Highlight Reel: Amazon is working on a standalone app for sports content 📱
This week's top stories feature Manchester United, ESPN, YouTube, Professional Triathletes Organisation, the NFL, NOBULL and a special A-Z Guide to 2022.
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Happy Friday!
Before signing off for 2022, the sports industry has made its final moves of the year. Here are five of the top talking points to mull over👇
Man United takeover could be coming very soon…
Amazon is working on a standalone app for sports content
ESPN hails 2022 as cross-platform success
Professional Triathletes Organisation raises $30m in Series B
NFL invests in growing apparel company NOBULL
Bonus: Sports Pundit: An A-Z Guide to 2022
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and looking forward to what 2023 will bring!
Andy
Man United takeover could be coming very soon… ⚽️
New year, new owner?
That could be the case for Manchester United with a takeover of the Premier League team “coming very soon,” according to The Athletic.
It was previously reported that the Raine Group, who oversaw the sale of Chelsea to Todd Boehly, intends to complete a sale in the first financial quarter of 2023.
Manchester United was last valued at $4.6 billion by Forbes but the Glazers are reportedly looking for a price above $7.2 billion.
Amazon is working on a standalone app for sports content 📱
Amazon has discussed doing a stand-alone app for watching sports content, according to a new report from The Information. The move comes after CEO Andy Jassy recently called live sports “a unique asset” that Amazon will continue to invest in.
Whether the company proceed with the effort, the discussions suggest Amazon is thinking about alternative ways to squeeze revenue out of the billions of dollars it has spent on live sports, which are currently included in the standard Prime membership.
ESPN hails 2022 as cross-platform success ✅
ESPN has revealed audience data for 2022 which highlights how it has successfully reached sports fans in record numbers and expanded its reach through a multi-platform ecosystem across linear, streaming, digital and social outlets.
It’s figures on YouTube are especially eye-catching.
ESPN's 15 official channels (7 of which launched this year) on the Google-owned platform set a number of records, including over 20 billion views. That growth is helping ESPN and its property partners reach an audience far younger than programming on linear TV.
Professional Triathletes Organisation raises $30m in Series B 🚴♂️
Congratulations are in order for The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) which has completed a $30 million Series B funding round led by Divergent Investments, a Luxemburg-based private equity fund.
Majority investors in the round included the Welsh billionaire Sir Michael Moritz and Warner Bros. Discovery, which in July, signed an exclusive multiyear partnership with the PTO to broadcast live and on-demand coverage of the PTO tour.
NFL invests in growing apparel company NOBULL 👟
Earlier this month NFL owners voted to invest in apparel and footwear brand NOBULL, according to The Athletic. As part of this transaction each owner has agreed to put another $5 million, or $160 million, into 32 Equity, the league’s venture capital fund which will make the investment in the apparel brand.
The brand, which was founded in 2015 by Reebok alum, built its reputation and following among the CrossFit community before more recently sponsoring the NFL Combine.
Sports Pundit: An A-Z Guide to 2022 📖
Every year Leaders In Sport’s David Cushnan shares an excellent A-Z guide on upcoming areas to watch out for in the sports industry. I decided to borrow the format and apply it to content from this year’s newsletter, from Artificial Intelligence, to Ghost Kitchens, and Private Equity.
If you’ve enjoyed this years content and you’re active on Twitter, sharing, liking, or RTing the tweet is all greatly appreciated.
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