Sports rights fragmentation: A new business model for sports content

The sports industry has always thrived on ticket sales, merchandise, media rights, and sponsorships for traditional, transactional revenue models. But the game is changing. Fans today don’t just want to watch their teams. They want to connect, engage, and belong. The future of revenue in sports lies in: Personalized digital experiences Direct-to-fan platforms Exclusive content Real-time engagement across social and streaming The winners in this new era won’t be those who can sell the most seats but those who can build the strongest fan relationships. Because when you build a community revenue will follow. What’s your take? Are sports brands doing enough to move from transactional to relational thinking? #SportsBusiness #FanEngagement #FutureOfSports #SportsTech #DigitalTransformation #CommunityEconomy

💥 𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲. UEFA has officially launched 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕–𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟑 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫, targeting global streaming giants like Netflix, Apple, Amazon, The Walt Disney Company, YouTube, and DAZN. 🏆 Through 𝐔𝐂𝟑, the new joint venture between UEFA and the European Club Association, the goal is clear: 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 €𝟓 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 and make the Champions League the world’s premier sports product. 🎥 Led by Relevent Sports, this new strategy focuses on • 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 for one major match per season, similar to the National Football League (NFL) on Netflix model • 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 instead of traditional three year European cycles 📱 The timing is perfect. Netflix has tested live sports with the NFL, Apple has a global ten year Major League Soccer deal, and Amazon already streams the Champions League weekly in several countries. As UEFA president 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧 said “We are building something unique, more engaging, more innovative, more accessible.” 🌍 This marks a 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 from local TV deals to a 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 inspired by American sports leagues. It is not just about selling broadcast rights, it is about r𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥. 🤔 Will streaming giants turn the Champions League into a truly global spectacle, or will tradition hold its ground? #InsideFootballBusiness #SportsBusiness #UEFA #ChampionsLeague #FootballIndustry #Relevent #Streaming #TVRights #SportsBroadcasting

Richard Masters, CEO of English soccer's elite Premier League, has said that moving broadcast production for the competition in-house will allow for a proper discussion on the potential adoption of a DTC for its games. #SportsBiz #PremierLeague https://lnkd.in/eU_Yytgc

The National Football League (NFL) has reshaped how younger audiences experience sports. #sportsmarketing By: - Elevating flag football for women and youth, with the sport now set for #LA28 - Partnering with creators around the Draft and other major events - Expanding globally through streaming partnerships - Humanizing players to build authentic connections This is how you reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha: inclusivity, creativity, and digital-first engagement. For advertisers, aligning with this shift is one of the smartest plays available. The audiences you want are already there.

talkSPORT x Euroleague Basketball x BC London Lions - A Smart Play for Growth on YouTube 🏀📹 This week's announcement that talkSPORT will stream all London Lions' BKT EuroCup games in the UK via YouTube marks another smart evolution in how rights holders and broadcasters are democratising access to live sport, with another turning to YouTube itself. In an era where attention is the most valuable currency, this partnership leverages YouTube's unrivalled reach to remove one of the biggest barriers to audience growth: accessibility. By offering free, frictionless viewing, it opens the door to new fans - particularly in markets that have, until now, been hard to engage. For Euroleague Basketball, this is a deliberate, strategic, and smart move. The organisation knows that to build genuine fandom in the UK - a country obsessed with sport yet still on the periphery of basketball's mainstream conversation - visibility is everything. For the London Lions, the benefits could be transformative. While results on the court haven't yet gone their way, the club's presence on a platform as powerful as YouTube offers an opportunity to grow a following far beyond the Copper Box. The potential for brand partnerships, community engagement, and youth participation is immense. And for talkSPORT, it's another example of a legacy media brand embracing digital distribution to meet fans where they already are. The model aligns perfectly with the modern sports fan's behaviour - mobile-first, constantly connected, and platform-agnostic. We're seeing a wider trend emerge here: from the NFL to the Bundesliga and the WSL, more rights holders are experimenting with YouTube and similar open-access platforms to drive relevance, reach, and long-term value. Accessibility builds affinity. Affinity builds fandom. And fandom builds value. The Lions' on-court battles will continue, but off the court, this partnership may prove to be one of their biggest wins yet. #SportsBusiness #YouTube #Basketball

