From major sponsorship shake-ups to strategic betting partnerships, the Insider Sport team revisit some of the most-read stories of the first half of 2025—and spotlight three editorial picks that shaped the conversation.
The first six months of the year saw the sports business landscape face heightened regulatory scrutiny, shifting media dynamics and growing commercial momentum in the women’s game.
Whether it was tech platforms making deeper moves into live broadcasting or betting sponsors falling foul of compliance rules, the themes shaping H1 were as global as they were unpredictable.
Below, we break down the five most-read articles of the year so far, those that grabbed headlines, sparked debate and drew strong reader interest across the industry.
The five most-read stories of H1 2025
1. Stake forced to exit UK, throwing Everton sponsorship into turmoil
Back in February, the UK Gambling Commission made one of its most high-profile moves yet by ordering crypto betting firm Stake to leave the British market. The decision, tied to a breach involving adult content and unauthorised marketing, placed Everton FC in an awkward position just 18 months into a headline-grabbing sponsorship deal.
With broader questions emerging about unlicensed gambling operators, due diligence, and potential legal exposure for clubs, this story sparked widespread industry discussion, and clearly struck a nerve with readers.
2. Five Premier League clubs in limbo as betting brands disappear
A few months later, gambling regulation again took centre stage.
TGP Europe, a quiet but powerful operator behind several betting brand partnerships, abruptly surrendered its UK licence following a £3.3m fine. That decision instantly disrupted deals at clubs including Newcastle United, Fulham, Leicester City and Wolves.
The story unpacked a wider structural vulnerability in how football clubs manage their commercial partnerships, especially when they rely on white-label intermediaries with opaque compliance histories.
3. The TikTok effect: How sport business is being rewritten one clip at a time
While regulation dominated the headlines early in the year, May brought a different kind of story, one focused on innovation. This feature took readers behind the scenes of TikTok’s growing influence in sport, from grassroots discovery to Olympic content strategies.
With exclusive insights from the platform’s Global Head of Sports Partnerships Rollo Goldstaub, it revealed how clubs, leagues and athletes are starting to think differently about media rights, sponsorship ROI, and community engagement in a short-form-first world.
4. WNBA attendance and viewership figures open the season strong
Momentum around women’s sport hit a new gear this spring as the WNBA posted record-breaking numbers on both sides of the Atlantic. From sold-out arenas, such as a full house at the Chase Center for the Golden State Valkyries’ debut, to multi-million viewership for opening weekend matchups, the data was clear: fan demand is growing.
The piece captured not only the scale of the WNBA’s commercial upswing, but also the personalities, like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, driving this next chapter.
5. EFL brings Championship football to free-to-air with ITV deal
At the start of the year, media rights returned to the spotlight. In January, the EFL confirmed that two Sky Bet Championship matches would be made available on ITV, a significant moment for fans traditionally locked out by paywalls.
The decision, part of a broader agreement between Sky and ITV, hinted at a more flexible future for football broadcasting. In a year where access, reach, and value continue to shape media strategies, this early story offered a clear signal of intent.
What stories sparked lasting impact?
While the above stories topped the traffic charts, our editorial team also kept a close eye on those moments that challenged the status quo or pointed toward longer-term shifts. From strategic investments in streaming to alternative ownership models in women’s football, these are the features we believe will keep influencing the sports industry long after the clicks have slowed.
Amazon’s sports strategy is starting to look serious
Selected by: Editor Rachael Kennedy
Back in June, Insider Sport took a deeper look at how Amazon is quietly positioning itself as a global sports heavyweight. What started with Thursday Night Football has now turned into a multi-continent strategy, spanning NBA playoffs, Champions League rights in Europe, and cricket in Asia-Pacific.
This wasn’t just another tech giant flexing its wallet but a signal that the future of media rights and fan engagement is being reshaped in real time.
“Amazon isn’t trying to replace broadcasters,” she says. “But they’re building the infrastructure, the data tools and the local know-how to influence how live sport is experienced across the world.”
With insight from Amazon’s Jay Marine, this feature offered a glimpse into how platforms that understand both entertainment and logistics could redefine value in sport over the next decade.
Will DAZN succeed in uniting the football world?
Selected by: Senior sports journalist Callum Williams
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was one of the most polarising new editions to the footballing calendar in quite some time, as voices from the media, fans and players questioned the relevancy of the reformatted competition.
One of the major partners of the Club World Cup was DAZN, who have the global broadcasting rights for the competition. To understand the opportunities that come with broadcasting a brand new competition to sceptical football fans, I spoke to Pete Oliver, CEO of Growth Markets at DAZN.
Oliver gave an insight look into why DAZN, an emerging sports streaming platform, picked up the rights for the Club World Cup, viewing the opportunity to grow its global subscriber base and enter new markets for the first time.
With the Club World Cup well underway into the knockout stages now, it may still take until the end of the competition before fans can determine whether it was a success or not, but gaining exclusive insight from DAZN hopefully informed them of the approach the company and FIFA were taking.
Worcester City Women: ‘Not reliant on handouts’
Selected by: Sports journalist Kieran O’Connor
Women’s football clubs are often viewed as benefiting from their male counterparts, whether through shared stadiums or brand recognition. However, recent moves by Aston Villa and Chelsea to sell their women’s teams in order to comply with Profit and Sustainability rules show women’s sides are usually treated as an afterthought.
That’s not a concern for Nicole Allison, Owner and CEO of Worcester City Women. As the head of an independent club, she’s building a different model, which doesn’t depend on support from the men’s game.
Speaking to Insider Sport in May, Allison warned against the overreliance on men’s teams and outlined her club’s proven strategy for building fanbases, attracting sponsors and inspiring future generations.
“We can’t just be reliant on handouts from our men’s team. That isn’t the right way to do things. So we need to be able to grow attendance, sell tickets and create revenue streams,” she said.
What will shape H2?
As we move into the second half of 2025, the direction of travel is clear. Media strategies are getting sharper, compliance pressure is mounting, and women’s sport continues to carve out new commercial ground.
With major events on the horizon, from the final of the Club World Cup to broadcast negotiations across Europe, expect the business of sport to face more scrutiny, and more opportunity. We’ll be watching closely.
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