Highlight Reel: WhatsApp Proves It’s a Master of Messaging with Mercedes F1 Doc 🏎️ 💬
Plus, The Premier League Opens an Office in Mumbai and Why Nike Could Benefit from Standing up to Trump...
Good morning!
This week’s theme? Finally putting faces to familiar names. Between two full-on days at SportsPro Live and our Wednesday night social, it’s been a busy one, perfectly summed up by me forgetting to hit send on the newsletter 😅 Apologies to anyone refreshing their inbox in anticipation (probably just my mum). The irony of it being titled ‘Smooth Sailing’ wasn’t lost on me.
Huge thanks to the 57 of you who showed up at Greenwood for a drink and a chat. Nothing beats in-person connection. We’ll be back there towards the end of May, so keep an eye out for an exact date.
In today’s newsletter we kick things off with two topics that dominate far too much of my screen time: sport and WhatsApp.
Kimi Antonelli Documentary to Premiere After Miami GP 🎬
The Opportunity for Nike (or another American brand) 🇺🇸
The Premier League Opens Office in Mumbai ⚽️
Let’s get into it:
POLE POSITIONING
WhatsApp Proves It’s a Master of Messaging with Mercedes F1 Doc 🏎️ 💬
A new 45-minute Netflix documentary The Seat will premiere on May 5, the day after the Miami Grand Prix, charting how 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli landed Lewis Hamilton’s former Mercedes seat (and how much of the process happened over WhatsApp).
Produced by RadicalMedia and directed by Kyle Thrash, the film was made in partnership with WhatsApp and Mercedes, featuring private conversations between Toto Wolff and Antonelli as the team searched for its next driver.
The film is part of WhatsApp’s long-term brand storytelling strategy and follows earlier content like Push Push (with Lewis Hamilton) and We Are Ayenda (on Afghanistan’s women’s youth football team).
Rather than a standard ad, The Seat was acquired by Netflix like any other show, with the goal of reaching F1’s growing audience - especially in the U.S., where WhatsApp still lags behind iMessage in daily use.
Why It Matters:
This is a smart, high-impact move from WhatsApp. Rather than forcing product placement, it zeroes in on a moment where the app was already central to the story.
The project also signals where sport sponsorship is heading: away from passive logo badging, toward deeply integrated storytelling that holds up as premium entertainment.
With Netflix as a distribution partner and the timing locked to the Miami Grand Prix weekend, this is a calculated push into a key market where WhatsApp still has room to grow.
For fans, it adds depth to Antonelli’s rise. For brands, it’s a standout case study in using storytelling to create cultural relevance.
OPINION: TRUMPING TRUMP
🗣️ Scott Galloway: “This is not a time for the swoosh to be timid” ✔️
“These corporate titans are not only doing the wrong thing but bypassing an economic opportunity. The first CEO who forcefully and publicly resists Trump could reap significant benefits, both reputationally and commercially.
Leadership springs from unexpected places, but from a pure brand perspective, the biggest commercial opportunity rests with the CEO of an iconic American brand (e.g., Apple, Nike, P&G, Walmart).
Nike, famous for innovation, high-profile endorsements, and breaking barriers, is suddenly uncool. Its market value has tumbled more than 60% from a 2021 high… Nike is especially well positioned as it has less to lose. This is not a time for the swoosh to be timid and stay the course. Being bold is in Nike’s DNA (See: Colin Kaepernick)…
Nike’s CEO shouldn’t bring a knife to a gun fight. He should weaponize one of the great creative teams in consumer history and fire up the company’s storytelling machine…What could be more effective than a message of resistance showcasing American values through the lens of sport — the role of immigrants, teammates, fair play, and international competition?”
