SportBusiness Group

What SportBusiness Group does

SportBusiness Group is a London-based B2B media and intelligence company serving the global sports industry, founded in 1996 and operating through SBG Companies Limited. The company produces subscription news, analysis, and proprietary data products aimed at decision-makers across sports rights holders (federations, leagues, clubs, event organizers), broadcasters, sponsors, and financial investors. Its editorial platform, SportBusiness.com, is segmented into multiple vertical sub-brands — SportBusiness Media (media rights analysis), SportBusiness Sponsorship (commercial partnership analysis), The Long Game (strategic intelligence), On The Money (financial analysis), Gameday (event operations), and Postgraduate Rankings (sports business education) — together with a podcast distributed across major audio and video platforms.

The company's core technology is a digital publishing platform with subscription-based content delivery, complemented by a SportBusiness Insights division that combines proprietary data exports at sport, property, and territorial level with expert advisory. The Insights arm offers commercial due diligence, custom reports, benchmarking, and exclusive surveys including the flagship annual Global Media Report. Underlying content operations include a sector-leading newsroom and certified information security management (ISO 27001:2022).

SportBusiness Group monetizes through three principal streams: tiered subscriptions (£39/month or £399/year individual; £100+/month enterprise multi-year contracts with team-wide access; free tier to drive conversion), premium research reports sold through the online Report Store (£99 to £4,995 per report, including flagship publications), and commercial partnerships (branded content, white papers, microsites, advertising, events). The GTM motion is predominantly sales-led with enterprise field sales for larger accounts and self-serve report purchases for mid-market buyers, supported by multi-channel content marketing across website, newsletters, podcast, and live events.

Name

SportBusiness Group

Legal name

SBG Companies Limited

Website

https://www.sportbusiness.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SportBusiness Group is a London-based B2B media and intelligence company providing subscription news, analysis, and proprietary data on global sports media rights, sponsorship, and commercial strategy to rights holders, broadcasters, sponsors, and investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Business Intelligence and Media

NAICS

Spectator Sports (71121)

akta.pro primary industry

Sponsorship Sales, Valuation & Analytics Services (Rights Sales, Measurement, Consulting) (MPAKALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Business Consulting & Advisory (Strategy, Valuation, Due Diligence) (MPAKAKAL)

Keywords

• Sports business intelligence
• Sports industry news
• Sports media rights
• Sports sponsorship data
• Subscription media

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Tiered subscription model offering access to news, analysis, and insights. Individual monthly subscription at £39/month, annual at £399 (equivalent to £33.25/month). Enterprise plans from £100/month for team-wide access. Separate premium subscriptions required for Media and Sponsorship verticals.
2. Research Reports: Sale of specialized industry reports including the flagship Global Media Report 2025 (£4995), Global Sponsorship Report 2025 (£2495), Global Media Report 2025 (£4995), and various club sponsorship reports (£295-£995). Premium reports like State of Play available for download.
3. Commercial Partnerships/Advertising: Branded content features, white papers, microsites, visual storytelling, advertising, events, and targeted emails offered to partners seeking to reach SportBusiness's professional audience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SportBusiness Group operates a subscription-based digital media and intelligence platform serving the global sports industry. The company delivers news, analysis, data, and advisory services through its SportBusiness.com platform, tiered subscription products, and specialized reports covering media rights, sponsorship, and commercial partnerships. It also produces podcasts, rankings, and bespoke intelligence products for sports industry professionals.

