Podcast · 85 episodes
Unofficial Partner Podcast, page 2
by Unofficial Partner · English
Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. Our guests are a who's who of the international sports industry talking about the big issues.
All episodes, page 2
UP549 Priced Out: FIFA’s Big Ticket GambleFIFA’s 2026 World Cup ticketing strategy and why prices are soaring, focusing on dynamic pricing, VIP/hospitality tiers, and FIFA’s decision to control both primary and secondary ticketing rather…12 May 2026 · 41 min · 16 chapters
UP548 The Bundle: Gary Neville's Noise Strategy; What World Rugby sees in IMG; Amazon pitches for the Super BowlThe sports media and streaming marketplace (“The Bundle”): Overlap’s acquisition of Mark Goldbridge’s YouTube channels; BBC/Football Focus moving away from YouTube; why YouTube is consolidating; the…5 May 2026 · 57 min · 24 chapters
UP547 Picks and Shovels: The Ecosystem Investment ThesisAltman Solon’s David Dellea, Christophe Sommer, and Matt Del Percio discuss their Global Sports Survey (7th edition) and argue sport is maturing into a “full stack” asset class.1 May 2026 · 52 min · 23 chapters
UP546 NBA Europe: It’s not about basketballNBA Europe expansion as a sports/entertainment and investment play, not just basketball; what kind of “patient capital” can finance franchises, how fandom is built, and why venue/control and…28 Apr 2026 · 49 min · 24 chapters
UP545 'Normal Idiots': Reddit, Discord and the Value of 1000 True FansWhether sports organizations should optimize for “non-obvious” community channels (Reddit, Discord, smaller streaming sites like Kick) instead of focusing mainly on mainstream reach metrics…21 Apr 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 28 chapters
UP544 ChatUP: Craig Hepburn on how Agentic AI changes sports consultancyAgentic AI’s impact on sports marketing agencies and sports data markets—shifting value from deliverables to agentic frameworks, APIs, evaluation, and proprietary data access/control.14 Apr 2026 · 42 min · 24 chapters
UP543 Business Moment of the Year: Inside the 25th Sport Industry Award Judging RoomA behind-the-scenes look at the Sport Industry Awards judging room for the “Business Moment of the Year” category (25th anniversary show on 30 April).7 Apr 2026 · 59 min · 30 chapters
UP542 Wedge Issues Live: The Golf Business in 2026Live panel at MSQ Sport and Entertainment (London) during Callaway Golf’s new brand film launch “At Last,” assessing golf’s business state heading into 2026 and the “wedge issues” affecting the…31 Mar 2026 · 46 min · 27 chapters
UP541 Addicted To Fake Fan Numbers: When Sport Met The Dead InternetDigital ad fraud and “dead internet” dynamics—advertisers chase massive vanity metrics (impressions, clicks, likes, fans) that are largely bot-generated, leading to little real sales impact.27 Mar 2026 · 45 min · 23 chapters
UP540 The Bundle: Premier League plus points; Apple's Meh Bundle; FIFA's 10 minute YouTube hookPremier League plus points; Apple's Meh Bundle; FIFA's 10 minute YouTube hook24 Mar 2026 · 58 min · 18 chapters
UP539 Spin Class: PR lessons from Kirsty Coventry, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Igor TudorIn this episode, host Richard Gillis is joined by three esteemed communications professionals: Henry Chappell (Pitch Marketing Group), Neil Daugherty (Teneo), and Jon Tibbs (JTA Group).17 Mar 2026 · 1 h 9 min · 21 chapters
UP538 Ted Knutson on Brentford, Betting and Benham. And how AI will change football dataIn this episode of the Unofficial Partner Podcast, host Richard Gillis welcomes Ted Knutson, who has had a diverse career in the sports industry, transitioning from professional gambling to football…10 Mar 2026 · 53 min · 25 chapters
UP537 The Buy Side: Inside Unilever's FIFA World Cup StrategyUP537 The Buy Side: Inside Unilever's FIFA World Cup Strategy6 Mar 2026 · 42 min · 16 chapters
UP536 Other People's Money: Bex Smith's thesis for women's football multi club ownershipBex Smith discusses her venture, Crux Football, an investment vehicle aimed at multiple ownership of women's football clubs, and reflects on her journey from being a player to an influential figure…3 Mar 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 27 chapters
UP535 Inside Edge - T20's Product-Market fit is 'the biggest delta in global sport'UP535 Inside Edge - T20's Product-Market fit is 'the biggest delta in global sport'24 Feb 2026 · 1 h 2 min · 32 chapters
UP534 Barney Francis on Media Rights and WrongsUnofficial Partner is a leading podcast focused on the business of sport, featuring prominent figures from the international sports industry discussing significant issues.17 Feb 2026 · 55 min · 20 chapters
UP533 The Bundle: Super Bowl, cultural relevance v culture war; ITV's in-game ads; FIFA and TikTokSuper Bowl, cultural relevance v culture war; ITV's in-game ads; FIFA and TikTok10 Feb 2026 · 1 h 2 min · 21 chapters
UP532 Inside Edge: County Cricket Beyond The HundredIn this episode, host Richard Gillis interviews Pete Fitzboydon, former CEO of Sussex County Cricket Club, discussing the financial realities and challenges faced by non-Test hosting counties in…6 Feb 2026 · 59 min · 24 chapters
UP531 Winter Olympic Special: Lottery funding, Medals, Rule 40 and Private SchoolsIn this episode of the Unofficial Partner Podcast, Richard Gillis interviews Sally Munday, the CEO of UK Sport.3 Feb 2026 · 56 min · 25 chapters
UP530 Spurs For Sale: Shirts, Gambling Bans and the Post-Levy EraIn this episode, Richard Gillis interviews Ryan Norys, the Chief Revenue Officer at Tottenham Hotspur.27 Jan 2026 · 54 min · 20 chapters
UP529 ChatUP Live Pt2 - The Billion Dollar AI Race: 'Once you give away that level of knowledge, it's gone'ChatUP Live Pt2 - The Billion Dollar AI Race: 'Once you give away that level of knowledge, it's gone'23 Jan 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 27 chapters
UP528 Chat_UP Live - The Race to Build SportsbizGPT Pt1An Unofficial Partner live experiment on “SportsbizGPT,” using AI to answer audience questions during a sports business panel, then extrapolate evidence-based advice.20 Jan 2026 · 47 min · 22 chapters
UP527 The Bundle 2026 Preview: NFL, WBD, DAZN, F1, UEFA...WTAF?2026 sports media/streaming “bundle” preview—NFL media-rights opt-outs and international packaging; UEFA Champions League final location; DAZN’s US expansion via RSN acquisition; Warner Bros.16 Jan 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 20 chapters
UP526 Nikki Doucet has the most interesting job in British sportNikki Doucet, CEO of WSL Football (WSL Divisions 1 and 2), discusses building women’s football as a “startup,” commercial strategy, sponsorship value, fan funnel/segmentation, and league structure…13 Jan 2026 · 55 min · 21 chapters