Michael Long, Sam Carp and Ed Dixon kick off 2025 by reviewing SportsPro’s list of Ten Influencers for the year ahead. With representatives from the worlds of sports media, women’s soccer, major events and more all featuring in the list, the trio discuss why these individuals are going to be shaping the sporting agenda in the coming months and how their influence will be felt across the industry.   Find out more here 🔗 https://www.sportspro.com/insights/features/ten-influencers-2025-michele-kang-bob-iger-caitlin-clark-nike-netflix-saudi-arabia/

Chaos is the order of the day as SportsPro's annual Christmas quiz returns. There's a cameo from quizmaster George Breare as he oversees three rounds of sports-based questions to decide who comes out on top in the battle of the SportsPro editorial department, with Tom Bassam and Sam Carp teaming up to take on Steve McCaskill and Ed Dixon. Who wins? Tune in to find out.

Fifa's Club World Cup has a broadcaster, with DAZN paying $1 billion for the global rights to air the tournament next year. Tom Bassam is joined by SportsPro's Steve McCaskill and Ed Dixon to discuss whether it's time to take Gianni Infantino's pet project a bit more seriously. Also on the agenda are outgoing ICC chair Greg Barclay's less than kind comments about the state of cricket and the Bundesliga's resolved rights situation.

The WSL is already the leading women's domestic league in Europe, but it has bigger goals. Zarah Al-Kudcy joined the organisation from Chelsea as the top two tiers of the English women's game became independent of the FA under the leadership of Nikki Doucet. Al-Kudcy is the final guest in this series of How to Win, joining SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and NorthStar Solutions Group CEO Chris Collins to explain how the WSL is being set up for success.

Marina Storti is the CEO of WTA Ventures, the CVC-backed commercial arm of the WTA Tour. She was named as one of SportsPro’s ten influencers for 2024 and it’s fair to say she’s delivered, with the elite women’s tennis tour growing its revenues 24% this year. To reflect on that success and discuss the WTA Tour’s future, Sam Carp made the short trip to Storti’s office for an in-depth conversation.

Brighton are one of the most-admired football clubs in the business and one of the people who have helped oversee the Seagulls' dramatic rise is CEO Paul Barber. Working closely with data-obsessed owner Tony Bloom, Barber has overhauled Brighton's operations and got the club into a position off the field where they can rival the giants of the game on it. As one of the few with a key to Brighton's famously guarded black box of data, Barber is the ideal guest to join SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and NorthStar Solutions Group CEO Chris Collins for a conversation about reading the right numbers to achieve success.

With the dust having settled on a lively week of industry conversation at SportsPro Madrid, here are Tom Bassam and Steve McCaskill’s thoughts on the state of the sports media business from the event. Sandwiched between takeaways from the onstage discussion is Steve’s interview with Anna Thompson, head of women’s sport at the BBC.

British Cycling is one of the jewels in the crown of UK Sport but has endured its struggles in recent years, both in terms of governance and commercially. Jon Dutton joined the NGB as CEO, having previously served in the same role at the delayed Rugby League World Cup 2021, and has set about re-establishing a high-performance culture at British Cycling. Given that experience, Dutton was the ideal guest to join SportsPro CEO and NorthStar Solutions Group CEO Chris Collins to discuss the delivery of the strategies required to achieve those goals in the business of sport. Over six instalments of this special series from SportsPro and strategy realisation specialist NorthStar, we'll be hearing from top leaders across the sports industry with the primary objective of uncovering what it really takes to win in their field. Subscribe to the SportsPro Podcast feed to make sure you don't miss an episode.

In a conversation recorded at SportsPro Madrid, Tom Bassam talks to Guy Laurent-Epstein, Uefa's marketing director, with their wide-ranging conversation covering Euro 2024, the revamped Champions League, the Conference League and the direction of the women's game.

Gareth Balch, CEO of Two Circles, a global sports marketing agency, delves into the intricacies of post-acquisition growth. He discusses the recent acquisitions of KORE and Spring Media, emphasizing the importance of strategic alignment and effective communication during integration. Balch highlights data-driven strategies for enhancing audience engagement and revenue in sports, and the transformative impact of personalized fan experiences. He also explores the delicate balance between strategy and execution, stressing the need for a strong corporate culture to achieve lasting success.