Football
One Match, Many Products
You watch one match. The rights system sees a live feed, a stream, a clip library, a sponsor window and an archive, each sold separately.
Pitch & Ledger
Independent sports-business analysis of money, ownership, media, investment and the systems behind sport.
Football
The Owner Keeps the Building. For One Month, the World Cup Keeps Its Name.
SoFi Stadium didn't change owners or sponsors for the World Cup. For one month, it lost control of something narrower: its own name.
College Sports
College Sports Just Let Private Equity Inside
Utah didn't sell its team to private equity. It carved out the business around the team, and let a minority investor into that alone.
Football
A Full Stadium Is Only One Layer
A sold-out World Cup proves the world wants to watch. It does not tell you who collects on what they are watching.
Football
The Real Cost of a World Cup Ticket
The ticket price is the only number anyone publishes. The real cost of attending is assembled by several markets at once, and quoted by none of them
Football
The World Cup Is FIFA's Operating System
The tournament lasts a month. The system behind it collects billions through rights FIFA controls, and pays them back out through rules FIFA writes.