In short
The episode discusses the US Open as a “quintessentially New York” event and ranks the four Grand Slams by business, crowd, and experience. Hosts James Emmett and David Cushnan describe the US Open’s scale (Arthur Ashe Stadium, 2024 operating revenue $560m, 905,255 attendance plus 240,000 “Fan Week” in 2023) and its $800m refurbishment for 2027, including premiumization that moves expensive seats downward and expands hospitality.
Key claims
influencer/media credentials are causing noise and distraction in tennis because crowds are part of play; event organizers may need brands to police influencer etiquette.
Notable examples
the “honey juice cocktail” (740,000 sold in 2023) as a social/Instagram driver; late-night finishes (multiple after 2am).
Guests
none mentioned; only hosts and industry figures referenced (e.g., Craig Tiley, Roger Goodell, Jenny Infantino).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOSeptember Sports Kickoff
0:45 to 3:10
Discussion about the busy sports month of September and recent travels.
“And a lovely documentary about Jeff Buckley, the musician.”
Experience at the US Open
3:10 to 4:38
James shares his impressions and experiences from attending the US Open.
“You really have followed the, sort of, it accidentally followed the, you know, global tennis calendar.”
Attendance and Atmosphere
4:38 to 6:28
Exploration of attendance figures and the social atmosphere at the US Open.
“But, you know, they've got good public transport out there.”
Arthur Ashe Stadium Insights
6:28 to 9:07
Discussion on the Arthur Ashe Stadium's renovation and crowd dynamics.
“They don't necessarily want to go and watch the tennis.”
Influencer Impact at Sports Events
9:07 to 12:19
Examination of the role of influencers at sports events and the resulting controversy.
“in the crowds on the TV pictures because the lower seats are more expensive.”
The Role of Crowd Noise in Tennis
14:00 to 17:20
Learn how crowd dynamics influence the experience of tennis events.
“So I think there is, I would suspect, going to be a little bit more focus from event organisers on ensuring that brands do police this a bit better or at least provide some sort of etiquette.”
The Honey Juice Cocktail Phenomenon
17:20 to 19:10
Discover the cultural impact of the US Open's signature drink.
“I am going to ask you to rank them shortly.”
Comparing the Grand Slams
19:10 to 21:00
Explore the key differences and similarities between major tennis events.
“becoming more than simply a signature drink.”
Ranking the Grand Slam Events
21:00 to 23:40
Listen to the rankings and opinions on the top Grand Slam tournaments.
“So I love it, but it is, I love it because of how visual it is.”
Current Events in Sports Industry
23:40 to 28:04
Stay updated on key happenings in the sports industry.
“Look, can we record the rest in six minutes?”
Show all 15 chapters
Chris Halpin's Career Move and NFL Insights
28:04 to 28:36
Learn about Chris Halpin's new role and upcoming NFL games in Australia.
“Chris Halpin, who was once considered as a potential successor to Roger Goodell, left to go and become CFO of a non-sports organization.”
NFL Game Strategies: Rams vs. 49ers
28:37 to 29:56
Explore the contrasting strategies of the Rams and 49ers for their game in Melbourne.
“same amount of time as the honey juice cocktail has been on offer at the us open coincidence i Don't think so.”
Champions League Changes and Team Marketing
29:57 to 30:40
Discussion on the final season of Team Marketing's deal with UEFA and its implications.
“Champions League kicks off again this week.”
Private Equity Bids in European Soccer
30:41 to 32:16
Insights into the private equity bids for Serie A's media and marketing rights.
“Do you remember Jenny Infantino's mad plan to try to spin off a bit of UEFA and offer it to private equity people?”
Cricket Australia's Investment Plans
32:17 to 33:32
Details on Cricket Australia's plan to sell stakes in Big Bash League franchises.
