeague’s return to the court


Euroleague Basketball thanks all clubs and players for the incredible and unparalleled spectacle they have put on the floor during the 2019-20 season. All league stakeholders want to express their special gratitude to all the fans who continuously and tirelessly support their clubs and the league. Once again, this season the fans have set all-time records, and their support encourages players, coaches, referees, league and club managers to continue to offer the best of the best in elite competitive basketball. Among the 2019-20 EuroLeague season data highlights*:

* 15% growth in fan interest across EuroLeague markets, with a positive trend in each one. France, Israel, Turkey, Spain and Germany registered the highest growth rates

* 15% growth in TV audience, with impressive rises in France, Italy, Israel and Germany

* Double-digit growth in digital platforms, including followers, reach, video views and engagement, as well as in unique users, pageviews and sessions on euroleague.net

* 12% growth in attendance and 75% of average arena occupancy


*The data, sourced from Nielsen Sports, Blinkfire Analytics and EuroLeague clubs, in order to be comparable audits covers the October-to-March period of each of the last two seasons and therefore excludes the end of the regular season, the playoffs and the Final Four, which traditionally bring further percentage increases in all metrics. In some cases, data from the unfinished 2019-20 season surpasses that of the entire 2018-19 season.

All decisions taken by the Executive Board will be presented at the ECA Shareholders Meeting for formal approval.

Following the announcement on Monday of the decision by the Euroleague Commercial Assets Shareholders Executive Board to cancel the 2019-20 season in both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the 7DAYS EuroCup, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO Jordi Bertomeu met in a video conference call with media members from across the continent to address the cancellation and to take their questions.