Finance & Money
Features
HBSE flexing its financial muscle thanks to appointment of head of investments
Owners of NBA Philadelphia 76ers and NHL New Jersey Devils have taken a significant step to develop their wider business interests with appointment of David Abrams to senior executive role
Exclusive | Jorge Mendes: Why agents are ‘an essential part of football’s market dynamics’
SportBusiness speaks to Jorge Mendes about his role as a football agent and how it has developed.
Malaysian FA pushes club privatisation but weak revenues mean state support is here to stay
Malaysia’s football clubs are to be formally privatised this year, but the journey from state support to self-sufficiency looks fraught, with questions over the future of broadcasting and sponsorship revenues. John Duerden takes a closer look.
Mud, sweat and tears | Where did it go wrong for Tough Mudder?
At its zenith, Tough Mudder posted a $10m profit, but the company now finds itself subject to bankruptcy proceedings in the US. Ben Cronin asks how it got to this point and whether a likely sale to rival Spartan can save it.
Will 2020 mark a return to health for China’s sporting stocks?
A two-year IPO freeze has hit Chinese sport companies, with numbers down and Wanda Sports’ listing a high-profile disappointment. How did ‘IPO fever’ fade, and will things change in 2020? Chen Yaolin reports.
Serie A 2018-19 revenues hit €2.7bn after media-rights increases
Italian football’s Serie A registered a 13.5-per-cent increase in revenues during the 2018-19 season, in part thanks to improved media-rights revenues.
Football Federation Australia ‘stands down’ 70 per cent of workforce
Football Federation Australia has announced that it has taken the “regrettable decision” to stand down 70 per cent of its workforce in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Germany’s ‘big four’ to make solidarity payment to other clubs
German Bundesliga football clubs Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen have pledged to provide €20m ($22m) to support clubs in the top tier and the second-tier 2.
Sports organisations act as coronavirus financial impact bites
Sports organisations around the world are making pay cuts and offering staff temporary contracts, among other money-saving measures, as the coronavirus shutdown squeezes cashflow
Wizards deploy multi-pronged strategy to develop Japanese fandom
In just a short amount of time, the Wizards have put themselves in prime position to become the NBA's most-popular team in Japan following the arrival of Rui Hachimura. Bob Williams discovers how they have done it.
NBL uses LaMelo Ball’s pulling power to gain new international relevance
Oceania's National Basketball League is enjoying unprecedented growth this year following the creation of the Next Stars program and subsequent arrival of National Basketball Association Draft Lottery prospects LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton. Bob Williams looks at the impact on the league and its future.
Canadian Premier League off to solid start after filling void for players and fans
Seven-team competition is first professional soccer league in Canada since 1992
Clubs have averaged 4,300 fans a game but OneSoccer digital ratings not made public
Super League enters new era – and new continent – with Toronto Wolfpack promotion
With the world's first transatlantic sports team, the Toronto Wolfpack, set to play in the English Super League from the start of the new season, Bob Williams looks into how the unique arrangement is benefiting both the club and the sport of rugby league.
The NBA’s burnt bridges in China won’t be mended easily
Despite NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s best efforts, the wound from Daryl Morey’s pro-Hong Kong protest tweets will have lasting repercussions on the future of basketball in China, not least among fans and sponsors. Industry insiders in China tell SportBusiness about Chinese sentiment on the ground.
Deal or no deal: what motivates an investor to buy a failing football club?
The allure of promotion and Premier League success has led many an English football team into financial ruin, but liquidations remain rare. With so many rescued from oblivion over the past decade, Callum McCarthy examines why so many see opportunity in struggling football clubs.
Endeavor’s IPO postponement completes summer of gloom for industry
The suspension of Endeavor's initial public offering for the second time in two months raises important questions for sports media and marketing. Frank Dunne examines these questions.
Port Adelaide and AFL helping to drive closer cultural and economic ties between Australia and China
The Australian Football League's push into China has had symbiotic benefits for all parties that goes beyond sports. SportBusiness takes a closer look at the deals that have ensued so far, and how they've worked out.
IAAF tries to draw a line under Diack legacy
The IAAF has renegotiated a controversial contract with Dentsu agreed by its former president Lamine Diack. SportBusiness has seen a copy of the agreement and a letter from the IAAF's lawyer in which he describes some of the 'unusual provisions'. Ben Cronin reports.
USA Rugby pins hopes on hosting Rugby World Cup after dodging bankruptcy in 2018
After almost going bankrupt in 2018 following the collapse of for-profit subsidiary Rugby International Marketing (RIM), USA Rugby is pinning its hopes on being awarded the 2027 or 2031 Rugby World Cup. Bob Williams examines how the sport is growing in the States.
Major League Rugby takes slow and steady approach in attempt to crack US market
Bob Williams looks at the development of Major League Rugby in the US, and how the league is looking to avoid the mistakes made by previous organisations' attempts to successfully break the sport in the US market.
PGA Tour Superstore revolutionizes sports retail sector as Home Depot of golf
Following the decline of a number of US sporting goods chains, Bob Williams talks to Dick Sullivan, president and chief executive of the PGA Tour Superstore, which has expanded from 10 stores in 2010 to 41 locations in 16 states, about what is behind the success of the chain.
Falcons and Rays go cashless to take fan experience ‘to an even higher level’
Cashless deployments in Atlanta, Tampa point the way toward likely broader adoption across the sport industry.
Ligue 1 stages US games to attract new investors and bridge gap to Serie A and the Bundesliga
As France's Ligue 1 is staging a four-team tournament in Washington DC this week, Bob Williams looks at how it aims to expand its reach into the US and improve overseas media-rights income.
Keith Harris, Seymour Harris – Buying a soccer club? Here’s what to look for
Highlights of the finance panel at the Sports Decision Makers Summit London. How are investors shaping sport?
How football clubs can cash in on the game’s changing investment landscape
Capital investors’ interest in football clubs is growing; their increasing profitability has attracted more new types of investor. But what does this mean for clubs and how can they best approach the opportunities and challenges? Jonathan Dyson investigates.
“People have to perceive the value of the Olympics beyond just the Games” | Matt Carroll, Australian Olympic Committee
Matt Carroll, chief executive of the Australian Olympic Committee, tells Adam Nelson how a focus on athlete engagement, grassroots participation and community schemes has helped to boost the AOC’s commercial programme throughout the Olympic cycle.
NWSL looking to translate Women’s World Cup aura into long-term gains
The National Women's Soccer League will make a concerted effort to ride the wave of this summer's Women's World Cup, with interest in the league and its players expected to spike during and after the tournament. Bob Williams looks at how the league aims to maintain this momentum.
Investment in women’s sport is growing, but has it reached the point of financial independence?
Few would argue against the fact that there is growing momentum behind women’s sports, both in media and commercial terms, but when will we be able to reach a stage where they are financially self-sustainable?