This month Inside the Deal tackles one of the biggest deals in the industry for years: the Paramount Skydance deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.  

The deal brings together two giants of the global media industry.  

The podcast looks at the merger through a very specific lens: what it means for the sports media rights in Europe.  

This involves assessing the combined sports rights portfolio of the two companies, and where that positions the new merged entity in the battle to be a dominant provider of sport globally. It looks in detail at Paramount’s recent surprise move on the rights in the UK and Germany to Uefa’s club competitions. And it examines potential targets for Paramount-WBD in the coming years, with a particular focus on the next domestic rights auctions of England’s Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga. 

Frank Dunne, Editor-at-Large of SportBusiness, discusses these topics with Joseph Perry, Editor of SportBusiness Media, and Jonathan Rest, Chief Correspondent of SportBusiness.  

You can subscribe to Inside the Deal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. 

Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here. 

Host: Frank Dunne   

Contributors: Joseph Perry, Jonathan Rest  

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio  

Sources:

1 Battle for WBD reignites as Paramount talks resume | SportBusiness 

2 WBD in line for full Paramount takeover | SportBusiness 

3 WBD board, again, rejects ‘inferior’ Paramount bid | SportBusiness 

4 Paramount ‘confident’ in NFL, UFC relationships | SportBusiness 

5 WBD board rebuffs Paramount Skydance’s offer | SportBusiness 

6 Paramount sues WBD amid takeover battle | SportBusiness Media 

7 Big Five rise lays down marker for new Uefa era | SportBusiness Media 

8 Paramount makes 10-figure bet on UCL breakthrough | SportBusiness Media 

9 UFC on TNT? Paramount takeover creates flexibility | SportBusiness Media 

10 Skydance inks protracted Paramount takeover | SportBusiness Media 

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Welcome to The SportBusiness Podcast, getting you informed on the biggest stories in the global sports industry. 

This week, we pay tribute to a highly-respected and much-loved industry colleague, Matt Cutler, who passed away late last month after a brave battle with cancer.

Ben Cronin and Matthew Williams join to discuss the latest new deals and notable trends in Formula 1 sponsorship as the curtain rises on the 2026 season in Melbourne. 

Plus, Martin Ross and Jonathan Rest report from the FT Business of Football Summit, we look at DAZN’s FIBA slam dunk, Apple’s F1 plans and an end to the Enhanced Games sponsorship drought.

You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.

Host: Catherine Davies 

Contributors: Frank Dunne, Matthew Glendinning, Martin Ross, Jonathan Rest, Ben Cronin, Matthew Williams

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio

Sources: 

1. EXCLUSIVE: Etihad lines up McLaren F1 deal
2.  Barclays enters F1 with Williams, Anthropic signs on
3.  Cadillac strikes related party deal with TWG AI
4.  The Global Motorsport Report
5.  EPL makes long-studied Singapore D2C move
6.  DAZN nets exclusivity over Fiba’s Courtside 1891
7.  Apple drives chunky US rights fee uplift for F1
8.  Enhanced Games: Where’s the commercial injection?

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Welcome to The SportBusiness Podcast, getting you informed on the biggest stories in the global sports industry.

This week, Matthew Glendinning joins Catherine Davies to hone in on Chelsea’s third front-of-shirt sponsorship deal in as many years and why its leading shirt asset has been so hard to shift.

Then Martin Ross looks at LaLiga and Serie A international media rights sales as league executives descend on the FT Business of Football Summit in London.

We also shine a spotlight on the padel craze hitting Scotland, Olympic TV audiences in Canada and a Sunset+Vine production deal with a long tail. 

You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.

Host: Catherine Davies

Contributors: Matthew Glendinning, Martin Ross

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio

Sources: 

1. Chelsea signs IFS in latest short-term shirt deal 

2. EPL clubs face more betting sponsor curbs 

3. FPT sleeve deal kickstarts Chelsea’s on-kit sales 

4. LaLiga invites media rights bids across the Nordics 

5. Peak makes key APAC hire with Amazon’s Edelston 

6. Bundesliga return for Fox in Mexico, Central America 

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Welcome to The SportBusiness Podcast, getting you informed on the biggest stories in the global sports industry. 

