Ballon d'Or goes digital, fans worldwide can vote

The iconic Ballon d'Or, football's premier individual accolade, is undergoing a major digital transformation as Amaury Groupe partners with Ringier Sports Media Group (RSMG) to modernize its format and broaden its global reach. Traditionally awarded since 1956 by a jury of international sports journalists, starting in 2025, the ceremony will incorporate public voting for the first time, enabling fans worldwide to participate directly. This shift is powered by RSMG’s advanced digital platforms, including Sportal365 —a flexible, sports-specific content management system—and Fans United, which enhances fan engagement through interactive features. This evolution aims to turn the once annual event into a year-round, multilingual digital experience that deepens the connection between fans and the award. Together, these platforms will support the new public voting process and foster ongoing interaction with football enthusiasts around the world. RSMG’s technology not only facilitates content distribution across multiple channels but also encourages active participation, transforming the Ballon d'Or from a single-night ceremony into a continuous digital platform. Industry leaders emphasize that this initiative maintains the award’s integrity while embracing innovation, with RSMG’s CEO, Stilian Shishkov, and L'EQUIPE’s CEO, Rolf Heinz highlighting the importance of credibility, accessibility, and increased fan involvement. Launched ahead of the 69th ceremony in Paris, this partnership merges Groupe Amaury’s rich media heritage with RSMG’s digital expertise, setting a new standard for engagement in the sport’s most esteemed individual honor. Robin Lingg Lachezar Manchev Martin Petrov Vladimir Stoyanov Martin Tomanov Tim Kollmann Chavdar Platikanov Digital ID Agency #AfriGamingBulletin #BallondOr #Partnership #FansUnited #Sportal365 #LEQUIPE #RSMG #RingierSportsMediaGroup

Monday Business News🌍 Here’s your weekly roundup of the biggest football business stories from around the world! ⚽💼 1️⃣ Electronic Arts Goes Private in Record $55bn Deal Electronic Arts will be taken private in a $55 billion Saudi-backed leveraged buyout led by Jared Kushner and Silver Lake, the largest take-private transaction in history. EA’s blockbuster franchises such as EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, and The Sims will remain under CEO Andrew Wilson, with investors betting on AI-driven cost reductions to boost profitability after the deal closes in 2027. 2️⃣ BBC Secures 5-Year Deal for Women’s Champions League The BBC has won a five-year deal to broadcast Women’s Champions League matches on free-to-air channels in the UK, showing up to 7 games per season, including the final, to boost accessibility and visibility for the women’s club game. (Source: BBC Media Centre / Insider Sport) 3️⃣ Crux Football Acquires Montpellier Féminines Crux Football has made its first club acquisition by purchasing 100% of Montpellier HSC Féminines, ending 25 years of control by Montpellier’s men’s club management. The deal positions Crux to launch a multisite women’s football network across Europe. (Source: Bloomberg / Football Business Journal) 4️⃣ Liga Portugal’s Central Revenues Rise With Sponsorships Portuguese top-flight clubs generated €29.8 million in centrally distributed revenue in 2024–25, largely driven by enhanced sponsorship deals and collective commercial rights negotiations under Liga Portugal’s central model. (Source: SportBusiness) 5️⃣ FIFPRO Report Warns of Player Health Risks FIFPRO’s latest workload report highlights that many players lacked proper offseason and preseason rest, with Club World Cup teams given as little as three weeks before resuming competition. The report warns football remains an outlier among elite sports, urging minimum protections to safeguard player health and performance. (Source: FIFPRO) 📲 Follow us for more football business insights and updates on global football trends! Applications are open for March & September 2026: https://hubs.ly/Q03Mg5W60 #StudyFootball #WorkinFootball #FootballNews #womensfootball #woso #EA #EASports #FIFPro #LigaPortugal #Montpellier #CruzFootball #BBC #UWCL

