Jen Topping and Jo Redfern are our guests critique the arguments around sport’s relationship with the creator economy, the control v chaos philosophy divide inherent in digital IP monetisation and audience building, and the PR battles being waged for premium advertising among the big platforms. Plus, the Beano.

Jen Topping’s Business of YouTube Substack newsletter is great, as is Jo’s Kids Media Club podcast. Both are broader than sport and all the better for it.

Plus:

The "Taylor Swift Data Fallacy" - This explores how top-tier creator success (like MrBeast's) is mistaken for average outcomes when creators transition to streaming, leading to unrealistic expectations.

The Data Reliability Crisis - Addressing the fundamental problem that much online engagement isn't authentic, with nearly half of internet traffic coming from bots.

Generation Z's "Creative Maximalism" - Examining how younger audiences have developed entirely new creative frameworks that challenge traditional media production.

The D2C Imperative - Why direct-to-consumer strategies are becoming essential rather than optional for traditional producers.

Creator-Led Sports as a Microcosm - Using sports leagues as an example of broader shifts in entertainment consumption and production.

Unofficial 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.
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We 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 400 sports business conversations are available free of charge here.

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If you’re interested in collaborating with Unofficial Partner to create one-off podcasts or series, you can reach us via the website.