“to the national team performance, to the, I suppose, the continuing issues around a lot of stadiums and who owns those stadiums.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:03James Emmett:Hello and welcome to the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast, the sports industry show from Leaders where we talk about what's worth knowing in the business of sport this week. I'm Leaders Editorial Director James Emmett. And I'm David Cushnan, the Content Director. On the show this
0:16David Cushnan:week, the US Open makes a big noise. Champions League, NFL and Solheim Cup on the horizon. And two major sports bodies moving ahead with private investment spinoff plans. This is Leaders worth knowing knowing knowing it is david hello hello james good morning good evening good night
0:33James Emmett:good afternoon as we record as we record um how are you doing september it's back to school it's
0:39David Cushnan:back let's go go go it's an all-action september so far and i'm calling it get serious september are you finally going to get serious not me it's a command for the industry yeah come on come on come on come on guys james you have been abroad um you i think you trailed this on last week's show yeah uh that you were going to be recorded the show with you and then went directly to the
1:00James Emmett:airport and got on the plane to new york city yeah you weren't quite sure if it was he throw or gatwick
1:05David Cushnan:it was he throw it was he throw and you found yourself in new york yeah got lucky yeah yeah um and got serious and approximately 48 hours in new york how the devil was it well first of all
1:17James Emmett:um films that i watched on the plane david um number one saipan uh you've heard of this this This is the Roy Keane biopic, sort of, about a moment in Roy Keane's life, the erstwhile Irish football captain, about his breakdown and retreat from the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan. It's not worth watching. Don't bother. Also watched Wuthering Heights. Cried my eyes out at that. Of course. And a lovely documentary about Jeff Buckley, the musician. Oh. Tragic.
1:52David Cushnan:You watched three films on the flight?
1:54James Emmett:I watched one on the way out and two on the way back. Right. Good grief. Yeah. That's all right.
1:59David Cushnan:Get some sleep, mate. And I read a book. God, good for you. You really made the most of being in the air.
2:03James Emmett:And I listened to some podcasts. Yeah. Yes, I went out to meet and, well, I mean, I've got to get this right because of a run-in with immigration. Specifically, what did I go out there to do, David? Yes, I've been asked to ask you. Was I on business or was I working? Turns out there's a critical difference between those two things. I think you're on business. I was definitely 100 % on business. Anyway, I went out for a meeting with the folks at the PIF and recorded something which we will, or did I, which we may or may not play in the coming weeks. A very interesting meeting with the folks at the PIF who were all in town for the US Open, big partners of both the WTA and the ATP.
2:53James Emmett:I also went to the US Open myself, which was a lot of fun and spent some time catching up with various folks across New York.
3:05David Cushnan:And congratulations, James, because I think that means you've completed your own Grand Slam.
3:08James Emmett:Grand Slam of Grand Slams. Correct. It's done. And do you know what, David? Yes, I have. It's very exciting. I can tick that box. I've actually done three this year.
3:19David Cushnan:You have? You really have followed the, sort of, it accidentally followed the, you know, global tennis calendar. Sure.
3:26James Emmett:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
3:27David Cushnan:Yeah. So how was it? The US Open, obviously we have, most of us have been watching from afar, but it certainly seems to get bigger and bigger, not just as a sports event, but as a social event in New York, as a corporate event in New York, and obviously lots of headlines about what's going on with the tournament beyond the court. What was your verdict?
3:53James Emmett:Well, it's big, David. What I would say, my overriding impression of having been to the US Open, not necessarily the footprint, it just feels big. There's a bigness about it, bigliness, as the president might say. It is, as I think all of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments are, it is absolutely right for the place that it is in. It is, in my view, a quintessentially New York experience. It is big. It is brash. It is loud. It is expensive. It's all of those things. And as several of the tennis players have been pointing out over the course of the last couple of weeks, it also smells like marijuana, which is increasingly a New York thing as well.
