Italian Serie C club working agency MatchVibe to sell live match rights as well as documentary rights
Italian Serie C club Ravenna is inviting bids for the rights to show Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho’s return to the professional game.
The 46-year-old has joined the club as a result of his friendship with its Ignazio Cipriani, over a decade after he last played a competitive game in 2015. He was revealed as a Ravenna player earlier this summer, alongside the club’s new kit and a four-year Nike sponsorship deal.
Ronaldinho is expected to make his comeback in November, and the club has issued an invitation to tender for live rights, editorial and documentary rights, highlights, and betting-streaming rights, alongside non-exclusive rights for creator reaction and commentary, and media-owner highlights and news access. Ravenna is working with marketing agency MatchVibe, which owns the exclusive global commercial mandate for Ronaldinho’s return covering broadcast rights, brand partnerships and creator activations.
The tender is specifically for Ronaldinho’s first game for Ravenna. As well as the game itself there will be a, “Grand Arrival” for Ronaldinho, appearances from his football friends and special guests, and music artist performances both at half-time and during an official afterparty.
Successful bidders will also have access to creator-led original content and watch-along livestreams featuring the likes of football and YouTube figures Miniminter (Sidemen), John Nellis via Arcade and Andrew Henderson, Daniel Cutting, Ben Black, Ricardinho, Lisa Zimouche, Eman SV2 through MatchVibe agency.
A broadcaster engagement event, with Ronaldinho in attendance, will be held at Ravenna on 21 August to coincide with Ravenna FC’s official season presentation. All submissions should be sent to damian@match-vibe.com and rakesh@match-vibe.com by deadline 26 August.
Cipriani said: “Ronaldinho is more than a football icon, he’s the kind of name that pulls in fans who’ve never even watched a match. Ronaldinho was my idol growing up, now he’s wearing the Ravenna shirt, and I still can’t quite believe it. We’re not just selling rights, we’re inviting broadcasters to join us on this journey and it’s going to be a story worth telling. We’re genuinely excited to partner with broadcasters who want to help us make that happen, and build something special together with his debut.”
Rakesh Dhall, founder and CEO of MatchVibe, added: “Ronaldinho’s return to competitive football isn’t just a football story, it’s a cultural moment and it deserves a broadcast partner who understands how to bring that story to the widest possible audience. This tender is a chance for platforms to be part of one of the year’s most compelling sports narratives, on the pitch and off it.”
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