SPORTELAmerica was back in Miami again, at the JW Marriott hotel for a three-day market and conference event that began on March 14. It featured a market floor and four panels, covering the sport agency business, distribution rights, VR and OTT technologies.
During a pre-market interview with SPORTELAmerica’s VP Laurent Puons and Sportel’s exclusive marketing agent, David Jones, it was announced that in 2019, the event’s spring edition will move permanently from Brazil to Singapore in recognition of the strength of the Asian market and China in particular. The last event in Rio de Janeiro was in 2013. However, it will return to Miami in March 2019, while next May it will feature a SPORTEL Summit Miami. In Singapore, SPORTELAsia will return to the Shangri-La Hotel in March 13-15.
At SPORTELAmerica China was present with only six China-based companies, however the country had massive participation from Chinese-owned sports powerhouses such as Infront and MP & Silva. In Miami, Infront Italy was represented by its president and CEO Luigi De Siervo, who pointed out that his division generates 50 percent of the group’s revenues.
This edition of SportelAmerica included 35 exhibitors from 14 countries, comprising of program producers and distributors (such as Brazil’s Record TV), football leagues (such as Germany’s Bundesliga and Spain’s Laliga), sports agents like Infront, and federations, such as the International Gymnastics. At the NBA stand, Miami Heat pro Justise Winslow made an appearance. Also in attendance was LALIGA’s president Javier Tebas (pictured above). Record TV was in Miami with worldwide all-rights for the Pan American Games, Lima 2019.
In total, there were over 600 participants, mostly from the U.S. (100 people), followed by the U.K. and Germany. Among the largest participation from LATAM, were Brazil and Argentina.
Now in its 10th edition in the Miami, Florida, area, SPORTELAmerica is organized by the Monaco principality. The main SPORTEL event, held annually in Monte Carlo, is in its 27th year and this year it will be held October 23-26 at the Grimaldi Forum.
A full report of SPORTELAmerica will be published in VideoAge’s MIP-TV print and online editions.
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