4:41James Emmett:And it goes on all night. Doesn't it? Doesn't it? Just. Yeah, it goes. It's very, very late. Extraordinary. But, you know, they've got good public transport out there. So, you know, it can go on very late. It's a city that never sleeps, David. Yeah, it really does feel big. and there are all sorts of numbers during the rounds um it is by many metrics the largest um tennis tournament in the world one of the largest sports um competitions anywhere in the world as well um operating revenues for the 2024 us open um so the last figures fully available 560 million dollars um the arthur ash state so the you talk about the footprint earlier that doesn't actually feel that big the the site um the billy jenking tennis uh center um it's just across the way just across the highway from the mets stadium out in queens um super easy to get to as pleasantly surprised by the kind of transport options uh it's very well connected by subway and train um less good if you're traveling by car um yeah it's got uh yeah just it's gigantic so attendance uh so we haven't obviously it's still going at the moment but last year's attendance so 905 255 for the main uh two-week um competition and plus another 240 000 for fan week which is the kind of tagged on opening week that has become de rigueur in tennis so 1.14 million people through the turnstiles last year likely to be around the same this year although it has been beset by mixed weather this year and the competition seems to be less about the tennis itself and more about a kind of social event, a stop on the New York kind of calendar of events, which means something like there being iffy weather is likely to have a big bearing on the attendance because people, you know, they want to go and have a nice time.
7:06James Emmett:They don't necessarily want to go and watch the tennis.
7:09David Cushnan:It's an enormous stadium, the Arthur Ashe Stadium, By some distance, the largest tennis stadium in the world. And I think it often feels empty.
7:20James Emmett:Well, it looks, you know, that's exactly what I was going to say.
7:22David Cushnan:It's so often it looks, you know, day or night, it does look empty. And that's, of course, in between matches. And often, you know, the start of the second match of a session will be in front of a lot of empty seats as people dip out and take a break. You were there, I think, for an evening session. uh coco goth the u.s uh heroine was in action the u.s heroine yeah i um yes i was very kindly
7:48James Emmett:invited along by the folks at elevate um and spent a lovely evening um with them so thank you very much to them they work for the usta commercializing um premium seating doing a bit of the hospitality um or commercializing the hospitality really interesting thing going on at the moment at the site as a whole, but particularly as it pertains to Arthur Ashe, you're right, it's gigantic, but they're in the middle of this$800 million refurbishment. And you wouldn't necessarily, just from sitting inside the bowl or from watching TV, almost impossible to perceive that they're in the middle of a very significant Renault.
8:26James Emmett:But back of house along the concourses, et cetera, definitely does have the kind of work in progress feel. And they've got big posters up everywhere informing us that they're reimagining spectacular.
8:37David Cushnan:And that's all going to be ready for 2027.
8:40James Emmett:Yes. And what that is, is a continuation of a trend that we're seeing across sport, but particularly at these sort of festival style events, which is a move to premiumize the experience to create more premium options. So, broadly, what they're doing with the renovation, in Arthur Ashe at least, is moving premium spaces downwards, which is partly why already you're seeing visible spots in the crowds on the TV pictures because the lower seats are more expensive. And those people will have more options of what they're going to do with their time. They don't have to be sitting in their seats watching the tennis.
9:28James Emmett:They're going to be being entertained somewhere else. So they're moving the expensive seats downwards, the cheaper seats, if there are such a thing, at the US Open upwards. And they're creating more hospitality spaces, essentially. And they're reimagining what these boxes are going to look like there. From what I could see, and I do love going to, particularly going to hospitality at tennis events. Do you? Do you?
9:56David Cushnan:I quite like it. Do you know what?
9:57James Emmett:I won't state for the record, but I do like it. Incredible insight. one of the reasons I like it is because it is fantastic networking. And usually you can move around. Once you have access to kind of a suite level at a tennis event, you are perfectly capable of circulating around and kind of meeting people who have similar access, but elsewhere.
10:22David Cushnan:Yeah. So as an armchair viewer, I am less inclined to watch. You don't care about that. Well, I'm less inclined to watch a tennis match If I can see, there's a huge number of empty seats. In fact, I'm less inclined to watch any sports event if it looks visibly empty and it hasn't been able to either draw a crowd or keep a crowd. That premium audience, more transient in general. And yet one of the challenges that I keep reading about with the US Open, and again, this is something that we see at other Grand Slams, certainly at Roland Garros, is that the sort of general day pass, the grounds pass, is a hugely sought after ticket as well.
11:04David Cushnan:So it's incredibly crowded outside. Yes. And they're not necessarily always looking full on the inside, which I think does lessen it as an interesting and compelling broadcast product. So there are new, as this renovation happens, as this premiumization happens, And I think that is, you know, some of the new dynamics that, you know, Craig Tiley and his team will be having to think through.