At the beginning of October, Disney+ unlocked a major shift in South Africa’s sports broadcasting landscape by adding ESPN and ESPN2 live channels to its platform at no extra charge. This marks the first time a traditional live pay-TV sports channel is available locally via a provider other than DStv, signalling a new phase of competition in premium sports streaming The addition brings Disney+ South Africa in line with international markets and gives subscribers access to live coverage of major international leagues In 2024, MultiChoice responded to growing demand for flexible streaming options by launching a standalone Premier League plan on Showmax, priced at R69 at launch and now R99 per month. The package, now including selected PSL games, is available across Africa – a strategic move given that around 20% of global Premier League TV audiences on matchday come from Africa, according to league CEO Richard Masters Following the Canal+ takeover of MultiChoice, the combined group is expected to consolidate sports rights acquisitions across the continent. Their non-overlapping regional footprints mean they can pursue continental bids, an advantage in negotiations for competitions like the Premier League and UEFA Champions League The Times reported that Netflix is expected to bid for global rights to one UEFA Champions League match per round from the 2027/28 season. Amazon Prime Video already holds similar rights in Europe UEFA is restructuring its rights model and is targeting at least a 10% revenue increase, with streaming platforms playing a central role in that growth The Premier League’s current broadcast contracts run until the 2028/29 season. Insiders suggest that the league is exploring a direct-to-consumer subscription model, but any move will need to balance against the £13 billion it currently earns from traditional rights deals In preparation, the league will bring Premier League Studios in-house from next season, ending its long-standing partnership with IMG. This production unit supplies the 24-hour Premier League TV world feed used by broadcasters such as SuperSport

Sporty TV Unveils Exciting Free-To-Air Sports Packages for Nigerian Viewers Africa's fastest growing free-to-air sports network Sporty TV has unveiled a number of exciting sports packages for its Nigerian market. Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Nigeria recently, Oluchi Enuha, the Executive Representative of the Network in Nigeria, said these packages would change the entire landscape of sports broadcasting, not only in Nigeria but across the globe. Enuha also announced a partnership with the Nigerian Television Authority(NTA) and other global media leaders, stating that the partnership would set new standards for free television and deliver value as well as affordable top class content for viewers and advertisers alike. According to him, "This is an unprecedented delivery of value and premium content at no cost to the Nigerian viewer. This is definitely transforming the broadcasting landscape across Africa. "We are delivering over 600 live events including the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, South American football, some Super Eagles 2026 World Cup qualifying matches(the last four games), the FIFA World Club Cup, the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup finals and even the just concluded 2025 World Athletics Championships in Japan directly to viewers free." Sporty TV combines world class production, cutting edge technology and strategic partnerships in ensuring that every Nigerian household is able to enjoy premium sports content through its YouTube channel and mobile apps, guaranteeing maximum reach and convenience in the process.

🚨The Premier League League has done the unthinkable. It has successfully cemented itself as a truly global league. 👉 2022-2025 Media Rights Cycle: Domestic Rights: £5.1 Billion International Righst: £5.3 Billion (For the first time, it made more money from its international media rights than its domestic ones) 👉 2025-2028 Media Rights Cycle Domestic Growth: +4% International Growth: +30% ‼️ That’s a fundamental shift in sports economics. 🤔 Think about it: • UK broadcast revenue is flatlining, mature, saturated. • Overseas? Explosive demand. The EPL is now bigger in New York, Lagos, Mumbai, and Jakarta than in London. • Rights buyers in Asia, Africa, MENA, and the Americas are paying more for access to English football than broadcasters at home. This is more than a milestone — it’s a blueprint for the future of every league. 💡 If you run a league or federation outside England, here’s the reality: • Your domestic market has a ceiling. • Your international market is infinite. • But to unlock it, you need centralized rights, global branding, high production standards, OTT distribution, and local storytelling that makes sense in Mumbai as much as in Madrid. The Premier League proved it’s possible. The question is: Who’s next? LaLiga? Serie A? MLS? Or a challenger league bold enough to skip domestic saturation and go global from Day 1? This shift will decide which leagues thrive and which remain local. 👉 📩 Don’t Just Watch Sport, Understand It. Join the 365247 Newsletter for daily insights: https://lnkd.in/e7_e_qSz ⸻ 🚨 At 365247, we help leagues and clubs design global media rights strategies — from market entry blueprints to packaging, pricing, and storytelling models that actually sell abroad. The EPL has shown the way. The rest of the sports world now has a choice: copy, adapt, or get left behind. #SportsBusiness #PremierLeague #MediaRights #SportsConsulting #GlobalStrategy #FootballBusiness #SportsEcosystem #BroadcastRights #OTT #SportsMarketing

Spanish sports media outlet Marca and secondary ticketing platform Gigsberg have collaborated to launch a platform that is claimed to “enhance fan access to live events globally”. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ecsVPkCg

DraftKings is entering the next era of sports media at full speed. Today, we announced a multi-year advertising agreement with NBCUniversal — unlocking exclusive integrations and digital sponsorships across premier sports properties like the NFL, NBA, PGA TOUR, Premier League, NCAA, and more. This agreement marks a milestone for DraftKings—expanding our presence in sports broadcasting through one of our most impactful multi-platform deals to date. It connects us with millions of fans through NBCUniversal’s premier live sports coverage, including Super Bowl LX, NBA All-Star Weekend, and the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup on Telemundo. As part of this agreement, DraftKings has exclusive integration and digital sponsorship rights in key categories—including online sports betting, iGaming, daily fantasy sports, online lottery products, and online horse wagering. A new chapter in immersive fan engagement — powered by industry leaders. More: https://lnkd.in/eZskAkuN