Sports Ticker #145 - The $14 billion sports streaming battle and Leicester’s PSR points sanction - a speed read of commercial news from the sports world

In a fortnight that saw the opening of the 25th Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Floyd Mayweather bringing a $340 million lawsuit against Showtime Sports, and Spurs parting with manager Thomas Frank after eight months in charge, we bring you news of Leicester City’s PSR points penalty, Formula E’s cutting-edge AI partnership with Google Cloud, and a record $1.7 billion surge in sports streaming spending.

As always, if there are any issues on which you’d like more information (or if you have any questions or feedback), please do let us know or get in touch with your usual contact at RPC.

Prime Time: Streamers set to record $14 billion sports spend in 2026
Streaming platforms are predicted to spend a record $14.2 billion acquiring global sports rights in 2026, a staggering $1.7 billion increase from last year. London-based insights firm Ampere Analysis has forecast that Amazon Prime Video is set to top the spending charts, with an estimated $3.8 billion investment into sports streaming rights this year – around 27% of the total sports streaming spend. The total takes into account Prime’s new 11-year, $1.8 billion per season NBA deal, as well as its existing US rights to NFL’s Thursday Night Football programming and UEFA Champions League rights in the UK. DAZN, the category’s biggest spender since 2018, is predicted to account for 22% of 2026’s sports rights spend. Ampere highlighted the “growing importance” of live sports as part of streaming companies’ portfolios, previously predicting that global spending on sports media rights could be worth more than $78 billion by 2030, with growth across European, American and Asian markets. The surge highlights how live sport has rapidly emerged as one of the most powerful and valuable currencies in the race for online audiences.

Financial foul: Foxes face six-point deduction for PSR breach
EFL Championship club, Leicester City, has been docked six points after an independent disciplinary commission found the club to be in breach of the EFL Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). The commission found that in the three-year reporting period, ending in the 2023/24 season, Leicester exceeded the permitted loss threshold, overspending by £20.8 million. The club was also found to have failed to submit required financial information on time. The case was referred to the commission by the Premier League following Leicester’s relegation. The points deduction has been applied by the EFL with immediate effect, with the commission finding that this would be “the only effective sanction”. In 2024, Leicester avoided a points deduction after successfully appealing a PSR decision related to losses during the three-year period ending in the 2022/23 season (see Sports Ticker #112 for more). In a statement, Leicester expressed its “disappointment” with the outcome, as well as an intention to “consider the options available”. The ruling highlights the continued focus on financial regulation within English football, as leagues seek to enforce sustainability rules while clubs balance competitive ambition with fiscal control.

Ready, Set, Go-ogle: Google Cloud becomes Formula E Principal Partner Google Cloud has secured a multi-year partnership with the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, marking a significant push to embed artificial intelligence across the series’ operations. As part of the deal, Google Cloud will become Formula E’s “Principal Partner” and “Principal AI Partner.” Through the collaboration, Formula E plans to offer viewers richer real-time performance insights, designed to boost engagement as audience viewing habits continue to evolve. Beyond the fan experience, the collaboration will also aim to deliver meaningful sustainability gains. Formula E and Google have previously collaborated as part of the 2025 “Mountain Recharge” project, which used Google’s AI Studio and Gemini to test the boundaries of regenerative braking technology. Advanced AI modelling reduces the need to transport race equipment and conduct on-site reconnaissance, helping cut carbon emissions across the championship. As Google Cloud takes its place on Formula E’s starting grid, the partnership underlines just how central computing power has become in modern motorsport.

Causing a ruck-us: rugby draws record crowd for Scottish women’s sport
The upcoming Scotland v England fixture in the 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations is set to attract the largest ever crowd for a standalone women's sporting event in Scotland. So far, more than 19,000 tickets have been sold for the match, which is due to take place on 18 April 2026 at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. Ticket sales have already exceeded previous records by over 11,000, validating Scottish Rugby’s decision to host the match in the main Murrayfield bowl – the first time the women’s national team has played a ticketed international match at the site. Scotland captain, Rachel Malcolm, thanked fans for the “huge show of support” and highlighted the sense of responsibility to inspire future generations. The unprecedented supporter demand marks the ever-growing momentum behind women's rugby. Scottish minister for Sport, Maree Todd, praised the “phenomenal progress” of women's rugby, hailing the achievement as a landmark moment for the sport in Scotland. 

Grand Slam Track’s $41 million deficit drives Chapter 11 filing
Grand Slam Track (GST), the professional track league launched by former Olympic champion sprinter Michael Johnson, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing revealed total debts of almost $41 million owed to 340 creditors and only $831,000 in assets, all classified as personal property. GST generated just $1.8 million in revenue last year, leaving many promised payments to star athletes undistributed, including significant sums reportedly owed to Olympic Champions Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas. Johnson is also listed in the bankruptcy filing as being owed more than $2.4 million, having previously put $2.25 million into the business in May 2025 to help GST’s third event in Philadelphia go ahead.  As covered in Sports Ticker #138, the league secured emergency funding in October 2025, with the hopes of the competition returning this year. A GST spokesperson has said that the filing reflects the personal commitment of founders, who “continue to work every day towards enabling the continued operation of the league”.

Extra time...

…and finally, a little over an hour and a half after beginning his 508-metre ascent, Alex Honnold reached the top of Taiwan’s Taipei 101 with nothing but a bag of chalk, a pair of climbing shoes and the trepid encapsulation of several million live viewers to aid him. The free solo climb, which saw Honnold navigate Taipei 101’s seemingly endless façade without any safety gear, was broadcast live globally on Netflix’s Skyscraper Live, drawing more than six million viewers. Once considered a niche pastime, climbing has quickly evolved into a global phenomenon, fuelled by Olympic exposure, post-pandemic fitness trends and a wave of high-profile documentaries (including Honnold’s own, Free Solo). The spectacle marked the next step in a rapidly growing global interest in climbing, with the sport's governing body, World Climbing, operating with a €6 million budget, anticipated to rise to €15 million in coming years. With soaring interest comes soaring profit. It’s no surprise then, that the sport has attracted the attention of heavyweight brands such as Netflix who hope, like Honnold, that the only way is up.