11:31James Emmett:Yeah, Craig Tiley, the new chief executive of the USTA. Yeah, it's one of a number of challenges, I would suggest. And one thing that I really noticed, and I alluded to it earlier, it feels like it's more of a social event than a sports event. Yeah. Did you take your ring light? Oh, you know, I take it everywhere. I had to march down to the... Because you weren't alone. Well, do you know what? The DJ playing music inside the bowl made it impossible for me to film with my ring light in the suite. So I had to march down to the front. To go live. Yeah.
12:06David Cushnan:But this is a genuine talking point.
12:08James Emmett:So one of the big issues this year, as it has been actually for the last handful of years.
12:15David Cushnan:And as it has been at a number of sports, major sports events in all sorts of different sports. Particularly tennis.
12:20James Emmett:The tennis. major event organizers are under scrutiny for their influencer strategy and certainly what's happened here is influencers or at least people who it's not necessarily official influencers they're on media credentials with the US Open anyone is anyone consider themselves an influencer now and people are taking film and video and whatnot people are walking down the street talking about what's going on in the sports industry this week james vacuous nonsense david isn't it um and yeah there's been some pushback some controversy around this um principally people are kicking up a fuss about these people are causing a distraction a disturbance and they're not focused on the tennis is disrespectful and it's noisy and it's disturbing to the players and also the people who actually want to watch tennis.
13:23James Emmett:What's going on here?
13:25David Cushnan:Yeah. And I think it is. So the US Open itself reported to have accredited over 100 influencers. Yeah. But I think that is a group that theoretically the US Open itself can control because there will be rules and you can have your accreditation revoked if you break those rules.
13:44James Emmett:Yeah.
Read the full transcript
13:44David Cushnan:I think where the challenge is starting to emerge with not just the US Open, but lots of these event organizers is when brands invite influencers and the event itself will get the heat if people think that's a problem, but not necessarily be in control of who those people are, who is invited, and then to at least some extent what they do once they're there. So I think there is, I would suspect, going to be a little bit more focus from event organisers on ensuring that brands do police this a bit better or at least provide some sort of etiquette. And I think the reason it has got so many backs up in tennis is because it is a sport where the crowd are very much part of the field of play compared to an F1, for example.
14:35David Cushnan:Yes, you have a crowd in F1, but it's impossible to, you know, really hear the crowd or, you know, the crowd don't really play a part in the sport. In tennis, you know, the volume, the energy of the crowd can absolutely be heard and does affect the dynamics of what's going on on the court. And I think that is, you know, it's going to have to be a little bit of compromise and meat in the middle. Event organizers are going to continue to have ever more sophisticated influencer strategies because they want to hit that new audience. Players, hardcore tennis fans, tennis media are going to have to adjust to some extent to a bit of a new reality, particularly somewhere at the US Open.
15:22David Cushnan:And again, you were there, but Arthur Ashe Stadium, everybody says it's a really loud place. This is not Wimbledon Centre Court where silence is, you know, readily, readily. Yeah, but it's New York, you know, it's like it is absolutely. Hustle and bustle and loud. It is loud.
15:40James Emmett:And I would say the ambient noise just around the Billie Jean King Tennis Centre in general is another level. Everywhere is loud. People use their voices in a different way in the US, David. and they contain volume. And it's just built in. You know, New York is loud. The sound of the subway is loud. There are horns blaring at any given point of day or night. There doesn't appear to be any rules on playing music. You can just play music as loud as you want whenever you want, you know. It is arguably the loudest place in the world. It's the loudest media market. It's the loudest media market in the world.
16:26James Emmett:So it's sort of fitting in that regard. I would say it's not necessarily a well-designed sports fan experience. The integration of the DJ, the music element, at Arthur Ashe particularly, where in breaks of play, DJ spins some tracks, does make it very challenging because it's so loud that you cannot talk over that music. And what that means is when the DJ goes off, when play begins, well, that's your time to talk. So, you know, the natural ebb and flow of tennis, where there is a lot of time in between sporting action, that is when you usually would be talking and having a social time. Not in this instance, you have to save that for when the sport is on.
