Alex Rotter and Martijn Bakx of 885 Capital discuss how new sports formats for younger audiences are influencing investment strategies.
New sports formats aimed at younger, digitally native audiences have continued to gain momentum in 2025, with properties such as the Baller League a modern alternative to traditional competitions.
Both were built from scratch with the intention of rethinking how sport is presented, consumed and participated in, leaning heavily on creator involvement, faster paced games and production styles designed for social platforms rather than linear broadcast.
As with most new entrants which challenge established structures, these formats have had their fair share of criticism from parts of the legacy sports ecosystem and raised questions about sustainability, competitive integrity and long‑term fan appeal.
However, like any early‑stage sports property, they require capital, operational support and investors willing to take a view on where audience behaviour is heading.
One of the firms backing both projects is 885 Capital, which has made sports innovation a core part of its investment strategy. The company has been active in identifying properties which aim to connect with younger demographics and experiment with new ways of packaging sport.
Alex Rotter and Martijn Bakx, Co‑heads of Sport at 885 Capital, spoke to Insider Sport about the trends they’re watching for 2026, the lessons they’re taking from 2025, and how they evaluate opportunities in a market where new formats are becoming increasingly common.
What are the key sports investment lessons 885 Capital is taking forward from 2025?
Martijn Bakx: What we will take from 2025 into 2026 is the trust we have in our investments. Of course, we continuously learn; it is a pivotal part of being successful in this business.
Two lessons from 2025 stand out for us as we shape our strategy for 2026: the importance of backing visionary founders who can build durable cultural resonance, and the need for disciplined, locally informed expansion rather than broad, undifferentiated scale.
The first lesson is that founder quality and cultural relevance matter far more than market size or even initial traction. In every sports investment we made or supported in 2025 – from the growth of Baller League’s format to the evolution of Professional Fighters League (PFL) global footprint – the decisive factor was the leadership behind the property.
The founders who succeeded were those who could articulate a compelling vision of what the future of their sport should look like and then build a product that genuinely resonated with modern fans. They weren’t just creating competitions; they were shaping culture, storytelling and community. This reaffirmed our belief that in sports, as in technology, you invest in people who understand both the emotional and structural dimensions of their audience. Strong founders build movements, not moments.
The second lesson is that expansion must prioritise cultural fit and operational depth over rapid footprint growth.
In 2025, the sports properties that scaled successfully were the ones that adapted to local environments with care – collaborating with regional creators, aligning with local cultural behaviours, and ensuring the product remained authentic as it travelled.
This was especially evident in markets like the UK, Europe and the Middle East, where appetite for new sports formats is high but expectations for cultural nuance are even higher.
The lesson for us is clear: global ambition is important, but global uniformity is a risk. Sustainable value comes from understanding each market’s identity, building with the right partners, and ensuring the infrastructure matches the energy of the audience.
What key sports investment trends are you looking out for in 2026?
Alex Rotter: Two trends stand out as particularly important for 2026: cracking the code on how to engage with the younger audiences and the importance of finding properties that may have synergy with our current sports portfolio.
The first trend to monitor in sports investment heading into 2026 is in properties that successfully connect with and engage younger generations. Properties that are able to understand these new audiences – through digital-native content, social media engagement and interaction and values-driven storytelling – will be better positioned to drive long-term growth. Investors are increasingly prioritising properties that move beyond traditional broadcast models and instead build direct, data-rich relationships with fans across multiple platforms.
This year, concepts like Baller League demonstrated that when you combine high-tempo competition with creator involvement and immersive production, you don’t just entertain – you build a community that participates in the sport rather than just watching it. I believe this shift will intensify in 2026. Rather than sitting on the fringes of the sports ecosystem, these formats are becoming a major growth engine for how audiences discover and engage with sport.
The second major trend is the adoption of a more strategic and disciplined approach to investment opportunities that are deliberately aligned with our existing portfolio, enabling us to unlock new audiences, identify meaningful commercial synergies, and accelerate overall value creation.
By leveraging complementary fan bases and commercial relationships, we can extend reach and create efficiencies that strengthen both new and existing assets, ultimately maximising long-term strategic and financial returns. While opportunistic investments should always be considered, priority should be given to opportunities that add value to and support the growth of our broader portfolio.
