Sony Drops $100M On Cosm

Entertainment giant Sony took a minority stake in Cosm, a business that broadcasts live sports inside massive LED dome theaters.

Cosm will use the funds to build new locations, following a $250M raise last year that valued the company at over $1B.

Sony plans to showcase its own movies and shows in these venues, and its chief executive will join the board of directors.

The predictions platform recently hit $17B in monthly trading volume, jumping from under $5B a year ago.

Sports betting drives this massive growth, making up 65% of all user activity on the site.

Despite facing state-level legal battles over gambling rules, the company insists it strictly embraces government regulation.

New analysis from financial comparison site money.co.uk predicts £3.1bn in extra revenue from May to July, an 18.8% jump over a normal year.

Gyms, leisure centres and five-a-side pitches should benefit most, as fans inspired by the matches sign up and book more during the tournament.

The lift is typically short-lived, so businesses must turn one-off interest into lasting memberships once the World Cup ends.

Major sports apparel companies Nike, Adidas, and Puma all released pink soccer cleats because the bright hue contrasts perfectly against green stadium grass.

These three industry giants supply cleats to 94% of starting players, effectively outfitting 494 athletes during the global tournament.

Since elite shoe designs take two years to finalize, this shared color scheme was entirely accidental as competitors independently aimed to signal speed.

The global sports governing body is setting aside $140M every four years to support about 14K competitors during or after their careers.

Starting with the 2026 Winter Games, the funds go to all Olympians in good standing, instead of just medal winners.

The committee will pay for this using its $7.7B in recent revenue, without cutting regular funding to national sports programs.

Paraguayan broadcaster Jorge Chipi Vera verbally attacked leaders at global soccer authority FIFA after a player from his country received a red card.

During the broadcast, Vera used extreme profanity more than 20 times to accuse match officials of stealing the game and ruining the sport.

Despite Vera issuing a public apology, FIFA banned him from attending tournament matches for violating professional media standards.

Amy Hopfinger, FIFA’s strategy chief, queued the 1971 classic after a historic US win to build fan connection.

The viral stadium singalong caused Spotify streams of the track to jump 74% and sparked online search spikes.