Here’s what’s shaping the industry right now.
Serie A buys access to owned audiences through majority stake in fantasy platform
Serie A just admitted they can’t own the conversation without owning the platform where it happens. The league has acquired a 51% controlling stake in Fantacalcio, Italy’s biggest fantasy football platform, for €18 million. With 7 million users and a high-margin digital business, the league is betting that fantasy sports are now essential infrastructure for data acquisition and fan engagement.
The move follows the Premier League’s success in using fantasy platforms as a top-of-funnel asset to drive viewership and sponsorship value. Is this a sign that leagues are moving away from being just rights holders and towards becoming full-scale media and data businesses?
Formula E lands half a season’s worth of viewership through their latest EVO Session
Formula E has officially outsourced its Gen Z growth to the people who actually own the audience. Last weekend in Jeddah, the league partnered with Arcade, the management arm behind the Sidemen, handing the keys of GEN3 Evo cars to top-tier creators.
The result was 6 million views in just 48 hours, around half a season’s video engagement for Formula E. By shifting to truly native sports content for YouTube, it is the only way linear sports can bridge the gap to modern audiences, outsourcing to those who understand the next generation of fans?
Dick’s Sporting Goods bets on “real storytellers” through their new creator programme
The biggest sports retailer in the US is building a creator army to scale human authenticity against a sea of AI ads. Dick’s Sporting Goods recently received over 10,000 applications for its “Varsity Team” program, but they aren’t looking for one $10M athlete; they are hiring thousands of store associates, coaches, and parents to be community storytellers.
By moving away from “Pro Influencers” and focusing on the people actually using the gear on the sidelines, Dick’s is betting that “real people” are the most valuable commodity in a synthetic marketing landscape. This represents a massive shift toward community-centred content at an industrial scale.
Deloitte backs the importance of direct fan relationships
The 2026 Global Sports Industry Outlook from Deloitte suggests we’ve reached a tipping point where sport is no longer just about the game, but about media and data convergence.
The report highlights a shift where fan data has become core competitive infrastructure, moving from simple CRM lists to complex “data stacks” that drive every commercial decision. As AI reshapes operations, the ability to turn fan behaviour signals into actionable sponsorship value is what will separate the market leaders from the rest.
Women’s sports media outlets are writing their own playbooks
Mainstream sports media didn’t lose the women’s sports audience—they never bothered to find it. A new wave of brands like TOGETHXR, The GIST, and Just Women’s Sports has thrived by building direct, athlete-led relationships with underserved fans rather than waiting for traditional broadcasters to catch up.
With The GIST surpassing 1 million newsletter subscribers, these outlets are proving that an “owned audience” model is the most effective way to bypass traditional gatekeepers.