HIGHLIGHTS
Media
France’s financial watchdog, the DNCG, has warned Ligue 1 clubs not to include projected domestic TV rights revenue in their budgets for next season. The caution comes amid ongoing uncertainty around the league’s next media rights deal ❌ 📺
MrBeast hosted a YouTube Basketball Stars event featuring top English and Spanish creators, blending sports with creator culture. The video on Fede’s channel alone has already surpassed 23 million views, underlining the format’s viral appeal 🏀
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal has confirmed that the BCCI will seriously explore adopting a full home-and-away format starting with the 2028 media rights cycle. The move would significantly expand the league’s footprint and commercial value 🏏
Marketing
Jordan Brand is reviving Jordan Golf with a new collection inspired by Michael Jordan’s signature off-course style. Coming May 14th, the drop blends heritage and performance ⛳️
PwC has signed a multi-year agreement to become Formula One’s official consulting partner. The firm will support F1’s global operations with strategic insights across areas like fan engagement, sustainability, and business growth 🏎️
Chelsea FC have unveiled DAMAC Properties as their front-of-shirt sponsor for the remainder of the 2024/25 season. The short-term deal gives the Dubai-based firm high visibility as the club continues its search for a longer-term commercial partner ⚽️
Finance
Aston Villa is exploring the sale of a 10% to 20% stake in its women’s team, potentially valuing Aston Villa WFC at £60 million. Interest is reportedly coming from global sports investors, including NWSL team owners ⚽️
Two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning is leading a group aiming to acquire a minority stake in the New York Giants. The NFL franchise is currently open to selling up to 10% of the team in a non-controlling deal 🏈
Private equity firm TPG has unveiled TPG Sports, a new investment platform targeting opportunities across the global sports ecosystem, with professional golfer Rory McIlroy and his firm Symphony Ventures joining as Operating Partners ⛳️
Innovation
Meta has released a dedicated AI assistant app powered by its new Llama 4 model, enabling users to access Meta AI without going through platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, or Facebook 📲
Roblox continues to grow rapidly, reporting Q1 2025 revenue of $1.04 billion, marking a 29% year-over-year increase. Having a Roblox strategy is fundamental to starting conversations with fans under 20 📦
Nike has partnered with Hyperice to create a high-tech recovery boot combining heat and dynamic air compression to help athletes warm up and recover faster 👟
INDIAN SUMMER
Premier League Plants Its Flag in India ⚽🇮🇳
The Premier League has opened a new office in Mumbai, marking a major step forward in its commitment to grow football and deepen fan connections across India.
The office will focus on fan engagement, grassroots development, and elite-level collaboration, building on a long-running partnership with the Indian Super League and community programmes like Premier Skills.
Over the past 18 years, Premier Skills has trained more than 7,300 coaches and referees across 18 Indian states, impacting over 124,000 young people.
The League also runs the Next Gen Cup in collaboration with ISL and Reliance Foundation, which returns to Mumbai this May with U19 teams from both leagues.
India now joins Singapore, New York, and Beijing as part of the Premier League’s growing global footprint.
Why It Matters:
Stop thinking of India as a future market.
With 129 million English speakers, a booming digital-first middle class, and a fast-track path to becoming the world’s third-largest economy, India is already a major stage for global sport.
Rightsholders know: to grow globally, you need to show up locally.
The Premier League isn’t the only one planting roots. The NBA, MLB, and LALIGA all have offices in India. Manchester City’s owners, City Football Group, have run Mumbai City FC since 2019, while Sevilla FC are partnered with Bengaluru United.
GROUP CHAT
That’s a wrap for this week - huge thanks to everyone who’s part of our growing community.
A special shoutout to Anil Ramjiani for his contributions this week, notably offering insights on the move of the Jordan brand back into golf. This earns him the title of Contributor of the Week 👑🙏
Welcome to all of our new members, too:
Jae Chalfin (Sportlight)
Milosz Gazda
Matt O’Connor (Mezzoramia Sports)
Aditya Gupta (Forza Ventures)
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
#52 Andy Thompson: Taking SailGP to an Audience Beyond Sailing
On this week’s episode, I was joined by Andy Thompson, Managing Director at SailGP, an international sailing competition, where teams compete across a season of multiple grands prix (GP) around the world in cities like New York, Sydney, San Francisco, and Portsmouth.
Andy’s career spans the likes of Deloitte, London 2012, and Americas Cup - where he was first introduced to both Sailing and SailGP founders, Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts - who aspired to create a commercially viable sailing series.
In this conversation we discuss Andy’s journey, as well as the journey of this upstart league, which was only founded in 2019, but now finds itself with 13 races and 12 teams, with owners like Ben Ainsley and Kylian Mbappe and blue-chip sponsors like Emirates, Accor, and Rolex.
SPORTS BUSINESS CONFERENCES
What’s Coming up This Month? 🤔 And How to Get a Discount 🎟️
This month has plenty of major conferences, from Soccerex in Amsterdam, Middle East Sports Investment Forum in London, 4se in New York, and SportsPro Live in London, and The Spot in Lausanne.
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 15% off Soccerex! 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…`