SportsPro Podcast

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. 

With the New York Yankees having enjoyed two wins over the Boston Red Sox,  SportsPro senior writer Sam Carp returns from Stratford to tell editor at large Eoin Connolly about his impressions of the first ever MLB London Series. On the agenda: what can be done differently next year, what lessons can be learned from the NFL, and just why the two games at the London Stadium were so high-scoring.  Then, as the debate over the UK media impact of the Fifa Women's World Cup and ICC Men's Cricket World Cup continues, there's time to discuss free-to-air strategies in the digital age, and to dip into the Grabyo Global Video Trends Report for some insights into viewer tastes and device use. 

SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long discuss a big week in Olympic circles, with Milan-Cortina awarded the 2026 Winter Games, a new Olympic House inaugurated in Lausanne, a unique deal signed with Coca-Cola and Mengniu for a reported US$3 billion, and more besides.  Then, with the Championships at Wimbledon a few days away, the AELTC's James Ralley and Alexandra Willis explain how the most prestigious tournament in tennis stays relevant in the global 21st century media landscape, from new content plans to the inaugural edition of Wimbledon Rematch, an immersive theatrical experience taking fans back to 1980. 

As the banned former Uefa president Michel Platini faces police questioning in France, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long discuss the latest developments in the ongoing saga around Qatar 2022, corruption allegations, Fifa and world soccer.  There's also time to consider a crowded summer soccer calendar, with the Copa America, Concacaf Gold Cup and Africa Cup of Nations colliding with the Fifa Women's World Cup, and to look into recent IPOs for Wanda Sports and the IMG and UFC owner Endeavor. Meanwhile, with the Nations League Finals marking the start of the Chinese payment giant's eight-year sponsorship of Uefa, Alipay's Rita Liu (26.58) explains the rationale behind the partnership, and outlines what to expect from the company's international strategy in sport.   

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly welcomes back print editor Michael Long from his travels to discuss some first impressions of the Fifa Women's World Cup in France, the impact of the Toronto Raptors' NBA Finals run in Canada, and the implications of the IAAF's move to rebrand as World Athletics.  Then we hear from Sanjay Patel (24.03), managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board's divisive new tournament, The Hundred. He explains why the ECB felt it had to respond to changes in fan behaviour and the competition for attention, how he hopes the new format can appeal to a new audience, and how The Hundred's commercial structure will create a different set of opportunities for brands.