Sportspro Podcast

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 build out its offering (14:10). Monumental Sports & Entertainment's SVP of strategic initiatives, Zach Leonsis, is on for an in-depth discussion about its plans ahead (20:33).  Plus, WSC Sports' Aviv Arnon offers insight into why Israel is enjoying a sports tech boom (52:02).

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 debut (33:47). 

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 at Global Sports Week in Paris, Dow's Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi outlines the chemical giant's plans to help Olympic organisers and international federations improve their sustainability practices so they can do their environmental duty and retain the support of younger groups. 

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 of SportsPro back from the printers, they look at some of the big topics in the latest edition of the magazine, including how sport has shaped AI, and creative capital from City Football Group to essential tech and much more.

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 from minority ethnic backgrounds in the UK, people with disabilities, those from underprivileged beginnings and those living beyond major sports industry centres like London. He discusses how his own experience has shaped his plans for the programme, the effects of phenomena like studied informality, and why diversity will lead to better quality work.   

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 reporter Steven Impey speaks to Kiswe Mobile president and chief executive Mike Schabel about how the startup is creating new kinds of digital viewing experiences for clients including the NBA, and how evolving audience habits are only now being addressed. 

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 OTT sector, the company's understanding of its audience and approach to pricing, and why when it comes to digital media, it's better to be "a big boat on a small river than a small boat on a big river".

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 cities, what role venture capital will play in organised sport, and how Major League Baseball's tense negotiations with Minor League Baseball have become emblematic of a more stratified industry. There's also time to discuss how women's sports bodies will seek to maintain momentum, and how sport might react to changing dynamics in fan culture.

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 with Airbnb; sport's relationship with big government; radical thinking around competitions and formats; and plenty more besides.  Elsewhere on a bumper festive edition of the podcast, Engine Sport managing director Lisa Parfitt (38.49) drops by to talk through another year of significant progress in women's sport, lays out the opportunities for partners, and considers how the industry itself can do better at retaining female talent.

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 what they mean for the future of OTT services, pay-TV, and free-to-air outlets across traditional and digital platforms. He also talks about generational viewing habits, the value of live sport, the power of mobile production and the evolution of Grabyo itself.   Then Carlo De Marchis (27.08), group chief evangelist at sports and entertainment tech provider Deltatre, shares his thoughts on what a move from rights sales to direct to consumer will mean for the philosophy of the sports business, the importance of flexibility in attracting and retaining viewers, and how to embrace innovation in products, services and outl

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 to media, explains why he thinks a wider range of options are weakening young fans' ties to traditional sport, and lays out his plans to turn the Overtime project and community into something very big.

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 resignation of incoming chief executive David Pemsel, they ask who England's top flight might look to next for leadership. There's also time to reflect on the latest developments in the long-running Russian doping saga, with WADA's executive committee set to meet in Lausanne next week to consider a four-year ban from elite sport for the country after another series of transgressions. 

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 content universe to the threat of piracy, why Netflix and Spotify are different, the meaning of the attention swarm, TikTok, 5G, whether Gen Z will pay for OTT and everything to come in 2020. 

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 allocating their resources properly? How do athletes avoid security risks and classic [insert sponsor here] errors? And what might changing rules in US college sports mean for US student-athletes?

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 (2.57). Venture capital, the role of sevens, and the innovative Rugby League World Cup format are all up for discussion. Then, after Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes confirmed another Formula One world title in the US, Black Book of Motorsport director Peter Jones returns (35.02) to discuss a new package of rules aimed at making the blue-riband racing championship more competitive from 2021, and also casts an early eye over the sale of IndyCar.

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 adventures in audio, the WTA in Shenzhen and the ATP's new Italian leader, Sourav Ganguly's arrival as BCCI president, OTT women's soccer service Wnited and the launch of Apple TV+. 

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 Federation chief executive Clare Briegal and Imagen's Kerry Freeman discuss the importance of a comprehensive approach to content distribution, what goes into a careful and data-led strategy, and what excites them about the future in women's sport.

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 Inglot - moonlighting from his role as an ATP Tour board member - reveal how England's first entrants in Europe's Volleyball Champions League are rewriting the rulebook for smaller sports clubs (31.53). From signing superstar players to streaming matches in Poland and maximising the potential of their events, they are using every available asset to break out of their environment and take their sport with them in the UK. 

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.