This week, Martin Ross joins Catherine Davies to discuss Iris’ grab of in-flight and in-ship rights to the Olympics and what it means for a sector long dominated by IMG’s Sport 24 channels but now being disrupted by new tech.

Matthew Glendinning digs deep into a proposal put to English Premier League clubs to adopt a central sponsorship model for perimeter advertising sales – and whether they could rival the Uefa Champions League for revenues from the sector.

Plus, Olympic ice hockey audiences, and politicians going big on pay TV subscriptions in the halls of power.

You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.

Host: Catherine Davies 

Contributors: Martin Ross, Matthew Glendinning

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio 

Sources: 

1. Iris enters in-flight, in-ship space with Olympics deal

2. Formula 1 returns to IMG’s Sport 24 in three-year deal

3. IMG doubles down on Sport 24 business in long-term Panasonic deal

4. EPL clubs mull central sponsorship proposal

5. Uefa club competition revenue hits €4.4bn

6. Uefa women’s football close to €100m sponsorship mark

7. Voumard: TOP sponsor negotiations in good place

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Welcome to The SportBusiness Podcast, getting you informed on the biggest stories in the global sports industry. 

This week, Martin Ross and Jonathan Rest join Catherine Davies to break down the latest developments, departures and disclosures at Mediapro, the Spain-based global sports media rights and production agency.

Ben Cronin provides an analysis of the Chinese EV industry’s rising influence in the sports sponsorship sector, in the week that Manchester City became BYD’s latest sponsorship interest.

Also, a look at TOP sponsor branding and activations at the Milano-Cortina winter Olympics, and a broadside against ‘billion-strong’ audiences for sports events on TV.

You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.

Host: Catherine Davies 

Contributors: Martin Ross, Jonathan Rest, Ben Cronin

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio

Sources: 

1. NVP lays down local challenge to Mediapro

2.  Heidenreich exit continues Mediapro exodus

3. EXCLUSIVE: Seibert bows out in latest Mediapro exit

4. Chinese EV brands search for affinity, creating big opportunity for sport

5. BYD enters EPL with Man City training kit deal

6. BYD joins Commonwealth Games sponsor line-up

7. TCL sets out on premiumization trail at Milan Cortina 

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Welcome to The SportBusiness Podcast, getting you informed on the biggest stories in the global sports industry. 

This week, Martin Ross and Jonathan Rest join Catherine Davies to discuss Milan-Cortina 2026 - the TOP sponsor drop-off, media rights sales, OBS broadcast tech and the winter Olympics future in 2030 and beyond.

Ben Cronin and Joseph Perry send in their SpoBis insights from a snowy Hamburg, plus LIV Golf changes, the coldest-ever North American football match and how to streamline your ski suit.

You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube. 

You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.

Host: Catherine Davies 

Contributors: Martin Ross, Jonathan Rest, Ben Cronin, Joseph Perry

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio 

Sources: 

1. TCL sets out on premiumization trail at Milan Cortina

2. EBU-Warner Bros. Discovery alliance lands Olympic rights in Europe to 2032

3. Winter sports want IOC over programme tweaks

4. IOC weighs up January winter Olympics amid climate change

5. OBS ups AI usage for Milan-Cortina 2026

6. Hyrox not ready for media rights deals, says CMO 

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Welcome to The SportBusiness Podcast, getting you informed on the biggest stories in the global sports industry. 

This week, Matthew Glendinning joins Catherine Davies to talk about the emergence of the predictive market sector as a potential game changer in sports sponsorship.

Matthew Williams calls in from Mumbai to report on the latest trends in the Indian sponsorship market, while Jonathan Rest breaks down the latest developments at the Professional Fighters League as it adapts its format, calendar and ownership structure. Plus, a wearable tech spat at the Australian Open.

You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.

