SportsPro Podcast

As the SportsPro OTT Summit comes to an end in Madrid, editor at large Eoin Connolly and editorial director Michael Long are joined by Seven League consulting partner Charlie Beall and Maria Rua Aguete, executive director at IHS Markit.  The panel pick out their highlights and lessons from two days of absorbing discussion on digital broadcasting and sport, from the WWE’s success in creating a cont...

SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam talks to Blake Lawrence, the co-founder and chief executive of Opendorse, to find out about the platform's plans in athlete marketing and run through some best practice in social media. The average athlete shares six pieces of social content a month, while the average team posts 30 times a day with one in three of those featuring a sponsor, so are brands allocat...

Rugby World Cup 2019 is over, with Siya Kolisi's South Africa seeing off England to win the title for a third time.  Charlie McEwen, the former Lions COO now working with some of the sport's big brands as CEO of rugby at CSM Sport and Entertainment, steps off a plane from Tokyo to share his thoughts on the tournament and the future direction of the game with SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly...

After a hectic few sports industry weeks, SportsPro editorial director Michael Long rejoins editor at large Eoin Connolly on a rapid-fire pod to catch up on a few stories that might have been buried beneath the headlines, but should be of real interest and consequence to those in the business. There's just about time to rattle through Manchester City and Nestle's vegan opportunism, the NFL's adven...

To mark the launch of 'Content is Queen: Digital Lessons from Women's Sport' - a new whitepaper from SportsPro and Imagen - editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by an expert panel to discuss how new media and best practice are helping to grow audiences across a range of female disciplines. Alexandra Willis, the head of communications, content and digital at the AELTC, International Netball Fede...

SportsPro senior reporter Steve Impey returns from a stint in Japan to update editor at large Eoin Connolly and senior writer Sam Carp on the goings-on at the Rugby World Cup (15.44). There's also time to discuss the implications of Eliud Kipchoge's two-hour marathon breakthrough and the NBA's communications breakdown in China.  Then IBB Polonia chief executive Bartek Łuszcz and consultant Alex In...

AP global sports correspondent Rob Harris on the World Athletics Championships, and ECB director of women's cricket Clare Connor on a new women's sport initiative.

Havas Sport and Entertainment and Vivendi veteran Lucien Boyer on Global Sports Week and the future of the French sports industry, and World Rugby CMO Marissa Pace on digital plans for the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

As the Rugby World Cup arrives in Japan, editor at large Eoin Connolly welcomes back Richard Gillis, the former SportsPro columnist, sometime agency operator, occasional Irish Times writer, and host of the Unofficial Partner podcast. On the agenda: how does sponsorship creative comes together around global competitions? What does Japan mean to the future of the tournament? How do rugby's touring c...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly revisits another session from the Fan Conference, where he is joined by Tottenham Hotspur head of partnerships Fran Jones, Huddersfield Town commercial director Sean Jarvis, and Sponsor. Online managing partner Maximillian von Portatius to talk about disruption in soccer sponsorship. On the agenda: Spurs' search for a naming rights partner at the Tottenham H...

The inaugural SportsPro Fan Conference ends with The Big Debate at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by Whistle's international managing director Jeff Nathenson, Copa90 chief business officer James Kirkham and sports consultant Drew Barrand to talk about toxicity in social media, the points where brands and hardcore supporters meet, bringing fans on t...

With November's P1 AquaX World Championship in the Bahamas on the horizon, SportsPro senior writer Sam Carp is joined on a special edition of the SportsPro Podcast by Powerboat P1 chief executive Azam Rangoonwala. An engineering graduate and former racer himself, Rangoonwala dials in from the global marine motorsport promoter's international racing headquarters in Orlando to discuss the developmen...

As the Ashes summer nears its end, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly heads to the Kia Oval to talk to cricket legend Shane Warne.  The former Australia leg-spinner talks about his role with the Indian Premier League's Rajasthan Royals, and how franchise cricket has changed the job of a professional player on and off the field. He also discusses The Hundred and its tactical secrets, as he pre...

