Gaming News Canada
Gaming News Canada Show
2025: The year ahead in Canadian sport business, sports media and sports betting
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2025: The year ahead in Canadian sport business, sports media and sports betting

Episode 137

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The next 12 months are expected to bring continuing change in the business of sports, sports media, and, of course, sports betting.

That was made clear on the first Gaming News Canada Show Presented by GBG Plc. of 2025. Brian Cooper, the long-time Canadian sports sponsorship guru and frequent board member – including chair of MKTG Canada and Canada Basketball, as well as a member of the board of directors at NorthStar Gaming – and The Parleh co-founder/CEO Mark Silver were our guests for a “look-ahead” edition of the podcast, covering a wide range of topics, including:

  • What’s next for sports media in our home and native land: from the reduction of journalists in newsrooms to the continuing growth of podcasts, the increasing influence of “content creators,” and the future of sports talk radio.

  • Twenty-five years ago, then-Toronto Star sports media beat writer Chris Zelkovich reported on interest by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) in acquiring CTV SportsNet. With Rogers – owners of Sportsnet – now controlling majority ownership of MLSE (one of the leading sports and entertainment entities on the planet) and long-time sports broadcast executives Keith Pelley and Phil King helping steer the good ship MLSE, what does that mean for the future of Canadian sports and sports media?

  • Speaking of MLSE, what’s next for Larry Tanenbaum, who continues to be a large presence on the Canadian sports scene and is bringing a WNBA franchise to Toronto?

  • The partnership announcement on New Year’s Eve between the MLB Milwaukee Brewers and FanDuel Sports Network and court proceedings between MLB Players Inc., and DraftKings and bet365 highlight the ongoing investment by sportsbook operators in sports media and content.

  • And, the still-evolving fragmentation of sports broadcast rights, including Netflix’s hugely successful partnership with the NFL on Christmas Day.

To cap off the podcast, host Steve McAllister asked Cooper and Silver for stories to watch in 2025 and received a couple of Spockian-eyebrow responses from the two veteran sports executives.


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Discussion about this podcast

Gaming News Canada
Gaming News Canada Show
Each week, Steve McAllister, the Editor-In-Chief of the Gaming News Canada newsletter, digs deeper into trending gaming and sports betting topics with industry leaders and insiders, reporters and other stakeholders in the business. The discussion and debate also includes questions and opinions from our live listeners about the hottest industry in sports today.
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