#175 💸 New David Blitzer Backed $400M Sports Fund

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Another week, another fund. This time it's 154 Partners (New York based, founded by former Blackstone colleagues) raising $400 million for its debut sports-focused vehicle backed by David Blitzer. Targeting sports media, betting and adjacent opportunities.

Keep 'em coming.

This week's main feature pulls from our recent Global SportsTech Ecosystem Report, diving into the accelerating DTC broadcasting shift we've seen over the last 12 months. We break down why it's happening and what it means for leagues, broadcasters and fans.

Plus, the NHL's new Innovation Lab, GTCR acquired LiveBarn for $400M, and NBC launched AI-powered vertical video for live NBA games.

💡 GSTER26

Sport Is Going Direct

An extract from our recently published Global SportsTech Ecosystem Report 2026

A structural collapse in the US and a strategic awakening internationally have combined to make 2025/26 the year the DTC shift stopped being theoretical.

INSIGHT: The question of whether leagues and teams would go direct-to-consumer was treated as a thought experiment for years. Infrastructure wasn't ready, rights structures were too complex, broadcasters were paying too well. Not anymore.

KEY DTC LAUNCHES 2025–2026: 12 launches across MLB, NHL, Premier League, Ligue 1 and more , the RSN collapse accelerated everything. Full list in the report.

WHY IT'S HAPPENING

1. The US Catalyst: Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in 2023, rebranded as Main Street Sports Group, and is heading for liquidation in April 2026, taking local rights of 29 franchises with it.

   • The RSN model is over. Leagues and teams are building their own alternatives.

   • MLB: 22 of 30 clubs had in-market streaming by March 2026.
   • NBA: Preparing a central streaming hub for 2026/27 with major platforms involved.

2. The Global Wave: Across Europe, declining broadcast revenues and fewer buyers are pushing leagues to own distribution.

   • Ligue 1: Crossed 1 million subscribers within a month of launching Ligue 1+.
   • Top 14 Rugby: Launched a global streaming platform across 170+ territories.
   • Premier League: Rolling out Premier League+ as a controlled test.

3. The Infrastructure Moment: Streaming infrastructure is now accessible. Costs have dropped. Rights are being renegotiated with digital carve-outs. Leagues are retaining control over distribution and data.

WHY IT MATTERS

1. Data Layer Shifts to the League: Leagues now own fan data, viewing behaviour, and monetisation insights.

2. Broadcasters' Role Shift: Platforms like DAZN, Amazon, and YouTube TV are moving toward distribution roles.

3. The Fragmentation Problem: More platforms mean more paywalls. Fragmentation and piracy risks are rising.

The infrastructure is shifting, the rights structures are moving, and the broadcasters are adapting. The only question left is who pays, and how much fragmentation fans will accept.

Learn more about why it’s happening and why it matters in the full interactive web report.

📰 THE LATEST

Top News From The World Of Sports Tech & Biz

🏒 The NHL opened its Innovation Lab powered by Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, creating a simulated arena to develop and test new fan experience and venue technologies.

🚀 Applications are also open for the next PSG Labs batch, Paris Saint-Germain’s global innovation platform. Based at STATION F, they’re looking for the next cohort of ventures to test and deploy practical solutions for the benefit of sport and entertainment.

🏅 Women’s Sport Trust partnered with YouTube to launch a five-month accelerator supporting current and former athletes with content creation and audience growth.

📱 Source Media Group launched Source Golf, a creator-led YouTube network backed by Bolt Ventures featuring athletes like Bryson DeChambeau to target younger digital-first audiences.

🏀 NBC’s Peacock launched an AI-powered vertical video feature for live NBA games that automatically tracks on-court action and delivers a 9:16 optimized viewing experience.

⚽ FIFA partnered with ADI Predictstreet to introduce a global prediction market platform ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

⛳ LIV Golf partnered with Novig to activate a prediction market at a live event for the first time, including on-kit branding for players during a 2026 major.

📺 Reports indicate that the NFL is negotiating a new media rights deals that could increase annual revenues from $10 billion to over $15 billion, putting pressure on broadcasters to reallocate budgets from scripted content.

📉 FIFA reduced its India media rights asking price to $35 million amid weak broadcaster demand for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups.

📊 Deloitte projected that global women’s elite sports revenues will reach $3 billion in 2026, marking a 340% increase since 2022.

📺 The NCAA men’s March Madness title game drew 18.3 million viewers, up 23% year-on-year despite continued dominance by power conference teams.

⚽ UEFA agreed a new Champions League ball deal with Nike from 2027, ending Adidas’ 25+ year run and replacing the iconic star-ball design introduced in 2001.

🤝 Lenovo partnered with David Beckham to showcase how data-driven technology supports athlete and coach performance ahead of the FIFA World Cup.

💸 154 Partners, a New York-based PE firm founded in 2025 by former Blackstone colleagues Isaac Harrouche and Mike Berlin, raised $400 million for its debut sports-focused private equity fund, backed by David Blitzer to invest in sports media, betting and related opportunities.

💰 ElGoat raised $0.27 million in seed funding via Trigon, reaching a $2.66 million valuation to build a skill-based football gaming platform.

🤝 Bay Collective acquired Sunderland AFC Women for an undisclosed amount to support the club’s next phase of growth under Sixth Street.

🤝 Publicis Groupe acquired 160over90 for an undisclosed amount to integrate it with Publicis Sports and build a data-driven sport and culture agency powered by Epsilon.

🤝 A Bryson DeChambeau-led investor group acquired Sportsbox AI for an undisclosed amount, launching a new agentic AI coaching platform “SAMI” built on its kinematic technology.

🤝 GTCR acquired LiveBarn for over $400 million to expand its presence in live-streaming across amateur and youth sports.

🤝 Major League Baseball acquired a stake in Jomboy Media for an undisclosed amount as part of a strategic partnership to drive digital content growth.

💸 AFC Wimbledon closed fan investment at a $33.7 million (£26.8 million) valuation through a crowdfunding initiative, with 96% of the $91k (£68k) allocated to 481 investors.

💸 Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds backed $24 billion of Paramount’s proposed Warner Bros. Discovery takeover, highlighting growing capital flow from the region into global media assets.

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