SportsPro Podcast

With the final print edition of 2018 put to bed, SportsPro magazine editor Michael Long rejoins editor-at-large Eoin Connolly to discuss a busy fortnight in the sports industry. On the agenda: whether the Copa Libertadores heralds a globe-trotting future for club soccer; a new man with a big job at the IAAF; Seattle's NHL return and the XFL's comeback; and what the experiences of Raheem Sterling,...

With over 600 delegates gathered for the second SportsPro OTT Summit at Madrid's Meliá Castilla, SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly speaks to Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis about the UK pay-TV giant's digital strategy, how it has steadily adapted its model to the demands of a changing era, his expectations about life under new owner Comcast, and much more. Meanwhile Deltatre chie...

Since Discovery signed its US$2 billion deal with the PGA Tour in June for the international media rights to North America’s premier golfing circuit, intrigue has surrounded the makeup of the product that will carry more than 2,000 hours of PGA Tour content each year. In a special edition of the SportsPro Podcast, staff writer Nick Friend talks to Discovery Golf president Alex Kaplan at length abo...

SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long pair up again to talk about the winner-takes-all showdown in Las Vegas between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, asking what, if anything, could be learned from The Match. They also discuss South America’s aborted soccer showpiece, as the world watched while bitter rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate didn’t play in the Copa Libert...

English soccer's elite club competition has its first new leader in two decades, with Susanna Dinnage now confirmed as the Premier League chief executive and successor to Richard Scudamore. SportsPro editor at large Eoin Connolly and print editor Michael Long discuss the hulking in-tray facing the Animal Planet and former Discovery UK chief, from Brexit to breakaways, and fan concerns to a content...

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...

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 Financi...

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 s...

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 L...

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 Saturda...

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 mark...

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 50M...

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 deci...

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...

Esports has entranced many within the traditional sports industry and is a fast-moving, fast-growing category in its own right. Now, Texas-based Infinite Esports & Entertainment is among a handful of groups looking to establish a presence across the competitive video games sector, with teams playing in a broad range of leagues and titles, new initiatives launched as far away as India and a per...

As the Fifa World Cup ticks past its halfway mark, the SportsPro Podcast returns for the summer. On the ground in Moscow for the duration of the world's biggest single-sport event, Press Association chief sports reporter Matt Slater gives SportsPro editor-at-large Eoin Connolly his take on a warm and open welcome from ordinary Russians after a build-up dominated by concerns about the host nation's...