beIN APAC extends partnership with M&C Saatchi Performance

Global sports network, beIN Asia Pacific, has extended its partnership with global digital media agency M&C Saatchi Performance until April 2022. The extension follows a one-year successful partnership during which the agency handled digital media planning, buying, strategy and analytics for beIN’s streaming service, beIN Sports Connect.

According to M&C Saatchi Performance's spokesperson, beIN saw good results coming through since its partnership with the agency started in 2020, and is happy to continue working with it for the next big sports season.

M&C Saatchi Performance has been working closely with beIN since June 2020 taking care of its branding and performance campaigns. In addition to the markets currently managed by M&C Saatchi Performance, which are Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, the new contract extends the scope to Hong Kong as well.  

About the extension, Melissa Yik, account director at M&C Saatchi Performance, said: "While in the beginning of the pandemic sport streaming halted due to global movement restrictions, its comeback was much stronger than its setback. Over the past year digital adoption has increased rapidly with larger audiences shifting online to watch their favourite sport competitions." Yik added that the agency took pride in having grown the company’s subscriber base in Southeast Asia and that it looks forward to a long working relationship with beIN in the region. 

‘We’re thrilled to continue working with the team at M&C Saatchi Performance. Over the past year, our focus has been on raising brand awareness across the very competitive Southeast Asian online sports streaming market," head, marketing and communication, Asia at beIN Asia Pacific, Magdalene Ng, said. Ng added that the integrated marketing approach adopted by the agency will help in communicating the value offered by the platform.

The initial appointment announced in October 2020 saw handling both branding and performance duties across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. The agency has been responsible for elevating the brand’s presence in the various markets, reaching both lapsed and new customers, since the suspension of live sports caused by the COVID-19 restrictions then.

 Separately, in May this year, Tinder matched with M&C Saatchi Performance for performance marketing duties in Southeast Asia. M&C Saatchi Performance said in a LinkedIn post then that it looked forward to playing an integral role in charting out Tinder's next phase of growth and establishing a long and fruitful partnership. 

Prior to that, Esports platform Mobile Premier League Indonesia extended its partnership with digital media agency M&C Saatchi Performance in 2020, until August 2021. The agency was first appointed in May 2019 after a pitch with four other agencies, and was tasked with strategy and media buying for branding and performance across all digital channels. 

In September of that same year, Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy appointed M&C Saatchi Indonesia for creative duties following a pitch that saw 90 agencies participate, including WOW Komunindo, Kadence International, Lintas Cipta Media and Gemilang Kreatif Indonesia, among others. The account is valued at more than IDR3 billion, according to the ministry's website, and the integrated marketing campaign is expected to launch in 2021 across China Japan, South Korea, Germany, the UK and US. 

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beIN APAC picks digital media agency for sports streaming in SEA
Mobile Premier League Indonesia extends partnership with M&C Saatchi Performance
Indonesia's tourism ministry hands M&C Saatchi creative duties