Rainer Berak

Very proud to launch our first in depth FIFA World Cup 2026™ insights report on SportBusiness (link in the comments) The FIFA World Cup 2026™ is set to redefine sports sponsorship – and brands that understand the real rules of the game will own 2026. The North American sports and entertainment market has long been a trailblazer in commercial innovation, sponsorships and activations – and now, the world’s largest sporting event meets the world’s largest economy. EMW Global’s FIFA World Cup 2026™ Insights report provide a comprehensive analysis: 🏟️ The official sponsorship structure – tiers, rights, and how to actually maximise them. 💰 Host city opportunities – where local activations will drive disproportionate ROI. 🛡️ IP protection & anti-ambush measures – why this regulatory landscape will shape every marketing move. 🎯 The North American market canvas – cultural nuances, fan psychographics, and how brands can speak the right language in each host nation. 💡 ROI-focused strategies – aligning your brand with the world stage while leveraging digital and media reach. 📖 The first in-depth insights released now – link in the first comment.   LINK to part 1 of full report in the comments:

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Chelsea FC joins forces with Legends/ASM Global in multi-year deal Chelsea Football Club has entered a new multi-year partnership with Legends/ASM Global Europe, which will become the Club’s official catering service provider. The partnership brings Legends/ASM Global’s wealth of expertise to Chelsea – one of the world’s most iconic football teams – where the team will deliver a unique and fresh approach to the culinary experience for all guests, ensuring world-class match day and premium experiences for fans and guests. Starting this 2025/26 season, Chelsea FC has appointed Legends/ASM Global – the world’s preeminent premium live events company – to enhance the F&B operations across both Stamford Bridge and Kingsmeadow. This includes the reimagination of premium hospitality catering, ensuring the highest levels of innovation in the club’s suites and lounges. The partnership spans both matchday and non-matchdays, as well as conference and events (C&E) catering, and the training and development of the club’s F&B and hospitality teams. Bonnie Rolfe, Chelsea FC’s Venue Director,  said: “As a club, we are committed to excellence in everything we do. We want to ensure the matchday experience for our fans at Stamford Bridge and Kingsmeadow meets that ambition with a world-class food and beverage offering. We are looking forward to working with Legends/ASM Global to deliver on this and ensure Chelsea’s stadium catering is second to none.” Chris Bray, Legends/ASM Global President, Europe said: “We are delighted to partner with Chelsea FC and bring our expertise and passion to the club. In this new and exciting partnership, we are going to bring a fully open and transparent approach to the commercial relationship. The synergies that we can leverage from our newly combined Legends and ASM Global teams means that we are well aligned with the team at Chelsea FC whose vision and expectations for innovation and elevation in this space matches ours. This fresh, industry approach makes this partnership all the more meaningful, and we’re incredibly excited and ready to get to work with one of the most prestigious clubs in European football.” For the full story, go to: https://lnkd.in/g6APSuYW Legends/ASM Global will be out in force at the 2025 SVB LIVE Conference & Exhibition – focused on elevating the live experience – being held at Villa Park on October 6-7th. An Opening Night Icebreaker at one of Birmingham’s iconic arenas will kick things off on October 5th and the SVB LIVE Awards at the home of Birmingham City FC will close the event on October 7th. Martin Jennings, Legends International’s Head of Global Planning, spoke at the recent SVB LIVE Networking Event at Fulham Pier. #HospitalityBusiness #LiveEvents #StadiumBusiness #StadiumCatering #FanExperience #PremiumExperience #SportsBiz #SportsVenueBusiness #SVBLIVE Sports Venue Business ASM Global