17:20David Cushnan:You have done all four Grand Slams now. I am going to ask you to rank them shortly. But... Can I talk to you about the honey juice cocktail quickly? Oh, no, go on.
17:28James Emmett:So my theory is that everybody knows the honey juice cocktail. This is the signature drink that they sell at the US Open and have, in fact, been selling for 20 years this year. It is a sort of raspberry lemonade vodka based thing. It's pink and it's got some melon balls that look like tennis balls. um in it uh and they serve it in a signature glass uh souvenir kind of glass with all the us open winners on it it's very visual it's made for kind of instagram era um they are selling these hand over fist um so 740 000 of these sold last year um uh it's 23 dollars which is very reasonable for a drink in New York.
18:19James Emmett:I imagine that records will be broken this year. This thing, this honey juice cocktail has become, I think it's the reason that this event has become a social fixture rather than a sporting fixture. It's absolutely everywhere. It's emblazoned on most of the merchandise you can buy. It is the only thing that you see all of these influencers sort of talking about holding referring to uh it is the most visual representation of what the u.s open is far beyond i think um strawberries and cream or pims or whatever at wimbledon it is probably the most successful example of a um a kind of commestable uh a thing that has been invented to sell at a sports event, sort of taking hold, capturing the imagination and becoming more than simply a signature drink.
19:16James Emmett:Any good?
19:17David Cushnan:Nice?
19:17James Emmett:It's sweet. It's tasty. It's tasty for sure.
19:22David Cushnan:Ranking coming up, but visually the US Open looks most similar to the Australian Open. It's blue. Having been at both, are they somewhat similar? as events or are there big obvious differences?
19:40James Emmett:I think there are big obvious differences. Yeah, they're blue. They look similar, yeah.
19:46David Cushnan:Well, both the hardcore slimes, yeah.
19:49James Emmett:I wish Australia had kept with the green, to be honest, for that visual distinction. But I understand the reasoning behind moving to blue. There's the blue of the sea, the blue of the sky, David. Was it not about seeing the ball a bit better?
20:03David Cushnan:Tennis isn't that important.
20:06James Emmett:um uh you know there are big differences so i think the u.s i think the as i've said i think the u.s open is absolutely the right thing for the right place um big brash loud expensive um commercial uh celebrity focused um it's in your face it's very much it's sort of new york style in your face Australian Open much more focused at a top to bottom bottom back to top level on customer experience and value for money and people having a good time in general I think as I've said before when we went through that period of me only talking about the Australian open um i think value for money is a cornerstone value of what that proposition is is is almost unique in the world of major events like how important that is um and and that shines through in almost everything that the australian open does australian open laser focused on innovation they're always trying new stuff every year that was part of craig tiley's kind of mandate as ceo that comes through in the experimentation and the weird and wonderful stuff um that happens every year at the australian open i think that has been less of a thing at the u.s open um it it might change now that craig tyler is there but it feels not necessarily conservative but this is sort of slightly buttoned up kind of um society sport i suppose uh in new york um do you want my ranking do you want my official rankings yes please hang on i've written them down they're in front of you
21:51David Cushnan:i think um i didn't know if they're in no number you've you've you've added no numbers to this so
21:57James Emmett:so at number one at number four please at number four to maintain um an element of suspense Roland Garros, the French open. Oh, really? Yeah. So I love it, but it is, I love it because of how visual it is. I think it is the most visually simplistic and impactful of all of the Grand Slams. I like clay court tennis. I like watching clay court tennis. it's very difficult to get into and it feels exclusive in a not wholly positive way always. And that's, you know, that's where it falls down probably. Number three. Number three is the US Open, ultimate New York event in my view. Great for business, I think.
22:58James Emmett:Good networking. And, you know, the celebs love it. And it's a fixture on the New York calendar. Number two, Australia. Good fun. Good fun, long way away. The full entertainment experience, value for money, long way away, which makes it fall down on the business networking element. You're not going to get the who's who there. Very good.
23:22David Cushnan:Which means number one is Wimbledon, which we will talk about in July.
