SportBusiness

❗𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 ❗ 𝑽𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 – 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 – 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆. Welcome to 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞, a big-picture exploration of how sport must evolve to remain at the forefront of culture in the 21st century. In this year’s edition, we dive into the big questions shaping sport’s present and future: 🧩 How can sport win over the hearts of Gen Z and Alpha – and thrive in a culture they’re shaping? 🌍 Can Saudi Arabia’s bold play for global sports dominance truly pay off? 🔄 How can sport reinvent itself as linear TV revenues decline? ⚖️ Why do women remain second-class citizens in sport? 🌱 How can sports adapt to a changing climate threatening their existence? The clock is ticking. Sport must decide: follow the old playbook, or imagine what’s next. 💚 Dive into 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 now ➡️ https://bit.ly/3B9gcL5

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: The Home Depot joins the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the Official Home Improvement Retail Supporter. The American company deepens its soccer presence across the Americas, building on its existing sponsorships with Major League Soccer and the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Asociación. The deal includes activation rights at stadiums and fan festivals across the US, Canada, and Mexico during the tournament. ✍️ Matthew Williams 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gyRfVGsn

✨ 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒: 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 – ‘𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑛 𝑃𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑠’ – 𝑂𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 & 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑠 2024 – 𝐻𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑠 𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑦 ✨ Orange, in partnership with Havas Play, has been shortlisted for Sponsorship Works 2024, SportBusiness’ annual award recognising the most innovative sports sponsorship activations of the year, for their ground-breaking activation around #Paris2024. As a Premium Partner of the Games and Presenting Partner of ‘Marathon Pour Tous,’ Orange brought to life the first-ever mass participation event in Olympic history. By leveraging technology, the initiative connected participants from around the world, allowing them to take part in the marathon remotely and experience the Games like never before. 𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐖 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eCheNn6s 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 is presented in partnership with SponsorLab.

🚨 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 🚨 SportBusiness is proud to launch 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔, our new annual award recognising the most innovative sports sponsorship activations of the year. After reviewing the 27 different activation case studies published by 𝑆𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝐵𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑆𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 this year, we have partnered with SponsorLab to shortlist the top three: ✨ Orange France and Havas Play’s mass participation initiative for #Paris2024. ✨ Paddy Power’s purpose-driven campaign at the World Darts Championship. ✨ Capgemini and rEvolution’s tech integration at The Ryder Cup. 🗳️ Now, we need YOUR help to decide the winner! Check-out the free-to-read case studies and cast your vote ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eCheNn6s

On this day in 2010, FIFA awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, marking historic firsts for Eastern Europe and the Middle East. However, these tournaments could be some of the last World Cups hosted in a single nation. Fifa's upcoming World Cups will be co-hosted, giving brands a chance to activate across multiple nations, driving deal values higher. It's a big reason why the men's Fifa World Cup remains one of the most coveted sponsorship properties in world sport. Brands such as Visa, Hyundai-Kia and Qatar Airways will be able to reach consumers on the ground across North America in 2026. And with the 2030 World cup spanning countries in Europe, South America and Africa, Fifa's regional partner programme will expand accordingly. Explore the present and future of Fifa World Cup sponsorship in our 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/esKjegDY

🚨 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 🚨 SportBusiness is proud to launch 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔, our new annual award recognising the most innovative sports sponsorship activations of the year. After reviewing the 27 different activation case studies published by 𝑆𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝐵𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑆𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝 this year, we have partnered with SponsorLab to shortlist the top three: ✨ Orange France and Havas Play’s mass participation initiative for #Paris2024. ✨ Paddy Power’s purpose-driven campaign at the World Darts Championship. ✨ Capgemini and rEvolution’s tech integration at The Ryder Cup. 🗳️ Now, we need YOUR help to decide the winner! Check-out the free-to-read case studies and cast your vote ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eCheNn6s

🏀 Baskonia: The underdog using AI to compete with basketball giants 🏀 In a landscape dominated by Spain's basketball heavyweights, Saski Baskonia is harnessing WSC Sports' AI technology to level the playing field. By automating highlight creation and real-time content distribution, the club is rapidly growing its global fanbase—adding over 20,000 followers on Instagram in just a year. Find out more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eTkyctB8

🎉 We celebrated the launch of the second edition of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆 in London last night. A sincere thank you to all who joined us and made the evening truly memorable, and to L’Escargot and Thomas Hitzlsperger (Hitz the Hammer) for hosting us in the heart of Soho. 🚀 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆 will be available to explore online next week, and copies will be arriving in the post—so keep an eye out!

The global sports media rights market has surpassed $60bn for the first time, reaching $62.61bn in 2024 — a 12% increase on last year, as revealed in the SportBusiness 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 2024. Marquee events like the Summer Olympics and Uefa European Championship were key drivers, but the broader trajectory remains '𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.' Get the full picture. 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ejV3x-yH

Here's your first look at this year’s edition of 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆, where we explore the future of sport through questions that truly matter. From the influence of Gen Z and Alpha, to the complex commercial dynamics at play in Saudi Arabia, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒆 explores what’s next for sport. 👀 𝑊𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛'𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑎 𝑠𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝐺𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑢𝑛𝑐ℎ 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤, 𝑎ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘’𝑠 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒!