Gerrit Meier, the NFL's Managing Director and Head of International, is on the line from New York, to reflect on another season of games played around the world and the league's wider international ambitions.

He reviews games played this season in London, Berlin, Madrid, Dublin and Sao Paulo, and explains how the NFL approaches operating in new markets, from commercial activity to fanbase development, diplomacy to participation.

Meier also expands on the league's vision to ultimately play up to 16 games per season outside the US, and shares how the NFL is identifying cities and countries as potential future hosts.

Esteve Calzada, CEO of Saudi Pro League giant Al Hilal, assesses the evolution of football in the Kingdom, as he welcomes Leaders’ Content Director David Cushnan to the club’s corporate office in Riyadh. Al-Hilal SC is Saudi Arabia’s most successful football team, and has clubs in over 20 sports.

In a wide-ranging conversation, the former City Football Club executive offers his advice to sports industry leaders thinking of making a move to Saudi Arabia; what life is like working and living in fast-developing Riyadh; and the challenge of managing a team of 300 made up of a mix of international and local executive talent.

He also explains how football fandom plays out in Saudi Arabia; why he can’t go out to dinner with his counterpart at rival club Al-Nassr; the professionalisation process underway in the Saudi Pro League that saw the Public Investment Fund take majority ownership of Al-Hilal; and the private sector opportunities for sponsorship and commercial growth in the Kingdom.

IMG's VP and Co-Head of Multisport Content Sally Brown is in the Leaders studio, alongside David Cushnan, for the final part of the series that examines how to do business around the global sports industry.

With a focus on EMEA - a region of established sports markets and fast-growing emerging territories - Brown explains how IMG’s suite of production offerings are helping grow sports across the region, including Euroleague Basketball and the Esports World Cup.

Chris Guinness, EVP and Global Head of Commercial, and Roland Nikolaou, VP of Football in MENA bring two more IMG perspectives, to discuss media consolidation and its impact on rights and production across European markets; football fan culture in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East; and advice for sports organisations looking to be more active in the MENA region.

Episode 2: APAC

IMG's SVP of Strategy and Growth Josh Humbler joins James Emmett in the Leaders studio in the second of a three-part series looking at how to do business around the global sports industry.

After digging into the unique sports media market that is Australia, Brisbane native Humbler is joined by two Shanghai-based colleagues Ellein Cao, VP, Commercial, Greater China and Rufio Zhu, VP, Digital at what was until very recently the Mailman agency.

On the agenda: how to make an impact in China and unearth the real economic opportunity ; making sense of the platforms, the numbers, and the content culture in China; tennis, soccer and the sports that are breaking through.

Paulius Motiejunas, CEO of European basketball's premier club competition, Euroleague, is the guest on this week's podcast.

As the prospect of a new NBA-backed European start-up league edges closer - with suggestions recently that a competition might be ready to launch in 2027 - Motiejunas joins the podcast (interview starts at 19.58) to give his perspective on developments; from the dynamics of the multi-stakeholder discussions, to the ramifications for the sport in Europe should plans progress as the NBA indicate they will.

He also reflects on two and half years of change during his tenure at the top of Euroleague, with a commercial restructuring that has seen a new sponsorship model brought to bear; IMG's comprehensive strategic partnership renewed for a further ten years; and significant headway made in expansion to the Middle East with a new team in Dubai and a successful partnership with Abu Dhabi as the new host of the league's climactic Final Four event.

Elsewhere in the show, Henry Breckenridge reports from inside Formula 1's technical broadcast operation at Biggin Hill Airport.

Tottenham Hotspur and England footballer James Maddison joins the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast to unpack his approach to social media.

Fresh off the stage at the Summit at Leaders Week this year, Maddison was joined by fellow panelists Shaneil Patel, Head of Social Media at Spurs, and Rollo Goldstaub, TikTok's Global Head of Sports Partnerships.

The trio piece together the winning formula that has made Spurs the most successful Premier League team on TikTok - with 43 million followers - and Maddison himself one of the most resonant active athlete voices on the platform today.

Andrew Abdo, National Rugby League (NRL) CEO, joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation, as its global ambitions solidify. 

In London for the England-Australia Ashes Test series, he reflects on five years at the helm of Australia's biggest sports league by viewership, a stint which has seen major revenue growth and international expansion, in the Pacific and to Las Vegas.

He sets out the NRL's approach to international markets, reflects on the league's global vision - including its relationship with the Super League in the UK - and, as the NRL's next domestic broadcast rights cycle approaches, Australia's dynamic media market.

Abdo also shares his approach to longer-term challenges, including artificial intelligence, private equity investment and real estate development, and gives his advice to international organisations coming into Australia as the 2032 Olympics loom on the horizon.

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Join 200 influential sports leaders at Leaders Meet: Australia in Brisbane on 4th and 5th February 2026 - for more information head to https://leadersinsport.com/sport-business/leaders-events/leaders-meet-australia/

IMG Executive Vice President & Head of Americas, Rights, Hillary Mandel joins James Emmett in the Leaders studio in the first of a new three-part series looking at how to do business around the global sports industry.

After identifying the ramifications of media fragmentation, corporate consolidation and cord cutting in the North American media market, sports media legend Mandel, who has sold billions of dollars worth of rights across a 22-year career at IMG, is joined by colleagues Evandro Figuera, VP, LATAM, Rights, who's based in Sao Paolo, and Brian Pressman, VP of Brand Partnerships based in New York.

On the agenda: how to make an impact in Brazil, from the boardroom to the field play; IMG's record-breaking partnership with Conmebol; Major League Soccer, the NWSL and the gigantic opportunity that is the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Former AFC Bournemouth owner Jeff Mostyn and his daughter Janine, MD of search firm Huckleberry Sport, are the guests on this week's Leaders Worth Knowing.

The Mostyns are two of the best networked people in the UK sports industry, and ahead of the release of Jeff's new book, The Chairman: The Man who Saved AFC Bournemouth, they visited the Leaders studio to reflect on a (very expensive!) fairytale journey.

Having made a success of a financial advisory practice focused on the Armed Forces, Jeff began his association with AFC Bournemouth in 2006. At the time, the club was in the third tier of English football, saddled with debt and poorly run. Over the course of the next 16 years, Jeff took the club through administration, to the brink of extinction, via a trip to the very bottom of the English professional pyramid, before establishing the club as a force in the Premier League. Bill Foley's consortium, Black Knight Football Club, bought the club in 2022.

Janine has led sport and entertainment talent firm Huckleberry Sport since 2017, and works with the likes of Premier League football clubs, Formula 1 racing teams, media and broadcast production companies, business consulting services and agencies and world-renowned gaming and entertainment providers.

Audi joins the F1 grid in 2026 and the team’s Chief Commercial Officer Stefano Battiston joins the show to give an update on preparations.

Completing its phased, multi-year buyout of the Sauber team, the German manufacturer will join the grid as F1’s latest round of technical regulations come into play with the potential to shake up the competitive order.

Commercially, Battison was at the heart of a new title sponsorship agreement with finance app Revolut - he explains what happened behind the scenes to get the deal done.

He also reflects on the changing culture as the Swiss-based team grows, how Audi intends to make its mark as one of 11 teams in F1 next season and how he identifies new sponsorship categories and brands with marketing budgets.