Why Mexico, Dubai and Italy are the countries to watch in sport in 2026 January 1, 2026 This time last year, CityAM asked me to identify three countries for which 2025 would be an important year in sport. My three choices were Saudi Arabia, Morocco and the United States. Judging by recent standards, Saudi Arabia’s year was relatively quiet albeit interspersed with some rowdy moments, notably the Public Investment Fund’s acquisition [...]
Why 2025 in sport marketing was the year that changed everything December 30, 2025 For much of the last decade, sports marketing followed a familiar script: globalisation, digital scale and steadily inflating rights fees. In 2025, that script broke. This year forced brands, rights-holders and investors to confront harder truths about attention, technology and value, and in doing so, it reset how sport is bought, sold and measured. From [...]
Why Apple’s Formula 1 deal is setting the trends into 2026 December 29, 2025 In late 2025 streaming player Apple announced it would be ditching its Stateside MLS deal early. The platform confirmed, however, that it would pick up the rights to Formula 1 in the United States. The deal could be worth $140m a year, but what does it mean for sport? On first appraisal, the new agreement [...]
Sport business quiz 2025: Test your knowledge with CityAM’s topical teasers December 24, 2025 Quiz fans, have you been paying attention to the ever-changing sport business landscape in 2025? We at CityAM have been breathlessly documenting it and have devised a test to see how much you remember. If you think you know your Hundred auctions from your Formula 1 minority sales and your record breaking NBA team [...]
Private capital is reshaping sport’s financial future, and it’s structural December 20, 2025 Sport is no longer solely passion projects for the super-wealthy. Today, it is becoming a mature asset class supported by institutional and long-term private capital and the shift is visible in the deals transforming clubs, competitions and infrastructure across Europe and beyond. Private capital is stepping in where banks can’t or won’t. Stadium developments, transfer [...]
F1 fans left furious after Viagogo ticket failure December 15, 2025 Dozens of Formula 1 fans who spent enormous sums, including one couple who spent £16,173, have been left furious after Viagogo tickets failed to deliver promised entry to the Abu Dhabi post-race concerts, CityAM understands. The concerts – headlined by Benson Boone, Metallica, Post Malone and Katy Perry – were explicitly advertised on the [...]
How Formula 1 is reengineering car branding December 14, 2025 It’s an old adage, but one particularly true for automotive brands, that where you show up as a brand really matters. Staples for car marketing are high-quality environments such as cinema, peak TV, eye-catching billboards and the like. Especially for cars – a category in which long-range priming is key – these quality touchpoints shape [...]
Verstappen future in doubt as Red Bull rocked by third key departure in a year December 9, 2025 Red Bull Racing have been rocked by the departure of Helmut Marko, the man credited with turning them into Formula 1’s most dominant team, after 26 years with the organisation. Marko is the third pivotal figure in the team’s F1 success to leave in the last year, following design guru Adrian Newey and team principal [...]
LIV Golf is Formula 1 and PGA Tour is IndyCar, says CEO O’Neil December 8, 2025 LIV Golf chief Scott O’Neil says he wants the challenger circuit to be the Formula 1 to the PGA Tour’s IndyCar. The PGA Tour remains home to most of the top players in men’s golf but is US-centric, while LIV Golf is more international in outlook and innovative in presentation but has few stars at [...]
Why Formula 1 is a rare global sports asset December 6, 2025 Formula 1 has become one of the most sought-after properties in global sport — and the reasons run far deeper than glamour and horsepower. In a fragmented media landscape, F1 is one of the few rights-holders that can credibly claim global scale, cultural momentum and commercial scarcity. Start with the basics: reach. F1 remains one [...]