2026-01-19

💸
Finance & Investments

  • Wealth advisory CEO Peter Mallouk will acquire an 80% stake, taking control from the longtime family owners.

  • The transaction sets a league record for a majority sale, surpassing the team's previous $650M valuation.

  • This deal reflects surging league growth, with average team values rising 19% to $690M recently.

  • The amended loan agreement gives the New York basketball team access to $425M in available cash.

  • The sports holding company reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $0.37 per share.

  • This funding helps the unprofitable company manage expenses while local media revenue remains uncertain.

  • Top English clubs overtook Spanish giant Barcelona to lead global financial rankings.

  • Sponsorship deals now drive 72% of earnings, generating double the money of tickets and TV combined.

  • However, high sales do not equal profit, as Chelsea still recorded an £8.4M loss.

  • The league previously sold 16% ownership to investors like Nike for $75M to fund operations.

  • Early investors could see massive returns as recent expansion fees hit $250M per team.

  • Regaining equity helps the WNBA simplify ownership structure during tense labor negotiations.

  • The league may allow foreign wealth funds to fully own teams, unlike in the US where ownership is limited.

  • Commissioner Adam Silver targets investors from Qatar and Abu Dhabi to anchor franchises in major cities like London.

  • Buying a team in the new league will likely cost investors hundreds of millions of dollars.

📺
Media, Broadcasting & Sponsorships

  • Streaming platform DAZN will air games to most nations to help grow the new event's audience.

  • This late agreement follows FIFA's struggle to find interested media buyers for the inaugural competition.

  • Top games drew over 6.5M viewers by airing immediately after massive NFL broadcasts like Thanksgiving games.

  • Broadcaster CBS reports average audiences of 1.81M, a 40% increase from last year, indicating strong general interest.

  • Sports network ESPN saw a 20% ratings jump, proving popularity is rising regardless of scheduling boosts.

🏆
Teams & Leagues

  • The men's opening stages run from Edinburgh to Cardiff, while the women's debut race goes from Leeds to London.

  • Organizers expect crowds to match the 2.5M spectators who attended the massive 2014 event in Yorkshire.

  • This is the first time a nation outside France will launch both prestigious cycling events in the same year.

  • The city will use funds from the Spurs' ownership group to acquire 5.7 acres of federal land.

  • This deal advances a planned $1.3B sports complex featuring housing, offices, and retail space.

  • Officials are also negotiating to buy a university-owned site where the actual arena will sit.

🎁
Miscellaneous

  • The order reserves a four-hour window in December solely for the historic military academy rivalry.

  • This move blocks the College Football Playoff tournament from scheduling expansion games that compete for viewers.

  • Sports officials are currently debating playoff changes that threatened to overshadow the traditional matchup.

If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email!

Was this email forwarded to you? Then sign up here to receive the Daily Playbook in your inbox every weekday.

Keep Reading

No posts found