World Cup Changes Lift Fox, Telemundo Cash Projections
Stella Artois’ World Cup ad starring David Beckham underscores a shift toward bar‑based viewing, prompting Fox Sports and Telemundo to lean heavily into out‑of‑home (OOH) audiences. Nielsen data shows OOH accounted for more than 30% of Gold Cup impressions and is expected to mirror that share for key World Cup matches. The networks project up to $850 million in ad spend for the 2026 tournament, more than double the $384.3 million earned in 2018. Expanded match inventory and new hydration‑break airtime further inflate sellable slots.
EXEC: Karsten Hagen Named U.S. Sales Manager for Decathlon’s Van Rysel Bike Brand
Decathlon’s performance bike brand Van Rysel has appointed Karsten Hagen as its U.S. sales manager. Hagen, who spent 14 years leading Giant Bicycles USA’s Western region, brings over two decades of experience in cycling and endurance sports. His mandate is to...
DAZN Takes NASCAR Euro Series Worldwide in New Free-to-View Deal
DAZN announced a global free‑to‑view partnership with the NASCAR Euro Series, streaming every race in English worldwide except the Netherlands and Romania. The 2026 season launches in Spain on April 16 and will travel across six European countries before ending in...
Specialized Bikes Is Leaving Team Quick-Step – Here’s Why It Matters
Specialized and Soudal Quick‑Step will end their 17‑year partnership after the 2026 season, with the Belgian squad set to ride Merida bikes from 2027. The split follows the departure of star rider Remco Evenepoel and a leadership change at Quick‑Step,...
From Attention to Action: Scaling Women’s Sports in India
At Manifest Play 2026 in Mumbai, industry leaders argued that women’s sport in India must move from awareness to digital‑first monetisation. Panelists highlighted owning the audience through direct platforms, narrative‑led brand partnerships, and treating athletes as multi‑dimensional brands. Consistent digital...
FIBA Secures XTB as Global Partner Until 2027
FIBA has signed XTB as a global partner through December 2027, bolstering its commercial platform ahead of the Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 and the Basketball World Cup 2027. XTB will serve as presenting sponsor of the European World Cup...
Erling Haaland & Vinicius Júnior Front New Marriott Bonvoy and Visa ‘For Fans, Everywhere’ Campaign
Marriott Bonvoy and Visa have teamed up for a global "For Fans, Everywhere" campaign tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, featuring football stars Erling Haaland and Vinícius Júnior. Starting April 14, the partnership will roll out more than 600...
The Times Group Appoints Poulami Mukhopadhyay as AVP- Sports Revenue
The Times Group has appointed Poulami Mukhopadhyay as Associate Vice President, Revenue – Sports. Mukhopadhyay arrives with more than a decade of experience in broadcast, branded content, and sports programming, most recently leading AI‑driven content strategy at Rezolve AI and...
Devils Hire Panthers Executive Mehta as GM
The New Jersey Devils announced Sunny Mehta as their new general manager, ending a brief search after missing the playoffs. Mehta arrives from the Florida Panthers, where he helped secure two consecutive Stanley Cups as assistant GM and head of...
Sources: NWSL Expected to Vote on Calendar Shift
The NWSL board of governors is slated to vote this month on flipping the league’s schedule from a spring‑to‑fall format to a fall‑to‑spring calendar. A shift would align the women’s league with Europe’s top competitions and with MLS, which will...
Sources: Collier Back to Lynx on Supermax Deal
Napheesa Collier has re‑signed with the Minnesota Lynx on a one‑year, $1.4 million supermax contract, becoming the league’s third player to secure a supermax deal. The 29‑year‑old star posted a historic 50‑40‑90 shooting split and averaged 22.9 points and 7.3 rebounds...
PUMA India Turns RCB Jersey Into Everyday Fandom with #RCBEverywhere
PUMA India launched the #RCBEverywhere campaign, urging Royal Challengers Bangalore fans to wear the team jersey in everyday settings. The initiative features Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Krunal Pandya in a digital film and highlights a viral Kumbh Mela fan moment. PUMA reports a...
