Highlight Reel: Poolhouse Raises $34M to Reinvent Pool for the Tech-Social Era 🎱🍸
Plus, trade war takes a cinematic turn and Tennis Australia launch AI-driven gaming app... 🎾
Good morning!
We’ve hit a big milestone this week - 50 episodes of the podcast! If you’ve enjoyed the ride so far, we’d love your support on this LinkedIn post.
Next week, we’re reuniting with our 2024 Speakers Only cohort at Moonshot in partnership with MLB. The following week, we’ll be on the ground at SportsPro Live and hosting a social event on the Wednesday night. RSVP here if you’re coming.
Now, on to this week’s stories:
Poolhouse raises $34M to reinvent pool for the tech-social era 🎱
Trade war takes a cinematic turn. Could sport be next? 🎬
Tennis Australia launches AI-driven gaming app 🎾
Let’s get into it:
MONEY ON THE TABLE
Poolhouse Raises $34M to Reinvent Pool for the Tech-Social Era 🎱🍸
The Topgolf and Puttshack founders are back with a new “competitive socialisation” concept: Poolhouse, a high-tech, hospitality-driven spin on the classic game of pool.
Backed by $34M in seed funding, Brothers Dave and Steve Jolliffe are aiming to build the next global entertainment franchise. Investors include Sharp Alpha, dmg ventures (Daily Mail), David Blitzer (76ers, Devils), and Simon Sports. Former Puttshack investor and F1 Arcade board member Andrew O'Brien is CEO.
Poolhouse’s first site opens in London next year, featuring 20 augmented pool tables, upscale F&B, and a central Liverpool Street location.
They plan to expand into major US cities by 2027, franchise internationally (starting with Australia), and license the proprietary tech to third parties from pool halls to apartment blocks.
Following the Topgolf blueprint, the Jolliffes are betting on venue design, exclusive patents, and repeat-friendly gameplay to win in a booming $100B+ global “eatertainment” sector.
Why It Matters:
Topgolf changed the way people think about driving ranges. Puttshack made mini golf cool again. Now, Poolhouse is doing the same for pool, turning a traditional game into a tech-enabled, social-first experience.
What’s exciting isn’t just the gameplay, but the model. Like Topgolf, Poolhouse is built on a strong, patented tech platform, allowing them to license the software anywhere there’s a table. This is much more than a venue play.
As venue owners compete to keep people engaged and extend time-in-venue, and patrons look for fun, repeatable nights out, Poolhouse sits right at the intersection. Pool is low-barrier, social, and competitive, making it a perfect fit for this next wave of experience-led entertainment.
OPINION: BEYOND TENNIS
🗣️ Eeshan Konde Deshmukkh: Tennis Australia Launch AI-Driven Gaming App 🎾
“Tennis Australia has introduced Beyond Tennis powered by Infosys, a gaming application designed for tennis fans as well as Gen Z gaming enthusiasts. Within the gaming application users will be able to step into the shoes of a player’s coach or agent in turn guiding the careers of AI-powered tennis players.
This gaming application will witness the world’s first AI-driven tennis league designed as an enriching digital experience for the next generation of fans.
Termed as “The Slam That Never Stops,” the league will witness 16 AI-driven players spread across eight teams, and users will be able to connect with these virtual players, train them, and have them compete in AI-generated tournaments.
Alongside being a Digital Innovation partner for Tennis Australia, Infosys will also own a team within the AI-driven league, the Infosys Aces.”
HIGHLIGHTS
Media
The Boat Race was the most watched sporting event in the UK last weekend even outperforming Rory McIlroy’s heroics at The Masters. The Women’s Boat Race was also the most-watched women’s sporting event in the UK this year, with viewership up 14% from 2024. 🚣
Deloitte and Disney’s StudioLAB have teamed up to develop transformative technologies that will reshape storytelling across the production lifecycle 📺
NASCAR has partnered with Recast to offer international fans pay-per-view access to races, no subscription needed, embracing a shift toward more flexible viewing models.
Marketing
Lowe’s is making its EA SPORTS debut with in-game branding across titles like EA SPORTS FC, Madden NFL, and College Football.
Formula One has signed a multi-year partnership with Barilla, bringing pasta bars, digital activations, and trackside branding to the global racing circuit.
Athletic Club swapped its sponsor for one match to promote The Last of Us Season 2, featuring the series on the front of shirt and Max branding on sleeves.
