The sports landscape is shifting
Sports is becoming fragmented, new sports experiences are emerging and niche sports are on the rise
Not a subscriber yet? Discover specialised sports marketing insights, tailored for sports industry professionals within Australia and across the globe. If you work in sports for an agency, brand or rights-holder then this is for you
Date announced for new networking event - Thursday 6 March
Location: Melbourne
Venue: TBC (details to follow)
If you’d like to connect with your like-minded sports industry peers then you should come along to Notice’s first networking event in Melbourne on Thursday 6 March.
What to expect: an afternoon/evening of post-work casual drinks in a fun and informal setting.
More details to follow in the coming weeks.
…Don’t live in Melbourne but interested in attending an event? Don’t worry, more events are likely to follow.
Louis Vuitton became the Title Partner of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2025 and it has crafted an Official Trophy Trunk for the event, creating a bespoke travel case for the race winner's trophy
Adelaide Crows signed a 4-year deal with Adelaide University who will feature on the back of its AFL and AFLW jumpers
Tennis Australia announced a 2-year partnership with Culture Amp, naming the company its official Employee Experience Partner and new team sponsor of the Australian Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles renewed its Stadium Naming Rights Partnership with 4 Pines, extending the agreement for 4 Pines Park to the end of the 2027 season
Melbourne Victory announced a new partnership with Australian wellness brand Hydrodol for the remainder of the 2024/25 A-Leagues season
Surfing Australia unveiled NRMA Insurance as the presenting partner for the Hyundai Australian Boardriders Battle (ABB), the world’s biggest team surfing event and Australia’s premier club surfing contest
The Western Bulldogs welcomed Tahbilk Wines as the Club’s Official Wine Partner for 2025 which will give Bulldogs members and fans access to special offers on Tahbilk products
The NRL Dolphins announced a new partnership with leading international grooming brand Wahl by unveiling a 5.1m mural in front of media at Suncorp Stadium
Supercars and Coopers Brewery renewed their partnership which will run from 2025 through 2027 - Coopers will hold exclusive pourage rights at the majority of Supercars events
Melbourne United extended its partnership with Trojan Tools which will remain one of the club’s major partners and feature on the back of the jersey until the end of the NBL28 season
Melbourne Demons welcomed integrated facilities company MA Services Group as an Official Partner for the 2025 AFL and AFLW seasons
The World Surf League announced a new partnership with Stone & Wood as the official beer of the WSL Australia from 2025 - 2027 - the brand has big plans for activations across 5 major WSL events around the country
Nike signed a new deal with Italo Ferreira who will don the swoosh logo on his board - it’s the 1st time Nike has sponsored a surfer in over a decade
World Rugby confirmed the host cities of the Rugby World Cup 2027 - Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney and Townsville
The WA Government secured a 3-year deal for Perth to host the National Volleyball Championships
Prime Video released its latest campaign ‘Go Full Cricket’ featuring its Australia brand ambassador Pat Cummins ahead of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025
Hockey Australia and the Seven Network agreed to a long-term partnership extension which will see the Liberty Hockey One League remain live and free on 7plus Sport
The Invictus Games Foundation confirmed Nine as the official Australian broadcaster for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025
Sports is becoming fragmented, new sports experiences are emerging and niche sports are on the rise
The battle to obtain sports rights is fierce as streaming giants, traditional media and niche entrants fight it out against one another.
Gone are the days of consuming sports on one single platform.
Major sports rights are now split across multiple platforms and fans often need multiple subscriptions to access them.
New platforms and players have given rise to niche sports, and provided fans with more access and choice than ever before.
Here's some things worth noticing about the sports streaming and broadcast landscape
Tennis Australia recently launched a dedicated 24/7 free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channel on Samsung TV Plus (Samsung’s free streaming service) during the Australian Open
Tennis Australia also delivered “AO Animated” coverage of the Australian Open via its YouTube channel with players’ physical forms replaced with virtual avatars – the motivation behind it is unknown but its potentially part of an effort to reach new, younger audiences - Click below to view
Platforms such as Sport 24 distributes sports such as the Australian Open to Plane and Sea
Grassroots specialists such as BarTV Sports, KommunityTV, and Streamer have emerged and produce and stream high-quality content for grassroots and lower-tier sporting competitions
Nedd Brockmann’s entire 1,600km run (Nedd's Uncomfortable Challenge) was live-streamed on TikTok for 250+ hours, 4.9m+ people tuned in
Wagerers such as Sportsbet show live sports on their apps to bring punters into their digital ecosystems
AFL is shown at the airport and as part of in-flight entertainment thanks to its partnership with Virgin Australia
Cosm is rolling-out a new type of “Shared Reality” state-of-the-art technology that delivers an immersive viewing experience and puts the fan in the best seat in the house
Some media giants are going vertical...
