#173 🌐 Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report is Live

Powering Innovation & Investment Insights in Sports. Every Week.

Nine editions in. The Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report is now live - and for the first time, it's a fully interactive web experience. This one hits different.

Beyond the report: IPL franchises are trading at eye-watering prices, the NBA is eyeing a $20 billion dual expansion, and the US broadcast model keeps cracking - DirecTV is out of Sunday Ticket after 32 years, and Ligue 1+ is haemorrhaging viewers to piracy.

Plenty to get into.

💡 GSTER26

The Global Sports Tech Ecosystem Report 2026 is LIVE

The ninth edition of GSTER, the most comprehensive review of the SportsTech ecosystem, is now a fully interactive web experience. Every trend, every deal, every data point: explorable, filterable, built to navigate.

For the purists: you can still download the PDF. We don't forget where we came from.

Now, into the report.

Trends: Covering three structural shifts

1. Sports Tech is buying itself, consolidating from inside-out. Sportstech-on-sportstech acquisitions tripled from 21 in 2016 to 68 in 2025 — with 87% of all acquisitions now made by SportsTech companies.

2. Competitive Running is having its moment - record finishers, record revenues, and race weekends turning into destination experiences.

3. Sport Broadcasting is going Direct-to-Consumer. A structural collapse in the US broadcast model and a strategic awakening internationally have made 2025/26 the year the DTC shift accelerated.

Deep Dives: Into three broader themes

1. Tracing Private E'quity’s two-decade path into professional sport ownership

2. Breaking down the NBA's 16-team European league launching October 2027

3. Mapping the three athlete-payment models that determine who really holds the power in different sports

The biggest names in global sports innovation see the same thing. Hear from them firsthand.

Now the numbers behind the story.

• $35.8 billion invested in SportsTech from 2021–25. $8.7 billion in 2025 alone.

• Europe overtook North America for the first time - $4.5B vs $4.0B, claiming 51% of 2025 funding.

• Average deal values climbed to $43.6M, up from $28.1M the year before, across roughly the same number of rounds.

• 46 unicorns now carry a combined $210.2B valuation.

• 58 new investors and initiatives entered the ecosystem in the past 12 months.

As always, the report maps all the investors, initiatives, and programs across every major region. This time the web report has an interactive map while the full lists are hosted on our Intelligence Hub.

You’ll also find startup picks from the featured innovators, PEAK finalists and our recommendations. See if you’ve made it there ;)

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

1. ⛳ IBM and the Masters Tournament announced new and enhanced digital fan features now available on the award-winning Masters digital platforms, that enables fans to search and access 50 years of tournament video footage ahead of the 2026 edition.

2. 🎾 Wimbledon introduced video review technology for the first time at the 2026 tournament to support officiating decisions.

3. 📺 UEFA plans to follow in the Premier League’s footsteps and trial a new direct-to-consumer streaming service for Champions League matches as early as 2027, initially targeting Asian markets in the next media rights cycle.

4. ⚽ WSL Football and Nike launched a new data-driven performance and broadcast initiative powered by Sportable to enhance tracking and insights in women’s football.

5. ⚽ TransferRoom launched its women’s transfer marketplace, reporting early traction as clubs adopted the platform to facilitate player movement in women’s football.

6. 🥊 Asian Boxing launched an official global streaming platform ahead of the Ulaanbaatar 2026 event to enhance digital distribution and fan access to the sport.

7. ⚽ Content creator KSI will live stream Dagenham & Redbridge's National League South fixture with Hampton & Richmond on his YouTube channel this weekend. It will be the first time a National League match has been streamed live on YouTube in this way.

8. ⚽ IFAB approved new VAR capabilities allowing review of last-touch decisions for corner and goal kicks, set to debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

9. 🏀 The NBA explored expansion into Las Vegas and Seattle in a process that could value new franchises at up to $20 billion combined, with an investment bank engaged to advise.

10. 🏈 Thirty-two years after NFL Sunday Ticket launched exclusively on DirecTV, the satellite provider is officially exiting the Sunday Ticket business. EverPass will become the exclusive provider of Sunday Ticket for commercial establishments.

11. ⚾ Netflix mismanaged the first automated ball-strike (ABS) call broadcast in MLB history, with production issues and an in-game manager interview overshadowing the milestone moment.

12. 📺 Ligue 1 lost hundreds of millions of euros in revenue as a majority of French fans watched matches illegally, undermining adoption of the league’s Ligue 1+ DTC streaming service.

1. 💰 Cult.fit raised $47 million (₹440 crore) from Temasek via MacRitchie, who increased their stake to 12% in the health and wellness platform that is reportedly hearing up to IPO.

2. 💰 Denver Summit FC secured $40 million through a private placement arranged by Mesirow, marking one of the first bond financings for a women’s professional sports franchise.

3. 💰 Pro Padel League raised $15 million to accelerate expansion across the U.S. as investor interest in padel continued to grow.

4. 💰 NurivaTech raised $8 million in seed funding to develop its smartphone-based baseball training app supported by an MLB veteran advisory group.

5. 💰 Sportlight Technology raised $6.3 million (£5 million) in a new investment round to expand its sports tracking and AI technology platform.

6. 💰 fibionic raised $3.2 million (€3 million) in seed funding led by Redstone with Euregio+, Caesar, and Leap435 to scale its bionic lightweight engineering technology.

7. 💰 Working Capital Partners raised a Series A round for an undisclosed amount to scale its structured capital platform supporting elite talent across sports, music, and entertainment.

8. 💰 idPair secured funding for an undisclosed amount led by Game Changers Ventures to expand its gaming and sports data infrastructure platform.

9. 🤝 Seat Unique acquired P1 Travel for an undisclosed amount to expand its premium ticketing and hospitality offering across global sporting events.

10. 🤝 Ascent Sports Group acquired LiveBarn for an undisclosed amount to strengthen its youth and amateur sports video streaming and engagement platform.

11. 💸 Blitzer-led consortium acquired Royal Challengers Bengaluru for $1.8 billion, while Rajasthan Royals were sold for $1.6 billion as IPL franchise demand intensified among global investors.

12. 💸 Monarch Collective acquired a minority stake in the Cleveland WNBA expansion franchise for an undisclosed amount, marking its first major investment outside women’s football.

13. 💸 Synergy Sports Capital acquired the LOVB Salt Lake franchise for an undisclosed amount as part of its strategy to invest in emerging volleyball leagues.

14. 💸 Domain Capital Group LLC, a private investment management firm, announced the closing of $768 million in equity commitments for its Domain Entertainment Fund II to invest across sports, media, and entertainment assets.

15. 💸Mac Murchadha Bespoke Financing announced its official launch, identifying the sports card market as a $33 billion asset class.

16. 💸 TRNR authorized a $0.5 million share repurchase program representing approximately 20% of shares outstanding as it projected over $30 million in pro forma 2026 revenue.

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