Fresh plays from the sports marketing arena

The latest from the digital front line.News, views, insights and updates.

What’s hot this month

The rise of the second club fan: How rights holders can understand, win and monetise multi-club fandom

Game changers: Building a winning challenger sports brand

Streaming in sports social: Maximising engagement beyond broadcast

Are sports losing the real fans? | The Commentary Box | EP. 2

May 2026 (00 min)

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The Commentary Box Podcast: Ben Stokes has retired from international cricket

Ben Stokes’ retirement leads this week’s Commentary Box, as we unpack what it means for England cricket, modern fandom, World Cup stories and sports marketing.Podcast

How to monetise multi-club fans

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will create millions of new second club fans. Here's how rights holders and brands can convert that sports fan engagement into lasting revenue.Views

YouTube in ANZ Sports: A 2025 deep dive

We have analysed over 72,000 YouTube uploads from sports teams, codes, competitions, podcasts, events and more from across Australia & New Zealand to reveal the true scale of the platform, how accounts have found success and the commercial benefit to the platform.

The Commentary Box Podcast: Are sports losing the real fans?

Sport is becoming more social, cultural and creator-led. The Commentary Box breaks down what tennis, the NBA, football rights and viral content mean for rights holders, brands and fans.Podcast

The rise of the second club fan: How rights holders can understand, win and monetise multi-club fandom

Download Engage’s Second Club Fan report to discover why multi-club fandom is rising, and how rights holders can turn chosen fans into growth.Whitepaper

YouTube is no longer a highlights hub, sport needs to treat it like TV

Is YouTube the new TV for sport? Explore how rights holders are monetising YouTube in 2026 through ads, sponsorship, memberships, live content and creator-led formats.Views

Brave Bison Partners with iVisit Boxing to Transform Global Boxing Distribution via YouTube

Brave Bison, the digital media, marketing and technology company, today announces a new partnership with iVisit Boxing (iVB), the disruptive live sports entertainment organisation, to deliver and scale its ambitious new global city-vs-city franchise league, the Iconic Boxing League (IBL). News

FIFA’s sponsorship sellout and the growing power of the creator layer

FIFA’s sponsorship inventory is sold out, but attention is shifting. Here’s what DAZN48 and the rise of creators mean for rights holders, sponsors, and fan engagement.Views

The Commentary Box Podcast: Verstappen leaving Formula 1 and are creators becoming too commercialised?

Formula 1’s Verstappen uncertainty, The Masters’ influencer shift, and the rise of commercialised creators, here’s what it all means for sport, media and fans.Podcast

The rise of second club fandom: Why Europe’s sporting giants are chasing the NBA

Football clubs are investing in NBA Europe to unlock US audiences and tap into second club fandom. Explore how this shift is reshaping global sport, culture and commercial strategy.Views

The Commentary Box: Rugby’s next move, cricket’s power shift and a broadcast shake-up

From South America’s Rugby World Cup ambitions to the IPL’s growing dominance and a major shake-up in UK broadcasting, discover the major sports stories shaping 2026, in The Commentary Box.Views

From followers to football clubs: The creator economy enters sports ownership

Creators like KSI are moving from building audiences to owning football clubs. Explore how the creator economy is reshaping sports ownership and fandom.Views

Brave Bison appoints Ed Knights as Head of Growth

Media, marketing and technology company Brave Bison has appointed Ed Knights as Head of Growth, as the business accelerates its global expansion across marketing consultancy, training and execution.News

The Commentary Box: Who’s owning the future on YouTube in 2026?

Welcome back to The Commentary Box, where we’re unpacking how YouTube is no longer just a platform, it’s a playing field, a broadcast network, and the world’s biggest idea incubator. Views

What TikTok told us about the future of sports on the platform

An afternoon spent with TikTok’s sports team made one thing very clear: TikTok doesn’t see itself as a replacement for live sports broadcasting. It sees itself as the ignition. News

The Commentary Box: How streaming, creators and athletes are reshaping sport

From the Winter Olympics and Eileen Gu’s digital dominance to the Premier League’s streaming plans, here are the sports media stories shaping 2026.Views

The Loyal Fan Index: Which sports team in Australia & NZ has the most loyal supporters?

