SportsPro Podcast

SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly and magazine editor Michael Long return to discuss Discovery's plans for a global cycling network after its takeover of Play Sports Group, presaging a new digital strategy around fan communities. They also reflect on a busy week in OTT, with developments in Disney's offloading of Fox's regional sports networks and the ongoing saga of the pirates of Qatari BeIN Sports. Elsewhere in the pod, there is a discussion of the 2026 Winter Olympic race as Stockholm and Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo enter the candidate phase, and to consider the void left behind by the retiring Andy Murray as athlete power and nostalgia create a potent mix.

SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long return for a breezy run through the goings-on in the sports industry over the Christmas break, from Susanna Dinnage's shock U-turn over the Premier League's top job to CVC's bold plans for Premiership Rugby and the NFL's new casino deal. Then Bruin Sports Capital founder George Pyne lays out the philosophies that drive the private equity firm - which owns the likes of Deltatre, Courtside Ventures, Engine Shop and On Location Experiences - shares some of the lessons he has learned in a career taking in Nascar and IMG, and reveals some of his business role models.

In an easily digestible broadcast tech edition, SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly presents two interviews from November's SportsPro OTT Summit in Madrid. First, Fox Sports senior vice president of product operation Dustin Myers discusses the US broadcaster's work with AI specialist IBM Aspere to create the Fifa World Cup Highlights Machine, and shares his thoughts on the role automation will play in the development of OTT production. Then Neil Hall, the head of product for sport at the BBC, reveals how the publicly funded broadcaster is attacking latency issues to cut the gap between streams and linear TV output, the importance of new OTT rights partnerships, and how viewer engagement is changing.

As the 2018/19 NBA campaign turns the corner, SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly talks to Peter Feigin, president of Eastern Conference pacesetters Milwaukee Bucks, about a season of promise and transition. Feign discusses the opportunities that have come from setting up home at the world class new Fiserv Forum, the future of the venue experience for sports and entertainment fans, and the challenges of dealing with local government to get the facility into action and into service for the people of Wisconsin. He also talks about the Bucks' exploits on the court, including the prospect of a real tilt at the championship and working with emerging superstar and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With the festive season in sight, SportsPro editor-at-large  Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long are joined by Seven League consultant Charlie Beall and Sport Industry Group head of content Catherine Inkster to reflect on the year in the business of sport, including the Fifa World Cup in Russia, the prevailing currents in the Olympic movement, media disruption, understanding Fortnite, Wilder v Fury and plenty more in between. In a bumper edition, there's also time to look ahead to the trends that could shape 2019, and suggest some better habits for the industry next year - from opening up to new ideas to being more Kaepernick.

With the final print edition of 2018 put to bed, SportsPro magazine editor Michael Long rejoins editor-at-large Eoin Connolly to discuss a busy fortnight in the sports industry. On the agenda: whether the Copa Libertadores heralds a globe-trotting future for club soccer; a new man with a big job at the IAAF; Seattle's NHL return and the XFL's comeback; and what the experiences of Raheem Sterling, American gymnasts and Jess Varnish tell us about the growing power of the athlete voice. Then the well-travelled World Surf League chief executive Sophie Goldschmidt, the cover star of issue 103, shares her thoughts on a fast-emerging sport, its environmental responsibility, and the potential of wave pool technology.

With over 600 delegates gathered for the second SportsPro OTT Summit at Madrid's Meliá Castilla, SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly speaks to Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis about the UK pay-TV giant's digital strategy, how it has steadily adapted its model to the demands of a changing era, his expectations about life under new owner Comcast, and much more. Meanwhile Deltatre chief product and marketing officer Carlo de Marchis, an OTT evangelist and expert, gives his thoughts on the event and the industry's fastest-emerging sector.

Since Discovery signed its US$2 billion deal with the PGA Tour in June for the international media rights to North America’s premier golfing circuit, intrigue has surrounded the makeup of the product that will carry more than 2,000 hours of PGA Tour content each year. In a special edition of the SportsPro Podcast, staff writer Nick Friend talks to Discovery Golf president Alex Kaplan at length about an OTT product and a partnership with the PGA Tour that could change the course of sports broadcasting.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long pair up again to talk about the winner-takes-all showdown in Las Vegas between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, asking what, if anything, could be learned from The Match. They also discuss South America’s aborted soccer showpiece, as the world watched while bitter rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate didn’t play in the Copa Libertadores final, and the ITF’s controversial Kosovo’s-backed reforms to the Davis Cup.  Elsewhere, the FA’s Kelly Simmons discusses participation and the growth of women’s soccer in England, and with Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Curuana poised over the board in London, World Chess president Ilya Merenzon describes what AI, digital connections and a Tinder-style app mean for the future of the ancient game.

English soccer's elite club competition has its first new leader in two decades, with Susanna Dinnage now confirmed as the Premier League chief executive and successor to Richard Scudamore. SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long discuss the hulking in-tray facing the Animal Planet and former Discovery UK chief, from Brexit to breakaways, and fan concerns to a content revolution. As Formula One's 2018 season comes to a close, there's another chance to assess the progress made by owner Liberty Media, with comment from commercial partnerships exec Zarah Al-Kudcy. And with Mitel confirmed as the title sponsor of the MLB London Series, baseball icon Alex Rodriguez explains what the UK can expect from the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, and lays out his own vision for getting another generation of fans enamoured with America's pastime.