Tyson v Bruno: How UK’s first pay-per-view fight shaped next 30 years Sport Business One day in early 1996 at Sky’s Athena Court headquarters in Osterley a group of people made a decision that would change the sporting landscape across the United Kingdom forever. Thirty years ago this week the second fight between Frank Bruno and Mike Tyson had been billed for 16 March 1996, and it was chosen [...]
Tottenham chiefs lobby Uefa to increase Champions League squad size Sport Business Tottenham Hotspur are lobbying Uefa to increase Champions League squad sizes after Thomas Frank was forced to drop Mathys Tel for the second time this season. Tel, who joined the club in a £30m deal last summer, was cut from Tottenham’s squad before last week’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund to enable Dominic Solanke’s return [...]
England rugby games on free-to-air television until 2030 Sport Business All England rugby matches will be shown on free-to-air television until at least 2030 after ITV snapped up the rights for the Nations Championships. The new competition, which starts this summer, will see 12 major nations compete against teams from the opposite hemisphere before a finals weekend in London in November. ITV reportedly bid £80m [...]
SA20 future in doubt as Big Bash sale process squeezes cricket investment January 7, 2026 The SA20 franchise tournament is facing an uncertain financial future amid the threat of fresh competition for funding from Cricket Australia’s Big Bash, which is preparing to sell off stakes in its franchises to private investors later this year. All six SA20 franchises are owned by Indian Premier League teams, many of whom have expressed [...]
Paramount takeover of UK sport cools despite Champions League grab December 10, 2025 Paramount Skydance has no plans to launch a UK sports channel after acquiring Champions League rights from 2027 onwards in an indication that a major expansion into sport from the global streaming platform is unlikely. As it stands the Champions League is likely to be broadcast in this country on Paramount+, while the entertainment network [...]
Mercury13: Mata-backed women’s football group lines up Spanish club November 26, 2025 Juan Mata-backed investment group Mercury13 is in advanced negotiations about buying a stake in Spanish top-flight women’s club Levante Badalona. Mercury13, which bought FC Como Women in 2024 before investing in WSL2 club Bristol earlier this year, has pledged $100m to build a global portfolio of clubs, with Badalona earmarked to be its next investment. [...]
Sky back in profit ahead of cutting 900 UK jobs October 2, 2025 Media and telecoms giant Sky recovered from losing almost £800m to return to the black in 2024 before preparing to cut hundreds of jobs. Sky, which was bought by the US media company Comcast for £30bn in 2018, has posted a pre-tax profit of £253m for its latest financial year. The total comes after Sky fell [...]
Europe’s Ryder Cup drama draws 5m UK viewers on Sky Sports September 29, 2025 Europe’s nail-biting Ryder Cup triumph at Bethpage Black pulled in 5m UK viewers across three days of coverage on Sky Sports, the broadcaster said. Average viewing was up 45 per cent on the last Ryder Cup in Rome two years ago, while the audience for Sunday’s final session peaked at 24 per cent higher than [...]
LaLiga overseas game set to be axed as Fifa delays decision September 24, 2025 LaLiga’s hopes of staging a match between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami in December have suffered another setback with Fifa opting against ruling on the request at its forthcoming council meeting next month. Sources with knowledge of Fifa’s deliberations have told City AM that it has no plans to formally discuss the controversial issue of [...]
Ryder Cup should be reserved for free-to-air TV, say nine in 10 golf fans September 18, 2025 Nine in 10 golf fans believe the Ryder Cup should be added to the UK’s so-called crown jewels of sports broadcasting and made available on free-to-air TV. Sky Sports has held the exclusive live rights to the biennial golf contest between Europe and the US for the last 30 years, during which the event has [...]