NRL’s $5.3bn Broadcast Deal, Tiger Woods-Backed Golf Tech Sale & World Cup’s U.S. Legacy

NRL Announces Record-breaking $5.3bn Broadcast Deal with Nine and Foxtel – The Guardian *

Richest deal in Australian sports reshapes media landscape.

AU, NRL, SportsMedia, MediaRights, Sponsorship

NRL seals US$3.7bn media rights deals with Foxtel, Nine and Sky NZ – SportsPro

Global view on NRL's historic multi-territory rights uplift.

NRL, Media Rights, Broadcasting, Australia, Sports Business

Versant Buys Tiger Woods-Backed Golf Simulator Company for $530M – Front Office Sports *

Half‑billion golf tech deal shows power of playable sport.

US, Golf, Technology, Investment, Sports Business, Media

Will this World Cup change American soccer forever? Many hope so – The Athletic *

World Cup legacy stakes for U.S. soccer's next decade.

US, Football, Growth, MediaRights, Strategy

Tour de France 2026: Stage 1 business breakdown – Yahoo Sports *

How a roadside race built a global sponsorship machine.

EU, Cycling, Media-rights, Sponsorship, Event-model

Inside LIV Golf's Search for New Investors: From PE to Bankruptcy – Front Office Sports *

LIV Golf's funding crunch reveals risks of challenger leagues.

Golf, Private Equity, Finance, Sports Business

Premier Lacrosse League announced a $100 million Series E financing round led by Ares and Joe Tsai – PR Newswire

Emerging league raises big, signalling investor belief in niche.

US, MediaRights, Investment, EmergingLeagues, Strategy

Toronto Sports Empire Fully Under Rogers Control After $3.1B Deal – Yahoo Sports

Rogers consolidates teams and media into one Canadian powerhouse.

CA, Media-rights, Ownership, Sponsorship, Strategy

Creator Strategy in Sports: What You Need to Know and Why It Matters – Digital and Social Media Sports *

Frameworks for working smarter with creators around sport.

Sports Marketing, Content Creation, Sponsorship, Fan Engagement

Why Meta AI could become search's sleeping giant – Search Engine Land

If fans ‘search' inside Instagram, are you visible?

Global, AI, Search, Fan Engagement, Digital Marketing

The B2B Podcast Index: a new ranker that ignores downloads entirely – FAME

Measuring podcasts by learning, not downloads, changes KPIs.

Global, Analytics, B2B, ContentStrategy, Data

Sky confirms UK£1.6bn ITV takeover – SportsPro *

Sky–ITV consolidation reshapes UK free-to-air sports options.

UK, Acquisitions, Media Rights, Sports Broadcasting, ITV, Sky

World Cup Is Drawing NFL Playoff Audiences – Front Office Sports

World Cup ratings rival NFL playoffs, shifting rights economics.

World Cup, TV Ratings, Media, Marketing

Netflix's second seasons are flatlining – Morning Brew

What Netflix's sophomore slumps teach sports about retention.

Global, Streaming, Media, Audience, Data

TSC launches EventAIQ, an AI-enabled self-service for event impact – SportsPro

New tool promises faster, smarter event impact reporting.

Technology, AI, Event Impact, Sports Marketing

Northern California Volleyball Association selects Fastbreak Ticketing as its official ticketing platform, adopting facial authentication for tournament entry – Fastbreak

Grassroots volleyball pilots frictionless, face-based venue entry.

US, Ticketing, Biometric, FanExperience, Data

A Stargate for Data – X *

Why your first-party fan data just got more valuable.

Global, AI, Data Strategy, Commercial Strategy, Sponsorship

In the Age of AI, Culture Becomes the Competitive Advantage – Medium

AI tools matter less than the culture around them.

Global, AI, OrgCulture, Innovation, SportsBiz

Voters Are Asking AI Chatbots Who They Should Vote For – The New York Times

If voters trust bots, fans soon will too.

US, AI, Fan Engagement, Marketing, Data Strategy

“It's not that it doesn't work”: Crux Football's Bex Smith on why women's soccer needs a new ownership model – SportsPro

Rethinking ownership to unlock women's football's full value.

Women's Soccer, Ownership Models, Investment, Sports Economics