SBJ Unpacks: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment’s sales evolution

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment has created a dedicated division to sell sponsorships across its full portfolio for the first time.

Kroenke Signature Properties will be led by Arsenal FC Commercial Dir Olly Dale and Chris Sloan, Head of Global Partnerships for SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park. They’ll both be GM/Global Strategic Partnerships and continue to work from London and L.A., respectively. Also on Dale and Sloan’s team will be Kimberly Ostiller, who was the manager of global properties for SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park and now takes on the title of Dir of Global Strategic Partnerships for the new division.

Each individual component property of KSE will continue its sales efforts, Sloan said, and the cross-property notion may not be appropriate for all brands. But Stan and Josh Kroenke have sought to integrate their holdings more closely in recent months, believing they have a collection of assets and markets unmatched by other sports team holding companies that ought to be better monetized.

“We’re here to try to make it easy for global brands to take advantage of the size and scale KSE offers,” Dale said. “We’re in a unique position where we can utilize the resources and expertise we’ve got all across the group, to offer something to brands that’s pretty unique in the marketplace.”

KSE includes Arsenal, the Rams, Nuggets, Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Mammoth, Emirates Stadium, Ball Arena and SoFi Stadium/Hollywood Park. Even for deals done across the portfolio, activation and day-to-day execution will continue to primarily occur at the local property level.

“Where it makes sense across the globe, we will continue to look for ways to tie all of them together, and it will work for some brands and some won’t,” Sloan said.

Any category could conceivably be sold globally, but leaders acknowledged the most obvious opportunities come in technology vendors or other suppliers that may be interested in doing business across venues in LA, Denver and London. “It doesn’t make sense to have a partner in LA doing one thing, and a different partner in Denver, and a different partner in London. Wherever we can to standardize those things, and bring the conversation together to give it scale, that’s what stands out to us,” Sloan said.

Sports team holding groups have thus far generally been less prolific in selling sponsorships across multiple properties than many owners had hoped. But KSE executives believe they can change that pattern given their wide geographic footprint and high-profile assets. They have struck a few multi-property deals so far prior to this launch, including the 2020 hallmark deal with Ball Corp. that includes naming rights to the arena in Denver that is home to the Nuggets and Avalanche.

The new global division will be overseen by a steering committee comprised of: KSE President/Team & Media Operations Kevin Demoff; Arsenal Managing Dir Rich Garlick; Kroenke Holdings President Otto Maly; KSE EVP/Business Operations & Real Estate Mike Neary; KSE SVP/GM, Partnership Marketing & Media Sales Michael Ceilley; Rams Chief Commercial Officer Jen Prince and Arsenal Chief Commercial Officer Juliet Slot.

The changes were announced in a memo to staff on Monday from Demoff and Garlick.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- It would be hard to dream up a better start to WWE’s Netflix era than Monday night’s episode of "Raw." The event, held at Inglewood’s Intuit Dome, set an attendance record and drew a celebrity-studded crowd featuring the likes of Travis Scott, Ashton Kutcher, Vanessa Hudgens, Tiffany Haddish and Wale, not to mention appearances by wrestling royalty like Rey Mysterio and the Undertaker.

No star drew a bigger response, however, than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who entered the arena to a thunderous crowd. Yet before taking to the ring to set the stage for WWE’s Netflix debut, The Rock stopped to embrace a pair of ringside executives: Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro, the duo that leads Endeavor and TKO Group Holdings, WWE’s parent company. Shapiro said the moment caught him by surprise.

“I’d gone to visit him in the truck to give him a pump-up speech, not that he needs it,” Shapiro told SBJ on Monday night. “I knew when he was coming, but I didn’t know which direction he was taking. All of a sudden I saw him coming over, the place was going insane and it was just a lot of love in the room.”

Shapiro added that Johnson, who joined Endeavor’s WME in 2011, was emotional about the momentous occasion. “He has such a soft place in his heart for anything WWE-related,” Shapiro said. “And this is just such a milestone to be on a platform globally, live, and have that platform be Netflix with almost 300 million subs. It’s very gratifying for someone like Rock who has been here for the entire journey.”

