UEFA has signed a deal with a "newly created unit of Creative Artists Agency LLP to manage the sale of broadcasting rights to qualifying matches for Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup," according to Tariq Panja of BLOOMBERG NEWS. UEFA in a release stated that CAA Eleven "will handle the sale of the rights" that UEFA took over after promising its 53 member associations $1.5B, “an increase on what they make through individual agreements.” UEFA did not "provide details about whether CAA Eleven has provided any financial guarantees or what rights are included." The organization announced the agreement following a meeting of its Exec Committee in St. Petersburg, Russia. Olivier Guiguet and Stephane Schindler, who last year left executive positions at the sports rights holder Sportfive, "led the negotiations on behalf of CAA Eleven." UEFA spokesperson Thomas Giordano said that "more information will be provided in a separate news release in the coming days" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 10/1).
CONTENT IS KING: DAILY VARIETY’s Marc Graser reported CAA has “quietly ramped up a client roster that now includes QVC, Best Buy, Chipotle, Experian, Southwest Airlines, Cirque du Soleil, Diageo and Mattel, alongside Coke and GM.” CAA's rivals are also “becoming more aggressive in signing more corporate clients as a new battle of the brands heats up in town.” The companies “see marketers not only as deep-pocketed sources for large monthly retainers but also as content creators that could provide more traditional talent with jobs” (VARIETY.com, 10/1).
