SportsPro Podcast

In the latest SportsPro Podcast Extra, SportsPro deputy editor Sam Carp talks to Alexandra Armas, the chief executive of the Ladies' European Tour (LET).  They discuss the many challenges of keeping the tour going through the coronavirus crisis, with the calendar on pause until July and players and promoters to support in the meantime. Also on the agenda are the LET's joint venture with the LPGA,...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and editorial director Michael Long are joined by Richard Gillis, the founder of Unofficial Partner, (06:59) to discuss the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the sports agency business, including its current role in the industry and what change could be afoot once the lockdown lifts. Then (35:55), Lenah Ueltzen-Gabell, Wasserman’s managing director for E...

In the latest edition of the SportsPro Podcast Extra, editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Gareth Balch, co-founder and chief executive of data-driven agency Two Circles.  They discuss research into the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, what to make of fan behaviour during sport's shutdown, the challenges of a packed 2021, and what the future holds for Two Circles itself after inv...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and digital editor Tom Bassam welcome Rob Koehler, Global Athlete (GA) director general, and Callum Skinner, its athlete lead, for an in-depth discussion on how Tokyo 2020 hopefuls are dealing with the Games' postponement, as well as the wider ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic.    Talk also turns to what athlete-driven change GA wants to see implemen...

In the first edition of the SportsPro Podcast Extra series, editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to one-time colleague Adam Fraser, now global chief executive of Laureus Sport for Good. They discuss how the sport for development sector can cope during the Covid-19 crisis and what sports organisations and brands need to understand if they want to help make a real difference.  Music: Surf Inspector b...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and deputy editor Sam Carp are joined by the Press Association’s chief sports reporter Jamie Gardner to assess the challenges ahead for sports following the mass cancellations of events worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic. (03:34) Plus, the International Paralympic Committee’s president, Andrew Parsons, is on the line from Brazil to talk through the or...

After the Easter break, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly returns this week to speak with Kindred Group’s UK general manager Neil Banbury on how the gambling sector is adapting during the ongoing pandemic in order to keep offering new markets despite the decimated sporting calendar. (04:21)   Neil, who oversees Kindred brands such as 32Red and Unibet, also discusses the renewed importance of...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and digital editor Tom Bassam talk to OneFootball head of OTT and sports business blogger Yannick Ramcke about the impact of the live events shutdown on the broadcast sector, asking how rights relationships and value can be protected and how effective filler efforts like esports and archive or original content will be. (01:41) Then SportsPro senior writer St...

This week, editor at large Eoin Connolly and digital editor Tom Bassam welcome Lisa Parfitt, managing director of Engine Sport, back to the pod to get her insight on the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on commercial conversations in sports marketing (02:11). Next, Joel Seymour-Hyde, managing director of Octagon UK, gives his thoughts on how sponsorship has been affected and can adapt in...

Recorded before the postponement of Tokyo 2020 was confirmed, the New York Times’ sports news correspondent Tariq Panja joins editor at large Eoin Connolly and editorial director Michael Long to discuss the latest impact of the coronavirus pandemic (02:44). Then, James Earl, partner at Fladgate LLP, is on to give a legal perspective regarding the challenges being faced by the mass cancellations ac...

After an alarming, unprecedented week for sport and society, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by editorial director Michael Long and deputy editor Sam Carp to reflect on a spate of cancellations and postponements, including a shift for the Uefa European Championship from 2020 to 2021. (01.25) Then, JTA founder Jon Tibbs, who has provided communications consultancy to major sports...

With Formula One returning this weekend, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and editorial director Michael Long discuss what the new season has in store ahead of the opening race in Melbourne (1:39). Nielsen Sports' senior vice president of global motorsport, Nigel Geach, then discusses how Formula One is shaping up off the track as Liberty Media enters its fourth year at the helm (17:53).  P...