Swiss Football League & LaSource: Building on our collaboration to shape the future of ticketing 🎟️🤝 After successfully supporting the Swiss Football League in 2024 on its ‘Digital Vision 2027’, we are excited to take the next step together. This new project will look at ticketing as a cornerstone of digital transformation, exploring how a more unified approach could: - Serve as the gateway to stronger fan relationships - Unlock harmonised data and new growth models - Support clubs in creating more personalised matchday experiences Together with the Swiss Football League and its clubs, we’ll assess different models and design a roadmap towards a potential unified ticketing ecosystem: one that balances club needs, creates operational efficiency, and unlocks future growth. Building long-term connections with every supporter resonates with the ecosystem approach we advise sports organisations on. We are looking forward to collaborating on this initiative and enabling the Swiss Football League to #takethelead Learn more about our renewed collaboration with the league below 👇 https://lnkd.in/dTRwKZ3j

SportsGulf Magazine and Argentinian Football Association Forge Strategic Media Partnership to Elevate Gulf Sports Ecosystem In a significant move set to reshape the sports media landscape in the Gulf, Sports & Gulf Magazine has entered into a landmark media partnership with the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino -AFA-. This new alliance signifies the beginning of what industry insiders are calling a transformative era, drawing strong links between South American football excellence and the thriving sports ecosystem in the Gulf region. Serving as the local Media Partner, Sports & Gulf Magazine will facilitate editorial outreach, acting as a dynamic bridge between AFA and key Gulf stakeholders. Through this alignment, both organizations seek to highlight emerging opportunities, share compelling success stories, and support forward-focused initiatives that resonate with the AFA’s global outreach and the Gulf’s ambition to promote inclusive and sustainable sports development. Present at the signing ceremony were Leandro Petersen , Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer; Pablo Joaquín Díaz Diaz, Head of International Sponsorship & Partnership from AFA; Brian Smith, Co-Founder and Editor of SportsandGulf.ae magazine; and Martin Bueno, Chairman of Hamtar Media Group. Full article at: LATINGULF.AE #AFA #SPORTSGULF.AE #ARGENTINA #FOOTBALL

Women's sports revenues are projected to surpass $2.35bn in 2025. Commercial revenue remains dominant, despite strong growth in broadcast and ticketing income, underscoring the sector's increasing brand recognition, long-term value creation and expanding commercial ecosystem.

I find this week’s UEFA announcement exciting. Reluctantly allowing La Liga and Serie A to play domestic league matches abroad “as an exception, not the rule” signals a pivotal moment. The conversation about the globalisation of domestic leagues can now shift from isolated approvals to a coordinated, long-term strategy. Echoes of the work we’ve done with NFL and MLB recently. Rather than viewing these matches abroad as stand-alone experiments UEFA has the opportunity to unite Europe’s football stakeholders behind a 10-year International Expansion Plan that: · Aligns domestic leagues, clubs, broadcasters, sponsors, and fans under a shared framework · Ensures competitive integrity while creating predictable international opportunities · Builds cumulative value year on year rather than sporadic bursts The 10 year IEP at a glance: 1.) Each major European league (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1) is allocated 2 regular season matches abroad annually. With Tier 2 leagues (Eredivise, Ekstraklasa) participating on rotation. 2.) Leagues decide which fixtures to take abroad, rotating season to season to ensure fairness and variety amongst stakeholder league clubs. 3.) Include UEFA-organised showcase matches. The Champions League Final, Super Cup, Europa League Final, Women’s Champions League Final in the plan, strategically placed in global growth markets. 4.) Fixtures are scheduled to avoid overlapping and maximize audience growth potential across different regions. 5.) Sponsors and broadcasters gain a multi-year roadmap to activate globally, reducing risk and increasing return on investment. UEFA is uniquely positioned to serve as the central architect, ensuring expansion is: · Strategic targeting emerging football markets with clear metrics on fan growth, participation, and monetisation · Sustainable balancing global showcase with respect for domestic supporter bases · Collaborative bringing clubs, leagues, and governing bodies into a coordinated ecosystem rather than reactive one-off decisions The NFL’s International Games strategy offers a proven blueprint: - Structured allocation of matches into key markets (London, Munich, Mexico City, São Paulo and now Dublin). - Long-term commitment to each venue to establish loyalty and routine. - Centralised coordination from the league office to maintain brand consistency and competitive balance. For UEFA, a comparable approach could unlock: · New commercial revenues without destabilising domestic licensing · Deepened fan engagement across continents · Globalisation with governance ensuring individual leagues don’t undermine each other’s efforts This moment calls for vision, not just permission. With foresight and collaboration, UEFA can turn a reluctant approval into the first chapter of a deliberate, decade-long global growth plan for European football.

“𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘀 – 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴” 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄! Global sports forums—such as the Olympics, World Cup, and continental championships—drive massive audience engagement, fueling significant betting activity worldwide. However, despite their influence, regulatory gaps, market inconsistencies, and industry challenges remain.  At the same time, innovative sports broadcasting plays a crucial role in amplifying these moments, offering new ways for fans to interact with their favourite teams and players. This panel will explore the powerful connection between major sporting events, broadcasting innovations, and betting behaviour, uncovering how the industry can maximise engagement and growth during these high-stakes moments. Speakers: Tom Waterhouse, Chief Investment Officer, Waterhouse VC Tamazi Gambashidze, Head of Sports Brand Experience Department, Adjarabet Gambling Dati Japaridze, CCO, Setanta Sports Moderator: Baki Lortkipanidze, Sales & Marketing Director, SMH Global #SBCEvents #SBCSummitTbilisi

FIS and Infront have concluded an exclusive agreement for the international media rights to the FIS World Championships from 2026–2029. It means that, for the first time, the media rights to all FIS World Cups – including all events from Austria as of 2027/28 – and the FIS World Championships are consolidated under a single framework. This unified approach creates a stronger, more coherent and valuable proposition for broadcasters and partners, reinforcing a long-term strategy that delivers exposure and reinvestment across the entire snow sports ecosystem.

𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. A few days ago, Crux Football 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 — one of the first full takeovers of a women’s club by a women’s-focused investment group. Led by Bex Smith, the project aims to establish a model fully dedicated to the women’s game — independent, structured, and scalable. This transaction reflects a broader movement across French football. Since 2024, the top divisions have been operating under the Ligue Féminine de Football Professionnel (LFFP), introducing stricter professional standards for budgets, facilities, and player contracts. Key indicators show gradual progress: ✅ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯-𝟮𝟰 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮 +𝟯𝟵% 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 (from 914 to 1,274 spectators per match) in D1 Arkema. ✅ 𝗜𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟱 (𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶è𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲), 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 ≈𝟭,𝟳𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵, with a record crowd of 20,489 for a single fixture. ✅ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱: Olympique Lyonnais Groupe Lyonnes won their 18th title in 19 years, while clubs such as Dijon FCO (DFCO) Fleury, and Paris FC continue to professionalise their squads. At the same time,Olympique de Marseille de Marseillee 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 — 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗠 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺, 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Together, these initiatives illustrate a clear trend: Women’s football in France is moving from a support-based model toward a design-based ecosystem — where independent ownership, structured governance, and brand identity are becoming central to long-term growth. #WomensFootball #Montpellier #CruxFootball #LesMarseillaises #OM #LFFP #France #FootballBusiness #Investment #Innovation

Missed out on the discussions at the Benfica Health & Performance Congress? We've got you covered. From defining the metrics that actually drive decisions to integrating sports science into elite workflows, the insights were too valuable not to share. We’ve compiled the key takeaways, expert insights, and future trends from our panels into a complete event recap. José Mourinho: "Honestly, what you hear is one thing, and what you see, feel, and experience daily is another. Although I think I'm pretty good at identifying an athlete's physical condition simply by observation, I'd be foolish not to trust the club's performance professionals who collect data using athlete monitoring technology." Read our full analysis and discover the key learnings from Lisbon ▶️ https://buff.ly/1rdJ1pD #HudlSignal #SportsScience #Performance #FootballScience #SportsAnalytics #BenficaHPCongress #Blog #Recap #DataDriven