International sports marketing agency Octagon has struck a deal with the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CPBC) in which it will advise the property on media rights valuation, and aid in the creation of a long-term content distribution and event management strategy.
Similar to Octagon’s recent alignment with Minor League Baseball, the agency will work with the CPBC to develop a comprehensive media rights packaging and sales strategy and counsel on rights negotiations.
The CPBC oversees the top Latin American professional baseball winter leagues, including ones in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. The confederation is best known for operating the Caribbean World Series, also known as the Serie del Caribe, which is a major event in the sport occurring Major League Baseball’s offseason.
“There’s no bigger baseball event during the offseason than the Serie del Caribe. With over 30 percent of today’s MLB talent hailing from Latin America, and a rapidly growing Latin fanbase, the potential for the Serie del Caribe can only rise,” said Daniel Cohen, senior vice president of global media rights consulting for Octagon.
The 2020 iteration of the Serie del Caribe will be held in February in Puerto Rico. The media rights for the event have been held in recent years by ESPN properties and the MLB Network. But Juan Francisco Puello, CPBC commissioner, said the Octagon alignment is accelerating the contemplation of a various scheduling and structural changes for the Serie del Caribe to help maximize its exposure, particularly beyond the US and Latin America.
“We will look with Octagon to open up a variety of new opportunities,” Puello said. “We firmly believe we can expand our reach.”