In a briefer edition of the SportsPro Podcast, editor at large Eoin Connolly speaks to Riot Games' Alban Dechelotte and the Kellogg Company's Dominik Schafhaupt to find out what Pringles' sponsorship of the League of Legends European Championship tells us about what brands are doing in esports.  How does a non-endemic sponsor prepare to engage with the esports community? How can partners spread th...

SportsPro has released its tenth annual list of the world's 50 most marketable athletes, with tennis star Naomi Osaka heading the class of 2019. Editor at large Eoin Connolly talks to editorial director Michael Long about what the feature is intended to accomplish, its unique criteria, how it has changed to reflect the media marketplace and the interests of brands, and the role of social data part...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly is joined by editorial director Michael Long to discuss Disney's aggressively priced bundle for Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu. The US streaming race, rebundling, and the concept of added-value membership packages - which could, in sport, mean pricing in tickets or other experiences - are all on the table in the OTT era. Then, as Anthony Joshua prepares to head to...

As a new European club soccer season dawns, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and senior writer Sam Carp are joined by a rotating cast of writers and guests at HQ, with senior reporter Steven Impey making his pod debut to detail La Liga’s quest for a UK rights partner, and digital editor Tom Bassam discussing the Bundesliga and his trip to the German Super Cup. The Premier League is also bac...

With a new Premier League soccer season on the horizon, SportsPro digital editor Tom Bassam talks to Arsenal head of content Tom Hines and Southampton head of content and digital Luke Nicholson about the art of club storytelling. How does a team create a consistent, compelling media presence? How do you match the right output to the right digital channels? How do you ensure best practice across an...

Fresh from England's first ever ICC Men's Cricket World Cup title, England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison speaks to SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly about his reaction to an incredible final, the lessons of a UK free-to-air return, his reflections on the tournament and what's next for a team now enjoying their breakout moment. Also on the agenda: an Ashes summer for En...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly, digital editor Tom Bassam and senior writer Sam Carp catch their breath just long enough to look back on an incredibly dramatic and impossible tight finale at Lord's, where England snuck past New Zealand to win the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup for the first time.  They also review the seven-week tournament, asking what could be learned from Sky Sports' late...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long reconvene to review the Fifa Women's World Cup. After a tournament that represented a huge cultural moment, from Megan Rapinoe and the USWNT to a big TV breakthrough everywhere, where does women's soccer go next? How will commercial and development aims best be served?  Then, as Mediapro is linked with a new TV channel partnersh...

With the New York Yankees having enjoyed two wins over the Boston Red Sox,  SportsPro senior writer Sam Carp returns from Stratford to tell editor at large Eoin Connolly about his impressions of the first ever MLB London Series. On the agenda: what can be done differently next year, what lessons can be learned from the NFL, and just why the two games at the London Stadium were so high-scoring.  Th...

SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long discuss a big week in Olympic circles, with Milan-Cortina awarded the 2026 Winter Games, a new Olympic House inaugurated in Lausanne, a unique deal signed with Coca-Cola and Mengniu for a reported US$3 billion, and more besides.  Then, with the Championships at Wimbledon a few days away, the AELTC's James Ralley and Alexandra Wi...

As the banned former Uefa president Michel Platini faces police questioning in France, SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long discuss the latest developments in the ongoing saga around Qatar 2022, corruption allegations, Fifa and world soccer.  There's also time to consider a crowded summer soccer calendar, with the Copa America, Concacaf Gold Cup and Africa Cup of N...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly welcomes back print editor Michael Long from his travels to discuss some first impressions of the Fifa Women's World Cup in France, the impact of the Toronto Raptors' NBA Finals run in Canada, and the implications of the IAAF's move to rebrand as World Athletics.  Then we hear from Sanjay Patel (24.03), managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Boar...