Podcast · 85 episodes
Unofficial Partner Podcast, page 3
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 3
UP525 What Just Happened in 2025: The Story, Event and Person of the Sports Business Year2025 sports business year-in-review, structured around “story, event, person” picks, with debate on media rights, league expansion, and sports “financialisation.”19 Dec 2025 · 1 h 8 min · 21 chapters
UP524 Sleepwalking to Irrelevance: Content and fandom in the age of the For You algorithmHow the “For You” interest-based algorithms (TikTok-led, now across major platforms) reshape sports content strategy, discoverability, and monetization—shifting from follower-based reach to relevance…16 Dec 2025 · 46 min · 16 chapters
UP523 The Bundle: Paramount's Relevent entry; Sky's UEFA return; Apple's MLS exit; Netflix, TNT, WTF?Sports media rights and streaming market shifts: UEFA Champions League tender under “relevant UC3” (Paramount’s entry), Sky’s UEFA return in the UK, Apple’s MLS exit, Netflix’s bid for WBD/TNT…9 Dec 2025 · 57 min · 17 chapters
UP522 Signed by Messi: What's the most valuable shirt in world football?Icons’ signed football memorabilia market, centered on Leo Messi’s worldwide exclusive signed products; how authenticity is verified (“triple lock”), what makes certain shirts most valuable, and…5 Dec 2025 · 44 min · 23 chapters
UP521: Inside Edge - 'American money is IPL curious'The episode discusses how IPL franchises are attracting global institutional and private-market investors (“IPL curious”), focusing on Lucknow Super Giants’ planned ~$200m minority-stake fundraising…3 Dec 2025 · 54 min · 21 chapters
UP520: Olympic Provocateur: Michael Payne on Sport Politics, from Dassler to TrumpSport politics and governance, focusing on how the Olympics and international federations shape (and sometimes stifle) innovation; future challenges include AI/tech in officiating, athlete…28 Nov 2025 · 47 min · 22 chapters
UP519 Live at Sportradar Connect: Soccer Edition, featuring Jamie CarragherHow football data and AI have evolved from early tracking (Prozone) to real-time player/ball analytics, and how this is reshaping coaching, recruitment, broadcasting, and sports betting/odds.25 Nov 2025 · 46 min · 24 chapters
UP518 Inside Edge: Harry Brook, George Pyne and the cricket agent businessThe episode of Unofficial Partner’s “UP518 Inside Edge” focuses on how modern cricket careers and the cricket agent business have changed, driven by T20 leagues, auctions, and expanding contract…21 Nov 2025 · 53 min · 22 chapters
UP517 The Mark Oliver Heatmap: Global sport's investment hotspotsMark Oliver (BBC strategy alumnus; co-founder of Oliver and Oldbaum Associates) discusses where “investment hotspots” are in global sport, how media/TV strategy and regulation shape sports money, and…18 Nov 2025 · 45 min · 17 chapters
UP516 Smart Recruitment: The Brentford Model, in partnership with IndeedSmart recruitment and data-driven decision-making at Brentford FC, and how that approach parallels modern hiring—discussed with Indeed’s AI recruitment products.14 Nov 2025 · 54 min · 20 chapters
UP515 Other People's Money @ EY: Why is Big Sport so hard to disrupt?The episode asks what “disruption” really means in sport and why major rights holders are so hard to unseat.11 Nov 2025 · 1 h 8 min · 31 chapters
UP514: Inside Edge x The Big Idea: Does the advertising industry understand cricket?How cricket is portrayed in sports advertising, focusing on clichés/tropes, differences between India and England/other markets, and what makes cricket-based ads feel authentic versus generic.4 Nov 2025 · 1 h · 23 chapters
UP513 The Bundle Live @ SPORTEL Monaco: F1 and Apple, Relevent's streamer pitch, D2C wtf?A Sportel Monaco live panel on sports media/tech marketplace themes, using Apple’s new US Formula 1 rights deal as the anchor, then expanding to D2C vs distribution, hybrid rights models, streamer…28 Oct 2025 · 45 min · 18 chapters
UP512 Other People's Money: APEX, the athlete investor trend, Red Bull Ventures, Baller and TGLApex Capital’s “athlete investor” sports investment model (“other people’s money” episode), including how funds are sourced and deployed, Red Bull Ventures’ new LP commitment, and case studies like…23 Oct 2025 · 56 min · 17 chapters
UP511 What Just Happened: P/E for RFL; BBC, golf and Bill Murray; The Ashes of TNTThe episode covers (1) Rugby Football League (RFL) talks with private equity about selling a stake in Super League, including governance and commercial strategy questions; (2) how star power is…17 Oct 2025 · 56 min · 17 chapters
UP510 Cause and Effect: The Sponsorship Effectiveness RevolutionSponsorship effectiveness in sports marketing—how to prove sponsorship works, measure impact beyond reach, and why an “effectiveness revolution” is needed.14 Oct 2025 · 58 min · 22 chapters
UP509 Gareth Balch on the State of the Sports Economy in 2025State of the sports economy in 2025, focusing on how sports IP grows revenue by converting fan attention into monetizable relationships, and on “value leakage” (revenue generated from sports…10 Oct 2025 · 38 min · 14 chapters
UP508 What's Sport Selling? Hollingsworth on the state of the nation's health, flags, needles, government and the free marketTim Hollingsworth, former CEO of Sport England (8 years), discusses how sport should connect with government health, education, and local authority policy; the role of elite success and national…7 Oct 2025 · 53 min · 24 chapters
UP507 The YouTube ArgumentsHow sport rights holders and advertisers navigate the creator economy—especially YouTube—amid platform battles for premium ad money, audience fragmentation, and “leakage” of sports IP value (piracy,…3 Oct 2025 · 1 h 13 min · 27 chapters
UP506 Chat_UP: LiveScore, Grok and how AI will disrupt sports bettingLiveScore Group’s partnership with X and XAI (Grok) and how real-time AI-driven sentiment/content will disrupt sports betting and sports media.30 Sep 2025 · 54 min · 21 chapters
UP505 Inside Edge - T20 Women's World CupPlanning and marketing the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England and Wales, using women’s cricket’s recent growth (especially the Hundred) to drive long-term “mainstream” fandom beyond the…24 Sep 2025 · 48 min · 16 chapters
UP504 What Just Happened: Inside IMG's farmhouse; Peter Thiel's Enhanced Games; Jamie Redknapp's new agencyThree-part sports business roundup. (1) David Cushnan’s recap of IMG and Redbird’s IMG Redbird Summit at Soho Farmhouse (theme: “Raising the Game”), highlighting major media-rights deals and…19 Sep 2025 · 1 h 1 min · 25 chapters
UP503 The Bundle: New season, new YouTube strategy; UFC's PPV exit; Agency collusion; Ligue1's Opening weekendNew-season sports media strategy roundup: Bundesliga’s YouTube-led UK/IRL rights, La Liga’s multi-platform Disney+ + Premier Sport approach, NBA “highlights vs monetization” debate, UFC ending US…16 Sep 2025 · 1 h 6 min · 21 chapters
UP502 What Just Happened: The IOC and Trump's America; PayPal and CEO branded content; UEFA's global decisionThree “what just happened” stories in sports business: IOC working groups under new president Kirsty Coventry and the Olympics’ fit with Trump’s America; PayPal’s “head of CEO content” hiring trend…12 Sep 2025 · 54 min · 22 chapters