Sportspro Podcast

Marina Storti is the CEO of WTA Ventures, the CVC-backed commercial arm of the WTA Tour. She was named as one of SportsPro’s ten influencers for 2024 and it’s fair to say she’s delivered, with the elite women’s tennis tour growing its revenues 24% this year. To reflect on that success and discuss the WTA Tour’s future, Sam Carp made the short trip to Storti’s office for an in-depth conversation.

Brighton are one of the most-admired football clubs in the business and one of the people who have helped oversee the Seagulls' dramatic rise is CEO Paul Barber. Working closely with data-obsessed owner Tony Bloom, Barber has overhauled Brighton's operations and got the club into a position off the field where they can rival the giants of the game on it. As one of the few with a key to Brighton's famously guarded black box of data, Barber is the ideal guest to join SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and NorthStar Solutions Group CEO Chris Collins for a conversation about reading the right numbers to achieve success.

With the dust having settled on a lively week of industry conversation at SportsPro Madrid, here are Tom Bassam and Steve McCaskill’s thoughts on the state of the sports media business from the event. Sandwiched between takeaways from the onstage discussion is Steve’s interview with Anna Thompson, head of women’s sport at the BBC.

British Cycling is one of the jewels in the crown of UK Sport but has endured its struggles in recent years, both in terms of governance and commercially. Jon Dutton joined the NGB as CEO, having previously served in the same role at the delayed Rugby League World Cup 2021, and has set about re-establishing a high-performance culture at British Cycling. Given that experience, Dutton was the ideal guest to join SportsPro CEO and NorthStar Solutions Group CEO Chris Collins to discuss the delivery of the strategies required to achieve those goals in the business of sport. Over six instalments of this special series from SportsPro and strategy realisation specialist NorthStar, we'll be hearing from top leaders across the sports industry with the primary objective of uncovering what it really takes to win in their field. Subscribe to the SportsPro Podcast feed to make sure you don't miss an episode.

In a conversation recorded at SportsPro Madrid, Tom Bassam talks to Guy Laurent-Epstein, Uefa's marketing director, with their wide-ranging conversation covering Euro 2024, the revamped Champions League, the Conference League and the direction of the women's game.

You've acquired another company, now what? Two Circles has been on a buying spree this year, recently snapping up KORE and Spring Media in a pair of moves that significantly grew the sports marketing agency's global footprint. For the latest episode of How to Win, Two Circles CEO Gareth Balch joins SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Chris Collins, president and CEO of NorthStar Solutions Group, to forensically examine how to make a success of an acquisition. Over six instalments of this special series from SportsPro and strategy realisation specialist NorthStar, we'll be hearing from top leaders across the sports industry with the primary objective of uncovering what it really takes to win in their field. Subscribe to the SportsPro Podcast feed to make sure you don't miss an episode.

This isn't a podcast, this is a strategy meeting for an early-stage business that wants to has identified sport as a sector to spend its marketing budget in and sees social impact as the best way to build consumer affinity. This high-level meeting is led by SportsPro Podcast host Tom Bassam, with Katie Cross, the CEO of Pledgeball, and Gunnar Hagstrom, head of strategic partnerships at Laureus, also on the board.

The second episode of our new series on how to win in the business of sport sees the conversation turn to tech. Rachel Jacobson, Infinite Reality's CRO, and president of business ventures and partnerships, has done it. As president she built up the Drone Racing League to secure a $250m sale and know how to take a challenger through the glass ceiling with clever use of tech. In the second episode of How to Win, Jacobson discusses the secrets of her strategy with SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Chris Collins, president and CEO of NorthStar Solutions Group. Over six instalments of this special series from SportsPro and strategy realisation specialist NorthStar, we'll be hearing from top leaders across the sports industry with the primary objective of uncovering what it really takes to win in their field. Subscribe to the SportsPro Podcast feed to make sure you don't miss an episode.

Tom Bassam is joined by a couple of sports venue experts as he sits down with Jonathan Nelson, global head of digital at Populous, and OnePlan founder and CEO, Paul Foster, to talk about the future of the space. Populous is the leading firm in sports and entertainment venue architecture, while OnePlan is a five-year old business specialising in digital twin technology - essentially AI-powered virtual representations of physical spaces - like football stadiums or event venues. Together, with AI technology unlocking new possibilities, the two companies are collaborating to unlock greater understanding about the stadiums and arenas fans flock to, as well as helping those who manage them make sure those spaces are being used in the most optimal fashion.

