Highlight Reel: Is the NBA coming to Europe? 🏀
Plus, Juventus take an alternative approach to broadcasting and Mr 305 becomes a stadium sponsor...
Welcome to Sports Pundit, the sports business newsletter delivering insights from across the industry.
In today’s email;
NBA plotting a European expansion 🏀
Juventus trial new approach to broadcasting ⚽️
Pitbull agrees a stadium naming rights deal 🏟️
Happy Friday!
Andy 😊 🙏
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EUROPEAN EXPANSION
Is the NBA coming to Europe? 🏀
The NBA is intensifying its discussions with FIBA, basketball's global governing body, to explore ways of expanding its competitive presence in Europe.
According to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, these talks could lead to the creation of an annual tournament or even a full-fledged NBA-operated league on the continent.
While conversations about basketball's future in Europe have been ongoing for decades, Silver emphasised that the current discussions are more focused and serious, particularly now that the league’s new media rights deals starting in the 2025-26 season are locked in.
This development has caught the attention of industry experts, including Corey Leff, founder of JohnWallStreet, who delved into the implications and potential of such an expansion.
What he said:
“Technically, the NBA started this effort years ago with NBA China. Of course, geopolitics have slowed growth in Asia.
And three years ago, the league stood up the Basketball Africa League in partnership with FIBA. But Africa is a slow growth market.
Europe and the Middle East have the potential to fulfill comparable economic promise over a shorter time period.
The NBA has the resources, business acumen, influence, and platforms (see: new deal with Amazon, which now gives it a global content distribution platform) to properly monetize strategic markets in Europe. That includes the lucrative mixed-use real estate opportunities that come with improving the venue situation.
“OVG, AEG, and ASM are all really active in Europe,” one source reminded.
The NBA also has the ability to bundle a new property’s content and IP with its existing assets, which should help to maximize values (see: WNBA rights).
And it’s not as if the NBA owners are going to be funding this new entity and its losses on their own. They have existing relationships with several private equity and sovereign wealth funds.
The NBA does believe a new standalone league will eventually become profitable.
‘The younger generation of Europeans relate to basketball, and particularly the urban culture that comes with it,” one source said. “And that demographic is beginning to generate and spend income.’”
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HIGHLIGHTS
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has controversially announced that it has sold the naming rights to Twickenham for the first time in the stadium’s history, with the venue to be renamed the Allianz Stadium from next month 🏟️
Grammy-winning rapper Pitbull has purchased the naming rights for the FIU Stadium, and renamed the venue as the Pitbull Stadium - paying $1.2million annually for the next five years for the privilege 🏈
The longtime NASCAR track, Bristol Motor Speedway, is gearing up to host a game between Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds next season ⚾️
British basketball team London Lions’ sale to Lithuanian tech hub Tesonet has been shot down by administrators as the club enters administration 🏀
With an extensive talent roster of athlete clients such as Kai Havertz, Serge Gnabry, William Saliba, and Alphonso Davies, sports marketing agency B-Engaged has announced a $1m investment to fuel its global launch into North America, DACH, and MENA 🛫
The Arizona Cardinals - recently named as the most affordable NFL franchise in terms of fan-fare and concessions - will debut 50+ new food offerings this year, including Cotton Candy Burritos 🌯
P.S. Check out this article I previously wrote on how MLB uses food within its fan engagement strategy
A NEW ANGLE
Juventus’ Latest Stream Offers Something for Everyone… 📹
Following the launch of the Juventus Creator Lab, the Italian club continues to push the boundaries of innovation.
For the recent friendly match between their senior and Next Gen teams, they involved content creators to reach a broader audience beyond traditional media channels of DAZN and Sky Sports.
This meant streaming live on their YouTube channel (outside of Italy) and uniquely broadcasting onto the social media platforms of Creator Lab influencers like Celine Dept, Tia Tia, Adonias Fonseca, and Luca Campolunghi.
This allowed fans worldwide to experience the game from various perspectives, with influencers positioned by the bench, behind the goalposts, and in the press box.
Mike Armstrong, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, highlighted the success of this strategy, noting it led to "easily over 5X viewership and engaged new international audiences."
Armstrong has been driving this approach ever since joining the club in 2021, as he shared in a June interview with Off The Pitch’s Kasper Kronenberg:
What he said:
"I think we realised that if we didn't start seeing ourselves as genuine creators, then perhaps we were falling behind in meeting the demands of our global audience and fanbase," Armstrong concludes.
To understand what type of content creator you should be, you first need clarity about your fanbase. With 90 percent of Juventus fans residing outside Italy, and 40 percent of them under 24 years old, Armstrong felt that Juventus had to adjust their perception significantly.
"First of all, we had to acknowledge that as a sport media brand, we could benefit by partnering with influencers from various social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Initially, there were some internal discussions because when you form such partnerships with influencers, the legal team starts asking questions about intellectual property," he laughs.
"But even though things can get a bit complicated, you can still forge global partnerships for the commercial benefit of both parties, and importantly, provide fans with high-quality content. So, we had to change our attitude and accept that we couldn't do everything ourselves. Today, everyone accepts that partnerships with influencers worldwide are a crucial part of the success we've enjoyed in recent years," says Armstrong.
FURTHER READING
Women’s Soccer Wants to Be More Like the NFL By Bloomberg Originals ⚽️
X-Rated: Once a hub for sports fandom, the platform formerly known as Twitter reminds us why it's now a no-go zone for serious brands… By Amar Singh, The Sports Marketeer ❌
SV2 Sponsors Cheshunt FC By Ekow Owusu-Boakye, Sportsvrse 👕
NBA renewals and the perils of bluffing a weak hand By Mike Darcey, Tellynomics 📺
Paris Olympics: Why is everyone complaining about the TV viewing experience and what exactly has changed from previous Games? By Jonny Madill, The BackPage Weekly 🗞️
Strategy Breakdown: Built To Sell vs Built If Sold By Alex Kopilow, Sponcon Sports ⚾️
THE PODCAST
Want to hear more from my conversation with Mike?
We discuss Ronaldo’s exit, addressing the economic headwinds facing European football, lessons from working in Consumer Packaged Goods, embracing generative AI tools, creating for Netflix vs TikTok, getting more women in football, and much much more.
Listen to the full podcast via the link below - and I’d love to hear what you think!👇
JOB BOARD
Head of Media and Creative - Saracens (London, UK)
Business Analyst - England Rugby (London, UK)
Internal Communications Content and Campaigns Manager - Red Bull Racing (Milton Keynes, UK)
Director, Partner Solutions & Insights - Major League Soccer (New York, US)
Ops & Marketing Lead - Monarch Collective (LA/ Miami/ New York, US)
To see these jobs, and more jobs like these, visit the Sports Pundit Job Board, hosted by Peak 72.
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SPEAKERS ONLY
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