Sportel Monaco 2026 conference programme unveiled

Sportel has revealed the conference programme for the 2026 Sportel Monaco event. The programme explores emerging key business trends shaping the global sports media ecosystem, bringing together a line-up of keynotes, masterclasses, panels and customer case studies.

Industry leaders and innovators from broadcast, investment, leagues, digital, technology, brands and entertainment will discuss how the industry is adapting to maximise the value of sports content in an increasingly fragmented ecosystem.

As the lines between sports media, technology, data, brands and entertainment continue to blur, the sessions explore new approaches to content distribution, monetisation and personalised fan experiences.

Masterclass Highlights

Key masterclass conversations include the transition from AI experimentation to full-scale integration, the future of production models, evolving approaches to content creation and distribution, and the developing relationship between live sports and betting. The masterclass programme includes:

The New Global Sports Ecosystem: Digital Consumption, Data & Investment Reshaping Sports Media

• The globalisation of sports consumption

• The shift from traditional B2C to interconnected B2B2C ecosystems

• The growing value/new revenue models of leagues, media rights, and fan data

• How investors evaluate emerging opportunities across the sports value chain

Moderator

• Imran Yusuf, Executive Editor - SportBusiness

Speakers

• Peter Bellamy, Chief Revenue OSicer - Deltatre

• Hillary Mandel, EVP, Head of Commercial Rights, Americas – IMG

• JeS Roth, Founding Partner – Bruin Capital

Defining Your Corporate AI Strategy

Join this panel of experts who will explore how AI is reshaping sports media strategies, from content creation and audience engagement to monetisation and operational efficiency, while balancing human creativity with editorial judgement. What are the critical challenges around AI governance and the frameworks needed for responsible adoption and how will this affect rights, IP, data, trust and more?

Moderator

• Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director - SVG

Speakers

• Prashant Khanna, Head – Rights, Innovation and Cricinfo Business - JioStar

• Paola Marinone, CEO – BuzzMyVideos

• Marcin Serafin, COO, Live Park – Ekstraklasa

• Danny Townsend, CEO - SURJ Sports Investment

The Future of Production: Which Way to Go?

The Olympics and World Cup this year both proved that a world-class production doesn’t require hundreds of people to be on site. And other sports and leagues, like SailGP, F1, and major football leagues including Bundesliga, are also proving that a smaller on-site presence doesn’t equate to a lesser quality production. How can your organisation leverage new ways of working to improve efficiencies without compromising quality?

Moderator

• Will Strauss, Editor – SVG Europe

Speakers

• Lowell Conn, President - Protocol Sports Marketing

• Sarah Jakob, Sports Marketing Lead EMEA – LiveU

• Carlos Silva, President - TNA Wrestling

• Dominik Scholler, SVP Product Management & Innovation - Bundesliga Media GmbH

Inside Live Sports Betting: The Technology, Data & Fan Experience

Live sports betting is reshaping how fans engage with sport, driven by advances in cloud technology, realtime data, AI, and media innovation. This panel brings together industry leaders to discuss how technology is transforming the live betting ecosystem, creating new opportunities for sportsbooks, rights holders, and sports fans while addressing the challenges of scalability, integrity, latency, and regulation.

Moderator

• Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director - SVG

Speakers

• Steve Carter, CEO – Bolt6

• Paul Devlin, Global Leader, Betting, Gaming & Sports – AWS

• Patrick Mostboeck, SVP Fan Engagement – Sportradar

There’s also a keynote interview with LaLiga president, Javier Tebas:

LALIGA’s Next Frontier: New Broadcast Models, Formats and Challenges

An exploration of how LaLiga is reshaping sports broadcasting through innovative distribution models, strategic partnerships, key opportunities and content innovation, while addressing the challenges of piracy, audience fragmentation and the evolving media landscape.

YouTube will have a prominent voice with three dedicated sessions, including a keynote and co-hosted partner case studies, showcasing the platform as a powerful distribution model for sports media.

The YouTube sessions are:

The Value Multiplier: Making YouTube Fundamental to Your Distribution Model

Learn how integrating YouTube into your media model unlocks unmatched global reach, diversifies your revenue streams, and powers the next era of sports fandom by combining innovation with creator-led storytelling.

Speaker

• Jonny Keogh, Head of UK Sports – YouTube

⁠LiveMode, YouTube, and the Next Era of Live Sports Broadcasting

Join YouTube’s Pedro Pina, LiveMode’s Thiago Tourinho, and media cartographer Evan Shapiro for a dynamic discussion on how LiveMode broke World Cup broadcast records, how creator communities and brand partnerships drive modern fan engagement, and what the future holds for live sports distribution.

Moderator

• Evan Shapiro, Caos Cartographer - ESHAP

Speakers

• Pedro Pina, VP EMEA – YouTube

• Thiago Tourihno, Partner, LiveMode

There’s also a session with YouTube Sports Executive, Jason Wachs and guest with more details to be announced.

Other sessions feature keynotes, panels and partner case studies from Mediapro - Dolby Optiview – Deltatre (World Athletics) – Epic Clips – Wurl – Pixotope (BBC Sport) – Grey Matter Entertainment – XR Sports Alliance – ViewLift (FISU) – Esports Foundation (Warner Bros. Discovery) and the popular Pitch Perfect Innovation Contest.

To see the full conference programme visit https://www.sportelmonaco.com/programme