It all starts with a strategy but how do you make sure that plan is being realised to its fullest potential? In How to Win, a new six-part podcast series from SportsPro and strategy realisation specialist NorthStar Solutions Group, we hear from top leaders across the sports industry with the primary objective of uncovering what it really takes to win in their field. Episode one sees SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Chris Collins, president and CEO of NorthStar, welcome Bruin Capital CEO George Pyne for a high-level conversation about how an active investor can put in place the right building blocks to maximise returns when it comes time to exit.

Want to learn from some of the best in the business? Here's something new from SportsPro... How to Win. This new six-part podcast series, in collaboration with our friends at Northstar Solutions Group, features some of the top industry leaders and hones in on how to successfully implement the strategies required to win in the business of sports. Launching on 6th November, episode one sees Bruin Capital CEO and founder George Pyne join SportsPro CEO Nick Meacham and Northstar CEO Chris Collins to discuss delivering ROI as an investor. The rest of the series will be released weekly every Wednesday, subscribe to the SportsPro Podcast feed to ensure you never miss an episode.

An invitation to the T100 Triathlon World Tour stop-off in Ibiza was a bit too good to turn down, so SportsPro packed its bag and hopped on a plane. From on the ground in Ibiza Town, Tom Bassam brings you interviews with PTO CEO Sam Renouf and others to find out how this venture-backed new-ish sports property is doing things a little bit differently in a bid to take triathlon mainstream.

While the pay gap between the stars of the WSL and the Premier League remains large, the realities of life as a professional footballer are consistent - a short career at the top of your earning potential and a high risk of injury. To learn more about how the game is changing for the new generation of women’s pros, Tom Bassam is joined by a couple of specialists in the field, Arthur Fane from Miller Insurance’s specialist sports team and Sophie Barrington, who leads on sport and entertainment in Barclays’ wealth management division.

SportsPro’s latest annual 50 Most Marketable Athletes list is out now and, as ever, throws up some fascinating names. Tom Bassam is joined by Sam Carp and Ed Dixon to discuss the rankings, powered by Northstar Solutions Group, while also analysing the trends that emerge from this years’s list. You can download an expanded list of the top 150 athletes, featuring a full statistical breakdown, here.

With the new NBA season upon us, Tom Bassam is joined by Josh Sim to talk about the differing trends in the US sports media market compared to Europe. There's also some discussion on the US major leagues' overseas endeavours, (25:54) with the NFL UK's general manager Henry Hodgson also dialling in to provide an update on the London games and more.

Depending on where you get your news (literally), Manchester City’s legal challenge to the Premier League over associated party transactions was highly successful or not particularly seismic. Tom Bassam is joined by Steve McCaskill and Josh Sim to get the bottom of it. We also learn what AI thinks about Steve’s sailing knowledge and discuss some of the technological innovations that are powering the upcoming America’s Cup.

So we know the Club World Cup final will be at MetLife Stadium but otherwise little else about Fifa’s new tournament. To pick holes in the plan, Tom Bassam is joined by Ed Dixon and Sam Carp, who also discuss the state of British basketball, as well as the new NHL season. Then, in part two, BodyArmor’s Tom Gargiulo takes us inside the sports drink brand’s marketing strategy.

AI: dangerous threat or the technology that will set us free? The truth, of course, is somewhere in between. To discover more Tom Bassam and Steve McCaskill went along to the inaugural SportsPro AI event at London Stadium where they found out how sports is embracing AI, as well as how the rapidly-evolving technology is shaping the future.

The FA has handed over control of the Women's Super League to the newly-created Women's Professional Leagues. Now CEO Nikki Doucet is at the helm, Steve McCaskill and Josh Sim join Tom Bassam to discuss the status of the women's game in England. Also on the agenda are the ever-shifting picture in the RSN market and the proposed ATP-WTA merger. 

Next week sees the first round of the Champions League’s new group stage, but will it work and for who? To answer that question Sam Carp and Ed Dixon join Tom Bassam. Also discussed are the influence of AI in sports media and a reflection on the impact of Alex Morgan’s career.