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Unofficial Partner Podcast

Unofficial Partner
Women's Football
Cricket
GOLF
Premier League
Private Equity
Artificial Intelligence
NFL
Fan Engagement
Formula One
Youtube
Football
Media Rights
Sports Investment
Women's Sports
Netflix
Sponsorship
Sports Marketing
Two Circles
Sports Technology
Community Engagement

Unofficial Partner is the leading podcast for the business of sport. Our guests are a who's who of the international sports industry talking about the big issues.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes570Founded7 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
SportsBusinessManagement

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Artwork for Unofficial Partner Podcast

Latest Episodes

Spin Class is our regular series with experts in sports communications, PR and reputation management. 

Football's transfer window is one of the definitive sports business stories. Its cast of characters include players, agents, managers, club owners... more

Nigel Rushman is one of the most effective operators in the modern sports business — a fixer and dealmaker who spent four decades at the delivery end of major events, building a parallel international career brokering deals across governments and ind... more

Few people sit closer to the epicentre of the sports digital economy than Daniel Kirschner. As co-founder and CEO of Greenfly, he oversees the connective tissue running between rights holders, athletes and fans; the infrastructure that turns a moment... more

Spin Class is Unofficial Partner's series on sports comms, PR, reputation and crisis management.

Three stories:

A FIFA president everyone's written off who isn't going anywhere. 

A billion-dollar golf breakaway running out of road. 

And a heavywe... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Dan Jamieson
CEO of Icons, a leading football memorabilia brand
Icons
Episode: UP563 Jude Inc: 'I don't suppose you've got any Bellingham?'
Jonathan Licht
Chief Sports Officer at Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Episode: UP556 'Serviette Maths': Sky Sports Boss On The Premflix Threat
Katie Maier
Chief Marketing Officer at the MCC
MCC
Episode: UP555 The Lord's Question: What Does The MCC Brand Stand For?
Ellie Roach
Senior Consultant at InCrowd
InCrowd
Episode: UP555 The Lord's Question: What Does The MCC Brand Stand For?
Andy Shora
TFG Labs leader, AI strategist
TFG Labs
Episode: UP552 Chat_UP: Google's AI pivot and the end of the subsidised era
Blake Wooster
Founder of TFG
TFG
Episode: UP552 Chat_UP: Google's AI pivot and the end of the subsidised era
Ricardo Fort
Former global head of sport at Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Episode: UP551 Coke's Cole Palmer Problem: When the ambassador misses the party
Charlie Hartley
Former county cricketer for Kent, cricket coaching resource author, children's author
Independent cricket professional / author
Episode: UP550 Inside Edge: IPL Auctions and the Financialization of Everything
Gaurav Sundararaman
Cricket analyst and commentator with deep IPL knowledge
Cricket analyst/commentator
Episode: UP550 Inside Edge: IPL Auctions and the Financialization of Everything

Host

Richard Gillis
Host of Unofficial Partner Podcast; appears across many episodes as a lead host with deep industry insight.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 364 ratings
  • Really good sports podcast

    Started listening to this podcast and it’s very interesting.

    Definitely worth a listen.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Userz12345
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • Great podcast for sports business insights

    Really enjoying Unofficial Partner.

    Great listen if you’re interested in what goes on behind the scenes in sport.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Vicks0303
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • Amazing podcast

    Love listening to regular episodes, UP cover everything in good detail with an bring excellent entertainment👍

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    George Haynes .
    United Kingdom6 months ago
  • It’s like a Sports MBA in your pocket

    I thoroughly enjoy listening to this podcast because it dives into detail on many topical issues in the business of sport. If you’ve listened to enough episodes, you have a sports MBA in effect.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Makalima
    South Africa2 years ago
  • Relevant and insightful

    Big fan of the unofficial partner. Insightful conversations around shifts in the industry, reflections on the past and predictions for the future. Always a good to listen!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    LMOR33
    United Kingdom2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The conversations balance theory and real-world examples in rights, branding, and tech.
Guests are consistently high-caliber, with actionable insights for sports business professionals.
Audience enjoys a candid, business-heavy perspective on sport's future.
Listener feedback highlights practical, behind-the-scenes industry knowledge.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#146
Ukraine/Sports

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

UP563 Jude Inc: 'I don't suppose you've got any Bellingham?'
Q: How does the distribution work with official channels and what about World Cup shops and partners?
We maintain own channels plus partnerships with Fanatics and other licensees; official World Cup shops are negotiated separately, and margins are carefully managed to avoid over-discounting or squeezing out the official partners.
UP563 Jude Inc: 'I don't suppose you've got any Bellingham?'
Q: What does the signing include in practical terms and how do you protect the IP and authenticity of the items?
The deal includes hours of signing sessions, controlled access with Real Madrid for IP rights, and a triple-lock authentication system along with video documentation to prove the moment of signing and ownership.
UP563 Jude Inc: 'I don't suppose you've got any Bellingham?'
Q: You're the guy who signed Jude Bellingham a week before the World Cup—can you walk us through how that came about?
We talent-spotted him years ago and made careful, long-term considerations, approaching him when he was with Dortmund and seeing the X factor that suggested global appeal beyond English markets.
UP556 'Serviette Maths': Sky Sports Boss On The Premflix Threat
Q: How does Sky view the tension between creator-led channels and traditional broadcasting in terms of attribution and audience trust?
Sky sees talent and creator-led content as integral to its brand, with attribution managed to reflect where the audience engages, while preserving the integrity and premium nature of the Sky broadcast experience for core live sports coverage.
UP556 'Serviette Maths': Sky Sports Boss On The Premflix Threat
Q: What's the stance on women's sport and Sky's investment in it—does it merely serve marketing purposes or is there a deeper business rationale?
There is a strong business rationale and a higher purpose; Sky believes in growing audiences for women's sport, expects measurable growth, and views long-term partnerships as central to enabling broader participation and equality, while also driving brand and subscriber growth.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Unofficial Partner Podcast

What is Unofficial Partner Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A business-focused show about the global sports industry, with in-depth conversations on how data, technology, media rights, branding, and sponsorship shape teams, leagues, and ecosystems. Core themes across recent episodes include balancing analytics with human judgment, the evolving role of AI and agentic tools in coaching, broadcasting, and fan engagement, and the economics of rights, sponsorships, and platform strategies. Noteworthy is the consistent presence of insights from executives and analysts who sit at the intersection of sport, media, and technology, offering practical takeaways for rights holders, brands, and agencies seeking to navigate a rapidly changing landscape. Potential listeners will find this a strong fit if they want... more

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How many listeners does Unofficial Partner Podcast get?

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To see how many followers or subscribers Unofficial Partner Podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Unofficial Partner Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Unofficial Partner Podcast:

1. Business of Sport
2. Leaders Worth Knowing Podcast
3. The Price of Football
4. SportsPro Podcast
5. Are You Not Entertained?

How many episodes of Unofficial Partner Podcast are there?

Unofficial Partner Podcast launched 7 years ago and published 570 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Unofficial Partner Podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on Unofficial Partner Podcast?

Recent guests on Unofficial Partner Podcast include:

1. Dan Jamieson
2. Jonathan Licht
3. Katie Maier
4. Ellie Roach
5. Andy Shora
6. Blake Wooster
7. Ricardo Fort
8. Charlie Hartley

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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