Sports Insight

What Sports Insight does

Sports Insight is a UK-based B2B trade media platform covering the sports, outdoor, running, triathlon, and winter sports industries. Founded in 2004 and operating as a sub-brand of Hargreaves Esq Ltd, the company publishes a WordPress-based news website organized into five core content sections: News, Product Counters, Trends & Features, Partner News, and Event News. The platform has accumulated a content library exceeding 14,358 articles across these categories, supplemented by dedicated coverage of major UK and international trade events including ISPO, IRX, the National Running Show, the Outdoor Trade Show, and the Triathlon Industry Conference.

The company's primary commercial offering is The Index, a tiered business directory subscription service (Bronze £178.80, Silver £298.80, Gold £418.80 per annum) that hosts 761+ business listings across more than 20 sport categories and functions as a B2B discovery tool for retailers, brands, and industry professionals. Secondary revenue is generated through display advertising, sponsored content, and banner placements sold to sports brands and manufacturers. The customer base spans major brands (ASICS EMEA, PUMA, adidas, Nike, Brother UK) appearing as advertisers and editorial subjects, alongside a long tail of SMB retailers, wholesalers, and trade organizations subscribing to directory listings or featured in event coverage.

Distribution is multi-channel, leveraging SEO-led organic search, an email newsletter, RSS feeds, and active social media accounts on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. Reciprocal media partnerships with core UK industry bodies — including ISPO, Running Industry Alliance, FSPA, SGiA, and OIA-UK — embed Sports Insight into the trade communication ecosystem and sustain editorial access to events and announcements. The business model is hybrid advertising-plus-subscription, with 11–50 employees supporting a stable, niche publishing operation focused exclusively on the UK and Ireland sports industry.

Name

Sports Insight

Legal name

Sports Insight

Website

https://sports-insight.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sports Insight is a UK-based B2B trade media platform serving the sports, outdoor, running, and winter sports industries through editorial coverage and a paid business directory subscription service called The Index.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Colchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The platform generates revenue through display advertising, sponsored content, and banner advertisements across its website targeting sports industry professionals and consumers.
2. The Index Directory Subscription: The company offers tiered directory listings (Gold, Silver, Bronze) providing visibility in the sports industry directory with pricing ranging from £178.80 to £418.80 annually, with varying levels of features including categories, locations, photos, and promotional eshots.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sports Insight is a UK-focused B2B publishing platform that delivers sports industry news, product showcases, trends coverage, partner organization updates, and event reporting through its website at sports-insight.co.uk. It complements its editorial content with The Index, a subscription-based business directory that lists sports industry companies across categories such as running, outdoor, fitness, cycling, and team sports for B2B discovery and marketing.

Product overview

Sports Insight is a B2B sports industry news and media platform operated by Hargreaves Esq Ltd. The platform offers a unified content hub comprising News, Product Counters, Trends & Features, Partner News, and Event News sections, supplemented by The Index directory service. The platform aggregates sports industry information including product launches, partnerships, events, and market trends, and offers marketing tools and directory listing services to businesses in the sports market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Index: A directory feature listing sports industry contacts and businesses in one place

Products and services

• Sports Industry News Coverage
• Product Counters
• Trends & Features
• Event News Coverage
• The Index Directory

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered parent, minor and core.

• Hargreaves Esq LtdparentOthersSports Insight is part of Hargreaves Esq Ltd, the parent company of the Sports Insight platform.
• Total Active HubminorOthersFeatured partnership news covering Total Active Hub's partnership with ASICS EMEA, showcasing employee wellbeing platform integration.
• Running Industry AlliancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated news section covering Running Industry Alliance events, announcements, and initiatives. RIA organizes The Running Conference and Running Industry Awards.
• ISPOcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated event news section covering ISPO Munich and ISPO Expo events. Sports Insight serves as media partner for ISPO events in the UK market.
• FSPA (Federation of Sports and Play Associations)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated partner news section covering FSPA activities, industry lobbying, and member services for the sports and play industry.
• SGiA (Sporting Goods Industry Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated partner news section covering SGiA industry updates, regulations, and member benefits for sporting goods manufacturers and distributors.
• OIA-UK (Outdoor Industries Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated partner news section covering OIA-UK activities, outdoor industry strategy, and Get Active initiative.
• Brand Licensing EuropeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated partner news section covering Brand Licensing Europe event and sports brand licensing industry news.
• INDX ShowsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated partner news section covering INDX Sports & Leisure trade show calendar and buying events.
• Outdoor By ISPOcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated partner news section covering Outdoor by ISPO trade fair news, concept releases, and industry announcements.
• PTO (Professional Triathletes Organisation)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated partner news section covering PTO Collins Cup, athlete announcements, and triathlon industry news.
• Sports Industry GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDedicated partner news section covering Sports Industry Group events, awards, and industry breakfast club initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• SportsPro Media: SportsPro Media is a B2B trade publication covering the business of sport globally — news, events, and industry analysis targeting brands, rights holders, and agencies. It is the most direct competitor to Sports Insight as a B2B sports industry media outlet, operating at a larger international scale.
• BikeBiz: BikeBiz is a UK-based B2B trade publication serving the cycling industry, covering product launches, retail, and industry news. It overlaps with Sports Insight's cycling category coverage and serves the same UK sports retail audience.
• SGB Executive: SGB Executive (Sporting Goods Business) is a US-based B2B trade media outlet covering sporting goods retail, brands, and industry trends. It serves the same retailer/manufacturer audience as Sports Insight's Index directory and editorial sections.
• Running Industry Wire: Running Industry Wire is a B2B news outlet focused specifically on the running specialty retail and brand industry, overlapping heavily with Sports Insight's Running Industry Alliance partnership and national running event coverage.
• Sportcal: Sportcal provides sports industry news, data, and market intelligence on events, sponsorship, and media rights. It targets the same B2B audience as Sports Insight — sports brands, agencies, and event organizers — through editorial content plus paid research products.

Broad incumbents

• Outdoor Retailer: Outdoor Retailer is the leading US B2B media and tradeshow business for the outdoor industry, covering apparel, gear, and retail. It parallels Sports Insight's outdoor industry coverage and shares the same sports-brand advertiser base at greater scale.
• Sports Business Journal: Sports Business Journal is the dominant US-based B2B media outlet covering the sports industry. While Sports Insight focuses on UK sports retail and brands, SBJ covers teams, leagues, and sponsors at much greater scale and serves an overlapping advertiser and reader base.

Regional players

• Inside Retail UK: Inside Retail is a B2B trade media outlet covering UK and Australian retail, including sporting goods categories. It overlaps with Sports Insight's retailer audience and directory offering, but covers broader retail verticals rather than specializing in sport.

Others

• OIA (Outdoor Industry Association): The Outdoor Industry Association is the US trade body for the outdoor industry and produces editorial content, research reports, and events. It parallels Sports Insight's partner relationships with OIA-UK and SGiA and serves a comparable industry-association role.
• ISPO (Messe München): ISPO is the global sports trade show organizer and media brand operated by Messe München, and is a formal media partner of Sports Insight. While primarily an events business, ISPO also publishes trade content, making it a partial competitor and an important ecosystem peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sportsinsightuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVN2wlCMCq_WKG_rAfX0kiw
• Facebookfacebook.com/sportsinsighthub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sports-insight-magazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportsinsightnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sports Insight