As the coronavirus continues to dominate the headlines, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly, digital editor Tom Bassam and editorial director Michael Long discuss the extent of the impact the outbreak is having on the sports calendar so far (1:22). Conversation then moves to DAZN's plans to expand to more than 200 territories later this year, while using its global boxing rights content to bui...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and digital editor Tom Bassam return from OTT Summit USA and discuss the key takeaways from Atlanta (0:43).  The conversation then turns to Turner Sports' place in the changing US media landscape in an interview with the broadcaster's president Lenny Daniels (21:51).  Plus, deputy editor Sam Carp talks to Nashville SC boss Ian Ayre ahead of the club's MLS de...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly meets in Paris with Brett Gosper, the long-serving chief executive of World Rugby.  There is plenty to discuss, from the lessons of the Japan 2019 Rugby World Cup and the shift in mindset to France, to the spectre of venture capital, the power of the Olympics, addressing neglect in the women's game, and the formats of the future.

As the Premier League's Richard Masters confirms an interest in exploring an OTT service, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to The Athletic's Matt Slater about how and when that digital transition might begin. With the league's lucrative rights sales process already bearing fruit for the next cycle, clubs will want to be sure any direct-to-consumer offering can pay off.  Then, speaking...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly, editorial director Michael Long and deputy editor Sam Carp look back on a varied week of sports industry stories - including the biggest, Super Bowl LIV. They also discuss a new global proposal in golf, Richard McLaren's return at the IWF, Atletico Madrid's Canadian investment and what Disney's Secret Cinema deal could mean for sport. Then, with issue 108 o...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to Pranav Soneji, founder and director of Livewire Sport, about the digital content agency's Diversity in Digital Mentoring scheme and the need for a broader range of voices in the industry.  Soneji - a former BBC journalist who now works with partners including the Premier League, F1 and the NFL - highlights the need to create pathways for people fro...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly heads across the Channel to talk to Brice Lefevre, the Paris GM for Adidas. They discuss the sportswear giant's plans to exploit a big few years for sport in the French capital leading up to the 2024 Olympics, how it aims to reflect rapid local changes, and why it is focusing key marketing efforts on a handful of major global cities. Then SportsPro senior re...

SportsPro editorial director Michael Long and editor at large Eoin Connolly speak to Lucas von Cranach, founder and chief executive of digital soccer media company OneFootball. They discuss OneFootball's journey since 2008, which has seen it serve as an aggregator of club-focused content and more recently move into live coverage of pay-per-view games. There's also time to take in the state of the...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and editorial director Michael Long reconvene for the first podcast of the year to look at some of the trends bubbling under the biggest stories of 2020. On the agenda: whether recent developments in Australia will inspire a different approach to climate responsibility, how mega-events like Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics will reorder and redefine host citi...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined on the line by digital editor Tom Bassam and senior writer Sam Carp to discuss just some of what made 2019 such an extraordinary year in the business of sport.  They look back on a dramatic July day of channel-hopping as the Cricket World Cup final and Wimbledon gripped London; intriguing moves by DAZN, Discovery and Amazon; the Olympics cosying up...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and editorial director Michael Long present another pair of conversations from the SportsPro OTT Summit that reflect on the latest developments in digital broadcasting and shifts in viewer behaviour.   First up, Gareth Capon (5.05), chief executive of cloud video production company Grabyo, discusses the findings of the Grabyo Global Video Trends Report and w...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to Dan Porter, the forthright and quotable founder and chief executive of Overtime, about how the youth-focused digital sports network grew an audience of millions and why that audience won't be signing up for subscription channels any time soon. Speaking in Madrid during the SportsPro OTT Summit, Porter makes the case for a more participative approach...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and editorial director Michael Long are joined on the line by Matt Slater, football news and investigations reporter at The Athletic.  In a week that could offer a glimpse of club soccer's future, they discuss tech giant Amazon's Premier League broadcast debut and the implications of its biggest technical challenge in live sport so far. And after the shock r...