23:26James Emmett:Yeah. James. I do think the key thing, no split sessions at Wimbledon.
23:30David Cushnan:Yeah. This is the thing. And this is the, it's crowd and traffic management as well, getting people in and out in between those sessions. That is definitely a factor. And of course, you know, just remarkable late night finishes at the US Open over this, certainly over last week, the first week of the tournament, including three after 2am, three nights finishing after 2am, which is ludicrous.
23:55James Emmett:Yeah. Right. Let's get a shifty on, shall we? Look, can we record the rest in six minutes? Is that possible? Let's give it a go.
24:01David Cushnan:So let me give you some information about what else is happening in the industry this week. Tim Laiwiki's Entrepreneur Equity Partners has bought a 13 % stake in RC Lens. The Ligue 1 Soccer Club joins Bolton Wanderers and Venezia in Laiwiki's expanding soccer portfolio. Turkish Airlines is the new main sponsor of Liverpool. The airline will replace Standard Chartered on the front of the club's shirts from next season. drawing a line under a deal that was first signed in 2010. The five-year Turkish Airlines deal is believed to be worth£300 million in total. And Hyundai, Haya and Fanatics have all signed deals with Relevant to become partners or extend an existing deal in the case of Fanatics with the UEFA club competitions.
24:53David Cushnan:Haya's deal is the first to be signed by Relevant that only includes champions league rights champions league restarting this week indeed yes um two circles has been
25:03James Emmett:appointed by world athletics to grow and commercialize the wonder diamond league uh we haven't heard a lot about that recently um tom hill has joined prem rugby as chief revenue officer he joins from the net company inios cycling team where he served as chief commercial officer since 2024. And Elevate, my old US Open pals, have appointed Caitlin Beal from City Football Group. She joins as EVP of Partnerships and will be based here in London alongside another new-ish signing in Ollie Dale. And Cameron Wagner has been promoted to President of Brand. Congrats to one and all for those appointments there.
25:48James Emmett:James, we've got an amazing few days of sport
25:50David Cushnan:coming up. A glass. It's a seasonal glass. We've got the Champions League resuming this week. We've got the finale of the US Open coming this weekend. We've got the new Ultimate Athletics Championships taking place in Budapest over the weekend. It's the Solheim Cup in the Netherlands starting on Friday. And we've got a brand new NFL regular season getting underway with a couple of, I suppose, obvious businessy headlines around the league. Roger Goodell, commissioner. Well, he's re-signed. He signed another four-year deal.
26:29James Emmett:Yes. There's really no other option, I think. And all the 32 teams, which essentially make up his bosses, are very happy with the way that he has been running the league but he has extended through to march 2031 which is likely to keep him in position through the next round of media rights negotiations and the next um uh players union um collective bargaining agreement um so his his current deal was set to expire in march next year yeah and as
27:08David Cushnan:you say, I think fairly expected, no great surprise here. Apart from anything else, there doesn't really appear at the moment to be a sort of obvious succession plan. I'm sure there are owners, you know, the key power brokers within the league are starting to look and think about what that succession plan may one day look like. They've sort of kicked the decision down the road a bit but such has roger goodell's tenure been at the nfl that a number of people who were once considered as potential successors have actually moved on in in recent times suppose the most recent brian rolap who has uh moved on to take on a effectively a commissioner role as will be at the start of next year at the pga tour and perhaps that's perhaps that's gaining some experience that might one day be, you know, put him in contention for a return to the NFL.
28:04David Cushnan:But that day is some way off.
28:06James Emmett:Chris Halpin, who was once considered as a potential successor to Roger Goodell, left to go and become CFO of a non-sports organization. I can't remember what is but anyway he's just got a new job david he um is the new cfo of nbc universal um so he is sort of back in the sports adjacent world not a bad shout potentially anyway um most people most observers seem to think that goodell who has been in position for 20 years exactly the same amount of time as the honey juice cocktail has been on offer at the us open coincidence i Don't think so. Most people seem to think that he has achieved his off-stated goal of meeting $25 billion in revenue by 2027.
28:59James Emmett:So good stuff there.
