Expedia Group Unlocks Sports Tourism Demand Forecasting Through PredictHQ Partnership March 2, 2026 Ahead of this year’s Big Soccer Tournament: Expedia Group becomes PredictHQ’s first deeply integrated online travel agency (OTA) partner, bringing its real-world context directly into Partner Central – the platform lodging partners use to manage rates, inventory and performance New joint forecasts project total traveler spend across North America’s host cities to exceed $8.1 billion USD between June and August 2026 - nearly $750 million higher than last year Accommodation spend is projected to climb 86%, with international arrivals fueling four-digit demand surges in key host cities
Hornby offloads toy car brand Scalextric for £20m February 27, 2026 Hornby, the model railway firm advised by Mike Ashley, has agreed to sell toy car racing brand Scalextric for £20m. Castelnau, Hornby’s parent company, announced on Friday it will sell the toy brand to Purbeck Capital Partners. Hornby, which also sells toy planes and cars under the Airfix and Corgi brands, has owned Scalextric since [...]
Premier League confirms streaming service – and it’s not called Premflix February 26, 2026 The Premier League is to launch a streaming platform in Singapore that could pave the way for a global direct-to-consumer “Premflix” product, CEO Richard Masters has confirmed. The long-rumoured new service, a collaboration with telco StarHub, is to be called Premier League + and show all 380 games live as well as magazine content, starting [...]
Ukraine invasion anniversary prompts fresh Russia Paralympics ban calls February 24, 2026 Calls for the ban on Russian Paralympians to be reinstated have heightened as the invasion of Ukraine marks its fourth anniversary. The Winter Paralympics is set to begin next week, days after today’s conflict anniversary, with the International Paralympic Committee admitting 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes despite Western outcry. Officials representing host country Italy have [...]
Seattle Seahawks: Why are NFL franchises selling for $10bn? February 20, 2026 Just days after winning their first Super Bowl in over a decade the owners of the Seattle Seahawks – the Allen family – put the NFL franchise up for sale. Paul Allen was a co-founder of Microsoft, and “The Estate of Paul G. Allen” has now begun a formal sale process of the franchise due [...]
Debenhams clinches equity raise after share price spook February 19, 2026 Debenhams Group successfully closed its equity fundraise above its initial £35m target despite a stock market spook which saw its shares drop by 20 per cent. The fashion group, which recently rebranded from Boohoo Group, had pitched the equity raise as central to its turnaround from significant struggles in recent years. Debenhams Group, which owns [...]
Nearly 100 per cent of sport organisations plan to increase AI use February 19, 2026 Nearly 100 per cent of sports organisations plan to increase their use of AI in the next year, according to the 2026 Global SportsTech Report. The data comes as artificial intelligence’s presence across sport has increased monumentally over recent seasons. The study, undertaken by SportsPro and Sportradar using sports organisations across the industry, states that [...]
Winter Olympics can show Britain how to start winning again February 19, 2026 Britain’s success in the Winter Olympics is a corrective to narratives about our decline – and hold lessons for funding our public services too, says John Oxley Narratives of Britain’s decline abound. From our stalling economic growth to our inability to build sufficient housing to our overwhelmed public services, all point to the country’s struggles. [...]
Debenhams shares plunge after £35m capital raise confirmed February 17, 2026 Debenhams shares plunged ten per cent in early deals after the struggling fashion group confirmed plans to launch a £35m equity raising round. The group’s board said the fundraise will allow it to complete its resurgence but the plans did little to calm investors as its share price tumbled on the Tuesday open. Debenhams Group, [...]
Why KKR-Arctos is not just about private equity getting bigger February 12, 2026 The announcement that US giant KKR has acquired Arctos Partners for a reported $1.4bn (£1bn) is a significant moment in both the sports investment and private equity worlds. At first glance, the deal looks like a straightforward bet by KKR on the growing institutional appetite for sports assets. However, look closer and it says something [...]