Podcast
Unofficial Partner Podcast
Hosted by Unofficial Partner · EN
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.
48episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
UP534 Barney Francis on Media Rights and Wrongs
Feb 1700:55:16Tap to summarizeBarney Francis offers an insider's view of the sports media economy, drawing on his huge experience as MD of Sky Sports in the UK and EVP, Studios at IMG, the company's production business. The conversation spans new sports formats, piracy, streaming disruption, rights economics, the creation of The Hundred, the Premier League's move to in-house production, and the structural challenges facing rugby in the UK. New Formats: Additive vs DisruptiveResilience of Incumbent Rights HoldersPiracy: From Nudge and Wink to Cultural NormThe Netflix Value EquationRights Fragmentation vs. ConsolidationThe "Home of" StrategySky's Consumer-First PhilosophyRugby's Structural FailuresThe Creation of The HundredPremier League Production In-HouseRemote Production and EfficiencyUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.
Transcribe →UP533 The Bundle: Super Bowl, cultural relevance v culture war; ITV's in-game ads; FIFA and TikTok
Feb 1001:01:42Tap to summarizeRichard is joined by regular Bundle co-hosts Yannick Ramcke and Murray Barnett. Yannick is General Manager of OTT at the streaming service OneFootball and Murray is founder of 26West Sport and formerly of F1, World Rugby and ESPN.Subscribe to The Bundle Bulletin, via Unofficial Partner's Substack Newsletter. Today's topics:Advertising Renaissance: ITV’s Six Nations in-game advertising (worth 20% of total inventory value) signals broader inflation, with technology approaching real-time contextual capabilities.Consolidation Through Equity Stakes: NFL-ESPN deal represents new partnership model where rights holders take equity positions in distributors, aligning incentives and reducing adversarial negotiation dynamics. Zero-risk structure for NFL (buyback options, increased stake rights) while positioning ESPN favorably for 2030 rights renewal.Platform Monetization: FIFA/TikTok partnership marks inflection where social platforms transition from “free lunch” to paying eight-figure sums for content eligibility. Doesn’t guarantee content appears (still requires broadcaster agreements) but shifts value capture from platforms back toward rights holders.Direct-to-Consumer Reality Check: Ligue 1+ executing “everything right” strategically (pricing, distribution partnerships, World Cup acquisition) yet still faces fundamental math problem - needs 3-4x current subscriber base to compete with licensing revenues from traditional model. World Cup deal “buys time but doesn’t solve core revenue problem.”Regulatory/Political ContextThe value of the cultural moment. Super Bowl to Winter Olympics foreshadow the LA 2028 Olympics political dynamic, with concern about navigating hostile Trump administration's view of Olympics as a woke party, versus FIFA’s successful Trump relationship management during 2026 World Cup preparations.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.
Transcribe →UP532 Inside Edge: County Cricket Beyond The Hundred
Feb 600:59:09Tap to summarizePete Fitzboydon, former CEO of Sussex County Cricket Club, reveals the stark financial realities facing non-Test hosting counties. With only 7 out of 50-60 annual playing days generating profit, counties survive primarily on ECB funding - approximately £3m of a £5-10m turnover. The conversation explores The Hundred's transformative impact, selling the longer game, and the future shape of English domestic cricket in a franchised world.This episode of the Unofficial Partner podcast is brought to you by Sid Lee Sport.Sid Lee Sport is the fame-making creative and sponsorship agency for brands in sport. Through exceptional creativity, deep sponsorship expertise, and flawless on-site delivery, they help brands, sponsors, and rightsholders unlock their full potential in sport - most recently picking up a Leaders Sports Award for their work with Lidl at UEFA EURO 2024.Everything they do is driven by a culture of effectiveness - because in sport, performance matters. Not just on the pitch, but in the work too.So whether you want to build buzz, connect with audiences, or do something that actually cuts through, Sid Lee Sport knows how.Visit sidleesport.com Sid Lee Sport - where brands become champions.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.