“And the fact he’s on [TKO’s] board and involved in the strategic direction of the company is that much more fulfilling,” Shapiro added.

Shapiro joined Emanuel, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, WWE President Nick Khan and Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque in walking WWE’s red carpet ahead of the event. The grand entry was part of WWE’s VIP hospitality area in Court B, one of Intuit Dome’s innovative additions that doubles as public-access basketball court and special event space. Levesque raved about the arena in a press conference following the event.

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“This building is spectacular,” Levesque said. “The technology that’s in here and what they bring to the table, just wow. They couldn’t have been greater partners.” Levesque also disclosed that the crowd of 17,514 attendees “shattered” the WWE gate record for an arena show. He did not share much detail about Raw’s audience on Netflix, noting only that the early viewership numbers “were strong.” Levesque also spoke highly of how the move to Netflix provides WWE not just a global audience, but also new flexibility around things like timing ad breaks: “It takes a lot of coordinating and effort, but I think you’ll see a more manageable commercial load and, hopefully, for those that [have ad-free subscriptions], the ability to continue content will be meaningful.”

CELEB SIGHTINGS: The broadcast highlighted celebrities in the crowd throughout the show, many with ties to Netflix programming. Among those shown: Mila Kunis, Michael Che, Gilbert “Fluffy” Iglesias, Seth Green, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Macaulay Culkin, Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, Bill Simmons, Richard Gadd and Stephen Amell.

MAT SPONSORS: WWE had not had advertising on the mat for Raw previously, but went big for the debut. Fortnite was in the center of the ring. Longtime WWE sponsors Cricket and Snickers were featured, along with Netflix. Earlier Monday, WWE announced a partnership with Hulk Hogan’s Real American Beerand it had logo placement in two corners. Riyadh Season logos were in two corners. WWE had announced earlier Monday that the Royal Rumble in January 2026 would be in Riyadh, as part of the ongoing arrangement between WWE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

ESPN reporter Laura Rutledgehas been lauded for her on-air work surrounding the tragic events on New Year’s Day in New Orleans. The longtime ESPN personality, on the ground for the Sugar Bowl, bounced from giving sports fans updates on ESPN airwaves to being a main voice on the ground for “Good Morning America” and ABC News updates on Jan. 1 and 2.

It all started at around 6am local time for Rutledge on New Year’s Day, as she was waking to begin what would be prep for a big day of coverage around the Allstate Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia. But after checking her phone and the news, the reality of the situation began to set in.

“I would say three hours or so was just the frantic checking in with people and trying to gather more information, just about the safety of our group and everybody's wellbeing,” Rutledge tells SBJ. “And then we went to the production meeting for the game at 9am. ... While we were in that meeting [at the hotel], we had a security briefing from one of our ESPN security people, and so he was telling us some of the details and some things that we needed to know. We were told you can't go anywhere without security, because at that point, nobody knew exactly what had gone down and what the potential risk was even to leave the area.”

Rutledge soon after starting getting in touch with reps from UGA football and the athletic department, which wanted to put out a statement about the safety of its team and staff. The realization then also started that there was news that needed to get out there for the public, so she reached out to “SEC Nation” coordinating producer Baron Miller.

“College GameDay” was already on the air by this point, and after spotting a camera set-up at the hotel that was to be used for Paul Finebaum later on, Rutledge quickly got in touch over text with the show’s coordinating producer, Matt Garrett, and after a quick wardrobe change back in her room, was on “GameDay” delivering breaking news.

“That was the first time that we delivered the information just about what the teams were doing and what we knew as of right then,” she said. “And we kind of thought that was going to be it. We didn't know what else was going to happen. And then [ESPN EVP/Sports Production] Mike McQuade was there, so he came down and we're all kind of talking in the hotel and our security was there too. So I kept asking, ‘Are they going to open the Superdome?’”

When getting word that the venue would open, Rutledge and her team made plans to head over there. “That's when ABC News reached out and said that they would likely to be live as soon as possible,” she said.

