SportsPro Podcast

As SportsPro says goodbye to its print magazine after 117 issues, Eoin Connolly is joined by three other former editors – SportsPro editorial director Michael Long and Leaders’ James Emmett and David Cushnan – for a very special podcast. They reflect on how the magazine came to reflect and adapt to a changing sports industry across its 14-year lifespan, finding new ways to tell stories and meet the needs of its community of readers. They also share some favourite features and moments, personal memories of how each edition was brought to life, and thoughts on the appeal of print publications.

Eoin Connolly reviews another week of industry news with SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam and senior staff writer Ed Dixon.  Tom unpacks more developments in the Chelsea ownership saga, with Todd Boehly’s consortium in place as the preferred bidder despite late interest from Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Then Ed reflects on a historic night in New York, where Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano became the first female boxers to sell out Madison Square Garden.  Finally, GreenPark Sports chief strategy officer Tony Grillo lays out a vision for a mobile fan metaverse for leagues like the NBA and La Liga.  

Matt Rogan is joined by the chief executives at Six Nations Rugby, GB Snowsport and Surrey County Cricket Club for a live recording of the Playbook Podcast at SportsPro Live.

Eoin Connolly and SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam are joined by a series of guests at SportsPro Live 2022, an in-person return for the flagship conference.  Event host Kait Borsay and SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham explore inclusivity and representation in the industry and the growth of women’s sports. SportsPro senior contributor Matt Rogan and GB Snowsport CEO Vicky Gosling lay out the challenges facing businesses in 2022.  Sam Shave, co-managing director of sustainability consultancy thinkBeyond, reflects on green initiatives trialled at the Kia Oval, and Elena Razzano explains how the European Space Agency’s activities could help develop new sports innovations. 

In this special excerpt from the StreamTime Podcast, SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham talks to Jonathan Licht, managing director of UK pay-TV powerhouse Sky Sports. Jonathan reflects on the development of the Sky Sports offering through an era of rapid change in delivery and the rights market, explaining what the company has learned about sports broadcasting and audiences across three decades.   He also reveals how the growth and diversification of the Sky group and platform has influenced its thinking about its consumer positioning, as well relationships with sports like the Premier League and Formula One and its own media competitors.  

Eoin Connolly and SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam run through another week of industry news, and hear from DFL executive vice president of AV rights Steffen Merkel about the latest media developments in German soccer’s Bundesliga.  With the endgame approaching in the contest to take over world soccer champions Chelsea, Tom and Eoin discuss a diverse range of team investment stories, from Serie A’s AC Milan to the NFL’s Denver Broncos and the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.  Then Stefan explains how 5G, AI and other technologies have built out the Bundesliga’s storytelling and fan engagement capabilities.

In this episode of the Playbook Podcast, host Matt Rogan sits down with a business leader whose organisation has successfully ridden the storm of the pandemic. Heatley Tector is the former owner of Move Media and was in the middle of establishing HBV Studios, a Dublin-based audiovisual production company, as the health crisis started to unfold. An experienced TV and radio presenter, Tector has a longstanding connection with sport. He talks to Rogan about the challenges of managing the new business during a pandemic and offers his reflections and learnings as the company emerges on the other side.  

Eoin Connolly and SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam talk to Kieran Maguire, co-host of the Price of Football podcast, and go over some of the week’s developments in the business of soccer. They discuss the launch of the Fifa+ direct-to-consumer digital platform – a new free service hosting original content and up to 40,000 live games a season – and ask what it means for the global governing body’s media and commercial strategy. There’s also time to reflect on Uefa’s revamped financial regulations for clubs, and go under the radar with the crypto-powered WAGMI United takeover of fourth-tier English side Crawley Town.

Eoin Connolly and SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam are joined by Sportico’s Emily Caron to reflect on a busy spell of US sport.  Emily reviews the return of college basketball’s March Madness, and explains the implications of an expanding sports betting market and opportunities created by new NCAA name, image and likeness (NIL) rights rules for student-athletes.  There’s also time to discuss a landmark week for sport in Las Vegas, with Formula One confirming a Grand Prix and Oak View Group planning a US$3 bllion campus, as well as women’s sports stories on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.

In this special edition of the Playbook Podcast, regular host Matt Rogan chats to SportsPro editorial director Michael Long about the release of the CEO Playbook 2022, a free and interactive how-to guide for business leaders in sport. Rogan reflects on why he teamed up with SportsPro to launch the Playbook in March 2020, a time when the sports industry was reeling from the impact of the Covid pandemic amid a prevailing sense of shock and uncertainty. Additionally, he picks out his personal highlights and takeaways from more than 24 hours of conversations recorded since the Playbook Podcast debuted a little over 12 months ago. There’s also a look ahead to Rogan’s forthcoming in-person session at SportsPro Live, where three top executives - Surrey County Cricket Club's Steve Elworthy, Vicky Gosling of British Ski & Snowboard and Six Nations Rugby’s Ben Morel - will be on hand to share their views on the major challenges and changes impacting the role of the CEO in 2022.