Ed Abis, CEO of Dizplai, defines the areas sports organisations need to address to become future proof.
Every January, sports industry predictions read like wishful thinking dressed up as analysis. But I don’t want to speculate about what might happen. This is what’s already happening. It’s just that most people haven’t cottoned on yet. Our recent report ‘The Great Attention Shift: How Sports & Entertainment Can Win The New Audience War’, showed your audience isn’t where you left them. By this time next year, these four shifts will be impossible to ignore.
Here’s my take on how the sports industry stops being left behind and starts building infrastructure that actually makes money.
1. Data-driven sponsorship deals will replace vanity metrics. But most teams aren’t ready.
Sponsors are done paying for impressions. They want proof that people actually paid attention.
Barcelona‘s Spotify partnership shows where this is heading. When Rosalía took over the team jersey, it generated 86 million TikTok views and sent searches for her music up “a couple of hundred percent.” That’s voluntary engagement creating behavioral data you can actually monetise. It’s the same playbook Amazon uses to sell targeted ad inventory.
Here’s the problem: Barcelona started with only 1% fan data consent because their tech infrastructure wasn’t ready. Most teams face the same mess; fragmented data scattered across ticketing platforms, merchandise systems, and hospitality vendors with no way to connect it all.
The changes are happening quickly. Instead of just counting how many people “see” an advert (reach), companies will now focus on proof that people “paid attention” to it, because paying attention is linked to making more money. The chance to sell adverts directly through retail channels is huge. Over half of fans (55%) say in-event brand promotions affect what they buy, but to take advantage of this, you need to bring all your customer data into one, organised system. It’s simple really, sell to your audience when they are paying attention.
What to watch: Rushed vendor partnerships, CDP implementations, at least one major league announcing a pilot. Most will fail because they’re building infrastructure while simultaneously trying to prove ROI. The winners will be teams that realise content without data infrastructure is wasted effort, and data infrastructure without compelling content stays empty.
2. Athletes will launch media networks with leagues, rather than against them
Pat McAfee built an $85m media business on his own. That model is about to flip.
Instead of going solo, athletes will partner directly with rights holders to build co-owned media networks. MLB‘s equity investment in Jomboy Media signals the shift. Leagues finally recognise that athlete-driven content (7 billion YouTube views, 725 million TikTok likes collectively) reaches audiences that traditional media distribution is struggling to achieve.
The model is simple: athletes provide authentic voices and built-in audiences. Rights holders provide distribution infrastructure and league access. McAfee chose ESPN specifically for their “production assets, league rights capabilities and access to everything in the sports world” while keeping creative control. This isn’t athletes versus federations, it’s recognition that distribution without authenticity is empty, and authenticity without distribution is limited.
What to watch: Retired legends and current stars launching media ventures in formal partnership with leagues and teams. Content that lives between traditional broadcast and independent creator content. PlayersTV‘s blueprint (70+ athlete owners with distribution across DirecTV, YouTube TV, and streaming platforms) shows it works. Brands will follow because athlete-led content performs. When partnerships replace competition, everyone wins. Except those traditional sports media companies stuck in the old model.
3. Multi-platform rights deals will hand licenses to micro-influencers, not celebrity athletes
Exclusive broadcast deals are dying.
With 33% of viewers spending equal or more time on creator content rather than live events, major leagues will split rights packages. Linear TV gets live games. Approved creators receive official “second screen” licenses with access to real-time data, camera angles, and stats.
But sports brands won’t hand these licenses to celebrity athletes or mega-creators. Following CPG industry trends where micro-influencers show higher conversion rates, budgets will shift toward authentic sports creators with niche audiences. The 66% surge in authenticity mentions signals fans want relatable voices over polished brand content.
What to watch: Traditional broadcast deals including mandatory creator collaboration clauses. Why? Because 99% of brand conversations happen without rights holders present and the creators driving those conversations won’t be the ones you expect.
4. AI chat will become a commerce platform (and will bypass websites entirely)
While Google search still dominates, 2026 marks the first real shift toward conversational AI platforms and the likes of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, are becoming commerce interfaces.
Fans will ask “What boots does Haaland wear?” or “Find me Arsenal tickets under £100” and go on to complete transactions without visiting a website. TikTok Shop is already outpacing Amazon. Morgan Stanley identifies “simplified shopping integrations” as a $130bn opportunity. Zero-click commerce through AI chat isn’t the next big thing. It’s already here.
Sports brands with direct-to-consumer infrastructure will win. Those dependent on third-party retail will struggle.
What to watch: At least one major league announcing an official AI commerce partnership that bypasses traditional e-commerce entirely by year-end.
These aren’t trends to monitor from a distance. They’re infrastructure decisions that need making now. Most teams will chase these opportunities with outdated systems and fragmented data. They’ll announce partnerships before building foundations. They’ll pilot programs without clear success metrics.
The teams that win in 2026 won’t be the ones that move fastest. They’ll be the ones that build properly by understanding that content without data is wasted, distribution without authenticity is empty, and commerce without conversation is yesterday’s model.
The race isn’t to be first. It’s to be ready.