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AI is democratizing knowledge and services that grassroots sports clubs would otherwise never be able to afford. I’m on my way to Istanbul for the AI and (Multi)Sport Conference of the European Multisport Club Association. Together with colleagues such as Philipp Ostsieker, Peter Kekesi, Stefano Orengo or Ian Smith, I’ll explore one big question: How can multisport and grassroots sport organizations make smart use of Artificial Intelligence? I’m excited to share my perspective on AI as “agents and employees” that support clubs in their daily work. For me, AI is not just a buzzword – it’s a practical tool that can: ▪️Act as a virtual assistant ▪️Serve as a video producer ▪️Provide insights like a consultant ▪️Even guide like a coach The potential? Helping clubs professionalize, reduce the burden on volunteers, and provide better services to their members. Here are 4 concrete use cases: 1️⃣ Improve communication across various platforms Use ChatGPT as a sparring partner to make messages clearer, adapt tone to different platforms (website, LinkedIn, Instagram), and avoid misunderstandings with athletes, parents, or partners. 2️⃣ Video communication at scale From quick member updates to multilingual content for diverse communities, or short statements from athletes and board members. 3️⃣From Data to Actionable projects Upload research reports, add your own club info, and let AI extract key insights with step-by-step checklists. Further, make use of research functions to be able to get relevant information on point. 4️⃣Democratizing high-performance training Tools like Wictory.ai connect data from WHOOP or Garmin to build world-class training plans accessible even for athletes with limited budgets. For smaller clubs, AI can act as a workforce they could never afford. What’s one AI use case you’re already trying in your club?

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Fortuna Düsseldorf are giving away tickets for free and somehow making more money 🤯💰 The German club has a radical plan: make all 17 home games free by 2030, backed by a €45 million sponsorship fund. Here's how it works: They started with 3 free matches in 2023/24, now doing 4 free games this season, building up to 5 next year. The numbers are mental: - Normal games: 32,000 attendance (65% capacity) - Free games: 48,000+ attendance (98% capacity) - Merchandising jumps 47% on free match days - 42% of free-game attendees are under 25 Instead of €8 million from ticket sales, they're getting €9 million+ from sponsors who want their brands in front of packed stadiums. The logic is brilliant: full stadiums create better atmosphere, more TV value, and higher sponsor visibility. Plus they're building a generation of young fans who'll support the club for life. Traditional clubs sell tickets to existing fans. Fortuna is creating new ones. Most clubs extract money from supporters. Fortuna is investing in their community instead. This could completely change how football clubs think about revenue 🔥 [Credit to Federico Mari who wrote about this a few weeks back - love this story!]

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🎙️Next up on the pod, in conversation with FOX Sports 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗘𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀. Back after our summer hiatus with a brand new season of the 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁. Starting with a series I recorded on-site (which I always enjoy doing) at the New Global Sport Conference in Riyadh last month. We've got quite the guest to kick off the series. A 20-time Sports Emmy Award winner, Eric was named CEO in 2010 at the age of 38, and is believed to be the youngest executive to lead a broadcast network sports division. As far as claims-to-fame go, that's a pretty cool one. We covered quite a bit in our 20-minute conversation, from recent blockbuster sports deals to why Eric knows quite a bit about the Indian sport of Kabaddi. (Check out 'Pro Kabaddi' on YouTube if you don't know it—you will not be disappointed!) ✅ 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: ● An equity partnership like ESPN-NFL is not uncommon. Broadcasters have taken equity positions in sports properties before, and Fox has a number of such deals. But this is a first where a league takes an equity position in a broadcaster. Lots to unpack yet in this deal, so it's one to watch. ● Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a major player in the global sports media landscape, their role as a host country to major upcoming events is a huge opportunity to tell powerful stories. Fox did that in some depth with the World Cup in Qatar, so have some experience with this. ● The rise of new entrants in the sports broadcasting marketplace will likely benefit mid-tier sports properties in the short term, though sports properties in general will probably need to lower their dependency on broadcasting revenue. ● Local media will continue to be a big pillar of sports consumption, it should not be lost. ● In terms of future trends and tech adoption, every sport has to understand what their specific needs are in terms of maximising revenue and driving growth. There is no one-size-fits-all. We also covered creator-lead streaming, alt-casts and a pretty novel 'favourite sporting moment'. Episode links in the comments.

