- Sports 150
- Posts
- Where the Sports Billions Flow: Exits, Eyeballs, and Esports
Where the Sports Billions Flow: Exits, Eyeballs, and Esports
Team Vitality tops esports earnings at $3.2M and European facility exits cool after a record 2024, while streaming services close the gap on linear TV.
Good morning, ! This week we’re looking at Dave Bing business empire, sports facilities exits by time in Europe, most used platforms to watch live sporting events in 2025, and top earning esports teams.
Want to advertise in Sports 150? Check out our self-serve ad platform, here.
Know someone who would love this? Forward it their way! Here’s the link.
— The Sports150 Team
MEDIA & SPORTS
The Two-Screen Era
Global fans aren’t cutting the cord so much as braiding it. Linear TV still leads at 31%, but subscription streaming is right behind at 28%—a reminder that premium sports rights now behave like prime real estate. Free streaming remains meaningful (22%), especially where mobile is king. Markets like France (44%) and Brazil (45%) still swear by broadcast, while India, UAE, and Saudi Arabia tilt toward streaming, setting the stage for the next wave of digital bidding wars. The strategic takeaway: live sports is now a multi-platform street fight, and media groups must engineer rights packages that balance linear reach with streaming monetization. (More)
PRESENTED BY RAD INTEL
The AI Infra Layer Powering Fortune 1000 Growth
RAD Intel is already embedded across Fortune 1000 marketing stacks, functioning as the infra layer that verifies customers, cuts waste, and accelerates revenue. The metrics match what M&A teams underwrite: rapid ARR growth, rising enterprise penetration, strong retention, and efficient sales payback.
$60M+ raised. 5,000%+ valuation lift in four years*. 14,000+ investors. Nasdaq ticker $RADI reserved. Leadership has closed $9 Billion+ in M&A deals.
With AI infra acquisitions hitting $55B this year, decision-layer platforms like RAD are commanding premium attention.
INVESTOR CORNER
European Sports Facilities: Exits Peaked in 2024, M&A on Top
The Sports Facilities sector in Europe hit its stride in 2024, clocking more exits than any year since 2016. M&A exits peaked at 16 in 2024. Even with buyouts and IPOs staying low, total exit volume crossed 18 deals last year. 2025 shows a slight cooldown—registering the lowest level since 2016.
ENTREPRENEURS
From $15K Rookie to $300M Steel Tycoon
Dave Bing’s NBA career, seven All-Star selections, a scoring title, and a Hall of Fame nod—barely scratches the surface of his financial legacy. Drafted by the Detroit Pistons in 1966, Bing’s first pro contract was just $15,000. He turned that into $300 million in annual sales through one of the most successful post-NBA business pivots on record.
While teammates vacationed, Bing spent offseasons working at a bank and Chrysler. By 1980, with $80K in savings and a $250K loan, he launched Bing Steel. It nearly failed—but a pivot from manufacturing to processing, and a key deal with GM, flipped the trajectory. Within a decade, Bing Steel was posting $61M in annual sales.
He later built The Bing Group—supplying the auto industry, employing 1,400 people, and topping $300M in revenue before his 2009 mayoral pivot. For investors, Bing’s playbook blends early financial literacy, strategic reinvestment, and vertical integration—a masterclass in athlete-led industrial entrepreneurship. (More)
TOGETHER WITH ROKU
Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays
Peak streaming time continues after Black Friday on Roku, with the weekend after Thanksgiving and the weeks leading up to Christmas seeing record hours of viewing. Roku Ads Manager makes it simple to launch last-minute campaigns targeting viewers who are ready to shop during the holidays. Use first-party audience insights, segment by demographics, and advertise next to the premium ad-supported content your customers are streaming this holiday season.
Read the guide to get your CTV campaign live in time for the holiday rush.
TECH & INFRASTRUCTURE
Saudi Arabia’s Oil Money Bet on Stadium Tech
Saudi Arabia is building more than stadiums—it’s programming the future of sports infrastructure. Anchored in Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s eight new mega-venues (headlined by the 92,000-seat King Salman Stadium) aren’t just prep for the 2034 FIFA World Cup—they’re testbeds for digital twins, 5G, AI crowd control, and even facial recognition.
The plan is clear: transform sports real estate into multi-use entertainment districts that print revenue long after full-time. From NEOM to Qiddiya, it’s a national map of smart cities disguised as stadium builds. Add a pipeline of 20+ major events through 2034, and Saudi Arabia isn’t chasing fan eyeballs—it’s engineering where they’ll look next. (More)
eSPORTS
Vitality Still the Benchmark
The 2025 earnings board reads like a reminder that esports now operates with the parity of a mature sports league. Team Vitality leads the field at $3.2M, powered by sustained excellence in Counter-Strike 2 and Rocket League. Team Spirit follows at $3.1M, proving their Dota 2 dominance still travels. The rise of Team Falcons ($3.0M) reflects the growing influence of Middle Eastern–backed orgs shifting competitive gravity. Beyond the top three, Team Liquid, Tundra, and Gen.G round out an increasingly globalized top tier. The presence of emerging orgs like PARAVISION and BetBoom reinforces a trend: esports earnings are flattening, and competitive windows are shrinking. Heading into 2026, margins at the top have never been thinner. (More)
TWEET OF THE WEEK
"Action is the foundational key to all success."
Pablo Picasso