Features

In this week’s episode, podcast co-hosts Eric Fisher and Chris Russo interview Irwin Raij and Chuck Baker, newly appointed by prominent international law firm Sidley Austin LLP as partners and co-chairs of the entity’s Entertainment, Sports, and Media industry group. Fisher and Russo also discuss the abrupt departure of Sean Bratches as LIV Golf’s chief commercial officer, the new global media rights agreement between the revived XFL and the Walt Disney Co., the $380m (€360m) investment deal between LaLiga giant Real Madrid and United States-based global investment Sixth Street, Major League Cricket’s securing of $120m in new funding, and ongoing turmoil involving name, image, and likeness rights in US college sports.

Speaking to SportBusiness at the recent SportNXT conference, Football Australia chief executive James Johnson talks about a year of far-reaching reforms for the national association. Kevin McCullagh reports.

In this week’s episode, podcast co-hosts Eric Fisher and Chris Russo interview Todd Cooper, founder and chief executive of blockchain technology outfit NuArca Labs. Fisher and Russo also discuss National Football League quarterback Tom Brady’s high-profile plans to eventually join Fox Sports as an on-air analyst, Sorare’s entry into baseball non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association, tennis star Naomi Osaka’s move to form her own agency, Rich Strike’s absence from the upcoming Preakness Stakes after the horse’s upset Kentucky Derby win, and EA Sports’ video game licensing split with Fifa.

Speaking to SportBusiness at the SportsInnovation conference in Düsseldorf, Andreas Heyden, executive vice-president of innovation at the DFL, explains why Bundesliga clubs should deploy 5G technology at their stadiums.

W Series chief executive Catherine Bond Muir tells SportBusiness why the all-female motor racing series "came of age" at the Miami Grand Prix.

The NBA is nurturing its broadcast partners, and at the same time developing its D2C service, as it addresses the challenges of the Asia-Pacific media market.

In this week’s episode, podcast co-hosts Eric Fisher and Chris Russo interview Sean Bratches, chief commercial officer for LIV Golf. Fisher and Russo also discuss Sinclair Broadcast Group’s developing plans for the Bally Sports+ streaming service, the start of the 26th season for the Women’s National Basketball Association that includes an expanded relationship with Twitter, pending sales for the Premier League’s Chelsea FC and National Football League’s Denver Broncos, the New York Times’ purchase of sports content site The Athletic, and a record-setting sale of a jersey worn by late soccer legend Diego Maradona.

Already billed as 'Formula 1's Super Bowl,' the inaugural Miami GP has become one of the most-anticipated races on the F1 schedule as well as a sought-after sports sponsorship asset. Bob Williams reports.

Drew Crisp, Liverpool’s senior vice president of digital, explains the importance of first-party ownership of fan data in the modern digital world, how he’s transformed the club into a ’targeted marketing powerhouse’, and how that has helped to boost sponsorship revenues.

John Suchenski, ESPN's director of programming and acquisitions, tells SportBusiness the strategy behind the sports network's efforts to keep hold of highly prized Formula 1 rights in the United States. Bob Williams reports.

Eleven, the media group owned by Aser Ventures, has said its content and technology deal with Fifa does not put it in competition for viewers with the governing body’s new streaming platform Fifa+. Frank Dunne speaks to Pedro Presa, group chief adviser for DTC and strategic projects.

In this week’s episode, podcast co-hosts Eric Fisher and Chris Russo interview Reagan Carey, the new commissioner of the Premier Hockey Federation. Fisher and Russo also discuss ongoing turbulence in United States college sports with the forthcoming departure of Mark Emmert from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and predictions of a breakup of Division I athletics, Athletes Unlimited’s media rights deal with ESPN, a $300m funding round for German digital sports media entity OneFootball, viewership boosts for the National Hockey League, and Comcast’s successful programming link of the National Football League’s Super Bowl LVI and Beijing 2022 Olympics.

Keith Bruce, president of Quint International, the operator of the Formula 1 Experiences hospitality programme, believes the motorsport will generate record hospitality revenues during its 2022 season thanks to the addition of new races, a pent-up demand for live events, and the marketing impact of the Netflix Drive to Survive series.