Rutledge then had to switch gears from reporting on a developing sports situation to being ABC News’ point person at the Superdome reporting on what was starting to look like a domestic terrorist act. “ABC News would get in my ear and they would say, ‘We're coming back to you, so don't go anywhere.’ I didn't leave the set for probably six or seven hours, and they just kind of kept coming back and they'd be like, ‘OK, if you can stick around, we'll be back at this time.’ Or, ‘Hey, we're coming to you now.'”

“The one thing that I just want people to know is that the entire time I was thinking, ‘OK, all I can do is report the information that I have.’ But I couldn't help but think about all those families that were getting the worst possible call that you're ever wanting to get in your life.”

Rutledge also acknowledged the different approaches she had to take over the two days in New Orleans, jumping from ESPN or SEC Network programs to other outlets like ABC News and “GMA.”

“ABC News wanted a different type of information,” Rutledge noted. “They were interested in what the teams were doing. They were interested in what I could tell them about the increased security specific to the Superdome footprint. They were interested in how this would affect the Super Bowl and things like that. So I actually ended up finding out more about the federal coordinator for the Super Bowl security, which is somebody who was in place for a year's time. These were things that I never imagined reporting on because I talk about football. So it was a very different type of information that ABC News wanted.”

Rutledge noted “GMA” wanted more opinion from her on camera. “They wanted to know how I would compare that game to previous Sugar Bowls I had covered and things like that -- a little bit more of the personal touch.”

It was more football for Rutledge when jumping on “SportsCenter” or “The Pat McAfeeShow” for hits. “While there was still a lot of sensitivity to the victims of the attack and their families, there's also the element of the quick turnaround for the winner of that game, which of course ends up being Notre Dame. They had the quick turnaround to the Orange Bowl. That was something that we were paying attention to. ... At that point, I don't even think I had a note in my notebook about anything football related, because that felt so second nature in comparison to the notes I had jotted down, which were FBI and security and police dogs doing a sweep for explosives.”

It's been a long day for Pete Distad.

The CEO of Venu Sports (the skinny bundle backed by Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery) officially found out at around 4am ET on Monday that after three weeks of talks, a deal was done that would see  Fubo and Disney’s Hulu + Live TV merge.

The public announcement at 9am came as a surprise to most -- myself included.

For Distad and the staff at Venu, it's a huge win. Beyond Disney getting control of 70% of Fubo and operation of a newly combined entity, the agreement  settles Fubo’s lawsuit against Venu Sports and lifts an injunction, clearing the way for the Venu Sports to move forward with plans to launch.

“It’s clear Fubo comes down as the big winner here. They got this lifeline out of this Venu lawsuit,” one sports media rights expert told SBJ. “This was a surprise to everyone.”

A separate source said Venu will be announcing a launch date imminently, well ahead of ESPN’s planned debut of its DTC service “Flagship” in the fall. The source added that Venu has been continuing to build the product, which uses tech from Fox Sports. 

Before Fubo’s injunction was delivered in August, Venu had not yet formally set up its joint venture between Fox, Disney and WBD. Before the vMVPD launches, the official paperwork needs to get done. But the merger means that Venu will retain all its staff. The company also kept hiring throughout its legal woes, including the addition of Distad.

Disney, Fox and WBD will also pay Fubo a combined $220 million to settle the antitrust suit that Fubo filed back in February.

Fubo, which has 6.2 million subscribers, is set to create a service that will feature all of Disney’s sports and broadcasts networks, and Disney is joining a new carriage agreement with Fubo for the tier. That portion of the deal is expected to close within 12-18 months.

What just happened?

Both journalists and sports media experts were confused about the settlement.

“Why does Disney want to add another streaming platform to its already long and growing list of consumer streaming offerings?” analysts from MoffettNathanson wrote in a note today. “Keeping the Fubo brand alive (along with the public equity), plus the pending ESPN Flagship launch and the now likely upcoming launch of Venu, in addition to Hulu + Live TV, ESPN+ standalone Hulu SVOD and, of course, Disney+ (which now includes Hulu and ESPN content) only further confuses the long-term streaming strategy for Disney investors.

“Perhaps the newco will serve as a vessel for further consolidation of sports and linear assets, including those owned by Disney. Could this entity one day merge with Venu? What if we think even bigger like combining ESPN?”

