2026-01-07
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Finance & Investments
Global investment firm KKR is buying Arctos, a private equity firm owning stakes in major pro sports teams.
The deal values Arctos at $1B, potentially rising to $1.5B based on future performance incentives.
KKR will integrate Arctos into its assets, provided major US sports leagues approve the transaction.
The telecom giant plans to group its teams, including the MLB’s Blue Jays and NBA’s Raptors, into one unit.
Executives may sell a minority stake to investors to help fund buying full control of these assets.
This strategy creates a major business division alongside the firm's core phone and internet operations.
The British asset manager sold 780K shares, reducing its ownership of the soccer club to 6.4%.
Man United stock has dropped 5% this year, while the club recently fired manager Ruben Amorim.
The firm has sold heavily since 2021, down from a peak holding of 11.6M shares.
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Media, Broadcasting & Sponsorships
The new WTGL competition partners with the LPGA to showcase top female golfers in a tech-infused stadium.
TMRW Sports, founded by legends Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, targets a winter 2026–27 debut for the series.
Officials are negotiating broadcast rights with major networks like ESPN to boost global visibility.
The tech giant generated $17.7B in quarterly ad sales while increasing its slate of live sports.
Prime Video turned Black Friday into a major TV event featuring exclusive NFL and NBA games.
Brands running ads across multiple sports saw a 24% higher engagement rate from viewers.
Total viewership rose 13% year-on-year, doubling the audience size compared to four years ago.
The final match peaked at 2.5M viewers as star player Luke Littler won his second title.
This event kicked off a new $169.1M broadcast deal between the darts league and Sky.
The media giant set a sales record, beating the $963M revenue generated during the 2022 Beijing Games.
Over 100 new brands purchased ads, with 85% adding digital slots to reach streaming audiences.
The network also sold out the Super Bowl, capitalizing on high demand for live sports viewing.
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Teams & Leagues
The city provides $650M in tax funds to keep the NFL team in Charlotte through 2045.
Work begins this year and continues in phases through 2030 to avoid disrupting active sports seasons.
The owners will host extra concerts in 2026 before heavy construction limits non-sports events.
The government stopped the tournament after a star player was dropped following the killing of a Hindu man.
Friction has escalated, with Bangladesh now refusing to travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Financial damage is minimal because broadcasters must pay fees for rights locked in until 2027.
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Miscellaneous
The sector earned $835.6M across seven states, beating last year’s total by over $120M.
New Jersey led the market with $253M, surpassing rivals Pennsylvania and Michigan for the month.
Smaller markets like Rhode Island doubled earnings, showing that interest extends beyond major hubs.
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