Chemist Warehouse Renews AFL Deal with ‘ALL IN for Footy’ Push
Chemist Warehouse has renewed its partnership with the Australian Football League, extending the deal through 2029 under the "ALL IN for Footy" platform. The retailer will invest at least $1 million AUD (about $660,000 USD) over five years in the AFL Umpires...
Anta Sports: Record 2025 Revenue Tempered by Decline in Profit
Anta Sports posted record 2025 revenue but net profit slipped 7.8% to ¥15.66 billion (≈$2.2 billion). Gross margins fell to 62% as the wage bill jumped 16.7% to ¥12.24 billion (≈$1.7 billion) after the Jack Wolfskin acquisition. The group is trimming its retail footprint, closing...
2025-26 NBA Playoff Betting Report: Bettors Iffy on 'Banged-Up Lakers'
Bookmakers are uneasy as the Los Angeles Lakers enter the 2025‑26 NBA playoffs with key players Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves sidelined, turning the franchise into a +435 underdog against the Houston Rockets. The injury‑driven odds make the Rockets a...
ESPN’s WrestleMania Plan Marks a Linear TV First
ESPN is launching a hybrid distribution model for WrestleMania 42, simulcasting the opening hour of each night on ESPN2 and ESPN while the remainder streams on the ESPN Unlimited app. The arrangement follows a five‑year, $1.6 billion agreement that made ESPN...
Sports Betting Regulator to House: I’m ‘No Expert’ on Betting Lines
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig told the House Agriculture Committee that he is not an expert on betting lines, yet defended the agency’s authority to regulate sports prediction markets. He argued that such markets provide hedging opportunities, citing the Commodity Exchange...
Grand Slam Track’s Contentious Bankruptcy Is Over. Now What?
Grand Slam Track emerged from Chapter 11 after a Delaware judge approved its reorganization plan, allowing the league to begin repaying creditors. The plan allocates about $4.9 million to athletes—roughly 70% of what they’re owed—and $1.8 million to vendors, about 14% of...
How Taylor Swift’s Catalog Fueled Scott Borchetta’s Push Into Sports
Scott Borchetta, the billionaire founder of Big Machine Label Group, is extending his entertainment empire into sports by partnering his eponymous entertainment firm with KMM Sports, a boutique NFL agency. The deal brings KMM the brand‑building, media, and business‑management resources...
Netflix Reports Strong Q1 Earnings, Touting Importance of Live Sports
Netflix posted Q1 2026 revenue of $12.25 bn, up 16% YoY, and net income of $5.3 bn, an 83% jump, driven by live‑sports events and a $2.8 bn termination fee after walking away from an $82.7 bn Warner Bros. Discovery deal. The company launched...
UW Health Inks Deal to Become Packers’ Official Healthcare Partner
UW Health, a Madison‑based health system, signed a multiyear deal to become the Green Bay Packers’ official healthcare partner. The agreement includes permanent signage at the stadium’s north gate, logo patches on practice jerseys, and presenting sponsorship of the Packers...
2026 NFL Draft Power Rankings: The Teams Built to Strike and the Ones Just Showing Up
The 2026 NFL Draft power rankings evaluate each franchise’s draft capital, front‑office aggressiveness, and roster urgency, assigning a weighted score of 60% capital, 20% management style, and 20% pressure. Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars (11 picks, highly aggressive GM) and...
Canyon Bicycles Appoints Matthias Meier As CEO
Canyon Bicycles named former DT Swiss co‑CEO Matthias Meier as its new chief executive, effective May 1, succeeding founder Roman Arnold who remains executive chairman. Meier arrives after a three‑year loss streak and a recent restructuring that cut 320 jobs and cost...
The NFL Wants to Double The Cost of Its NFL Games & Could Drive Up The Cost of Your TV...
The NFL is demanding roughly double the current media‑rights fees as renewal talks begin, while broadcasters counter with a modest 25% increase. Existing contracts generate more than $10 billion annually; a 50‑60% hike could add about $1 billion per year, pushing CBS’s...
Asics Brand Joins a Plethora of Active Lifestyle Retail Stores on Boston’s Marathon Weekend
Asics America and Marathon Sports have launched the Asics Run Shop on Boston’s iconic Newbury Street, opening during the city’s marathon weekend. The concept store combines Asics footwear and apparel with a curated selection of nutrition, insoles, wearables and eyewear...
