The SportBusiness Podcast

This week on The SportBusiness Podcast and following a frenetic few days of high-profile sales, would-be sales and Chapter 11 proceedings, Jonathan Rest and Martin Ross break down what it all means for the industry.THE NEWSROOM: Infront’s sale of Hyrox – why now, what motivated the deal on both sides and what next? Plus, what anyone acquiring Castore would be buying and IMG tops LIV Golf’s list of unsecured service provider creditors.INSIDE THE DEAL: Ben Cronin is back from IFA Berlin where Chinese consumer electronics powerhouses Haier and Hisense both announced Uefa sponsorship deals. Insight on why the deals were done and how UCL sponsorship sales are tracking for the new cycle.AOB: FIS creates more inventory to sell, American success at US Open boosts ESPN and everything you ever wanted to know about the World Stone Skimming Championships.Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube Enter SBPODCAST30 at the checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here. Co-hosts: Jonathan Rest, Martin RossContributor: Ben CroninEditor: Matt StoreySources:Infront cashes in with Hyrox sale to consortiumCastore founders weigh up sale optionsIMG heads LIV’s unsecured vendor creditor listUCL pact won’t affect club deals, says Haier brand chiefHaier bags standalone Champions League dealHisense reduces inventory with Euro 2028 only dealHyundai ends Champions League car sponsor searchFIS clean sweep for Infront with four-year Worlds deal

We mark ‘la rentrée’ by bringing you up to speed with analysis of 11 major industry stories to break in the last two weeks. From US major leagues to European football and from squash to rugby league, it’s all covered.THE NEWSROOM: An extended version includes: TWG probe hits Mark Walter’s sports empire; raising a glass to DAZN’s latest US move; Amazon primed for top Mexican rights; end in sight for Ligue 1+ but the beginning for Jamie Vardy’s Bundesliga’s party. Plus, Liverpool’s shirt sponsor, rights overspill, LIV creditors and Enhanced Games losses.AOB: Another facelift for athletics with the Ultimate Champs, credible football viewing figures shorn of spin and Preston North End’s sponsorship own goal.You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.Enter SBPODCAST30 at the checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.Co-hosts: Jonathan Rest, Martin RossEditor: Gwen Gourvellec, Matthew StoreySources:PSA not expecting end to Walter’s squash backingDAZN trades equity in EverPass takeoverAmazon adds El Tri amid LatAm spending plansNHL drafts Bayern Munich in bid to conquer GermanyLFP domestic tender plan ‘signals end of Ligue 1+’Bundesliga sticks with UK streamers for 22 matchesOverspill impact prompts Serie A to pull Tring’s feedEXCLUSIVE: Liverpool shirt available as Standard Chartered window closesEQT storms into NRL with Melbourne majority stakeLIV Golf ‘prepares ground’ for bankruptcy filingEnhanced Games debut prompts $62m group lossWorld Humanoid Robotic Games thread

Welcome to Inside Track, SportBusiness’ new podcast series giving organisations the opportunity to tell their story in their own words. Each episode takes the form of an in-depth 1:1 conversation between a guest and the SportBusiness editorial team, going beyond the headlines to explore the thinking, strategy, and vision behind an organisation or a landmark deal. Whether it's unpacking a major partnership, examining an innovative new approach, or sharing a perspective on where the industry is heading, listeners will get a unique window into the people and organisations shaping the future of sport. In this first episode, Executive Editor, Imran Yusuf, speaks with Heidi Pellerano, Chief Commercial Officer at Concacaf, the governing body for football across North America, Central America and the Caribbean, representing 41 member associations. A decade on from the organisation's much-documented low point, Pellerano reflects on a transformed commercial landscape. She discusses how Concacaf is converting 2026 Fifa World Cup momentum into year-round regional interest, navigating markets that span mature and emerging economies, and its media rights approach. She also explores evolving brand expectations, the rise of the women's game, and the regional 2031 Women's World Cup bid. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.Enter SBPODCAST30 at the checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.  Host: Imran YusufGuest: Heidi PelleranoEditor: Lumi Lehmuskallio 

This week on The SportBusiness Podcast, we profile the latest addition to the gambling-free Premier League shirt sponsor market, while its US media behemoth results season again and there’s a full post-mortem of Glasgow keeping the Commonwealth Games alive.THE NEWSROOM: What next for Fifa after failed World Cup privatisation plan, UFC success fuels Paramount's sports rights buying appetite, White House PPV hits TKO and WTA's IMG production deal puts another nail in ATP merger coffin.INSIDE THE DEAL: Matthew Williams turns an eagle eye to Crystal Palace's new shirt sponsor, Temporal. Why has a B2B firm targeted the Premier League?AOB: We measure the success of Glasgow’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games, take a peak at the in-tray of MLS' new commissioner in-waiting and uncover a football sponsorship activation from EasyJet.Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube. Enter SBPODCAST30 at the checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here. Co-hosts: Jonathan Rest, Martin RossContributor: Matthew WilliamsEditor: Lumi LehmuskallioSources:Chastened Fifa drops World Cup investor planTKO boosts revenues, takes White House UFC hitEllison: UFC reaffirming Paramount belief in sportIMG adds production role to WTA remitPalace has power to add following Temporal shirt deal‘We want to reach the person writing the code’ | Clair Byrd, TemporalBerg succeeds Garber as next MLS commissionerSadleir: Amdavad 2030 to meet 60% budget criteriaLiverpool John Lennon Airport (@LPL_Airport) on X

