Sportspro Podcast

The roles are reversed for this week's SportsPro Podcast as regular host George Breare is put in the interview chair by Tom Bassam for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into putting together our flagship SportsPro Live event. Drilling into Breare's day job as senior content manager, the conversation explores the themes that shape this year's event at the Oval in London and how SportsPro thinks about drawing up its agendas (1:10). Then discussion turns to a couple of big industry news stories from the past week, the IPL's staggering audience figures for its opening weekend (32:00) and the growing revenues reported by Uefa for the Women's Champions League (39:03). The tenth edition of SportsPro Live, taking place on the 25th and 26th April at London's Kia Oval, will be our biggest event to date. Book your place today with a special SportsPro Podcast discount, head to:  live.sportspromedia.com/registration and use code POD20 for 20 per cent off (terms and conditions apply, not applicable to pre-existing p

The Masters, arguably golf's most iconic major, will see the eyes of the sporting world turn to Augusta this week. It may be a tradition unlike any other, but does it still make sense as a business? Golf's other big events make more money and offer a more modern fan experience. George Breare and Tom Bassam explore the reasons why the Masters can afford to be stuck in its ways, while also asking what the tournamemt's future looks like. Talking points: What the clash with LIV Golf does for the Masters (1:52) The Masters as a proxy in the battle (5:14) How the business of the Masters works (7:08) Can this traditional approach endure? (15:40) We are up for an award! Here is how you can vote for us (18:20) Plus, the NBA's new CBA (20:00) Endeavor's deal for WWE (28:13) The EFL and Sky enter exclusive rights talks (34:04) The SportsPro Podcast is delighted to have been nominated (for the second year in a row) for a Sports Podcast Award in the sports business category. If you enjoy the show we would really apprec

SportsPro senior staff writer Ed Dixon joins regular hosts George Breare and Tom Bassam for a special Live Event Week pod where they seek to identify the best live experience in sports. Considering both fan experience and commercial opportunity, the trio set out their criteria before trying to convince each other why their personally chosen event should come out on top: Talking points: The key metrics (1:16) We are up for an award! Here is how you can vote for us (15:56) The Super Bowl (17:00) The Masters (24:00) Formula One (30:53) Wimbledon (41:12) Influencer boxing (47:48) The Hundred (52:44) The SportsPro Podcast is delighted to have been nominated (for the second year in a row) for a Sports Podcast Award in the sports business category. If you enjoy the show we would really appreciate it if you could give us a vote here or via www.sportspodcastgroup.com/podcast/sportspro-podcast-2/ (you will need to register before voting).

This August in Glasgow - and across other parts of Scotland - the International Cycling Union (UCI) is holding its inaugural Cycling World Championships, where 13 individual titles will be decided in a true festival of the sport. On this week's podcast, SportsPro's Tom Bassam is joined by UCI digital transformation executive Adrien de Cheveigné and Jonny Murch, chief executive of Redtorch, to find out how they planning to ensure the event hits the mark on social media, while also discussing the role of the agency's #SportOnSocial report in shaping the strategy. Talking points: What is the role of the #SportOnSocial report? - (1:27) Are there any lessons to put into practice from the report? - (5:08) Will the report have any impact for the 2023 Cycling World Championships? - (12:08) How do you build a social strategy for so many different disciplines? - (16:13) The role of athletes in telling stories on social - (23:40) Integrating partners into the strategy - (30:02) How to nail sport for purpose messaging

This week SportsPro touched down in New York for the latest OTT Summit USA event. Hosts George Breare and Tom Bassam take you inside Citi Field to get a taste of the discussion onstage, while providing their own commentary on an insight-heavy agenda.

To celebrate International Women's Day this week's episode has been handed over to the women of SportsPro, with operations manager Milly Miller-Adams taking over as host. Talking points: SportsPro's head of marketing, Katie Devaney, and marketing executive, Alice Evans, on why pursuing equity is important for women in the industry and their personal experiences (1:10) Editorial assistant Elena Kouyoufa discusses being part of a male-dominated team (7:01) Event manager Jatila Blake and project coordinator Katie Preston explain some of the challenges they've faced in the industry and the importance of allies (13:49) Yin Khoo, production director, on being a female leader and mentor to others (24:06)

BlackBook correspondent Cian Brittle is in the hotseat this week to delve into the main talking points ahead of the 2023 Formula One season, including: Trouble brewing between F1 and the FIA (2:10) Are automotive heavyweights Ford, GM, and Audi returning to the paddock? (09:41) A temperature check on F1's sustainability efforts (19:52) Do cryptocurrency sponsorships still have a future in motorsport? (32:00)

It’s Sustainability Week at SportsPro so Tom Bassam digs into the meaning of sport for purpose with SailGP’s chief purpose officer, Fiona Morgan, before George Breare talks to the team at Ottawa Tourism to find out why the Canadian capital prioritises events that deliver both a community and commercial benefit. Talking points: Fiona Morgan on the role of sport for purpose (3:26) Ottawa Tourism's approach to events with social benefits (24:54)

George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by soccer finance expert Kieran Maguire to discuss the Premier League's decision to refer Manchester CIty to an independent commission over alleged breaches of the financial rules that govern English soccer's top flight. Talking points: The Manchester City affair (2:02) The Super Bowl ratings (36:58) DAZN's US$1bn deal for NFL Game Pass (44:39) Under the radar stories (48:30) 