Ever wondered which teams have the most loyal fans in sports? The first ever metric of its kind absorbs thousands of data points to provide the answer of who has bragging rights in Australia & New ZealandWhitepaper

Brave Bison Promotes Ric Hayes to Chief Strategy Officer

Today, media, marketing and technology company Brave Bison announces the promotion of Ric Hayes to Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), marking a major step in the business’s ambition to lead the next evolution of marketing strategy for global brands. News

Creator Access Is Turning YouTubers Into Media Owners

For years, YouTube creators have been treated as distribution - talent plugged into platforms, monetising largely through AdSense and interruptive ad formats. Creator Access changes that. Views

The Commentary Box: What’s driving sport in 2026

From NFL viewership records to FIFA's TikTok play and Koepka's PGA return — discover the game-changing sports stories shaping 2026 in The Commentary Box.Views

Why the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be won in feeds as much as on the field

Discover why the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be defined by creators, not just commentary. This blog explores how TikTok, short-form video, and fan culture are reshaping the future of football storytelling.Views

How TNT’s Ashes cricket experiment mirrored Bazball

Casey Harwood, chief business officer at Engage Digital Partners, looks at TNT’s commentary change for a lightning quick first Ashes test.Views

Streaming in sports social: Maximising engagement beyond broadcast

Unlock the secrets of sports social media engagement. Download our free report on how leading broadcasters and OTT platforms like Optus Sport are winning on social in Australia and key APAC markets.Whitepaper

How F1 partnerships are driving a more diverse digital fanbase

Ben Cooke, senior sport account manager, overviews how F1 is targeting a younger, more diverse audience through more innovative and thoughtful partnerships.Views

YouTube is the king-slayer of traditional sports broadcast

Why YouTube is replacing traditional sports broadcast. Discover how rights holders can own their audience and revenue by meeting Gen Z fans where they are: on-demand and social.Views

Building the modern sports super brand: What legacy giants can learn from digital disruptors

Legacy sports giants vs digital disruptors—who wins the future? Join STRIKR’s Michael Sutherland and Brave Bison’s Gregg Oldfield as they unpack how to scale, monetise and future-proof sports brands beyond broadcast. A must-watch playbook for digital-era fan engagement.Events

Game changers: Building a winning challenger sports brand

Discover how challenger sports brands can outthink the competition. Engage Digital Partners share strategies to build fan loyalty, growth, and digital impact.Whitepaper

Front-of-shirt sponsorship: Time for a shake-up?

Is football shirt sponsorship outdated? Growth Manager Sam Priest explores how top clubs like Barça (cultural relevance) and Juventus (dual-deals) are innovating the model for digital ROI.Views

Brave Bison wins Guinness World Records social monetisation brief

Guinness World Records (GWR) appoints Brave Bison to scale its 70-year-old brand's global digital footprint. Learn how they plan to boost monetisation across YouTube, Snap, and Meta platforms.News

How stronger partnerships can drive digital growth in sports

Senior Digital Analyst Ross Crawford explores how aligning sports stakeholders—athletes, teams, sponsors, platforms—with shared data and vision drives digital growth and deeper fan engagement.Views

Engage Digital Partners appoints Ollie Trenchard as Growth Director, APAC

Ollie Trenchard is appointed Growth Director, APAC at Engage Digital Partners. He will drive expansion and integrate Brave Bison/SocialChain expertise to engage fans across the region's 'golden decade' of sport.News

Brave Bison acquires Engage Digital Partners

Media company Brave Bison acquires Engage Digital Partners (F1, Real Madrid clients) to form a new £16M Sports division. The combined entity offers full-funnel digital strategy, content, and monetisation.News

Need to know

The World Cup will create second club fans. Will clubs convert them?

The Commentary Box Podcast: Verstappen leaving Formula 1 and are creators becoming too commercialised?

The Commentary Box

The Commentary Box February

The Premier League

The Commentary Box: January 2026

The Commentary Box: 2025 roundup

From insights to action: how smart use of AI can supercharge fan engagement

TNT’s Ashes commentary switch-up: Brave or barmy?

Why first movers in AI will win the fan game

Streaming Just Landed a Knockout Punch

Fan-first thinking: The challenger brand edge

Winning with insight: The challenger brand edge

Top three tips for growing a strong audience on Snap and Meta

Growing your brand as an athlete

Rewriting the rules: turning passionate fans into co-owners, creators, and distributors

Scaling your sports brands from startup

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