I previously reported that Disney only sees Venu as a small piece of a much larger sports strategy, with the focus on "Flagship." Time will tell, but there’s speculation Venu hopes to debut in time for the Super Bowl (which is broadcast partner Fox this year). 

A new year, new tie-up.

Venue seating firms Irwin and bluecube are launching Venue360, a system of interrelated and interchangeable furniture equipment that all fits on a rail system embedded in a platform floor, minimizing the need for more permanent connection to sports venues’ seating bowl concrete.

The rail system is the foundational aspect; everything connected to it can be changed (even demountable platforms), giving venue operations crews flexibility for different event types and venue owners flexibility in how they configure their venue in the future.

In the past, bluecube has collaborated with other venue seating providers, like DreamSeat in the U.S. But bluecube and Irwin will exclusively offer the Venue360 system, sharing investment in the system's creation as well as subsequent financial results (bluecube will continue to work with other U.S. seating providers on other projects and product offerings).

Irwin, one of the oldest and biggest companies in the North American venue seating market, and bluecube, whose business is more international, have collaborated on venue seating projects for roughly 17 years, including, most recently, The Sphere. The partnership will help each company grow in the opposite markets. And they’ve opened a working space in Kansas City, home of the sports architecture world, that will act as a showroom for the Venue360 concept, and a hub for idea development where the two companies will meet with current and prospective clients and discuss their needs.

“We’re not naive enough to think we have all the answers today,” said Coke Irwin, SVP/sales and marketing at Irwin. “We have a lot of great solutions but how do we work through those solutions with stakeholders? Use a space to inspire.” 

Venue360 doesn’t exist in any venues yet; it’s intended for clients that need flexibility in their venues for seating bowls with a variety of seating types and/or host an array of event types.

Adapting to the times

Fan experience norms are changing, which is impacting seating bowls, and accordingly the seating products within them (if there even are any). That, along with several younger companies that have brought new products and concepts to bear (like DreamSeat and 4Topps), have reenergized the sports venue seating industry, which was long dominated in the U.S. by a handful of companies with over a century of experience, including Irwin.

“What we were noticing over the years is that the trend was for a lot more flexible spaces,” said bluecube managing director Russell Plant. “Putting on international events like World Cups or Olympic events and whatnot, we noticed that the type of equipment we needed to deliver was a lot broader than just seating.”

Selling Venue360 as a complete system (it’ll besold, not rented) is the key aspect. In the past, putting together a package of furniture options meant procuring incompatible products from different vendors. The idea stemmed from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where bluecube (on its own, without Irwin) installed a similar system for a venue that needed flexibility (like hosting NFL games) and an array of seating products, including standing room-only sections.

The additions of what would now be called Venue360 almost doubled the value of that contract with Tottenham, according to bluecube commercial director Steve Bartlett.

As 2025 dawns, Brazil finds itself at a pivotal crossroads where economic freedom intersects with social responsibility. The full regulation of sports betting under Law 14.790/2023 promises substantial financial gains. Yet, the Brazilian Supreme Court’s recent injunction — imposing immediate restrictions on advertisements targeting minors and prohibiting the use of social assistance funds for gambling — ignited a debate as fierce as any soccer rivalry: How does a nation reconcile commercial freedom of expression with the imperative to shield minors and vulnerable consumers from potential harm? This debate is far from theoretical.

At the heart of the matter lies a constitutional tension. Article 170 of the Brazilian Constitution enshrines economic freedom, while Article 220 safeguards freedom of expression, including commercial speech. Yet, these freedoms are not absolute. Just as the First Amendment in the U.S. does not protect incitement or obscenity, commercial speech may yield when it collides with the public interest. Striking a balance between companies’ rights to promote their services and the government’s duty to safeguard public welfare will shape the trajectory of Brazil’s burgeoning betting industry.

In the United States, the landscape of sports betting underwent a seismic shift with the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Murphy v. NCAA. The court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which effectively banned sports betting nationwide, arguing that it unconstitutionally commandeered state legislatures.