EXEC: Former Exec Sues Adidas Over Alleged Gender Discrimination
Lindsay Gregg, former head of Adidas women’s basketball sports marketing, filed a lawsuit alleging she was terminated for exposing gender discrimination and whistleblower retaliation. She claims she built the program by signing top WNBA talent such as Olivia Miles and...
San Diego Padres Sale Bidding Nears $4 Billion Mark
Second‑round bids for the San Diego Padres have surged, with three offers exceeding $3.5 billion and one approaching $4 billion. The four finalists—Clearlake Capital’s José Feliciano, Dan Friedkin’s Pursuit Sports, Warriors co‑owner Joe Lacob, and Pistons owner Tom Gores—represent a mix of...
Team USA Board Mulls LA28 Ticket Fees, NCAA Squeeze
The US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) board met to review preparations for Los Angeles 2028 and Utah 2034, tackling a controversial 24% service fee on LA28 tickets and confirming 1 million tickets will be sold at $28. The meeting also highlighted a looming...
ESPN Enters First HDR Postseason With REMCO Support in New Bristol-Based Control Rooms
ESPN is debuting native‑HDR capture for the NBA postseason, using newly built control rooms in Bristol, Connecticut. The broadcaster’s REMCO (remote‑controlled) workflow lets directors operate robotic cameras and manage transmission paths from off‑site locations. EVS’s XtraMotion technology and CMSI data...
NBA Bends 65-Game Awards Rule For Doncic, Cunningham
The NBA and NBPA have approved Extraordinary Circumstance Challenges for Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham, allowing both to remain eligible for All‑NBA honors and the MVP ballot despite falling short of the 65‑game threshold. Dončić missed two games to attend...
National Collegiate Rugby Partners with All Women’s Sports Network for 2026 National 7s Championships
National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) has secured a media‑rights deal with All Women’s Sports Network (AWSN) to broadcast the women’s championship matches of the 2026 Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7s. The live finals will air on AWSN at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday,...
Perfect Game and Youth Prospects Announce Broadcast Rights and Content Partnership
Perfect Game, the leading organizer of elite amateur baseball events, has forged a broadcast and content partnership with digital platform Youth Prospects. The deal grants Youth Prospects rights to stream select Perfect Game games, including the WWBA World Championship in...
Science in Sport Retains Coast 2 Coast Distribution as U.S. Cycling Distributor
Coast 2 Coast Distribution (C2C) has been appointed the exclusive U.S. distributor for Science in Sport (SiS), the UK‑based maker of cycling nutrition products. The deal gives C2C sole rights to sell SiS formulas to bike shops and cycling‑focused e‑commerce sites across the United...
New Balance Promotes Tracy Knauer to SVP, North America Marketing & E-Commerce
New Balance Athletics, Inc. promoted Tracy Knauer to senior vice president of North America, elevating her from the VP role that managed marketing, e‑commerce and consumer analytics. Knauer has spent more than 20 years at the company across marketing, product, sales...
Saudi PIF Drops Al-Hilal Soccer Team Amid Sports Pivot
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced it will sell a 70% stake in Al‑Hilal soccer club to Kingdom Holding Company, valuing the club at about $373 million. The move follows the PIF’s new five‑year strategy that reprioritizes its near‑$1 trillion portfolio and...
French Open Will Allow Wearables Like Whoop on ‘Trial Basis’
Starting this year, the French Open will allow players to wear Whoop and similar biometric devices on a trial basis, marking the first Grand Slam to relax its ban on wearables. The trial will later extend to Wimbledon and the...
Jayco-AlUla Founder Gerry Ryan Says 2027 Will Likely Be His Last Season
Jayco‑AlUla, Australia’s only WorldTour cycling squad, is actively seeking fresh investment as founder Gerry Ryan signals his likely departure after the 2027 season. Ryan, who launched the team in 2012, announced on the Stanley Street Social podcast that the next 18...
YouTube Reportedly Nears Deal for 5 NFL Games as League Expands Streaming Push
The NFL is in advanced negotiations with YouTube to secure a five‑game regular‑season package, now at the contract‑review stage. The proposed slate would likely feature international matchups and early‑kickoff games previously aired on NFL Network. YouTube, which streamed a 2025...
