SportsPro Podcast

As the Nitto ATP Finals brings the best players in men's tennis back to The O2 in London for a tenth year, SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly sits down with the ATP SVP for marketing and business development, George Ciz. The conversation covers a new brand launch for the organisation and its elite tour, the lessons from the radical Next Gen Finals event, working with Amazon, why the series is like Rafa Nadal, getting the Tube with Federer and Djokovic, and plenty more besides. Meanwhile, SportsPro print editor Michael Long is on hand to talk about a new deal for Uefa and Chinese payments giant Alipay and a new frontier for DAZN, which is heading into Spain on the back of a three-year deal with the Premier League.

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by New York Times sports news correspondent Tariq Panja to discuss an industry week dominated again by murky soccer business, with Der Spiegel's Football Leaks reports to the fore.  Items on the agenda include the prospect of a European Super League, Gianni Infantino's role in efforts by Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City to circumvent Financial Fair Play laws, and just how shocked fans will actually be to find out how the sausages are made. There's also time to reflect on governance issues elsewhere, including a contentious presidential race in boxing's AIBA and ongoing debates around sport and Saudi Arabia, and a brief note of optimism. Meanwhile Press Association chief sports reporter and SportsPro columnist Matt Slater is on hand to explain the latest goings-on in the world of anti-doping, as the Russian saga drags on to draw USADA into conflict with global body WADA.

SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly talks to print editor Michael Long, freshly returned from the Sportel Monaco media convention, about a chaotic and traumatic week in the sports industry. There are reflections on the contribution of the tragically departed Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Fifa's latest machinations around its Club World Cup plans and the examinations of Saudi state money in international sport after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the small supporting role of soccer stars in the election of far-right candidate Jair Bolsanaro as president of Brazil. Elsewhere in a packed pod there's a review of the MLB World Series and a step-change at LA 2028, while NFL EVP of international Mark Waller discussed the league's experiences in London this year and its ambitions for Mexico, China and Germany.

As the SportsPro Podcast goes weekly for the first time, editor-at-large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long consider the sports industry events of recent days and look ahead to a new season in the NBA, perhaps the world's most forward-thinking league.  On the agenda are potential franchise relocations and additions; the move of basketball's biggest star, LeBron James, to the Los Angeles Lakers and the commercial activities of the players and their union; the microtransaction revolution in watching the NBA; and an interview with NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum. There's also the sad duty of reflecting on the contributions of two recently departed major figures in the sport: Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen and Fiba  general secretary Patrick Baumann.

SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly is joined by print editor Michael Long, who talks through the wealth of sports broadcasting features in the upcoming issue 102 of the magazine. With the likes of Eleven Sports, DAZN, ESPN+ and Sky Sports' Barney Francis on the agenda there is plenty to discuss, including Eleven's provocative decision to air La Liga matches during the UK's traditional Saturday 3pm TV soccer blackout. Then Jeremy Waite, the chief strategy officer at IBM for Watson Customer Engagement in Europe, joins the pod to talk through the possibilities and challenges that artificial intelligence will create for sport and entertainment. What will we learn about fans? Will AI change how sports formats are created? And what impact will voice and visual search have?

Formula One is deep into its second full season under its new owners at Liberty Media and the picture is beginning to emerge of how the leading series in motor racing will look in the years ahead.  Speaking to broadcaster Nicki Shields at the Black Book Motorsport Forum in London, the ever-quotable F1 managing director of commercial operations Sean Bratches covers everything from a first-ever marketing campaign to the launch of F1TV, the retirement of Fernando Alonso, the need for greater competition and pioneering engineering, a revitalised sponsorship offering and plenty more.

It's the list that everyone - or some people, at least - has been talking about: SportsPro's annual rankings of the world's 50 most marketable athletes. SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by editor Michael Long and senior writer Sam Carp to discuss the list, the episode also features Roger Breum, from SportsPro's data partner Hookit, who explains the spontech side of this year's 50MM

A special mini-pod with Sportlogiq's Craig Buntin discussing the origins of the business and how he made the switch from athlete to chief executive.

In a snack-sized edition, SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly revisits a conversation at SportAccord in Bangkok with magazine editor Michael Long and Patrick Nally, the founder and president of the International Federation of Match Poker. Nally, widely regarded as a sports marketing pioneer for his work with the likes of Fifa, the Rugby World Cup and world athletics' IAAF, reflects on his decision to begin again and build a new pastime from the ground up. He discusses the challenges of bringing a young organisation into the world of sports politics, his excitement at the potential of match poker, and how new sports will fare in a changing federation environment.

With the second SportsPro OTT Summit confirmed for Madrid on 28th and 29th November, SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly dips into the archives to find conversations with representatives of two broadcasters at very different stages of their commercial journeys. First up is Marc Watson, group chief executive of Eleven Sports, active around the world and newly launched in the UK. It has taken a nimble, flexible approach to each market, and Watson discusses how to decide what method of digital delivery works for each market.  Then Sky Sports director of strategy Jonathan Licht talks about the effects of the UK pay-TV giant's switch to vertical, single-sport channels, its evolving relationships with rights holders, and its take on creating bundled value for viewers on its multi-genre platform in an age of stripping down to single sources.