SportsPro Podcast

With November's P1 AquaX World Championship in the Bahamas on the horizon, SportsPro senior writer Sam Carp is joined on a special edition of the SportsPro Podcast by Powerboat P1 chief executive Azam Rangoonwala. An engineering graduate and former racer himself, Rangoonwala dials in from the global marine motorsport promoter's international racing headquarters in Orlando to discuss the development of P1's flagship series and its plans to expand in the future. 

As the Ashes summer nears its end, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly heads to the Kia Oval to talk to cricket legend Shane Warne.  The former Australia leg-spinner talks about his role with the Indian Premier League's Rajasthan Royals, and how franchise cricket has changed the job of a professional player on and off the field. He also discusses The Hundred and its tactical secrets, as he prepares to join the Lord's franchise as head coach, and shares his thoughts on preserving the historic Test format.  There's then time to revisit the Black Book Motorsport Forum, and hear the thoughts of senior figures from three leading teams about their challenges in 2019. M-Sport WRC team principal Rich Millener, Nissan global motorsport director Michael Carcamo and Yan Lefort, commercial director at Sauber Group for the Alfa Romeo Racing F1 Team, join the conversation.

In a briefer edition of the SportsPro Podcast, editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to Riot Games' Alban Dechelotte and the Kellogg Company's Dominik Schafhaupt to find out what Pringles' sponsorship of the League of Legends European Championship tells us about what brands are doing in esports.  How does a non-endemic sponsor prepare to engage with the esports community? How can partners spread their activities across groups of gamers and viewers? What can companies do to connect with a more marketing-savvy audience? And why is it that relevance and not breakthrough is what counts in this space? 

SportsPro has released its tenth annual list of the world's 50 most marketable athletes, with tennis star Naomi Osaka heading the class of 2019. Editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to editorial director Michael Long about what the feature is intended to accomplish, its unique criteria, how it has changed to reflect the media marketplace and the interests of brands, and the role of social data partner Hookit in compiling it.  Then it's over to SportsPro HQ where digital editor Tom Bassam and senior writer Sam Carp are on hand to talk through some of the themes that emerge from this year's edition.  What puts Osaka on top? How are brands becoming more comfortable with outspoken ambassadors like Megan Rapinoe? What magnetises people to young talents like Zion Williamson, Jofra Archer and Chloe Kim, or keeps them interested in established megastars like Stephen Curry? How are the stories of marketable athletes changing in their detail and range, and what do brands need to be aware of before they sign?

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by editorial director Michael Long to discuss Disney's aggressively priced bundle for Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu. The US streaming race, rebundling, and the concept of added-value membership packages - which could, in sport, mean pricing in tickets or other experiences - are all on the table in the OTT era. Then, as Anthony Joshua prepares to head to Saudi Arabia to retrieve his world heavyweight boxing titles from Andy Ruiz, there's a conversation about the pattern emerging for how events will be promoted in the controversial kingdom, and a brief reflection on the ongoing beoutQ dispute. And to coincide with Women in Sport Week on the SportsPro website, there's an interview with Eleven Sports chief operating officer Anouk Mertens.

As a new European club soccer season dawns, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and senior writer Sam Carp are joined by a rotating cast of writers and guests at HQ, with senior reporter Steven Impey making his pod debut to detail La Liga’s quest for a UK rights partner, and digital editor Tom Bassam discussing the Bundesliga and his trip to the German Super Cup. The Premier League is also back, while the British launch of The Athletic and a change in strategy for Otro provide food for thought on what fans will pay for in the digital space.  Then Black Book of Motorsport director Peter Jones drops in to discuss this month’s Black Book Motorsport Forum, a busy 2019 in racing with the launch of the W Series, and Formula One’s fortunes as it hits a mid-season break.  

With a new Premier League soccer season on the horizon, SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam talks to Arsenal head of content Tom Hines and Southampton head of content and digital Luke Nicholson about the art of club storytelling. How does a team create a consistent, compelling media presence? How do you match the right output to the right digital channels? How do you ensure best practice across an editorial operation and communicate what matters throughout the whole organisation? And how do you make all that count for sponsors and partners?

Fresh from England's first ever ICC Men's Cricket World Cup title, England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison speaks to SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly about his reaction to an incredible final, the lessons of a UK free-to-air return, his reflections on the tournament and what's next for a team now enjoying their breakout moment. Also on the agenda: an Ashes summer for England's men and women; the latest on preparations for a radical and divisive new competition in The Hundred; the ECB's plans to grow the sport by embracing younger and more diverse audiences; what media contracts really tell us; and why the world champions celebrated at a school skills event at the Oval, rather than on the back of an open-top bus.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly, digital editor Tom Bassam and senior writer Sam Carp catch their breath just long enough to look back on an incredibly dramatic and impossible tight finale at Lord's, where England snuck past New Zealand to win the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup for the first time.  They also review the seven-week tournament, asking what could be learned from Sky Sports' late deal to bring the final to Channel 4, how far the event broke out beyond cricket audiences in the UK and elsewhere, and what changes might take the competition forward in the next edition in India in 2023.    There's time to take in news of a new NBA CMO from the social video space, and a new women’s sports marketing firm from Wasserman, The Collective. Then the team reflect on the rest of split-screen Sunday, which saw UK viewers in particular scrambling to watch the cricket, the F1 British Grand Prix and an epic Wimbledon men's singles tennis final at the same time. What, if anything, can broadcasters and event organisers do to enhance a multi-sport, multi-screen experience?

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long reconvene to review the Fifa Women's World Cup. After a tournament that represented a huge cultural moment, from Megan Rapinoe and the USWNT to a big TV breakthrough everywhere, where does women's soccer go next? How will commercial and development aims best be served?  Then, as Mediapro is linked with a new TV channel partnership with Italian soccer's Serie A and Lagardère Sports with a takeover by Wasserman Media Group, there is some time to reflect on where the agency sector is going. Meanwhile, there's also a chance to discuss a new direction for the flagship SportsPro magazine.