UP451 Media Strategy Masterclass: The Art and Science of the Auction

Media rights auctions are the moment when the question of 'What’s sport worth?' is asked and answered; the point at which the talk becomes real; where fortunes are been spent, won and lost, psychology meets money. The auction gives us a glimpse of a different future, that may or may not be the direction of travel for everyone else in the marketplace.  What makes this imperfect process more intriguing is that the basic return on investment equation is shifting in real time. The players in the game are not just a handful of traditional sports media companies. They are also the new breed of entertainment streamers, online retailers, mobile phone manufacturers or private equity firms. How does their presence around the table shift the fundamental question - what is sport worth? We’ve got three strategy experts from Altman Solon, a global consultancy specializing in Technology, Media and Telecom, to provide an inside look at the media auction process, exploring its flaws and opportunities. Joining us today are:David Dellea, Partner at the Zurich office and leader of Altman Solon’s Sports Practice. David previously headed PwC’s sports practicePascal Stefan, Principal at the Munich office, formerly Head of Strategy at DAZN.Davide Tesoro Tess, Senior Advisor for Altman Solon based in Milan, and formerly Executive Vice President for Strategy at Sky Italia. Altman Solon’s recently published the 2024 Sports Survey—a series of five in-depth publications exploring the state of the sports media business and revealing what consumers and industry executives envision for the future. The publication can be downloaded hereUnofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. A mix of entertaining and thought provoking conversations with a who's who of the global industry. To join our community of listeners, sign up to the weekly UP Newsletter and follow us on Twitter and TikTok at @UnofficialPartnerWe publish two podcasts each week, on Tuesday and Friday. These are deep conversations with smart people from inside and outside sport. Our entire back catalogue of 500 sports business conversations are available free of charge here. Each pod is available by searching for ‘Unofficial Partner’ on Apple, Spotify and every podcast app. If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series and live events, you can reach us via the website.