Sky Sports, TNT and Premier Sports snub England Rugby vs USA Test May 7, 2025 Ahead of the Game: England Rugby rights snub, Nottingham Forest ownership, TNT Sports backs Premiership, Relevent Sports in London and WTA commercial agreement England are facing a TV blackout for their summer rugby union Test match against the USA, with no domestic broadcasters bidding for the rights. Sky Sports will show the first two Tests [...]
Pat Cummins: Top players should take pay cuts to save Test cricket May 3, 2025 Australia captain Pat Cummins has suggested that leading international players should take a pay cut to help save Test cricket. Cummins says he would be open to accepting a lower central contract as the price for providing more funding to the smaller nations to ensure they can continue to play and compete in the Test arena. The [...]
Everton owners in talks to buy data firm to help manager Moyes April 30, 2025 In this week’s Ahead of the Game: Everton’s Friedkin Group looks to data, Hundred and World Cup latest, bookmakers and the EFL. Everton’s owners, The Friedkin Group, are in talks over buying a data company to assist David Moyes with player recruitment. Following an internal review conducted at Goodison Park since the multi-club owners bought [...]
Leicester City stars face up to 50 per cent wage cuts after relegation April 23, 2025 Leicester City’s players are facing wage cuts of up to 50 per cent next season following their relegation from the Premier League. Leicester have acted to protect themselves when offering contracts to new players in recent years having also been relegated two seasons ago, with recent arrivals agreeing to pay cuts of between 35 and [...]
McIlroy Masters success tees up PGA TV rights price hike for Sky Sports April 16, 2025 Ahead of the Game: Can Sky Sports hold on to PGA rights, how do Hundred teams claim their cash, will Everton’s women stay at Goodison Park, and what will Super League look like in 2028? The PGA Tour is hoping to capitalise on the Rory McIlroy effect by securing a significant increase in the value [...]
West Ham’s Paqueta yet to give evidence in spot-fixing trial April 9, 2025 This week’s Ahead of the Game focuses on Lucas Paqueta, the English Football League in New York, rugby league controversy, basketball fines and the Grand National. Lucas Paqueta has yet to give evidence in his spot-fixing trial, a revelation which indicates that the case could have some way to run as the West Ham midfielder [...]
ECB facing pressure to drop prices in Hundred franchise sale April 2, 2025 The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could be asked to accept less than the £520m offered by new investors for 49 per cent of the eight Hundred franchises if they refuse to hand over control of the competition’s next television contract, which will begin in 2028. The ECB wants to continue its successful policy [...]
Premier League explores Premflix launch with dual TV sales model March 26, 2025 The Premier League is exploring the possibility of adopting a two-pronged media sales strategy from 2029 onwards, with a direct-to-consumer model adopted in certain overseas markets but the domestic broadcast rights still sold to traditional broadcasters, such as Sky Sports and TNT Sports. The decision to take all international broadcast production in-house from the start [...]
Brentford owner Benham weighs up minority investment in Bees March 19, 2025 Brentford have received multiple offers of minority investment from American groups who value the club at around £400m. Owner Matthew Benham has been seeking additional investment for over a year. Rothschild was appointed to oversee the sales process but CityAM understands that the merchant bank is no longer working on the Brentford deal. The [...]
Premiership Rugby ringfenced again as Ealing and Coventry fail RFU tests March 18, 2025 Championship leaders Ealing have failed the RFU’s minimum standards audit and will be denied promotion to the Premiership, which will retain its existing 10 teams next season. Third-placed Coventry have also failed the audit, which was conducted by the RFU’s Professional Rugby Board, in a development that is likely to increase tensions ahead of next [...]