Transcribe →UP531 Winter Olympic Special: Lottery funding, Medals, Rule 40 and Private Schools
Feb 300:56:04Tap to summarizeSally Munday is CEO of UK Sport, one of the most influential positions in the sports industry. On Friday the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games begins in Milan-Cortina. How many medal will Team GB win? How much will each medal cost? And why does that matter?UK Sport distributors around £100 million annually in public funds from the National Lottery and the Exchequer, supporting high-performance Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes. For the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic cycle, they have announced a record £330 million investment, with around £11 million distributed directly to athletes annually through Athlete Personal Awards (APAs). Key details regarding UK Sport funding:Total Investment: Around £100 million per year, focused on "top end" elite sport rather than community, with over 860 medals won since 1997.LA 2028 Funding: A record £330 million is designated for the Los Angeles 2028 cycle, supporting over 50 sports, including new additions like Flag Football and Lacrosse.Event Hosting: Over £40 million of National Lottery funding was invested in a £150 million programme to host major international sporting events from 2013-2023.Recent Funding Shifts: While funding remains high, some sports have faced cuts, such as UK Athletics facing a potential 10% reduction in funding.Key Beneficiaries (Recent Cycles): Sports like Rowing (£24.85m) and Sailing (£23.9m) have received significant World Class Programme funding for the 2028 cycle. The money is used to support elite athletes with training, coaching, and living expenses, primarily aimed at achieving success on the world stage. This episode of the Unofficial Partner podcast is brought to you by Sid Lee Sport.Sid Lee Sport is the fame-making creative and sponsorship agency for brands in sport.Through exceptional creativity, deep sponsorship expertise, and flawless on-site delivery, they help brands, sponsors, and rightsholders unlock their full potential in sport - most recently picking up a Leaders Sports Award for their work with Lidl at UEFA EURO 2024.Everything they do is driven by a culture of effectiveness - because in sport, performance matters. Not just on the pitch, but in the work too.So whether you want to build buzz, connect with audiences, or do something that actually cuts through, Sid Lee Sport knows how.Visit sidleesport.com Sid Lee Sport - wheUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.
Transcribe →UP530 Spurs For Sale: Shirts, Gambling Bans and the Post-Levy Era
Jan 2700:53:30Tap to summarizeRyan Norys is the Chief Revenue Officer at Tottenham Hotspur. This is a candid conversation about the commercial fortunes of the club as it brings the front of shirt sponsorship to market at a time of genuine uncertainty.Spurs finished 17th last season. Commercial revenue grew 40% in three years. That tension runs through the entire discussion.Norys' journey to Spurs was via City Football Group, WME, the LA Dodgers and Miami Dolphins. Now he's navigating the post-Levy era, the post-Son era, and a Premier League shirt market about to be reshaped by the gambling ban.Why do the naming rights to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium remain unsold, six years after coming to market? What do the London NFL games actually look like from the US side? How commercial revenue climbed while league position collapsedThe governance shift under Vinai Venkatesham and what it signals to partnersWhy Tottenham stopped actively selling stadium naming rightsThe honest assessment of life after Son Heung-minLocal versus global fandom and what football clubs actually know about their audiencesThe view from Miami when the NFL comes to LondonBuilding value around what you can control when you can't control team performance Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.
Transcribe →UP529 ChatUP Live Pt2 - The Billion Dollar AI Race: 'Once you give away that level of knowledge, it's gone'
Jan 2301:05:20Tap to summarizeTHE BILLION DOLLAR RACE: WHO WINS SPORTS AI?There's a race on. Bloomberg Terminal for sport. Sports Business GPT. The industry's operating system. Who builds it first?THE LAST FRONTIER"Once you give away that level of knowledge, it's gone. This is the last frontier before all your intelligence is gone." — Craig HepburnLive from Fuse UK, featuring Craig Hepburn (ex-UEFA), Richard Ayers (Rematch), Sean Betts (Omnicom), Andy Shora & Chris Woodcock (TFG Labs and 21st Group).BIG QUESTIONSWill sports bodies repeat the platform mistakes? Is your archival footage the new gold? What happens when AI commoditizes entertainment?KEY INSIGHT: Data isn't spreadsheets anymore—it's everything. Your match footage trains robotics. Your highlights feed Google's models. Are you selling or building moats?"Don't give it away. Build your own API layer. Make them pay for your oxygen." — Craig HepburnThe optimistic take: live experiences become priceless when AI makes content free.Who adapts fastest wins.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.