George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by SportsPro's resident American and community lead Chris Stone to interrogate the forever booming business of the Super Bowl. The NFL title game continues to wrack up gaudy numbers and 2022 edition looks like it is going to be no different. Talking points: The media outlook for this year's Super Bowl (2:53) How has the NFL made the game so big? (7:13) The commercial business of the Super Bowl and what's new this year (18:42) Star power or lack thereof (26:16) The economic impact of hosting the Super Bowl (36:18)

Regular SportsPro Podcast hosts George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by technology editor Steve McCaskill to talk about the latest Ideas to Invest in Now list, profiling the 20 startups who made it, while also looking at the trends behind their inclusion. Talking points: How is the list put together? (1:41) Diving into the 2023 Ideas to Invest in (4:32) Does the sports industry move too slowly when it comes to innovation? (10:25) The role of in-house tech teams and incubators (15:58) The trends that run through this year's list (21:25) The increasing value of data and its ownership (28:40) Looking forward to next year's Ideas to Invest In (34:15) What are the risks for sports in over-embracing technology? (37:39)

Mindprober CEO Pedro Almeida joins the pod to explain how its platform analyses consumers’ physiological and behavioral responses to media content in real time.

SportsPro's George Breare is joined by Tom Bassam to hit a quick industry news wrap covering job cuts in tech sector, LIV Golf's US rights deal with the CW Network and the advances being made in influencer boxing by KSI's Misfits brand. Then, in part two, Edmonton Events director Cindy Medynski joins the show to talk about the Canadian city is taking a new approach to event hosting. Talking points: Big tech, big cuts and the impact on sport (1:20) LIV Golf arrives on US TV via the CW Network (6:45) KSI's Misfits, DAZN and athlete influencers (12:59) Interview: What Edmonton has to offer as an event host (18:51)

Tom Bassam is joined by Allie Dinsmore, vice president, strategy and new business development at the Professional Fighters League; Sahaj Shah, product and UX/UI designer, Areto Labs; and Charlie Sizer, global partnerships manager at DAZN - all members of the 2022/23 SportsPro NEW ERA cohort - to discuss what the year has in store for women's sport, as well as women in the industry. Talking points: Personal backstories (1:25) The NEW ERA experience so far (5:44) Things to look forward to in women's sport in 2023 (9:00) Building the profile of female athletes through original content (15:51) Why this could be the year that women's properties are properly valued (18:46) How important is it to have figures like Julie Uhrman leading the way? (26:52) Why the business of women's sport doesn't have to be the same as men's (31:20) Equality goals for the industry in 2023 (37:21) Personal new year's resolutions (41:46)

SportsPro's George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by PA Media chief sports reporter Jamie Gardner to reflect on Qatar 2022, before editorial director Michael Long unpacks his feature on a World Cup that has loomed large over much of his journalistic career. Part one talking points: View from on the ground in Doha (2:11) Fifa control and the fairness of media scrutiny (7:16) How successful was the tournament? (11:39) Qatar 2022 as a template for wannabe nation builders (16:21) Press freedom at Qatar 2022 and the social impact of the World Cup (24:34) Part two (30:03): How Qatar 2022 has dominated the last 12 years (31:42) Industry sentiment on the World Cup (33:33) Was this a line in the sand for major event hosting? (38:26)

Regular hosts George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by features editor Sam Carp to unpick SportsPro's annual list of ten industry influencers who will shape the sporting year, while also finding time to gaze into the crystal ball to predict the major business narratives of the next 12 months. Talking points: What does it take to make the ten influencers list? (3:00) The role of Women's World Cup COO Jane Fernandez (5:01) How Julie Uhrman is changing the NWSL (12:41) Rory McIlroy... the saviour of golf? (19:42) Is James DeLorenzo set to lead Apple into a bigger role in sports media? (28:24) Sam Carp's predictions for sponsorship in 2023 (38:26) Tom Bassam explains why Warner Bros Discovery is going to dominate the sports media space this year (43:55)

For the last SportsPro Podcast of the year, George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by features editor Sam Carp, technology editor Steve McCaskill and community lead Chris Stone for a festive, sports business-themed quiz. Round one - A year in news (2:50) Round two - SportsPro long reads (22:15) Round three - Who said what? (42:49)

Regular SportsPro Podcast hosts George Breare and Tom Bassam are joined by senior staff writer Ed Dixon for a soccer-centric episode in World Cup final week. Talking points: Has the World Cup been a success? The legacy of Qatar 2022 What is happening at the DFL and what does it mean for the Bundesliga? How the WSL continues to surpass expectations  Under the radar stories

SportsPro news editor Tom Bassam is joined by editorial director Michael Long for a quick scan of the biggest industry news, before Simon Trewavas from RTB House joins the pod to talk about the data solutions firm's new report on the opportunities for sports brands and the fashion industry. Talking points: The NBA opens itself to sovereign wealth investment (1:10) Is it the right time for the ECB to sell The Hundred? (6:12) The wider impact of the Juventus board's mass resignation (13:27) Should we read much into the idea of the Olympics in Qatar? (18:58)  Unpacking the 'Data in Fashion and Sports. How Brands Are Staying a Cut Above in 2022' report with Simon Trewavas from RTB House (24:46) Find the report in full here. 

SportsPro’s George Breare and Tom Bassam take you inside the Melia Castilla to track the trends and conversations at the OTT Summit. Talking points: OTT big picture with the StreamTime Podcast Warner Bros Discovery and Dyn Media Unpacking onstage debate WSL and the NBA App OneFootball and Web 3.0 Event takeaways