DAZN launched the Infinity League last year - a 1-day indoor soccer tournament that combines sports, technology and entertainment
Netflix has created its own sports events - The Netflix Cup (Golf) and the Netflix Slam (Tennis)
*Netflix resisted bidding for sports rights for a long time however it appears sports is likely going to be key to its future plans. Its stock price recently soared after it reported 300m+ global subscribers. The move into live sports (NFL Christmas Day Double Header + Jake Paul–Mike Tyson boxing match) has been attributed to the big jump in performance.
The NRL has 2 years left on its existing rights agreement with Foxtel and Nine, but its set a mid-year deadline for finalising the league’s next deal. Paramount (owners of Ten) and Amazon are reportedly showing interest and it’s unknown what impact DAZN’s acquisition of Foxtel will have on its bidding appetite and power.
New sports teams, leagues and experiences are emerging across the globe as money flows into sports and new owners arise
Maverick Carter (LeBron James’ business partner) is advising a group of investors seeking to raise $5b to form a new basketball league
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy co-founded TMRW Sports and recently launched TGL Golf - a tech-infused, 3v3 golf league
Pickelball has attracted investment from some of the world’s biggest sports stars and celebrities such as LeBron James, Drake, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Eva Longoria and Nick Kyrgios
Unrivaled, a 3v3 league built in collaboration with the biggest stars in women's basketball, has received investment from the likes of Gainnis Antetokounmpo, Michael Phelps, Alex Morgan and Coco Gauff
Streaming platform DAZN launched the Infinity League last year - a 1-day indoor soccer tournament that combines sports, technology and entertainment. FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund participated in the 1st edition and Juventus recently announced its involvement
Kings League is a 7-a-side soccer league with revolutionary rules, and teams chaired by the world's best streamers and content creators
Hip Hop legend Ice Cube launched Big3 in 2017 – a 3v3 basketball league
Olympic champion Michael Johnson unveiled Grand Slam Track, an elite track event series that's launching its inaugural season this year
Saudia Arabia is investing heavily in sports (e.g. LIV Golf) to try and diversify its economy and reduce its reliance on oil
The rise in sportstainment
Start-ups are increasingly emerging around the globe, combining traditional sports experiences with hospitality, technology and gamification to create a new proposition that appeals to sports' non-traditional fans and younger generations.
To name a few:
Topgolf
URBNSURF
F1 Arcade
Home Run Dugout
Related: The “Sportstainment” category continues to evolve
Sponsorship --> Owned properties
Brands are leaning-in to sports, going over and above sponsorships, introducing new bespoke events and activations.
During Australian Open Opening week, Red Bull hosted its unique, fun, 1-night only knockout-based tie-break “Red Bull Bassline” tournament at Rod Laver Arena that featured:
6 of the world’s top tennis players
A DJ dropping beats
Dylan Alcott & Barbara Schett as MCs
No umpires (players sort out their own disputes)
Player interaction (with the crowd and each other)
Paper, scrissors rock to determine who serves first
Red bull branded courts
This new tennis format has gained popularity in Europe, and it was a debut event for Melbourne.
Global expansion, digital influence, and community-themed experiences are key features of the shifting sports landscape
Growth of global sports
The world’s biggest sports are expanding across borders, and the NBA and NFL are on the rise in Australia.
Australia delivered record-breaking viewership for the 2023-24 NBA season – ranking 1st globally for NBA League Pass average viewership, watch hours and subscriptions.
Related: NBA Growth in Australia
The NFL has set ambitious goals for its international growth over a 10-year period, targeting $1b in new annual revenue and 50m new fans, and Australia is a part of the plan.
It’s being reported that Melbourne has secured hosting rights of an in-season NFL game in 2026 between Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.
Related: NFL Growth in Australia
The rising influence of athletes
Many athletes have larger social media followings than the teams they play for and when superstar athletes such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo switch teams, they take millions of loyal fans with them.
