Infront, the international sports marketing agency, today announced a comprehensive three-year marketing, sponsorship and digital rights partnership with Lega Basket Serie A, the organiser of the top Italian basketball league. 

The deal has been signed ahead of the start of the 2020-21 Lega Basket season on Saturday, and lasts until the end of the 2022-23 campaign. 

Infront, which had been strongly mooted in August to be in for the league’s commercial rights, will manage the sale and organisation of sponsorship packages for all Lega Basket events and tournaments, including the regular season, the Serie A playoffs, the Italian Cup's ‘Final Eight’ tournament and the Italian Super Cup. 

The partnership also covers creating and investing in a digital strategy to grow the organisation’s online and social media presence. This will include “post-production content creation of both recent and archive footage”, according to Infront. 

Alessando Giacomini, Infront Italy’s managing director, said: “The agreement with LBA is of strategic importance for Infront. Our experience working with other international basketball properties… gives us the ability to accelerate the growth of the sport in Italy.

“On the social and digital front, we have created a project for the creation of digital content and distribution channels that will make the basketball movement increasingly exciting and engaging, so that it can be accessible to an ever wider and more varied audience.” 

Umberto Gandini, the president of the LBA, added: “The agreement with Infront represents a turning point for top basketball and aims to increase and expand the platform of those interested in our championship, strengthening the bond with current and new fans.”

The LBA was forced to terminate the 2019-20 season early, with no champion crowned, as a result of the pandemic, and, with forthcoming games set to be played behind closed doors, is projecting losses of up to €40 million ($47 million) because of a lack of ticketing and sponsorship revenue, and potential refunds to broadcasters.

The Infront deal therefore represents some form of light at the end of the tunnel.

The LBA last week concluded its domestic rights sales process for the next two seasons, with pan-European sports operator Eurosport and public-service broadcaster retaining the pay-TV and free-to-air packages, respectively.

SN1 Consulting, the Munich-based boutique media rights consultancy headed by Sascha Kojic, is set land the international rights. 

Earlier this month, Infront signed an exclusive marketing, sponsorship and digital rights agreement with FISG, the Italian Ice Sports Federation, running to the end of the 2025-26 season. 

Sportcal