NBA Players to Divvy Up $36M in 2026 Playoff Bonuses
The NBA’s 2023‑24 playoff pool has risen to $35.7 million, a 3% increase over last season, with the Oklahoma City Thunder positioned to claim the largest share of $12.8 million if they capture the championship. A new collective‑bargaining agreement boosted the champion’s...
Messi Acquires Spanish Fifth-Tier Club UE Cornella
Argentinian star Lionel Messi has taken ownership of UE Cornella, a club competing in Spain’s fifth tier. The acquisition is presented as a long‑term project to nurture Catalan talent and deepen Messi’s ties to Barcelona. It follows Messi’s recent MLS Cup...
This Week’s MPN Video Podcast: Why Live Sports Streaming Still Breaks — And How to Fix It
The Media Play News podcast hosted by David Bloom and Daniel Frankel featured NetSkrt CEO Sig Luft discussing why live‑sports streaming continues to falter. Luft highlighted persistent CDN bottlenecks, edge‑delivery constraints, and latency issues that jeopardize viewer experience and real‑time...
Fueling Innovation: Tanglewood Group Sponsors RAF Drone Racing
Tanglewood Group Ltd. announced a sponsorship of RAF Drone Racing, aligning its innovation agenda with the Royal Air Force’s fast‑growing FPV sport. The RAF team competed at the Military International Drone Racing Tournament (MIDRT 26) in Sydney, where more than 76...
Tyrese Maxey’s Debut New Balance Signature Sneaker Brings Elements From Two Lifestyle Hits
Tyrese Maxey debuted his first signature sneaker, the New Balance Maxey v1, after leading the Philadelphia 76ers to a play‑in win that secured a playoff spot. The shoe borrows its silhouette from New Balance’s popular 9060 lifestyle model, featuring a...
ESPN Reveals Football-Focused Creator Program Ahead of 2027 Super Bowl
Disney’s ESPN announced the fourth edition of its Creator Network will be football‑centric, timed to the lead‑up to the 2027 Super Bowl. The year‑long program will embed creators at Monday Night Football, college games and culminate in a week‑long VIP...
BeIN SPORTS Expands Motorsport Portfolio with FIA World Endurance Championship Coverage
beIN MEDIA GROUP has signed a multi‑year agreement to broadcast every race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) across 35 territories in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia‑Pacific. The 2026 season, kicking off with the 6 Hours of...
Golf Town and Brooke Henderson Cement Decade-Long Partnership
Golf Town, Canada’s largest specialty golf retailer, announced a three‑year extension of its partnership with LPGA star Brooke Henderson and her sister Brittany, now running through 2028. The renewal marks over a decade of collaboration focused on expanding the game’s...
Prime Video's First NBA Playoff Streams Don't Go as Planned
Amazon's Prime Video, the exclusive broadcaster of the 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament, experienced two high‑profile technical glitches. The Charlotte Hornets‑Miami Heat overtime stream cut out for about 22 seconds, while the Golden State Warriors‑LA Clippers game suffered noticeable audio‑video sync...
EXEC: European Soccer E-Tailer Unisport Enters U.S. with WeGotSoccer Acquisition
European online football retailer Unisport Group has acquired Arocam, the U.S. parent of WeGotSoccer and TUDN Fan Shop, adding six physical stores to its portfolio. The acquisition positions Unisport for a rapid expansion in the United States ahead of the...
The Gambling Industry Is Spending $3.9B the Wrong Way
In 2025 U.S. sports betting and online gaming spent $3.9 billion on marketing, with 36% allocated to TV ads and only 2.3% to earned media and PR. The 5WPR Gaming Trust Index shows that the bulk of spend still targets awareness,...
EXEC: MTB Components Brand Pembree Expands U.S. Distributor Deal with BTI
Pembree, the UK‑based mountain‑bike components brand acquired by Look Cycle in November 2024, announced an expanded U.S. distribution agreement with Bicycle Technologies International (BTI). The partnership deepens Pembree’s presence across BTI’s extensive network of independent bike dealers, leveraging BTI’s catalog of...