Host: Catherine Davies 

Contributors: Matthew Glendinning, Matthew Williams, Jonathan Rest

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio

Sources: 

1. Polymarket surge continues with MLS deal

2. NCAA calls out college sport prediction markets

3. Kit supply deadline looms for Indian national team

4. Knighthead, 885 up PFL stakes as founder Davis exits

5. Oberlander takes COO role at PFL

6. Tenfield strikes late to net AUF production rights

7. Whoop wearable tech spat hits Australian Open 

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Welcome to The SportBusiness Podcast, getting you informed on the biggest stories in the global sports industry. 

This week, Frank Dunne joins Catherine Davies to talk about the crisis engulfing Belgian football as the Pro League’s contract dispute with DAZN leaves all parties in a Catch-22 situation.

Martin Ross reveals possible tweaks to European rugby’s Champions Cup and analyses EPCR’s broadcast, event hosting and sponsorship business. Plus, the UCL league phase crescendo, OFC Pro League takes to the (damp) pitch and what sports fans watched on Netflix.

You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube. 

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube 

Enter SBPODCAST30 at the checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here. 

Host: Catherine Davies 

Contributors: Frank Dunne, Martin Ross, Jonathan Rest

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio 

Sources: 

1. Catch-22 situations leave Belgian football in a bind

2. DAZN ordered to continue Pro League contract

3. EPCR selling rights in-house as agency deals end

4. OFC appoints TGI Sport to commercial role

5. Netflix ready to go all-cash to seal WBD swoop

6. Matchroom takes darts to Saudi in new hosting deal 

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Why is Visit Rwanda spending over $20m per year sponsoring two LA-based sports franchises?

How do the recent deals with the NBA's Clippers and the NFL’s Rams fit into the country’s wider sports sponsorship strategy?

Why did the Premier League’s Arsenal choose not to renew its deal with Visit Rwanda?

Why are three central African countries – Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo – targeting sport to promote themselves?

Matthew Glendinning, European Sponsorship Editor at SportBusiness, discusses these topics – including a full breakdown of the financials of the deals – with Frank Dunne, SportBusiness’s Editor-at-Large.

You can subscribe to Inside the Deal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. 

Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here. 

Host: Frank Dunne

Contributors: Matthew Glendinning

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio

Sources:

1 Visit Rwanda commits major spend on LA-based properties | SportBusiness Sponsorship  

2 Visit Rwanda enters US with Clippers, Rams | SportBusiness Sponsorship 

3 Arsenal opts against renewal with Visit Rwanda | SportBusiness Sponsorship 

4 DRC follows Rwanda visibility path with AC Milan and Monaco | SportBusiness Sponsorship 

5 Barcelona deal extends DR Congo’s football drive | SportBusiness Sponsorship 

6 Congo enters French football with Lyon deal | SportBusiness Sponsorship 

7 Tourism sector provides growth for sport in post-Covid boom | SportBusiness Sponsorship

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Welcome to The SportBusiness Podcast, getting you informed on the biggest stories in the global sports industry.

Maria Kholodova and Martin Ross join Catherine Davies to serve up an Australian Open commercial overview and the innovations driving wider media value for the first grand slam of the year.

Jonathan Rest and Catherine then delve into the first-ever media and sponsorship rights auction held by the AUF, Uruguay’s football association, which netted a three-fold increase in revenues, but may deal a lethal blow to the country’s cable industry - an exercise with lessons for the wider sports industry.

Also, a look at Fifa World Cup betting rights, what next for Australia’s Big Bash and shopping for streaming subscriptions in the Lidl middle aisle.

You can subscribe to The SportBusiness Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube.

Enter SBPODCAST30 at checkout for monthly and annual SportBusiness.com subscriptions for a 30-per-cent discount here.

Host: Catherine Davies

Contributors: Maria Kholodova, Martin Ross, Jonathan Rest

Editor: Lumi Lehmuskallio

Sources: 

1. ANZ adds naming rights in Australian Open renewal

2. Broad appeal, premium feel key to tennis sponsorship growth

3. Cartoon feeds, expanded coverage drive AO’s engagement push

4. EXCLUSIVE: Sony to renew Australian Open in India

5. Wowow nets Australian Open renewal in Japan

6. AUF triples media revenue in tumultuous tender

7. Stats Perform in landmark Fifa betting rights deal

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