This week on The SportBusiness Podcast, we profile a new sponsor with big pockets that has landed Ryder Cup and Mercedes F1 deals while unpacking a seismic and damaging few days for global football.THE NEWSROOM: Gianni ‘crosses a line’ with his ‘$20bn’ commercial subsidiary, Amazon shops for its longest rights deal, Coupang’s UCL swoop in Korea and Caf re-starts agency search.INSIDE THE DEAL: Ben Cronin details the entry by payment services brand Stripe predicted by SportBusiness Sponsorship. Why now for Stripe and where next after golf and motorsport?AOB: Analysing Glasgow’s ‘cheapest and best-ever Commonwealth Games’, Wafcon’s gaffe-prone broadcast claim and Team Lesotho’s tartan sleeves.Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube. Enter SBPODCAST30 at the checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here. Co-hosts: Jonathan Rest, Martin RossContributor: Ben CroninEditor: Lumi LehmuskallioSources:Fifa sparks ire with World Cup private investor planAmazon makes long-term NHL move in CanadaRogers calls time on CBC’s 75-year NHL runEXCLUSIVE: Stripe marketing push hits the Ryder CupSponsorship pipeline: 7 IPO-ready brands to watch in 2026EXCLUSIVE: Coupang nets UCL rights in KoreaNew Caf agency tender for quadrennial AfconsTicket sales ‘on track’ for ‘on budget’ Glasgow 2026EXCLUSIVE: Stripe to move into sponsorship with Mercedes

This week on The SportBusiness Podcast, with the World Cup finished, Jonathan Rest and Martin Ross turn their attention to European club football with a major sponsorship deal on the horizon and a new US broadcaster for the Bundesliga.THE NEWSROOM: Hyundai is poised to become the latest blue-chip brand to sponsor the Uefa Champions League, ECB avoids betting embarrassment as The Hundred shirt sponsorships are finalised and fines for 'parasitic' ambush marketing in Italy at the Winter Olympics.INSIDE THE DEAL: Joseph Perry analyses the Bundesliga's US rights gamble, a deal that increases its cable exposure but sees the bulk of matches streamed on a ticketing platform making its first foray into sports broadcasting.AOB: On the ground in Glasgow as the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games begin, Under Armour has last laugh over pink boots and a Turkish shooter doppelganger. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube. Enter SBPODCAST30 at the checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here. Co-hosts: Jonathan Rest, Martin RossContributor: Joseph PerryEditor: Matthew StoreySources:1 TV records fall as La Roja earns second star2 EXCLUSIVE: Hyundai in, Just Eat out for UCL3 Milan-Cortina ‘parasitic’ marketers fined €2.5m4 The Hundred fills shirt sponsor slots at 11th hour5 Bundesliga rolls the dice with Versant, Telemundo6 TV deals for Glasgow 2026 in Apac, Caribbean, Africa7 Cost-cutting keeps Commonwealth Games alive8 Ticket sales ‘on track’ for ‘on budget’ Glasgow 2026

This week on The SportBusiness Podcast, Jonathan Rest and Martin Ross discuss a major development in the commercialisation of European football as the World Cup enters the final straight.THE NEWSROOM: With CAA Eleven out of the race for Uefa men’s national team rights and Relevent in the mix, what could the future look like under a new agency model? Plus, Visit Rwanda’s surprise shirt deal with Aston Villa following the end of its controversial Arsenal sleeve sponsorship.INSIDE THE DEAL: Faaez Samadi explains why Ralph Lauren invested heavily in a Wimbledon sponsorship, fashioning new inventory after losing its line judge asset.AOB: MLS plans to ‘Take It From Here’ post World Cup, tins hats out for the next Ligue 1 rights auction and who's buying a Premier Padel tote bag? You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here. Co-hosts: Jonathan Rest, Martin RossContributor: Faaez SamadiEditor: Gwen GourvellecSources:EXCLUSIVE: CAA Eleven set to lose Uefa contractVisit Rwanda makes the switch to Aston VillaCompetition drives Ralph Lauren uplift for WimbledonBramly picked to replace de Tavernost at LFP MediaMLS targets World Cup momentum with biggest-ever campaignFanatics lands Premier Padel merchandising deal

In a change to the usual format, the SportBusiness Podcast comes live from the city of London. There's the usual World Cup chat, we discuss whether 'Brand Beckham' is a help or hindrance, and we take questions from attendees at SportBusiness Live.THE NEWSROOM: We debate football in the US once the World Cup leaves, whether rugby union will lose out after the NRL's multi-billion TV deal and debundling of commercial rights in women's sport.AOB: Silverstone's pit lane turns into a catwalk, Wimbledon finals and the new football season is under way before the old one has ended.You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.Co-hosts: Jonathan Rest, Martin RossContributors: Joseph Perry, Matthew Williams, Maria Kholodova, Matthew Glendinning Editor: Lumi LehmuskallioSources:Tebas leads charge against Fifa’s ExpressVPN deal | SportBusinessVPN sponsorship of football under scrutiny due to piracy concerns | SportBusiness MediaWomen’s cricket has achieved commercial ‘lift off’, says ICC’s Dahiya | SportBusiness SponsorshipHosts break World Cup TV records - for the last time? | SportBusinessNRL enters history books with record TV deals | SportBusinessNetflix outmuscles rivals for Women’s World Cup | SportBusiness Media