San Francisco 49ers: Stake sale to OpenAI chair values NFL team at $9bn December 9, 2025 The San Francisco 49ers have been valued at more than $9bn after the chairman of artificial intelligence behemoth OpenAI agreed to acquire a stake in the NFL franchise. Bret Taylor – who is also the co-founder and chief executive of fellow AI business Sierra, and formerly the board chairman of Twitter – will acquire one [...]
Why sports media is entering its most disruptive decade yet November 22, 2025 There was a time when watching live sport meant one remote, one broadcaster, and one living room. That era is quickly passing. Sports media is undergoing its most significant transition since the shift from analogue to digital, only this time the change is being driven by fans rather than technology. Across Europe viewing habits are [...]
Why naming Washington Commanders stadium after Trump suits President November 11, 2025 The Washington Commanders potentially naming their NFL stadium after Donald Trump plays into the President’s proposition that “he is making America great again”. The new DC stadium will sit where its predecessor sat, in view of the United States Capitol building and there have been reports of a potential Trump association, something the White House [...]
Single Premier League Boxing Day fixture huge opportunity for TV November 2, 2025 Boxing Day football has long been woven into the nation’s cultural fabric, with families traditionally watching multiple matches throughout the day. It is intertwined into Britain’s festive rhythm, as familiar as the Boxing Day sales. But that tradition could change if the Premier League proceeds with plans to stage just one Boxing Day fixture. By [...]
Formula 1 and The Hundred offer lessons in governance for fragmented likes of rugby November 1, 2025 To succeed, sports need governance structures that empower one entity to steer it, as in Formula 1, The Hundred and SailGP, writes Nevin Truesdale. The increasing commercialisation of sport has seen historical governance structures come under scrutiny. As in any business, governance structures are central to the ability to evolve in response to a changing [...]
Private equity in NFL incredibly successful, commissioner Goodell says October 24, 2025 Private equity sales in the NFL have been “incredibly successful”, according to the American football league’s commissioner Roger Goodell. It comes after the league voted to allow NFL franchise stakes to be sold to the sector for the first time in 2024. Those stakes are capped at 10 per cent of a franchise but are [...]
Big 12 chief: College football in London can boost sport amid private equity interest October 22, 2025 The commissioner of the league bringing American college football to Wembley Stadium believes the inaugural 2026 match can boost its profile amid interest from private equity. The Big 12 American football league, a collegiate US conference part of the NCAA, earlier this year reviewed bids from private equity firms for stakes in the competition. RedBird [...]
Dazn set to unveil subscription featuring all pay-per-view events October 16, 2025 Dazn will next month announce full details of its new premium subscription product which will include all pay-per-view events. The UK-based global sports streaming platform believes it will offer value for money to viewers who buy many of its PPV boxing shows while increasing viewership across those top-tier events, which number around 15 annually. “We [...]
Here’s what the NFL can teach football about global expansion October 16, 2025 It had taken me 18 years and 40 missed opportunities in London before I got round to seeing my first NFL game in the flesh on Sunday: an attritional contest edged by the Denver Broncos at a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that looked for all intents and purposes as though it had been flown from [...]
Nutella owners plan $100m World Cup and Super Bowl marketing spree October 10, 2025 Nutella owner Ferrero will spend over $100m on marketing campaigns related to the Fifa World Cup and 2026 Super Bowl. The confectioner, founded in Italy but based in Luxembourg, has been in the United States for decades but is looking to surge into the North American sports sector. The United States will co-host the 2026 [...]