Constant Sports Report #130

Sports are moving quickly, and the people who understand why it’s moving will be the ones who lead it next. The Constant Sports Report exists to help founders, operators, and future executives see around corners, not just read headlines.

Author

Conner Schenk
January 13, 2026

The Lead Story

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This week, the sports media landscape sent a clear signal as Amazon Prime Video carried NFL postseason games, TikTok layered onto the World Cup, and NBC Universal bundled the Olympics, Super Bowl, and NBA into a single programming window.
On the surface, it looks like more competition between platforms fighting for rights. But the more important story is that distribution power is no longer centralized. Streaming, social, and broadcast are becoming complementary layers, not substitutes, each owning a different moment in the fan journey.

This move signals a shift in attention economics, where leagues gain leverage by stacking reach, engagement, and storytelling across multiple pipes.
For founders, operators, and investors, the takeaway is simple: value now comes from how attention is orchestrated, not just where the game airs.

Investment, M&A & Capital Flows

KKR’s $1B acquisition of Arctos signals a new phase of sports private equity
A global PE firm buying a sports-focused investment platform shows how mature the asset class has become.

Bruin Capital raises $1B as institutional confidence holds
Bruin Capital closing a $1B fund, bringing its total raised above $2B, reinforces that LPs still believe in sports as a durable, long-term asset class.

Private equity keeps consolidating youth sports infrastructure
Upper Hand’s acquisition by H3 Partners highlights where smart money is quietly moving.

Anta’s reported bid for a stake in Puma underscores global consolidation
Anta offering to buy 29% of Puma signals how global sportswear is being reshaped by capital, supply chains, and market access.

Gabelli Sports ETF opens pro sports to retail investors
A sports-focused ETF gives everyday investors exposure to professional teams and leagues, another step in the financialization of sports.

Rogers plans a unified sports and concerts entity
Rogers, exploring a combined sports and live entertainment platform valued near $20B reflects vertical integration at work.

Trail Blazers seek tax redirect for Moda Center renovation
Portland’s request to redirect state income tax toward a $600M arena renovation shows how public-private funding models are evolving.

Sports Tech & Performance

PitchCom and Sportradar bring intent-based data to scouting
PitchCom’s agreement with Sportradar’s Synergy platform introduces a major shift in pitcher evaluation.

AI-dubbed commentary debuts in European football
Camb.ai, powering the first AI-dubbed European soccer match, shows how language localization at scale could unlock new global audiences.

SailGP invests in permanent performance infrastructure
SailGP opening its first permanent training base after clearing $200M in revenue signals a league transitioning from growth to permanence.

Athlete recovery tech becomes a commercial category
Recovery and performance tools in the NFL and NBA are evolving beyond competitive advantage into consumer-facing business opportunities.

Sports Media & Current Events

NFL TV ratings remain strong, but measurement is changing
NFL viewership is still dominant, but evolving Nielsen methodology highlights an important shift: measurement itself now affects rights value.

Streaming cements its role with postseason inventory
The NFL placing a Wild Card game on Prime Video reinforces that streaming is no longer experimental.

Amazon leans into multi-sport ad strategy
Amazon’s growing sports slate positions live sports as core infrastructure for its advertising business.

NBC’s ‘Legendary February’ highlights convergence
Media companies are using tentpole events to drive platform-wide engagement, particularly on Peacock.

Bowl Season viewership jumps 14%
Non-CFP bowl games, averaging nearly 3 million viewers, prove secondary inventory still matters when packaged and scheduled correctly.

College football continues to dominate live TV
Sports made up more than 90% of the top 200 telecasts in 2025.

TikTok secures World Cup streaming access
TikTok’s World Cup deal reinforces that modern distribution is layered. Primary broadcasters still matter, but engagement increasingly flows through short-form, creator-led platforms.

LIV Golf moves behind a paywall in the UK
LIV’s switch from free-to-air to pay-TV prioritizes revenue certainty over reach. The risk is slower habit formation. The upside is guaranteed economics. This tradeoff will shape LIV’s long-term viability.

Dish vs Disney/ESPN escalates distribution tension
Dish’s countersuit highlights ongoing friction between distributors seeking flexibility and incumbents protecting control. The outcome will influence how sports content is bundled and priced.

Sponsorship, Marketing & Brand Strategy

ESPN sets ad sales records around the CFP
Advertisers flocking to the College Football Playoff reinforces a familiar truth: scarcity plus scale still commands premium pricing.

NBCU sells out Winter Olympics ad inventory
Strong Olympic ad demand suggests renewed confidence in global tentpole events, even amid broader ad market uncertainty.

PGA Tour confirms Farmers Insurance exit
The end of Farmers’ title sponsorship at Torrey Pines reflects how sponsors reassess long-term naming rights.

College jersey patches become normalized
Jersey patches in college sports are no longer hypothetical. Schools are selling inventory that mirrors pro sports, expanding commercial real estate as NIL reshapes athlete economics.

MLB ties league storytelling to America’s 250th anniversary
MLB’s league-wide push around a national milestone is a positioning move, aligning baseball with heritage and Americana while creating new sponsor storytelling platforms.

Royals and Chiefs align on regional growth strategy
Kansas City’s pro teams collaborating on tourism and economic impact reflects how franchises are increasingly acting as place-based economic engines, not standalone brands.

The A’s hit legal friction in Vegas rebrand
Trademark challenges around “Las Vegas” naming show that relocations bring legal and brand risk. Rebranding is as much a legal exercise as a creative one.

WPP launches a dedicated sports media practice
Data-driven sports advertising is becoming table stakes. Brands want confidence, measurement, and precision in where their dollars go.

𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬: KC Smurthwaite

We dive into an insightful conversation with KC Smurthwaite. He is a consultant who contributes to expertise in short-term, specialized projects focused on revenue growth, communication, corporate partnerships, marketing, and operations.


Key Highlights:
💥 What is Athletics Admin
💥 Generating Revenue
💥 NIL in College Athletics
💥 Universal Problems in Athletics

𝐌𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬

Constant Sports Podcast · Episode

open.spotify.com/episode/7eixP9vMhibQ8AuuGjouYI?si=EtNVIdkPT0uM3h9J1h6w1g

That wraps up this week’s Constant Sports Report.

If you want to be in rooms with people thinking about sports this way, beyond headlines and into leverage, structure, and long-term value……. That’s what the Constant Sports Community is built for.