World Sport Group

World Sport Group was a sports marketing, event management and media-rights business headquartered in Singapore. It developed from an Asian Football Confederation marketing operation founded in Hong Kong in 1992 into a multi-sport group working across football, cricket, golf, basketball, television, publishing and sponsorship. Its business model combined the commercial representation of sports governing bodies, the packaging and sale of broadcast and sponsorship rights, event ownership or promotion, venue and event management, and athlete representation. The company initially operated as AFC Marketing Limited, serving as a media broker for the Asian Football Confederation. It subsequently expanded through specialist and affiliated businesses covering the Asian PGA Tour, basketball promotions, cricket media rights, television distribution and sports publishing. The group built a substantial presence in Asian football by becoming a commercial partner of the AFC and the ASEAN Football Federation. It also handled or promoted a broad portfolio of golf events, including the Barclays Singapore Open and other tournaments associated with the Asian professional golf circuit. Cricket became one of the company’s most important areas. World Sport Group managed Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and entered into commercial arrangements with the Board of Control for Cricket in India concerning ground and title naming rights for Indian national-team domestic matches. In partnership with Sony Corporation, it obtained global media rights for the Indian Premier League. The reported ten-year agreement was valued at more than US$1.6 billion, making it one of the most significant sports-media transactions connected with the rapidly expanding Indian cricket market. The group also participated in broader sports infrastructure and venue initiatives. It was a member of the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium, which won a bid to develop, operate and manage a major sports, entertainment and lifestyle complex in Singapore. Across its activities, the company stated or was described as managing close to 600 days of sports events each year in more than 30 countries, although the exact scope of that figure varied by business and period. World Sport Group underwent several ownership changes. It was connected with the publicly listed World Sport Group plc structure around 2001–2002, was re-acquired from that public company in 2002, and received a minority investment from Dentsu in 2004. Lagardère acquired control in 2008 through its sports business. In 2015, the World Sport Group operation was merged into Lagardère Sports and Entertainment and renamed Lagardère Sports Asia. Following the later sale of Lagardère Sports to H.I.G. Capital, the relevant assets became associated with the revived Sportfive business. The standalone World Sport Group brand is therefore no longer generally used as an independent operating identity.

World Sport Group began in Hong Kong in 1992 as AFC Marketing Limited, a commercial and media-brokerage operation established to support the Asian Football Confederation. The original company was associated with Seamus Hamilton O'Brien and Jack Kazunori Sakazaki. Its early work centered on converting football competitions and federation relationships into commercially marketable sponsorship and broadcasting packages. During the following years, the business broadened beyond football. Related operations were established or used for golf, basketball, cricket, television rights and publishing. The group became involved with the Asian PGA Tour and Asian Tour golf properties, operated basketball-promotion activities through ABC Promotions, developed cricket-rights operations including WSG Nimbus, and maintained television and publishing entities. It also created or operated subsidiaries and joint ventures in Australia, Europe and the Americas, giving it a network capable of marketing Asian sporting properties internationally. World Sport Group became particularly influential in Asian football. It acted as an exclusive commercial or marketing partner of the Asian Football Confederation and the ASEAN Football Federation. Its responsibilities included the packaging, sale and administration of commercial rights connected with competitions and federation activities. Golf was another important pillar. The company organized or supported tournaments such as the Barclays Singapore Open and participated in the commercial development of the Asian professional golf circuit. Other events associated with its portfolio included the Hero Honda Indian Open, SAIL Open Golf Championship, Volvo Masters of Asia and Omega China Tour. The corporate structure changed repeatedly around the turn of the century. The holding company was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, while a Jersey company became an intermediate holding vehicle before an acquisition and listing on the Alternative Investment Market. In 2001, the group was brought into the Orchard Furniture plc structure, which was renamed World Sport Group plc. That public-company arrangement also involved Parallel Media Group International Limited. In 2002, the founder and related interests re-acquired the operating business, after which World Sport Group Holdings became the principal holding company. Dentsu acquired a 30 percent stake in World Sport Group Holdings in 2004, providing a major international marketing partner while leaving the company under broader private ownership. Dentsu later sold part of that interest. In 2008, Lagardère Sports acquired control through a transaction involving World Sport Group Investments and World Sport Group Holdings. The acquisition placed World Sport Group within one of the major global sports-marketing groups and gave Lagardère a substantial Asian platform. Cricket rights became a defining part of the company’s later profile. World Sport Group represented Sachin Tendulkar and worked with the Board of Control for Cricket in India on commercial rights involving Indian national-team domestic matches. It also partnered with Sony on the global media rights for the Indian Premier League. The ten-year agreement was reported as worth more than US$1.6 billion, reflecting the IPL’s importance as a premium television and sponsorship property. The company also joined the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium, which won the right to develop, operate and manage a major integrated sports and entertainment complex in Singapore. More broadly, World Sport Group was described as managing nearly 600 event days each year in over 30 countries, combining rights sales, event operations, media distribution and sponsorship activation. In 2015, the standalone identity was absorbed into Lagardère Sports and Entertainment and renamed Lagardère Sports Asia. The World Sport Group name consequently ceased to function as the group’s principal operating brand. Following Lagardère’s sale of its sports business to H.I.G. Capital, the former Lagardère Sports assets were associated with Sportfive. World Sport Group is therefore best understood historically as a major Asian sports-rights and marketing business rather than as an active independent brand today.