Finance
Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric has become a minority investor and co-owner of Swansea City, joining a group of US-based backers in the Championship club.
The Pro Padel League has raised $10 million in seed funding from Left Lane Capital to grow its front office, expand events, and boost padel’s US presence.
Unique Sports Group has secured a $100 million investment from Velocity Capital Management to support international expansion and M&A activity.
Innovation
AC Milan has launched its first-ever women’s apparel line, blending club colors with classic country club style, first previewed at Milan Design Week.
The LA Rams will anchor a $10 billion development at Warner Center, with their new headquarters set to be the project’s centerpiece.
Ola Aina has co-created an eco-friendly signature football boot with sustainable brand Sokito, marking his first foray into product design.
PROTECTING (EX)SPORTS
Trade War Takes a Cinematic Turn. Could Sport Be Next? 🤔🎬
China has announced plans to scale back the number of American films allowed to screen in the country - a swift retaliatory move following President Trump’s decision to impose record 125% tariffs on Chinese goods entering the US.
The China Film Administration called out US “abuse” of tariffs and cited declining audience favourability toward American films as reason for the cut.
Hollywood shares took an immediate hit, with Bloomberg reporting losses across Disney, Warner Bros, and Paramount.
Blockbusters like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth, and Avatar: Fire and Ash were all likely greenlit with a Chinese release in mind.
Why It Matters:
As Roger Mitchell pointed out a few weeks ago, retaliation in cultural exports was always going to be part of the playbook. Now, it’s happening.
While this specific move targets film, the implications could spill into other entertainment exports from the U.S. including sports.
The National Basketball Association (NBA), for instance, has over 44 million followers on Weibo and counts China as a major market, both for fan engagement and revenue.
Even for rightsholders with limited presence in China, the knock-on risk is real. US studios are deeply tied to major sports broadcasters who bankroll domestic leagues through media rights and commercial deals (think: ESPN - Disney and TNT - Warner Bros). If financial pressure builds on these entertainment giants, it could ripple across the entire sports ecosystem they help to sustain.
GROUP CHAT
That’s a wrap for this week - huge thanks to everyone who’s part of our growing community.
A special shoutout to Rich Johnson for his contributions this week, notably sharing this hilarious heat pump ad featuring Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller. This, among his many articulate insights, earns him the title of Contributor of the Week 👑🙏
Welcome to all of our new members, too:
Scott Helmich (Hudl)
Nick Stannard (Numbers by NJ)
Hugo Pellerin (Tandem+)
Lisa Pennington (BLR-World)
Cameron Macdonald (Leaders in Sport)
Murray Judge (Soly)
James Cavanagh (Good Morning Sports)
João Ferreira Dias (Atlantic Premium Capital Partners)
Roland Ivancso (Football Benchmark)
Tom Jelliffe (Tzuka)
Not part of the group yet? What are you waiting for? Apply to join us by filling out a simple form on the website. Feel free to share this link with (your favourite) colleagues.
P.S. You can see a full list of all the current members, here.
ON THE PODCAST
#50 Dan Porter: Building Overtime into an IP Powerhouse for the Next Generation of Sports Fans 👟
On this week’s episode, I’m joined by the CEO of Overtime, Dan Porter.
Formerly head of Digital at WME, CEO of OMGPOP, and the creator of the mobile game ‘Draw Something,’ Dan founded Overtime in 2016.
Now a digital sports media company geared towards Gen-Z sports fans and operating a series of professional sports leagues - it began focusing on posting short-form content of high school athletes captured shared to social media.
This social-first identity carries through across all of the companies endeavours to this day, so I’m delighted to have Dan on to discuss the companies evolution from media platform to league operator, their recently announced partnerships with the ATP Tour and NWSL, and how they are navigating the evolving landscape around areas like NIL and social media.
SPORTS BUSINESS CONFERENCES
What’s Coming up This Month? 🤔 And How to Get a Discount 🎟️
This month has plenty of major conferences, from Sportel in Miami, World Football Summit in Rabat, CAA World Congress of Sport in Nashville, and SportsPro Live in London.
We’ve created a calendar featuring over 125+ industry events across the year that you can access for free here 📆
Even better, we’ve agreed discounts with many of these leading conference organisers if you book via the Sports Pundit website. For example, we’re offering 40% off SportsPro! Use the link below to view and book.
JOBS BOARD
We're not a recruitment agent, but we have created a custom search on LinkedIn to help to you to find some the most exciting job opportunities within the sports industry a little bit more easily…`