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Key Reads
Taking Control: How Professional Sports Teams Are Building Their In-Market Future as the RSN Model Fractures – Sports Video Group *
Teams rebuild local media, data and streaming models post-RSN.
US, MediaRights, Streaming, Sponsorship, FanData
US$7bn team valuations, a streaming pilot and sponsor overhaul: The business of the 2026/27 Premier League season – SportsPro *
Premier League valuations, media pilots and sponsorship reshuffle.
UK, Premier League, Sponsorship, Media Rights, Finance
Inside the Business and Ecosystem of Overtime – 365247 Sports *
How Overtime built youth leagues, media, merch and more.
US, Media, Youth Sports, Commercial Strategy, Sponsorship
New investment backs interactive, data-rich live sports experiences.
Global, Media, AI, FanExperience, Investment
Professional Sports
Marc Stad takes control of Timberwolves and Lynx at $4.5bn valuation – SportsMint Media
Tech wealth, soaring valuations and NBA/WNBA ownership shifts.
US, NBA, WNBA, Investment, Ownership
LIV Golf Enters Limbo As 2026 Season Concludes With Future Unclear – Front Office Sports *
Funding questions leave LIV Golf's long-term future uncertain.
Golf, Sponsorship, Leagues, Business Strategy, Investment
LSU Spent $40 Million on Its Roster. So Why Are the Tigers Taking NFL Players Now? – The Athletic
College football roster spend now mirrors pro economics.
US, College-Football, NIL, Economics, Strategy
Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 Targets Record Attendance as One-Year Countdown Begins – Ministry of Sport
Ambitious attendance, funding and legacy targets for Sydney 2027.
AU, Netball, Events, Marketing, Sponsorship
Digital & Social
US Open Expands Creator Credentials and Digital Strategy to Drive Commercial Growth – Ministry of Sport
USTA doubles down on creators to grow US Open reach.
US, Tennis, Marketing, Digital Strategy, Fan Engagement
Spurs Launch Fan-Focused Film ‘Tottenham ‘Til I Die' – Sport Industry Group
Tottenham puts supporters at the centre of club storytelling.
UK, Football, Content, Fan Engagement, Media
Media & Entertainment
ESPN Unlimited Sets First Price Increase – Sports Media Watch *
ESPN's DTC bundle hikes prices—what that means for sport.
US, Streaming, Economics, MediaRights, Pricing
Netflix moves toward aggregation, exploring hosting rival streaming services on its platform – The New York Times
Netflix eyes super-aggregator role with third-party services.
Global, MediaRights, OTT, Streaming, Strategy
Men in Blazers' Tottenham-Hoffenheim broadcast triples own viewer projection – SportsPro
YouTube preseason stream outperforms, hinting at new models.
Global, Broadcast, OTT, YouTube, Fan Engagement
Geek Out
Dijon FCO Replaces Season Tickets with NFC Scarves – X (Twitter)
NFC-enabled scarves become access, payment and data touchpoints.
EU, Football, Ticketing, Fan Experience, Technology
The Big Shift: Inside NC State's Phased Move From SDI to SMPTE ST 2110 – Sports Video Group
College venue shows how to migrate to IP production.
US, BroadcastTech, CollegeSports, Production, IPWorkflows
AI
Meta's AI-first ad buying is forcing a new operating model for paid social teams – MarketScale
Meta automation shifts focus to signal quality and creative.
Global, AI, Paid Social, Ticketing, Sponsorship
Chat Is the Wrong Interface for AI – UX Design (Medium)
Why sports AI shouldn't default to clunky chatbots.
Global, AI, UX, Product, Fan-Engagement
Make You Think
The U.S. Open Is About To Get Even More Expensive – Huddle Up
Arthur Ashe renovation shows extreme premiumisation in tennis.
US, Tennis, Venues, Premiumisation, Revenue
14 Clubs Grew. Melbourne Didn't. – Talking Tickets
AFL membership data deep dive on growth versus stagnation.
AU, AFL, Ticketing, Membership, SportsBusiness
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Featured image credit: Laslovarga, “2Arthur Ashe US Open.jpg”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
