We wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a happy festive season and to say thank you for being a loyal reader and member of the Insider Sport community!
We hope to take some time to rest over the next few weeks and come back recharged in 2026. As you enjoy your break, we wanted to resurface our top articles from 2025 to inspire you as you head into a new year.
Rachael Kennedy, Editor – Insider Sport
Packing out the back end at number 10: the WNBA’s opening-weekend surge
Insider Sport’s number 10 story reflected the WNBA’s continued rise in visibility at the start of the 2025 season. Opening weekend saw 89% of arenas close to full, with sell-out crowds reported in Washington, Dallas and San Francisco, where the Golden State Valkyries played their first home game in front of a capacity crowd at Chase Center.
The most anticipated matchup, Indiana Fever against Chicago Sky, drew particular attention as Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese renewed their rivalry at professional level. Across the eight opening games, average attendance rose by 36.7% compared with the same period last year.
Television audiences also remained strong, even with fixtures scheduled alongside the NBA Playoffs. Taken together, the early figures underlined how the league’s recent growth in interest and profile was carrying through into the new season, both in arenas and on broadcast.
👉 Read the full article here: WNBA attendance & viewership figures open the season strong
Scrolling into number 9: TikTok’s growing influence on sport business
At number nine, Insider Sport examined how TikTok is reshaping the commercial and media landscape of sport, not as a broadcaster but as a powerful engine for discovery and audience growth. The feature explored how short-form video, creators and athletes are increasingly influencing how fans encounter sport, often outside traditional broadcast schedules.
Drawing on insights from TikTok’s Global Head of Sports Partnerships, Rollo Goldstaub, the piece highlighted how leagues, teams and athletes are using the platform to extend reach and build value in new ways. Examples ranged from WWE’s fan-led content experiments to the rapid growth of women’s teams and emerging sports finding audiences without conventional media exposure.
Rather than replacing broadcasters, the article positioned TikTok as an additional layer in the sports media ecosystem, one that is changing how moments travel, how value is measured and how visibility is created in the modern sports economy.
👉 Read the full article here: The TikTok effect: How sport business is being rewritten one clip at a time
Breaking ground at number 8: Chelsea’s long road to a new home
At number eight, Insider Sport reported on the uncertainty surrounding Chelsea’s long-term stadium plans, after co-owner Todd Boehly suggested it could take 15 to 20 years for the club to move or complete a major redevelopment. Speaking to Bloomberg, Boehly acknowledged the complexity of delivering a large-scale stadium project in London, with Stamford Bridge unlikely to be vacated before the early 2040s.
The story set out the strategic dilemma facing Chelsea’s owners: whether to redevelop their existing 40,000-seat ground or pursue a proposed new stadium at Earl’s Court. It also placed the debate in the wider Premier League context, as rivals continue to benefit from larger, more modern venues and stronger matchday revenues.
With financial regulations tightening and other clubs pressing ahead with stadium upgrades, the extended timeline underlined how infrastructure remains one of the most challenging, and consequential, issues facing elite English football.
👉 Read the full article here: Chelsea’s new stadium plans to take 15-20 years according to Boehly
Free-to-air footing at number 7: the EFL’s ITV switch
At number seven, Insider Sport covered the EFL’s decision to make two Championship fixtures available free to air on ITV, offering wider access to a competition otherwise largely locked behind a paywall. Leeds United vs Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough vs Sunderland were selected for broadcast across ITV’s linear channels and streaming platform.
The move formed part of the EFL’s wider media rights arrangement with Sky Sports and ITV, which runs through to the end of the 2026–27 season. While Sky remains the primary broadcaster for the Championship, the inclusion of free-to-air matches reflected an effort to extend reach beyond subscription audiences.
The story also arrived against a shifting domestic broadcast landscape, with ITV having recently lost its share of FA Cup rights while retaining the Carabao Cup and expanding into other sports. Within that context, the Championship broadcasts represented a notable moment for visibility and access in English football’s second tier.
👉 Read the full article here: EFL announces two Championship games free-to-air on ITV
Blackout under scrutiny at number 6: football’s 3pm debate returns
At number six, Insider Sport examined renewed reports that English football’s long-standing 3pm Saturday blackout could be scrapped from the 2028–29 media rights cycle. Introduced in 1960 to protect matchday attendances, the rule has prevented live domestic broadcasts during the traditional Saturday afternoon slot.
The article set out the mixed reaction to the proposal, with broadcasters and rights holders eyeing increased live inventory, while concerns remain over the potential impact on lower-league clubs reliant on gate receipts. It also highlighted the anomaly of UK fans being unable to watch fixtures that are readily available to overseas audiences, a tension increasingly cited in discussions around illegal streaming.
Beyond the men’s game, the piece noted suggestions that lifting the blackout could also benefit women’s football by increasing visibility. While still speculative, the debate underscored how deeply the blackout remains embedded in questions of access, revenue and football’s evolving broadcast model.