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💡 Yet another influencer/ streamer is picking up live sports rights - and, once again, it’s from out of nowhere. 🎥 French content creator Zack Nani, known for his talk-show style streams on YouTube & Twitch, has secured the French free-to-air rights to the Saudi Pro League (SPL) for the 2025/26 season (with an option for another year). Key details: 💰 Self-funded, six-figure investment - no broadcaster, no reported backers other than the production company behind Nani. 📺 All matches streamed free on YouTube & Twitch. ⚽ Up to 3 matches per week + highlights, with at least one live game per matchday. 👥 Coverage will feature guests, creators, and fans - aiming for a more interactive, community-driven viewing experience. 🥊 IMG approached him about the prospect of acquiring the rights initially. 📉 Canal+ previously held the rights but saw limited traction. 👤 So, who is Zack Nani? 🎙️ Host of “Zack en Roue Libre” - long-form, live Twitch interviews with guests from football, content creation, and journalism, later repurposed as podcasts on YouTube and Spotify. 🎮 Creator of vlogs, gameplay (notably Call of Duty & League of Legends), best-of clips, and IRL content since launching on YouTube in 2014. 📊 Audience reach: YouTube: 1m+ subscribers across multi channels Twitch: ~600K followers Instagram: ~211K followers TikTok: ~459K followers & 22M total likes Production approach: 🎙️ Live commentary & analysis hosted by Nani. 👥 Rotating mix of friends, fellow creators, football experts & fans. 💬 Heavy audience interaction via chat & polls. 🎯 Aim is to create a watch-party feel rather than a traditional broadcast. 📱 Multi-platform content - repurposing highlights & behind-the-scenes clips for social media. 🎨 Branded graphics & overlays for a polished yet creator-led feel. The approach to production makes this feel and sound way more interactive than any typical broadcast. 📈 Overall, the deal reflects a growing trend of non-traditional players, creators and even podcasters stepping into the sports rights space - and the best bit is that it's not just YouTube - with Twitch being one of the primary channels used. Who's next on the list to surprise us with a creator-led rights deal? More details at the link here: https://lnkd.in/eRV2UQs3

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Kicking of the 2025-26 #Bundesliga season with some great news: Sportradar has unveiled a powerful new suite of fan-first, AI-driven tools designed to take the viewing—and betting—experience to the next level through its strengthened #partnership with Bundesliga International GmbH, a relationship built since 2005. Key #innovations include: • 4Sight Streaming — A next-generation viewing platform that overlays AI-driven animations and actionable insights directly into live matches, enriching #fan_engagement like never before • Live Player Markets — Real-time insights powered by advanced tracking #data and #AI, creating approximately 240 additional betting opportunities per match • Enhanced Live Match Tracker — A visually engaging, #computer_vision driven tracker that enhances in-play experience and delivers seamless betting integration within apps. This evolution in #immersive_sports_tech underscores the ongoing collaboration between Sportradar and the Bundesliga, aimed at increasing global engagement through #innovation and data-driven experiences. I’m eager to see how these tools reshape fan engagement and media experiences across the globe this season. Enjoy!! Peer Niclas Naubert Bastian Zuber Moritz Gloeckler, LL.M. Rainer Geier Max Bisch Behshad Behzadi Patrick M. #sportstech #sportradar #AI #data #tech #sports #sportsbusiness #immersivefanexperience #fan #soccer #bundesliga #innovation

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TGI Sport and Infront Sports & Media AG have signed a global commercial strategic partnership to drive the commercialisation of virtual advertising inventory for Lega Serie A clubs. The agreement ensures that TGI Sport and Infront are now the only agencies authorised to market and sell Serie A virtual advertising rights across Infront clubs portfolio in Asia, collaborating worldwide (European, Americas, Middle East & Africa), offering advertisers and brands access to this premium inventory.   The partnership combines TGI’s cutting-edge technology and global commercial network with Infront’s unrivalled market expertise and nearly 25 years of deep-rooted partnerships in Serie A and strong connections with brands across the globe. Together, they will deliver maximum commercial value for Serie A clubs and advertisers across one of the world’s most prestigious and passionately followed football leagues.   This collaboration builds on several years of successful project-based cooperation between the two companies and marks a significant step forward in unlocking new commercial opportunities for rights holders and advertisers in Serie A. #TGISport #Infront #Partnership #SportBusiness #SerieA #VirtualAdvertising #Commercialisation

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