Product overview

SportBusiness Group operates a multi-platform sports business intelligence service consisting of subscription-based news portals (SportBusiness.com with free and premium tiers), two specialized sector-focused sub-brands (SportBusiness Media for media rights analysis and SportBusiness Sponsorship for commercial partnerships), and an advisory division (SportBusiness Insights) offering data analytics, custom reports, and commercial due diligence services. Additional products include The Long Game platform, The SportBusiness Podcast, Postgraduate Rankings directory, and a comprehensive Report Store featuring flagship publications like the annual Global Media Report and Global Sponsorship Report. The company also offers commercial partnership and advertising services targeting its professional audience of sports industry executives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SportBusiness Media: Sector-focused publication covering media rights, broadcasting, and streaming topics in sports industry
• SportBusiness Sponsorship
• The Long Game
• Postgraduate Rankings
• On The Money
• Gameday
• SportBusiness Insights

Products and services

• SportBusiness.com Subscription-based online news, analysis, and intelligence platform covering the global sports industry for professionals.
• SportBusiness News Subscriptions Tiered subscription access to SportBusiness news content, providing premium industry coverage to professional subscribers.
• SportBusiness Insights Data analytics and advisory service providing commercial intelligence and market insights to sports industry stakeholders.
• SportBusiness Media Dedicated news, data, and intelligence offering covering sports media rights, broadcast deals, and distribution.
• SportBusiness Sponsorship Dedicated news and intelligence covering the sports sponsorship market, including deals, brand activity, and trends.
• The SportBusiness Podcast Podcast series featuring interviews, analysis, and commentary on the global sports business industry.
• The Long Game Strategic intelligence platform offering in-depth analysis and long-form insights on developments shaping the sports industry.
• Postgraduate Rankings Rankings publication evaluating postgraduate sports-related academic programs.
• Report Store Online catalog of sports business reports, including global media, sponsorship, and State of Play reports.
• Global Media Report In-depth research report analyzing global sports media rights markets, deal values, and trends.
• Global Sponsorship Report In-depth research report analyzing global sports sponsorship activity, deal volumes, and category trends.
• State of Play Report Research report providing analysis of current commercial trends and developments across the sports industry.
• Commercial Partnerships Advertising, branded content, and commercial partnership opportunities offered to brands seeking access to the SportBusiness audience.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted by leading sports organizations globally for three decades

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sports Business Journal: Operated by ABG/Endeavor-affiliated entities under the Sports Business Journal brand, it is the closest direct peer: a subscription-based B2B trade publication serving sports business executives, covering media rights, sponsorship, and leagues. Comparable in audience and product mix.
• Sportico: Penske Media-owned digital sports business publication offering subscription news, newsletters, and flagship data products covering media rights, sponsorships, and valuations. Most direct digital-native competitor to SportBusiness Group's subscription/news model.
• SportsPro: Haymarket Media-owned B2B sports industry publication covering media, sponsorship, tech, and OTT — directly overlapping with SportBusiness Media and SportBusiness Sponsorship verticals in audience and editorial coverage.
• Sportcal (Strive Sponsorship): Event and sponsorship intelligence platform providing sponsorship calendars, deal data, and benchmarking — directly comparable to SportBusiness Sponsorship's data and reports products.

Broad incumbents

• The Athletic: Subscription sports journalism platform owned by The New York Times. While more consumer-facing, it competes for sports executive attention and advertising/partnership dollars in the same sports media ecosystem.
• Forbes Sports: Forbes' sports vertical covers sports business, valuations, and sponsorship broadly; it competes for executive readership and advertising/partnership revenue in the same sports commercial conversation.
• S&P Global Market Intelligence: Large-scale financial data and intelligence provider serving institutional clients including sports investors; competes for the same due-diligence and benchmarking budgets that SportBusiness Insights targets.
• Reuters Sports: Global newswire sports coverage reaching executives and brands; less specialized than SportBusiness but competes for attention and advertising on high-impact sports business stories.

Emerging players

• Two Circles: WPP-owned sports marketing and data analytics agency serving rights holders and brands with audience data, sponsorship valuation, and commercial strategy — overlapping with SportBusiness Insights' advisory and data analytics offerings.
• Front Office Sports: Digital sports business media company producing newsletters, podcasts, and subscription content covering sports business careers, finance and innovation — overlapping with SportBusiness's news and multimedia channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sportbusiness_group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SportBusiness Group