👉 Read the full article here: 3pm blackout drop has implications for media, sponsorship and small clubs
Sponsorship uncertainty at number 5: Premier League clubs caught in betting fallout
At number five, Insider Sport reported on the disruption facing several Premier League clubs after gambling operator TGP Europe exited the UK market following regulatory action. The company surrendered its licence after a £3.3m fine from the Gambling Commission for anti-money laundering and due diligence failures.
The move left sponsorship deals at clubs including Newcastle United, Fulham, Leicester City, Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers under scrutiny, with affected betting brands either going offline or no longer operating in Great Britain. Championship sides Hull City and Burnley were also impacted.
The story highlighted wider concerns around the prevalence of white-label gambling arrangements and Asia-facing betting sponsors in English football, many of which do not hold UK licences. It also arrived as clubs prepare for a ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsorships from the 2026–27 season, adding further pressure to an already shifting commercial landscape.
👉 Read the full article here: Five Premier League clubs in limbo as betting brands disappear
Licence revoked at number 4: Stake’s UK exit puts sponsorships under pressure
At number four, Insider Sport reported on the UK Gambling Commission’s decision to force betting operator Stake out of the British market, a move that placed several high-profile sponsorship deals under immediate scrutiny. The Commission ordered the shutdown of Stake’s UK-facing website, operated via white-label partner TGP Europe, following a regulatory investigation and previous enforcement action.
The decision raised questions over the future of Stake’s front-of-shirt partnership with Everton, with the club warned about the risks of promoting unlicensed gambling websites once the operator’s UK licence lapsed. The story also highlighted the Commission’s firm stance on due diligence, geo-blocking and the use of VPNs to circumvent regulation.
Set against the backdrop of an impending Premier League ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors, the case underlined growing regulatory pressure on football’s relationship with betting brands, both domestically and across global sponsorship portfolios.
👉 Read the full article here: Stake ordered to exit UK throwing sponsorship deals into question
Balancing the books at number 3: Aston Villa’s women’s team sale examined
At number three, Insider Sport analysed Aston Villa’s decision to sell its women’s team to parent company V Sports in a deal reportedly valued at around £55m. Announced on the final day of the financial year, the move immediately raised questions about how clubs are navigating the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
The timing of the transaction was central to the scrutiny, with accounting rules allowing the sale to be included in the club’s 2024–25 accounts even if final terms were not yet completed. While the deal appeared to ease short-term pressure under domestic regulations, the article noted that UEFA does not recognise related-party transactions when assessing Financial Fair Play compliance.
Placed alongside similar moves elsewhere in the league, the story highlighted growing tension between regulatory frameworks and the increasingly creative financial strategies being used by top-flight clubs to stay within the rules.
👉 Read the full article here: Aston Villa women’s team sale raises creative accounting flags
Takeover talk at number 2: John Textor and Sheffield Wednesday’s uncertain future
At number two, Insider Sport followed developments around Sheffield Wednesday’s financial crisis and the potential involvement of US investor John Textor. The former Crystal Palace shareholder emerged as a possible buyer for the Championship club, working alongside football financier Keith Harris to explore a deal with current owner Dejphon Chansiri.
The story set out the scale of the challenge facing Wednesday, with repeated delays to player wage payments prompting EFL intervention, transfer fee restrictions and warnings over the club’s long-term stability. Textor publicly framed his interest as an opportunity to support a historic club struggling under modern football’s financial pressures.
Set against Textor’s wider multi-club ownership model and his own regulatory issues in France with Lyon, the article captured the uncertainty surrounding one of English football’s most recognisable names, as questions over ownership, funding and governance converged at a critical moment for the club.
👉 Read the full article here: Can Textor save Sheffield Wednesday from financial turmoil
Sealing the top spot at number 1: Manchester United’s commercial rebound
Insider Sport’s most-read story of the year focused on Manchester United’s off-pitch recovery, as the club moved to secure three major commercial partnerships despite a difficult season on the field. United confirmed new agreements with Coca-Cola and fintech firm Sokin, with a third deal widely rumoured to be close.
The article detailed how Chief Business Officer David Armstrong, appointed earlier in the year, had helped deliver around £70m in commercial agreements within five months. The Coca-Cola partnership returned one of football’s most recognisable brands to Old Trafford, while the Sokin deal underlined the growing operational role of fintech partnerships at elite clubs.
Speculation around a potential Apple tie-up added further intrigue, particularly amid ownership change and cost-cutting under Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Together, the deals illustrated how commercial strength remained central to United’s strategy, even during one of the most challenging periods in the club’s modern history.
👉 Read the full article here: Apple rumour grows as Manchester United nears partner hat‑trick
As the year draws to a close, these stories reflect a period of adjustment across sport, where financial pressure, regulatory scrutiny and shifting media habits increasingly shaped the agenda. From boardroom manoeuvring and ownership uncertainty to broadcast access and commercial resilience, the most-read pieces of 2025 showed how much of sport’s biggest drama now plays out away from the pitch.
With governance, sustainability and commercial strategy set to remain under the spotlight in 2026, the business of sport looks unlikely to get any quieter.
