County cricket faces viability questions, warns report July 15, 2025 County cricket faces “questions about its long-term viability” despite a looming £520m windfall from sales of stakes in the Hundred franchises, a new report has warned. The Leonard Curtis Cricket Finance Report, launched yesterday at the Oval, examines the financial health of domestic cricket in England and Wales. It found that central funding accounts for [...]
Rolex sponsored Wimbledon stars made to pay for own watches July 9, 2025 A Rolex sponsorship or ambassadorial contract is widely seen as a must-have endorsement by aspiring young tennis players, yet such deals can prove to be a mixed blessing. Such is the value and scarcity of the Swiss luxury watches that their endorsement department operates a strictly enforced tier system, with only their A-list clients such [...]
Hundred teams to be buoyed by hike in IPL franchise valuations July 8, 2025 Hundred teams with links to the Indian Premier League (IPL) are to be buoyed by increased brand valuations for their subcontinental sibling clubs after a new report revealed major competition growth. While Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who do not have any involvement in bids for the eight Hundred franchises, topped the brand value list at £198m, [...]
Global sports market forecast to be worth $600bn by 2030 July 1, 2025 Growth of the global sports market is forecast to accelerate, making it worth $600bn (£438bn) by 2030, according to a report published today by consultancy Kearney. The market has grown an average of five per cent annually since 2020 but that rate is expected to increase to eight per cent, the report says. “Sport is [...]
London Spirit: Tech titans eye speedy Hundred deal to beat Trump tax rises June 25, 2025 English cricket is set to be an unlikely beneficiary of US President Donald Trump’s tax changes, with the so-called “tech titans” who are buying into London Spirit eager to complete the transaction before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is rubber-stamped by Congress. One clause of the Republic-sponsored bill, now with the Senate having been [...]
Six Nations look to lure Sky by bundling TV rights with Lions June 18, 2025 The Six Nations unions are in talks with the British and Irish Lions about bundling their TV rights for the next four-year cycle. European unions have already sold TV rights for the Six Nations between 2026 and 2029 in a joint deal with ITV and BBC, but have yet to go to market with their [...]
WhatsApp, Google, Adobe, YouTube investor group buys into US cricket June 9, 2025 Silicon Valley figures from Adobe, YouTube, Google, WhatsApp and Dropbox are among those to have invested in Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise the San Francisco Unicorns. They join figures from TV show The Big Bang Theory, Yodlee, and Menlo Ventures in going into sports ownership. Shantanu Narayen, chairman and chief executive at Adobe, is among [...]
Brighton owner Bloom looks to add French Ligue 1 club to portfolio May 28, 2025 In this week’s Ahead of the Game: Brighton owner Tony Bloom, football films, The Hundred sale, rugby rights and the National League. Brighton owner Tony Bloom is exploring a potential investment in a French club after completing his purchase of a 29 per cent stake in Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian this week. [...]
Alexis Ohanian, Chelsea and how to value women’s football teams May 26, 2025 Alexis Ohanian’s investment in Chelsea Women has raised questions about how to arrive at accurate valuations for women’s football teams. City AM asked industry experts. Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian was at Wembley last weekend for the Women’s FA Cup final, as the new investor in Chelsea Women saw his side complete a domestic treble with [...]
Everton owners in talks to buy data firm to help manager Moyes April 30, 2025 In this week’s Ahead of the Game: Everton’s Friedkin Group looks to data, Hundred and World Cup latest, bookmakers and the EFL. Everton’s owners, The Friedkin Group, are in talks over buying a data company to assist David Moyes with player recruitment. Following an internal review conducted at Goodison Park since the multi-club owners bought [...]