2024 proved to be another hugely busy year in the sports business world, with several major sporting events such as the Paris Olympics and UEFA European Championship taking place.
This led to widespread activity across the industry by sporting organizations, federations, teams, agencies, and brands.
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Countless sponsorship and media rights deals were struck, while we also saw the launch of new competitions and several movers and shakers with significant senior appointments across the sector, and hosting agreements for major events.
Having covered a wide range of sports from around the world throughout the year, here are Sportcal’s 12 biggest stories of 2024:
January
WWE announces groundbreaking global partnership with Netflix
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By GlobalDataThe major wrestling promotion announced that its flagship Monday Night Raw program is leaving linear TV for the first time after agreeing to a deal with streaming service Netflix to broadcast the weekly live show in several major global territories. The 10-year deal, reportedly worth around $5 billion, will begin in January 2025.
February
Disney, Reliance seal $8.5bn merger to create Indian media giant
Media heavyweight Disney announced a deal to merge its Indian assets – the Star India linear broadcaster and Disney+ Hotstar streaming service – with those of Reliance Industries, the majority owner of Viacom18 and OTT platform Jio, to create an $8.5 billion media giant. The merger was completed in November.
March
Seismic shift for DFB as Nike to replace Adidas as kit supplier in 2027
One of the most significant deals of the year saw the decades-long kit supply tie-up between German soccer’s DFB governing body and German sportswear giant adidas, one of the most renowned technical deals in sport, come to an end after rivals NIKE secured a contract with the national team worth at least €100 million ($104 million). The deal will cover the 2027-34 cycle and conclude a partnership between the DFB and Adidas that dates back to 1954.
April
FIFA unveils Aramco as latest global partner
FIFA announced a major four-year global partnership with Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco. The company became FIFA’s major worldwide partner exclusive in the energy category, with sponsorship rights for multiple events including the 2026 men’s World Cup and 2027 Women’s World Cup. The agreement is reportedly worth $100 million annually, becoming FIFA’s most lucrative commercial deal.
May
NFL and Netflix seal streaming deal for Christmas Day games
Netflix dived further into the live sports market by securing an exclusive deal with American football’s NFL to air Christmas Day games for the next three seasons. The agreement will begin with this year’s Christmas games when Netflix will show two fixtures – Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans. In 2025 and 2026, the service will stream at least one holiday game each year.
June
Liberty Global takes controlling Formula E stake through WBD deal
After taking control of MotoGP through its acquisition of the Dorna Sports promotion earlier in the year, Liberty strengthened its dominant position in motorsports by purchasing a controlling stake in the Formula E all-electric motor racing series. The company increased its stake in Formula E to a majority 65% by snapping up shares held by media and entertainment Warner Bros. Discovery.
July
WBD readies legal action as NBA signs off $76bn Amazon, ESPN, NBC deals
The NBA concluded one of the biggest media rights deals in the history of sports when it agreed 11-year domestic agreements with Amazon, NBCUniversal (NBCU), and incumbent Disney. The trio will pay a combined $76 billion to show live games from the 2025-26 season through the 2035-36 campaign.
August
Twickenham to be renamed for first time through major Allianz-RFU deal
English rugby union's iconic Twickenham stadium in London was renamed the Allianz Stadium through a major tie-up between the Rugby Football Union governing body and the global insurance firm. The stadium naming rights could be worth over £100 million ($125.4 million) across 10 years.
September
Bundesliga turns to Relevent to support Americas growth in long-term deal
As part of its ongoing plans to expand its commercial activities in the North American market, German soccer’s DFL body announced a significant 17-year strategic partnership with Relevent Sports, the global sports and media rights company. A key aspect of the partnership will see Relevent market the media rights to Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches across the Americas from the start of the 2026-27 season, which will run over several rights cycles.
October
F1 and LVMH agree major 10-year partnership
The iconic Formula 1 motor racing series secured a new 10-year partnership with French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH. The deal, running from 2025 through the end of the 2034 F1 campaign, will see several LVMH brands receive prominent exposure across F1 activities, most notably watch giant Tag Heuer, spirits company Moët Hennessy, and major fashion label Louis Vuitton.
November
EPL to take production in-house, ending long-standing IMG tie-up
Heavyweight sports marketing agency IMG will lose its production rights to international coverage of English soccer’s Premier League – one of its crown jewels for over 20 years – in 18 months’ time. The league will be setting up its own media operations business to come into effect at the start of the 2026-27 season, thus taking the production and distribution of all content for overseas audiences in-house.
December
DAZN purchases Foxtel for major move into Australian market
Global streaming giant DAZN has made a significant entry into Australia with the acquisition of Australian pay-TV broadcasting heavyweight Foxtel from its owners, News Corp and Telstra. The purchase represents a franchise value of A$3.4 billion ($2.2 billion) for Foxtel and sees News Corp gain a 6% minority equity shareholding in DAZN and Telstra 3%. In completing the takeover, DAZN has established itself as a major player in the Australian sports market.
