Unofficial Partner

If Carlsberg did a sports AI event that was going to be highly educational and lots of fun, then like us they would have chosen Twenty First Group as their ideal partners!

Just released in the Unofficial Partner Other People’s Money series looking at investment in sport is the discussion Richard Gillis and I had with Antonio Cacorino - Founder and CEO at APEX, a sports-focused investment business backed by a host of sources of funds including athletes themselves, from Formula One drivers to Champions League winning footballers. Hot on the heels of Red Bull Ventures taking a cornerstone position in APEX’s Elite Performance fund, Antonio joined us to talk about the growth and evolution of APEX’s business. Our discussion ranged from legacy properties to the new breed - Alpina F1 and Venezia FC to Baller League and TMRW Sports - and the way in which Antonio sees athlete fitting into a wider investment ecosystem in a changing market. Show can be streamed on all usual networks - link for Apple is in my comments below.

What Just Happened - Three of the week's sports business stories pored over for greater meaning by me, David Cushnan and James Emmett Here's an AI generated episode summary: 1. Rugby League's Private Equity Play: Super League Seeks Investment The Rugby Football League is in talks with private equity firms, including Lion Cap Global and Oakwell Sports Advisory, about selling a stake in Super League. This comes 30 years after Super League's formation with Sky backing, yet the sport remains in a similar position—geographically concentrated in Northern England with passionate but limited fan base. The move raises questions about IMG's role, as they're only three years into a 12-year "re-imagining" partnership. The episode questioned why the sport needs PE investment if IMG's transformation was succeeding, and how multiple stakeholders (PE, IMG, diverse club owners) would navigate competing visions for the sport's future. Breaking news during the recording revealed York Knights and Toulouse as the two new teams joining the expanded Super League, notably excluding London despite assumptions about PE interest in southern expansion. 2. Golf and the BBC - 'an excuse' to get Bill Murray on the Beeb Bill Murray will front a new Paramount Plus/BBC documentary series touring Irish golf courses, described by the BBC as a "genre-bending road trip" where "golf is just the excuse." This exemplifies the shift toward personality-driven sports content, where the star matters more than the sport itself. The discussion extended to Ari Emmanuel launching interview series on X, and the broader trend of influencers acquiring rights (like French influencer Zach Nanny getting French U21 football rights). Traditional broadcasters are caught between old methods and chasing new audiences through celebrity-led formats, often appearing to lack confidence in the sports themselves as sufficient draw. 3. TNT's Ashes Coverage: Expertise vs. Entertainment TNT's announcement of their Ashes broadcasting team sparked backlash among cricket fans, with rugby commentator Alistair Ekin and cycling commentator Rob Hatch as lead voices, plus football/boxing reporter Becky Ives presenting. The debate centered on whether generalist broadcasters can match specialist expertise, with examples like Andrew Cotter and Jim Rosenthal as counterpoints. The deeper question: are broadcasters too focused on capturing "promiscuous outer layer" fans while neglecting devoted audiences? With matches at 3am UK time and Sky declining to bid, the episode questioned TNT's strategy and whether cricket fans might cobble together YouTube/TikTok alternatives rather than subscribe—potentially undermining the traditional broadcast model entirely. Search Unofficial Partner where you get your podcasts, or go direct via the link below.

Unofficial Partner is off to SPORTEL next week. Richard Gillis is live on the Speakers Stage on Mon at 10am with regular Bundle co-host Murray Barnett, as well as special guests Glen Killane of European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Louisa Clark of Queensberry Promotions and Peter Bellamy of Deltatre. To get you in the SPORTEL mood, check out our recent preview episode - "What's happens in SPORTEL stays in SPORTEL!" (link in the comments below). Come say hello if you see us in the Grimaldi Forum, or better yet, buy us a beer when you see us in The Irish Bar!

Unofficial Partner Episode 510 Cause and Effect: The Sponsorship Effectiveness Revolution We went to the London offices of Sid Lee Sport to host Cause and Effect: Why sponsorship needs an effectiveness revolution. A live recording featuring industry professionals from across the sport sponsorship marketplace, who came together in front of an invited VIP audience to ask some big questions as sport's role as a marketing platform for brands. Taking part were: Hosting the event was Charlotte Thomson, founder of @The One10 Collective and formerly head of women's football at COPA90. Joining Charlotte on stage were Charlie Dundas (GSIQ),  Rebecca Martin (Barclays / European Sponsorship Association (ESA)), and Rory Natkiel (Sid Lee Sport) as founding board members of the Sponsorship Effectiveness Forum, a not-for-profit, cross-industry platform dedicated to raising the standard of sponsorship effectiveness. "By building benchmarks, sharing case studies, and challenging old assumptions, our mission is to help sponsorship achieve its true potential and claim its rightful place at the heart of brand building. This is just the start. Over the months ahead we’ll be publishing research, hosting events, and creating the tools the industry needs to move beyond exposure metrics and prove the real impact of sponsorship."

Really looking forward to this! If you're curious about how AI is reshaping sports marketing and fancy a live podcast experience, join us at Fuse HQ on 19th November for a special edition of the Unofficial Partner Podcast. Should be a great evening of ideas, discussion, and inspiration. 🎙️ Tickets available via the link in the comments

Chat_UP: A Live Podcast Evening at Fuse HQ 🎙️ Join us for a special live edition of the Unofficial Partner Podcast, hosted right here at Fuse HQ, taking place on the 19th November from 5:30PM. This one-night-only event will feature an interactive brainstorm exploring the fast-evolving role of AI in sports marketing. From best practices to bold ideas, we’ll dive into how businesses can learn from other industries and tackle the challenges ahead. 🎟️ Tickets are now available - find the link in the comments to secure your spot! #AI #sportsmarketing #brainstorm #live

If I had £1 every time someone asked me to list or recommend the best sports biz conferences / events each year, I would probably would have generated £25. Thankfully now, I can just point them in the direction of Summitly - the conference & community calendar for the global sports industry. If you work in the sports biz world and you have not signed up to it, you are missing out! Great work by Andy Marston, James Haigh (& Dataworks) & Lee Radbourne.

<Unofficial Partner Live Event Alert> Chat_UP Live: The type of AI conversation we need to have right now We’re doing a live AI brainstorm at Fuse HQ on the South Bank and you can buy a ticket on 19th November. There’s limited seats available. They’ll go quickly. If you want to join us, you need to sign on the line that is dotted. Tickets can be bought by clicking on the link in comments below.