Media
Features
Yahoo Sports looks to operate at center of emerging sports industry trends
Verizon-owned digital sports media outlet looks to be aggressive in areas such as legalized wagering, 5G mobile networks, and virtual reality. Yahoo Sports general manager Geoff Reiss discusses the company's efforts with SportBusiness US Editor Eric Fisher
Martyn Turze | Premier League PPV – the Publicis Sport & Entertainment ‘office’ debate
Martyn Turze, consumer research account director at Publicis Sport & Entertainment, highlights 11 key points from the agency's internal discussions on pay-per-view Premier League matches conducted via the team’s Whatsapp group.
ESL’s latest deals show that esports and traditional media can work in harmony
The influence of traditional sports executives is growing at esports rights-holders, leading to deeper partnerships with legacy media companies. Callum McCarthy reports.
ISL still targeting profitability within three years despite Covid ‘disaster’
The International Swimming League is still targeting profitability “within three or four years” despite being heavily impacted by the pandemic, its managing director and head of commercial operations, Hubert Montcoudiol, tells SportBusiness.
Kevin McCullagh | Every second counts
SportBusiness' Kevin McCullagh looks at the shifts in consumer behaviours and the value of sport as a media product
Telefónica suffers pay-TV subscriber dip, galvanised by sports rights fee reductions
Spanish telco Telefónica has reported a small fall in Spanish pay-television subscribers but has expressed confidence in its future financial stability thanks to reductions in recent premium sports rights …
Manchester United becomes latest club to launch TikTok channel
Manchester United has become the latest English Premier League club to launch its own channel on the TikTok short-form video platform
Peruvian Football Federation clears way for collective league rights sales
The Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) has put new legislation in place to sell the broadcast rights to the country’s top-tier Liga 1 collectively.
OneFootball adds Ligue 1 rights in Brazil in latest Sportfive-brokered deal
OneFootball, the Germany-based digital platform, has added another high-profile property to its portfolio by securing streaming rights in Brazil to France’s Ligue 1 in another deal facilitated by the S…
Matchday revenue is just one small piece of the Premier League PPV puzzle
The £14.95 price point of pay-per-view Premier League matches led to dismay from fans and sports industry executives alike, as the Premier League, Sky and BT scrambled to protect the value of pay-television. Callum McCarthy reports.
Broadcast deals help NFL maintain UK presence despite London games cancellation
Despite the cancellation of the NFL International Series this year, the league has managed to boost its presence in the UK with the renewal of its deals with Sky Sports and the BBC and new partnerships with Channel 5 and MTV. Adam Nelson speaks to NFL UK managing director Alistair Kirkwood.
Neil Gane | Southeast Asia is beginning to get a grip on sports video piracy
Neil Gane of the AVIA Coalition Against Piracy says there have been encouraging signs in the past year that Southeast Asian authorities are getting to grips with the growing piracy threat in the region.
‘It’s attracted partners and investors’ | Leeds United’s Amazon documentary
Take Us Home: Leeds United has spent two years documenting the club's attempts to return to the Premier League. Chief executive Angus Kinnear tells Adam Nelson how the series has helped to attract sponsors and investors as well as engage new fans.
US RSNs face extended programming drought with upcoming league offseasons
With the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball all approaching their offseasons at the same time due to Covid-19, US regional sports networks are facing an extended programming drought of live pro team sports during the fourth quarter of 2020.
Covid-19 accelerates move into challenging new era for sports media-rights business
SportBusiness gathered a panel of experts at the All That Matters Online 2020 conference to discuss the challenges being faced in the sports media rights sector.
ESPN ready to hit ground running as Bundesliga partnership in US kicks off
ESPN is putting on major marketing effort to promote its new media-rights deal with German top flight league while also focusing on wider long-term content initiatives. Bob Williams reports
Premier League takes pride of place on Peacock as NBCU’s key weapon in streaming wars
NBCUniversal is actively looking to utilize NBC Sports' premium properties to attract subscribers to its new streaming service and help differentiate the platform from its rivals in the crowded and competitive direct-to-consumer marketplace.
Francis: OTT streaming operators have struggled to provide lockdown service
Barney Francis, the former managing director of the UK division of Sky Sports, has suggested the Covid-19 crisis has exposed the business models of some of the OTT streaming services operating in the sports sector but says there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the industry. Ben Cronin reports.
US television viewership data set for historic changes with enhanced out-of-home reporting
After years of industry debate and development, Nielsen this month is beginning widespread measurement of out-of-home television viewership in the US, a move set to create significant changes across the sports industry
Chris Russo | What’s next for sports betting and media deals?
Chris Russo, chief executive of boutique consulting firm CRX Sports & Gaming, looks ahead to deal trends set to emerge in 2020's fourth quarter
NBA draws on Microsoft partnership to reshape virtual fan experience
The NBA has taken fan engagement in the wake of Covid-19 to a new level by allowing at-home viewers to be seen and heard by their favorite players in Orlando. Bob Williams reports
Having delivered the Champions and Europa League, Uefa must figure out media rebates
Evidence suggests record viewership for closed-door Uefa Champions and Europa League fixtures won't prevent broadcasters from demanding rebates for lost fixtures. Callum McCarthy examines how the governing body might approach negotiations.
Simon Green, BT Sport | Closed-door matches “not the product we paid for”
Simon Green, head of broadcaster BT Sport, talks about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on media rights values and consumer habits and says closed-door sport is not the product the broadcaster paid for. Adam Nelson reports.
Sport must weather media industry turbulence | APOS media conference takeaways, Part II
Second of a two-part report from the APOS 2020 Virtual Series, the online incarnation of the leading Asia-Pacific media, telecoms and entertainment industry conference hosted by Media Partners Asia.
“The future of TV across Asia is online” | Takeaways from the APOS media conference, Part I
SportBusiness reports back from the APOS 2020 Virtual Series, the online incarnation of the leading Asia-Pacific media, telecoms and entertainment industry conference hosted by Media Partners Asia.
BT Sport COO Jamie Hindhaugh on socially-distanced boxing and the remote production roadmap
SportBusiness speaks to Jamie Hindhaugh, chief operating officer of BT Sport, who says that in the light of Covid-19, remote production points the way towards the broadcaster’s future
Jair Bolsonaro’s swipe at Globo injects yet more uncertainty into Brazilian football
The business of Brazilian club football is a minefield at the best of times, but a temporary change to the law by the country’s president Jair Bolsonaro has made it even trickier, especially for dominant media giant, Globo.
RSNs look to MLB intrasquad games as key source of new content, preparation for upcoming season
What previously were just MLB practice sessions unseen by fans have become an important source of content for clubs and their regional sports networks, and have helped broadcast production crews prepare for the regular season