ATHLETES WILL BECOME THEIR OWN BROADCASTERS; A RISE IN THE PRICE OF BROADCASTING RIGHTS IS NOT CERTAIN, SAYS MICHAEL PAYNE

The value of sports broadcasting rights may not automatically rise in the future, and the traditional model of the sports business is set to undergo significant changes. This was stated by Michael Payne, former marketing director of the International Olympic Committee, at the Sport Alive conference. He identified the direct relationship between athletes and leagues and their fans, the growing influence of technology platforms, and the shift in sponsorship from intervention to community building as key trends.

According to Michael Payne, the sports industry is entering a period of fundamental change. The former chief marketing officer of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and current chairman of Volleyball World pointed out at the Sport Alive conference that existing models based on the growth of broadcasting rights, traditional media coverage or mass fan engagement may no longer be a given. He also took the opportunity to present his new book to the Prague audience, which is being published in Czech translation under the title *The Secret Deals of World Sport*.

One of the main topics was sports broadcasting and its funding. According to Payne, the question is whether the value of broadcasting rights has peaked or will continue to rise. He pointed out that Olympic broadcasting rights have stagnated in recent years and, in some cases, the value of sporting competitions has even fallen. He cited the French football league as an example, noting that its media rights have lost significant value in recent years. “It is not a given that the value of sports rights will simply continue to rise,” he said.

He believes that technology companies will become increasingly active in the market. He cited, for example, Apple’s acquisition of the US rights to Formula 1 last year and expects that, alongside Apple, Amazon and Google will also continue to strengthen their presence in sports broadcasting.

According to Payne, sports rights holders will face ever-increasing pressure to digitise, personalise and create new fan experiences. This is because their competition comes not only from other sports, but from all platforms vying for the audience’s free time. “Sport is no longer just competing with other sports. It’s competing with everything that vies for the consumer’s time,” he suggested.

However, he believes that even more important than the rights buyers themselves is the changing way in which sport is consumed. Younger audiences do not want to be merely passive spectators, but wish to actively participate in creating and sharing content.

Athletes are building their own media

Payne also expects a significant change in the role of the athletes themselves. Thanks to social media and direct contact with the audience, top stars are becoming independent media outlets with their own content distribution channels.

At the same time, fans are increasingly interested in what happens beyond the sporting performances themselves. Athletes are thus gaining greater control over how they monetise their content and how they communicate with their communities.

He expects a similar development among leagues, federations and other rights holders. Thanks to data and digital platforms, they will be able to build their own audiences and communicate directly with fans, without relying on traditional media intermediaries. “In the new media world, fragmentation will be fatal. Integration will be everything,” said Payne.

Sponsorship is shifting towards communities

According to him, sports marketing will also undergo a transformation. Brands will focus less on media reach itself and more on building long-term relationships with fans.

The new value of sponsorship is set to be relevance, interactivity and authenticity. Thanks to data, rights holders will be able to understand their audience better and create more precisely targeted communities for their partners. Sponsors will therefore increasingly seek to attract and engage fans rather than simply displaying their logo.

AI will take over the results; the stories will remain with people

Payne also discussed the future of sports media. According to him, routine news coverage and results services will increasingly be handled by artificial intelligence tools. However, he believes there will still be a role for ‘human journalists’ in the areas of analysis, context and storytelling.

“In a world awash with instant reactions, TikTok videos and algorithm-fuelled outrage, there will always be a demand for thoughtful human storytelling,” he said.

He identified the politicisation of sport and the protection of competition integrity as the greatest long-term threats. With the growing volume of sports betting, he believes the pressure to prevent match-fixing will also increase. “Integrity is perhaps sport’s most valuable and fragile asset,” he concluded.

Source: mediaguru.cz