29:00David Cushnan:Opening week of the NFL regular season will also include the league's first game in Melbourne, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers. A couple of intriguing things about this game. It's being played at 10.30am local time in Melbourne on Friday morning.
29:17James Emmett:Test the Australian public's capacity for breakfast beers.
29:19David Cushnan:Yeah, at the MCG that is beamed back to the US primetime Thursday night. I can't even begin to work out when that is for a UK audience. I suspect probably in the middle of the night. Two absolutely diametrically opposed approaches to this game from the Rams and the 49ers. The 49ers have flown in, effectively having a week to acclimatise to Australian time and lifestyle, I suppose. The LA Rams flying in and out almost within 24 hours. So from a sort of performance standpoint, assuming the league continues to stage games in Australia, this will be quite telling as to see which strategy prevails.
30:00James Emmett:Yeah. Champions League kicks off again this week. It's the final season this season of team marketing's activation, team marketing's deal with UEFA. They're still being paid to deliver all the contractual rights that they have signed before relevant and relevant suite of deals kicks in for the 27-28 season. I wonder whether that will give team the luxury of being able to have money coming through the door whilst they're looking for what's next. I think it's a big year for team marketing, basically.
30:39David Cushnan:Yes.
30:40James Emmett:Very quickly, elsewhere, unless you have something else to say on Champions League, etc. Do you remember Jenny Infantino's mad plan to try to spin off a bit of UEFA and offer it to private equity people?
30:55David Cushnan:Yes, I do. He's confirmed this week that he is going to stand in the election in March.
31:00James Emmett:What do you know? Turns out this is actually not necessarily a bad idea. There are other organisations in the process of doing very similar things right now. And Serie A is one of them. The Italian soccer league have come to the end of a period where they have been inviting bids for a new holding company to house their international media, international, crucially, media and marketing rights. Bain Capital and Carlyle are among the private equity funds, are believed to have submitted bids for that. So the deadline was the 4th of September. Investors are expected to submit binding offers for a 10 to 20 % stake in this new venture, which generate around 200 million euros in core earnings and could be valued at three to four billion euros this there was a failed attempt to do this uh a few years in 2021 um where syria put together a um an offering for a 10 stake in a unit for all of its media rights cvc tried to buy that for 1.7 billion euros but the clubs
32:16David Cushnan:vetoed it in the end yeah lots of um issues in italian football of course uh from the politics to the national team performance, to the, I suppose, the continuing issues around a lot of stadiums and who owns those stadiums. But probably going to be Europe, certainly the big European leagues, the most competitive league once again this season. They've had an amazing run of sort of very close title races and lots of teams involved. Another organization in another part of the world moving forward with a private investment plan is Cricket Australia. Again, And this one has been in the works for a little bit.
32:53David Cushnan:And the idea here is for Cricket Australia to sell stakes in the Big Bash League franchises. So it's T20 Shortform Cricket League. There was an original plan that didn't quite get over the line because they couldn't quite reach a agreement amongst the various states that are stakeholders in Cricket Australia, and the national governing body and lots of items to work through, including working with player unions to make sure everything is agreed and everybody can move forward as one. Now, though, there is a green light and they are moving forward with a plan to, I think, go with the Melbourne franchise first.
33:42David Cushnan:Is that right?
33:43James Emmett:It could be. I mean, it doesn't have any backing from any of the players' unions yet. so it's still early days there but David I'm afraid we are going to have to knock it on the head there without definitive information because we are now taking up someone else's studio time so shall I see you next week goodbye goodbye
From the publisher
Fresh off the back of a whirlwind fact-finder to New York, James Emmett returns to the studio alongside David Cushnan with his observations from the US Open.
As the tournament grows - physically and as a New York social and cultural occasion - they consider the impact of the $800 transformation project at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which will conclude next year, on the fan experience and corporate offering.
The other big questions are pondered: As influencers continue to make their mark - for better or worse - on major sports events, how should organisers respond? And just how did the Honey Deuce become such an effective marketing asset?
Elsewhere, the new NFL season begins with a four-year contract extension for Commissioner Roger Goodell, and the first regular season game in Melbourne this Friday, with the LA Rams and San Francisco 49ers taking opposite approaches to preparation.
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