Transcribe →UP528 Chat_UP Live - The Race to Build SportsbizGPT Pt1
Jan 2000:47:24Tap to summarizeWhat if we could fix the conference panel? You know the format—interesting people, good intentions, and about ninety percent of it forgotten by the time you reach the bar.Chat_UP Live was held at FUSE headquarters in London. Rather than just another AI panel, we ran an experiment. Working with the team at TFG Labs, we built a custom AI co-pilot that captured the onstage conversation in real time, took in audience questions, and offered evidence-based responses that pushed the discussion in genuinely non-obvious directions. Think of it as a second brain for live events.Did it work? Partly. Was it interesting? Very. This is test and learn in public—and we're sharing the results.In this episode, you'll hear how we approached football club valuations with the system running behind us. If you want to interrogate the model yourself, there's a link in the Unofficial Partner Substack newsletter—but it won't be live forever.Part two drops Friday, where we go deeper into the race to build the operating system for sports business.A huge thank you to our friends and partners in this experiment, in particular the following people:At FUSE: Helen Burford, Louise Johnson, Monica Conway, Zainab Zaman and Annabel Wilson, Lucy Basden Smith and Sean Betts.At Twenty First Group: Blake Wooster, Andy Shora, Omar Choudhuri, Dan Zelezinski, Chris Woodcock and Conall Milligan.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.
Transcribe →UP510 Cause and Effect: The Sponsorship Effectiveness Revolution
Oct 1400:58:28Tap to summarizeWe went to the London offices of Sid Lee Sport to host Cause and Effect: Why sponsorship needs an effectiveness revolution. A live recording featuring industry professionals from across the sport sponsorship marketplace, who came together in front of an invited VIP audience to ask some big questions as sport's role as a marketing platform for brands.Taking part were:Hosting the event was Charlotte Thomson, founder of The One10 Collective and formerly head of women's football at Copa90.Joining Charlotte on stage were Charlie Dundas (GSIQ), Rebecca Martin (Barclays/ESA), and Rory Natkiel (Sid Lee Sport) as founding board members of the Sponsorship Effectiveness Forum, a not-for-profit, cross-industry platform dedicated to raising the standard of sponsorship effectiveness. "By building benchmarks, sharing case studies, and challenging old assumptions, our mission is to help sponsorship achieve its true potential and claim its rightful place at the heart of brand building. This is just the start. Over the months ahead we’ll be publishing research, hosting events, and creating the tools the industry needs to move beyond exposure metrics and prove the real impact of sponsorship."Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.
Transcribe →UP509 Gareth Balch on the State of the Sports Economy in 2025
Oct 1000:38:17Tap to summarizeToday's conversation was recorded at the Two Circles European Summit which took place a few weeks ago at the Institute of Engineering and Technology overlooking the Thames, next to the Savoy. Gareth Balch, founder and CEO of Two Circles is our guest, and as ever with Gareth, nothing was off limits, and its useful to periodically check in on what he's seeing right across the European and North American sports markets, where they encourage their clients to think about their relationship with the key trends, sharing nuggets of useful information that lurk just below the day to day headlines.We explore the state of sports business, what fan engagement means in 2025 and the evolving relationship between sports IP, audiences, and revenue.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.
Transcribe →UP508 What's Sport Selling? Hollingsworth on the state of the nation's health, flags, needles, government and the free market
Oct 700:52:53Tap to summarizeThis is the fourth and final episode of our series What's Sport Selling? Created in collaboration with the Redtorch research and creative agency. Today's guest is Tim Hollingsworth, who led Sport England for eight years, managing the £300m annual budget derived from government and national lottery funding. His tenure spanned COVID, energy crisis, and fundamental strategy reset via "Uniting the Movement." Over the past three episodes, we've explored how sport can drive meaningful social impact, tackle the global physical inactivity crisis, and unlock powerful business opportunities for the industry.This conversation brings all of those themes together. If you'd like to learn more about Redtorch, the independent research and creative agency dedicated to making sport more relevant, visit Redtorch.Sport. We thank them for their support. Much appreciated and what has been a really interesting and broad series.Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.
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