Ai In Sports

Rice renames stadium in 20-year deal ahead of $120M renovation

Rice Stadium is now First Community Stadium. The 20-year deal bundles campus banking and internships, and much of it could run in a smaller renovated venue.

Premier League and EFL are $179M apart over five years on a funding deal

The Premier League raised its offer to $239M a year. The EFL wants $275M, and its chair is said to think $239M isn’t enough.

Stand-up Polska and what live comedy asks of ticketing

Stand-up Polska is a group of comedians built around live comedy. Here is what a live comedy calendar could mean for ticketing.

Sportico's Invest London spotlights NBA Europe and sports financing

At Sportico's Invest London, J.P. Morgan's Eric Menell and Sixth Street's Josh Empson join the NBA's George Aivazoglou on the NBA Europe panel.

Todd Boehly's Eldridge leads strategic investment in youth sports brand Overtime

Todd Boehly's Eldridge, which holds stakes in the Dodgers, Lakers and Sparks, led an undisclosed round in youth sports media company Overtime.

NFL TV audiences rebound in Week 2 after a 13% Week 1 drop

Fox drew 27.2 million for Cowboys-Commanders and CBS set a Week 2 record. With Nielsen changing its counting again, some of that growth comes from the method.

NHL still expects more clarity on Texas expansion by December

Gary Bettman said the NHL expects more clarity by December on a possible second team in Texas, but stressed there is no fixed timetable for a decision.

Report: Apple TV planned 14 iPhone 18 Pros at Dodger Stadium

Sports Video Group’s September 18 report outlined 14 iPhone 18 Pro specialty cameras at Dodger Stadium, including eight planned private-5G feeds. The announcement is not a post-event performance assessment.

67 Red Wings games will air on Detroit SportsNet, streaming runs through MLB App

Sixty-seven Detroit Red Wings regular-season games are expected to air on Detroit SportsNet in 2026-27, with in-market streaming available in the MLB App.

Serie A stays with CBS one more year, plans U.S. bid after World Cup

CBS keeps Serie A's 420-match U.S. package for 2026-27 at reportedly flat money, with Serie A planning a post-World Cup return to market, per SBJ.

The Mariners made 2026 digital shorts without an agency as MLB clubs bring video production in-house

The Mariners made four 2026 spots without an agency, and Zoomph pegs the Dodgers' team social feeds at $101 million in paid-ad equivalent value.

MLS explores eight-figure presenting sponsorship ahead of 'MLS 3.0'

MLS has hired London advisory firm Altius8 to test the market for a presenting sponsor, a deal type common in Europe and nearly unknown in U.S. leagues.

Versant's US$530m Full Swing buy in a busy summer of sports tech deals

SportsPro's summer coverage logged a US$530m golf simulator deal, SI's Magnifi acquisition, a GSE Worldwide AI partnership and a new event-impact tool.

JMI Sports keeps Penn's multimedia rights five more years under a new revenue share

JMI Sports extends its Penn multimedia rights deal five years with a new revenue-share model; it also includes Penn Relays rights, per Sports Business Journal.

SBJ's Tech Awards: Winners Span Data, Performance, Fan Access

SBJ's 2026 SBA: Tech awards named winners in AI, athlete performance, fan accessibility and venue operations, including Elevate's EPIC and OneCourt.

Pre-World Cup Forecast Projected $135M in Lost Naming-Rights Value

A pre-tournament Navigate analysis, published in June 2026, projected up to $135M in lost naming-rights media value at World Cup stadiums.

Pollstar names winners of 2026 Excellence in Concessions Awards

Pollstar published its 2026 Excellence in Concessions Awards on Sept. 2, recognizing venue food, beverage and hospitality programs across the U.S.

Euroleague Plans Unified Digital Platform as US Open Venue Upgrade Continues

SportsPro reporting details Euroleague's planned direct-to-consumer platform and the US Open's US$800 million stadium renovation.

Turkish Airlines to Replace Standard Chartered on Liverpool Shirts

Turkish Airlines agreed to sponsor Liverpool’s shirts from 2027-28 in a five-year deal reported at about $81 million annually.

NFL Puts The Athletic Content on NFL.com, Renews TikTok Deal

The NFL finalized a deal placing The Athletic's articles on NFL.com and renewed a multiyear TikTok partnership, per Front Office Sports and MediaPost.

Sports venues are now being specced like IT projects

Facilities teams are planning for connectivity, drones and LED lighting while projects like a proposed $70M Louisiana complex show pipelines getting bigger

Presidio’s Resonate uses agentic AI to turn sports archives into searchable inventory

Presidio is pushing agentic AI into sports media ops, pairing Captivate fan experiences with Resonate back-end search, tagging, and clip generation on AWS Media

Cosm’s 700-seat domes make NFL rights run like venue operations

Cosm will show NFL games in its 12K LED domes in Los Angeles and Dallas, forcing venue ops teams to plan like broadcasters.

Fastbreak AI is quietly becoming the scheduling engine for 50-plus pro leagues

Fastbreak AI says its software now schedules 50+ pro leagues. For ops teams, the real shift is treating schedules like constrained optimization, not calendar wo

YouTube TV adds ESPN Unlimited inside the app as ESPN raises DTC prices

YouTube TV added ESPN Unlimited in-app as ESPN lifts DTC prices on Sept. 17, shifting how operators should value bundled sports streaming versus stand-alone tie

Record $9.612B Seahawks sale turns ticketing controls and sponsor deliverables into board-level work

NFL owners approved the $9.612B Seahawks sale. For operators, ticketing controls, resale leakage and partner deliverables move from back office detail to board-

Snow League’s NBC, Peacock and YouTube plan makes Season Two a production workflow test

The Snow League adds YouTube simulcasts, >50 hours on Peacock, and a second U.S. stop. For media ops teams, it’s a multi-platform workflow problem.

SBJ Tech: Timberwolves’ reported “$5M-plus” ticket-revenue gain puts tech ROI under the microscope

SBJ Tech reported that the Timberwolves posted a “$5M-plus” increase in ticket revenue, as EA Sports, Next League and venue technology teams look for clearer ti

Sports rights deals are being won with data and distribution, not bigger checks

New survey data and fresh rights moves show platforms are negotiating for reach, data and packaging, while local carriage deals get more targeted.

SportBusiness is selling Deals Tracker as a dataset of 2,000 sponsorship portfolios

SportBusiness is pitching Deals Tracker as a dataset covering 2,000 sponsorship portfolios and 10,000 decision-maker contacts, as rights holders and sponsors mo