Social media has also given rise to “influencers” like Jake Paul whose fight with Mike Tyson drew a staggering 108m viewers worldwide on Netflix.
When IShowSpeed (35m+ YouTube subscribers) gatecrashed the GWS GIANTS training, videos of him challenging players to race saturated social media.
Growth of niche sports
Online content is often the entry point (top of funnel) for younger fans and Deloitte found that 90%+ of Gen Z fans use social media to consume sports content.
Through the power of short video, smaller, niche sports have found new ways to share their stories, connect with audiences, and generate excitement, attracting new fans and participants.
TikTok has given rise to emerging sports like #parkour #pickleball, and professional women's basketball.
Related: TikTok is playing a key role in shaping the future of sports
Shifts can also be seen at the community level...
The rapid rise of run clubs
We’re more digitally connected than ever, but feeling less connected. Loneliness is on the rise and people are turning to run clubs to get their social fix.
Related: How brands are leveraging the rapid rise of run clubs
Bespoke community-themed events are gaining popularity
Summer Jam is a 3-day summer streetball festival featuring live music, food trucks, beer garden and slam dunk contest.
It’s a unique basketball experience that gives pro's and those from non-traditional pathways a fun and free-flowing basketball environment, with less whistles.
It’s been running for 10+ years and its had 1000 players and over 300 creatives take part. It’s growing popularity has led to sponsorships with Foot Locker and Nike (Jordan Brand) who’ve recognised it as a way to connect with a key section of the basketball community in a new and meaningful way.
It's taking place in Melbourne Feb 7-9.
More here.
Want to collaborate with Notice?
Do you have some news, insights & data, a press release, or an idea that you’d like to share? Or want to explore a collaboration on an article?
If you’d like to collaborate with Notice in any way, reach out to Matt on LinkedIn here or via email:
E: matthew.hughes@noticesports.com.au
Adidas - Director Category Management
Adidas - Manager, DC
AFL - Head of Sales
AFL - Participation Growth Manager - Greater Sydney and Northern NSW
AFL - Senior Events Executive
APL - Marketing Executive
A-Leagues - Head of Marketing & Data
A-Leagues - Marketing Executive
ASICS - CRM Specialist
AusCycling - Director of Data and Insights
AusTriathlon - Head of Communications and Marketing
Basketball Victoria - Marketing and Campaign Specialist
Brisbane Bullets - Community and Development Manager
Brisbane Lions - Digital Content Producer
Cricket Australia - Strategic Growth Lead, Women & Girls (Fixed-term)
Crypto.com - (Senior)Product Manager, Sports
Future Golf - Performance Marketing Manager
Football Australia - National Female Engagement Lead - Refereeing
Foot Locker - Marketing Specialist
Foxtel Group - Communications Manager - Sport
Foxtel Group - Engagement Campaign Specialist – Kayo Sports & BINGE
Foxtel Group - Senior Communications Manager - Sport
lululemon - Director, Digital, Auz&NZ (Ecom/Digital Marketing)
lululemon - Sports Marketing Lead (Australia & New Zealand)
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles - Head of Events and Venue Operations
Melbourne & Olympic Parks - Marketing Project Lead
Motorcycling Australia - Events Coordinator
Netball Australia - Digital and Social Media Producer
Netball NSW - Communications Coordinator
Netball NSW - Head of Foundation
No2ndPlace - Head of Social Impact
Peloton - Senior Marketing Manager, Australia
Picklebet - Head of Sponsorships & Partnerships
Port Adelaide FC - Business Development Manager, Community
Rebel Sport - Marketing Specialist – Health & Wellbeing
Sportsbet - Digital Media Specialist - 12 month FTC
TGI Sport - Project Manager
TGI Sport - Sales Executive
URBNSurf - Public Relations Manager
Victoria Racing Club - Head of Community
Victoria Racing Club - Head of Customer Experience and Product Innovation
W Sports & Media - Commercial Partnerships Manager
Western Force - Manager Business Development
Wests Tigers - Social Media & Content Manager
World Rugby - General Manager - Marketing & Communications (Men's RWC 2027)
Not a subscriber yet? Discover specialised sports marketing insights, tailored for sports industry professionals within Australia and across the globe. If you work in sports for an agency, brand or rights-holder then this is for you.
No rugby World Cup games for Canberra 😞