Insider Sport revisits SPORTEL Monaco to see how technology, media disruption and global ambitions have influenced the industry this year.
If the Insider Sport team was asked to sum up this year for the sports media industry in three words, ‘action-packed, new-era and personalisation’ would fit nicely.
However, not only could you argue these words are pretty generic, but it is also quite lazy and doesn’t really say a lot.
To get a real reading on what this year has been like it is much more useful to revisit a time where the most important clubs, officials, regulators, leagues and broadcasters convened and explored the future of sport.
A perfect example would be SPORTEL Monaco, which took place over two days in October.
Personalisation and reach
A key theme at the event was how technology can personalise fan experiences and maximise reach. Liverpool FC shared a glimpse into the future of content and engagement under VP of Media Matthew Quinn. The Premier League club has become one of the most digitally engaged teams in world football, generating 1.7 billion social engagements and 13 billion video views last season.
A partnership with Wasabi Technologies, which began in 2022 as a cloud storage deal, has evolved into an AI collaboration which makes almost a century of archive footage instantly searchable and activatable. AI tags matches, behind-the-scenes content and documentaries, allowing Liverpool’s creative team to turn content around faster and engage fans in new ways.
Michael Welts, CMO at Wasabi, emphasised that despite the hype, AI is still developing. “This is still in its infancy,” he said. “Every time we think we’re ready to push the button something new has already been built.”
Quinn also highlighted the power of fan-generated content, explaining how AI can aggregate multiple perspectives of the same moment, from chants in the stands to celebrations on the pitch, creating highlights.
While technology enables speed and scale, Quinn stressed storytelling is, and will always be, an art form.
Is this what freedom feels like?
The media landscape has changed a lot this year, with sports organisations exploring new ways to reach audiences and break the shackles of what has always been done.
John Martin, CEO of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), spoke to Insider Sport on the sidelines of SPORTEL about how disruption and choice are reshaping rights deals and fan engagement. His comments came against the backdrop of a US broadcast deal with ESPN set to expire in 2026.
Martin mentioned sport now has more potential distribution partners than ever, naming traditional broadcasters like ESPN and Sky as well as streaming newcomers such as Netflix and Paramount.
Another way media rights is changing is with free-to-air coverage becoming rarer, while leagues like France’s Ligue 1 have chosen to launch their own direct-to-consumer platforms rather than renew existing broadcast deals.
Martin explained that with more choice than ever, finding revenue isn’t the challenge. The real task, especially for a growing brand like PFL, is building awareness and engagement in a fragmented media environment.
The writing is on the wall
Javier Tebas, President of La Liga, provided perhaps the most interesting comments of the whole event when he took it upon himself to predict what lies ahead for international sport.
Tebas used SPORTEL Monaco to vent about what he described as UEFA’s “old-fashioned vision of professional football” after the governing body reluctantly approved a La Liga fixture between FC Barcelona and Villarreal to be held in Miami, Florida in December 2025.
He argued taking one game abroad should be seen as a natural step for a global sport rather than a threat to tradition. “This is just one game, not 20,” he told those in attendance. “We accepted Halloween from the US, why don’t they accept something from us?”
In the days after the event, the Miami fixture was cancelled. Organisers cited “insufficient time” to stage the match, though really it was the backlash from fans and players in Spain which reversed the decision.
It is good to see fans still have some power over the sports they follow, but it definitely feels like the hunger for more money will inevitably see supporters ignored…