• 2015

  The business becomes Lagardère Sports Asia

  [1]World Sport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  World Sport Group is merged into Lagardère Sports and Entertainment and renamed Lagardère Sports Asia.

• 2008

  Lagardère acquires control

  [1]World Sport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Lagardère Sports acquires control of World Sport Group Holdings through a transaction involving World Sport Group Investments.

• 2004

  Dentsu acquires a minority stake

  [1]World Sport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Dentsu takes a 30 percent interest in World Sport Group Holdings.

• 2002

  Founder interests re-acquire the business

  [1]World Sport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The World Sport Group brand and operating subsidiary are bought back from the publicly listed company.

• 2001

  Public-company structure is established

  [1]World Sport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Orchard Furniture plc acquires the group and changes its name to World Sport Group plc; the structure is later associated with Parallel Media Group plc.

• 1992

  AFC Marketing is founded in Hong Kong

  [1]World Sport Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The company begins as AFC Marketing Limited, a media-brokerage and commercial-marketing operation serving the Asian Football Confederation.

A regional sports-commerce intermediary and rights-management group connecting Asian sports federations, leagues, events and athletes with broadcasters, sponsors and commercial partners.

• Sports marketing and media rights · 1992

  Football federation commercial rights

  World Sport Group commercialized football properties for the Asian Football Confederation and the ASEAN Football Federation. Its work included arranging sponsorship, marketing competitions and packaging media rights for regional and international distribution.

• Golf event management

  Asian golf events

  The group promoted and supported professional golf properties across Asia, including the Barclays Singapore Open and events connected with the Asian Tour. Its golf activities combined tournament operations, sponsorship, broadcasting and commercial rights management.

• Cricket media rights

  Indian Premier League media rights

  In partnership with Sony, World Sport Group secured global media rights for the Indian Premier League. The arrangement demonstrated the company’s role in assembling large-scale cricket rights packages and connecting Indian sports properties with international broadcasters.

• Cricket marketing

  Indian cricket commercial rights

  The company partnered with the Board of Control for Cricket in India on ground and title naming rights for Indian national-team domestic matches. It also managed the commercial representation of Sachin Tendulkar.

• Event and venue management

  Sports event and venue management

  World Sport Group provided event-management and sports-infrastructure services across multiple markets. Its portfolio included participation in the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium and management of a large annual schedule of sporting events.

• 2015

  Integration into Lagardère Sports AsiaStrategy

  Background

  Lagardère consolidated its sports-marketing operations under a more unified regional brand architecture.

  Action taken

  World Sport Group was merged into Lagardère Sports and Entertainment and renamed Lagardère Sports Asia.

  Aftermath

  The World Sport Group name ceased to be the principal operating identity, while its activities continued within successor organizations.

  Source

• 2008

  Sale of control to LagardèreM&A

  Background

  World Sport Group had developed a broad Asian rights and event-management platform spanning football, cricket and golf.

  Action taken

  Lagardère Sports acquired control of the group through its investment in World Sport Group Investments.

  Aftermath

  The company became part of Lagardère’s global sports business and was later renamed Lagardère Sports Asia.

  Source

• 2002

  Re-acquisition of World Sport GroupM&A

  Background

  After the business entered a publicly listed corporate structure, founder-associated interests sought to regain control of the operating company and brand.

  Action taken

  The World Sport Group brand and subsidiary were re-acquired from the public company, with World Sport Group Holdings becoming the principal holding vehicle.

  Aftermath

  The company continued as a privately controlled sports-marketing group until later investment by Dentsu and acquisition by Lagardère.

  Source

1. 1World Sport Groupen.wikipedia.org