For the third consecutive year, leading sports executives gathered in Båstad during the ATP Nordea Open last week. Hosted by Commercial Sports Media, DMC Production, and Sportway, a wide range of topics were discussed at the fully booked seminar on ‘Sport as an Asset Class’ and ‘Sportstech.’ Experts from the US highlighted that the era of leading US tech companies entering the sports and media rights sectors has undoubtedly arrived. In just five years, from 2019, commitments from tech companies in sports media rights have increased fiftyfold, soaring from nine billion SEK to 450 billion SEK. These tech companies are significantly outpacing legacy media companies in terms of size.

Following the US entry into this space, it is highly likely that these tech giants will begin exploring international markets. The Nordics, the world’s eighth-largest sports rights market, are expected to be on their radar. Additionally, US capital, including private equity (PE), venture capital (VC), and high-net-worth individual (HNWI) investments, is poised to further influence European sports by seeking exposure in this growing sector.