However, Murphy v. NCAA didn’t legalize sports betting across the U.S. Instead, it empowered individual states to regulate or prohibit it as they saw fit. This decentralized approach contrasts sharply with Brazil’s centralized regulatory scheme. New Jersey and Nevada moved swiftly to establish regulatory frameworks, balancing economic opportunity with consumer protection. Advertising restrictions vary by state but generally focus on preventing underage gambling and promoting responsible gaming.

Brazil’s centralized model, enforced through a Supreme Court injunction, imposes immediate and uniform restrictions without the benefit of region-specific considerations. While uniformity offers clarity, it risks overreach and stifles the flexibility that can be crucial in effectively regulating a dynamic industry.

Brazil commands the world’s third-largest sports betting market, with an annual turnover estimated between $60 billion and $100 billion (approximately $10 billion to $17 billion in U.S. dollars). The government’s plan includes licensing fees of about $5 million (U.S.) per operator, stringent advertising standards, and technological measures such as facial recognition to prevent misconduct.

A study by the Brazilian Central Bank noted that 20% of bettors are beneficiaries of the “Bolsa Família” social assistance program, wagering approximately $3 billion ($500 million U.S.) in a single month. The knee-jerk reaction might be to restrict these individuals from participating in betting. However, correlation is not causation. Declaring such individuals unfit to participate in a legal market risks undermining their autonomy and human dignity, fundamental rights protected under Article 1, III of the Constitution. Overly paternalistic approaches that infantilize adults are no more appealing in Brasília than they would be in Washington, D.C. 

The more prudent response is not to demonize these vulnerable bettors. Brazil’s National Council on Food and Nutrition Security (CONSEA) has endorsed educational campaigns to inform consumers of risks without patronizing them. It’s a strategy that respects individual freedom while promoting public welfare — a balance that is both constitutionally solid and practically effective.

Yet, Brazil’s imposition of strict liability on operators for the actions of their affiliates and influencers is a heavy-handed approach. Holding companies liable for third-party misconduct stretches legal reasonableness. Instead of punishing the operator for a rogue affiliate’s misconduct, regulators could demand that all influencers undergo mandatory training and certification, akin to proposals in France.

Some measures — such as banning ads directed at minors — are unsurprising and align with widely accepted global standards. Others — such as restricting the use of specific funds for gambling — spark controversy. While the injunction addresses valid concerns, such as addiction, over-indebtedness, and erosion of family stability, the solution lies not in overly restrictive measures but in crafting regulations that promote transparency and lawful behavior.

Brazil’s government has already introduced innovative tools: single bank accounts for licensed operators, facial recognition systems to prevent identity fraud, and the “.bet.br” domain to distinguish legitimate platforms. These measures, applied judiciously, can curtail illicit practices while fostering legitimate innovation.

Commercial freedom and consumer protection are not irreconcilable foes. They are more like rival soccer teams, pushing each other toward excellence. Responsible advertising can coexist with entrepreneurial creativity. Consumers can enjoy the entertainment value of sports betting without being lured into financial ruin. The U.S. experience demonstrates that balanced regulation can succeed: Americans wagered over $630 billion online by the mid-2020s, with most states favoring regulatory frameworks over outright bans.

By improving enforcement, Brazil can ensure fairness for operators that invest in compliance and consumer education. Unduly burdensome rules risk incentivizing offshore, clandestine platforms — an ironic twist that might push the vulnerable into even murkier waters. Brazil must avoid tipping the scale so far that legitimate companies flee and black (and gray) markets flourish.

The message for sports executives is clear: Responsibility is not just a moral imperative but a strategic advantage. By embracing ethical advertising practices and prioritizing consumer welfare, betting operators can help shape a market that is not only profitable but sustainable.

In balancing economic liberty with social responsibility, wisdom lies in moderation. Neither unfettered freedom nor oppressive regulation serves the greater good. The challenge — and opportunity — for Brazil is to chart a course that respects constitutional principles while ensuring a fair and thriving marketplace where everyone wins when the rules are fair.

Thiago Nicacio is an attorney at Felsberg  Advogados in Brazil and a member of the Meritas global legal network of independent law firms. He also participates in the  Meritas Sports Law Group, an international coalition of lawyers dedicated to addressing the legal needs of governing bodies, clubs, teams, athletes, and companies within the sports industry.

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