SPORTEL Monaco 2026 to bring global sports media, rights and technology leaders together

MONACO: SPORTEL Monaco 2026, the global sports media, content, media rights and technology convention, is set to bring together sports broadcasters, rights holders, technology companies, investors, brands and industry executives at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco from 19 to 21 October.

The 2026 edition will examine how technology, artificial intelligence, streaming, data, digital distribution and new commercial models are reshaping the global sports business. SPORTEL describes the event as a platform for sports professionals to explore industry trends, build strategic partnerships and discover innovations across the sports media rights and sportstech ecosystem. 

The convention will officially open its exhibition on Monday, 19 October, with the conference programme running across the Speakers Stage in Ravel. The programme will bring together senior executives from organisations including JioStar, YouTube, Deltatre, IMG, Bruin Capital, AWS, Sportradar, Bundesliga Media, LiveU, BBC Sport, Qualcomm Technologies, FISU, Warner Bros. Discovery, LALIGA and others. SPORTEL’s 2026 exhibitor roster also includes companies such as ESPN, FIFA, European Broadcasting Union, Sportfive, WSC Sports, ViewLift, Wyplay, Sportradar, Deltatre, Ekstraklasa and XR Sports Alliance. 

AI and the changing sports media ecosystem

The conference programme begins on 19 October with “Defining Your Corporate AI Strategy”, a masterclass scheduled from 9:40 am to 10:25 am. The session will examine how AI is changing sports media strategies across content creation, audience engagement, monetisation and operational efficiency, while also addressing questions around governance, rights, intellectual property, data and trust.

The session will be moderated by Ken Kerschbaumer, co-executive director, SVG, and feature Prashant Khanna, head – rights, innovation and Cricinfo business, JioStar; Marcin Serafin, COO, Live Park, Ekstraklasa; and Danny Townsend, chief executive officer, SURJ Sports Investment.

This will be followed by presentations on “Personalization and Storytelling in Live Sports” from 10:30 am to 10:50 am and “The Value Multiplier: Making YouTube Fundamental to Your Distribution Model” from 11:25 am to 11:50 am.

At 11:55 am, Volodymyr Boiko, founder and CEO, Epic Clips, will present “Highlights 3.0: The Next Era of Live Content Is Human-Led, AI-Accelerated”. The session will explore the combination of AI and human editorial expertise in producing live sports highlights at speed. 

The programme then moves into SPORTEL’s CMO Brand Programme Networking Panel and Lunch at Twiga from 12 noon to 2 pm. The event will bring together senior brand decision-makers around sports marketing, sponsorship and innovation. Listed participants include Ashish Babu, CMO – global markets, Tata Consultancy Services; Paddy Carberry, Guinness global marketing manager – head of sport, Diageo; and Rory Miller-Cheevers, partner and executive director and business growth, Revolut. 

At 2 pm, SPORTEL will host a MEDIAPRO keynote, followed at 2:35 pm by the masterclass “New Global Sports Ecosystem: Digital, Data & Investment Reshaping Sports Media”.

The session will be moderated by Imran Yusuf, executive editor, SportBusiness, and will feature Peter Bellamy, chief revenue officer, Deltatre; Hillary Mandel, EVP, head of commercial rights, Americas, IMG; and Jeffrey Roth, partner, Bruin Capital. The discussion will focus on the globalisation of sports consumption, the evolution from B2C to B2B2C ecosystems, new revenue models around media rights and fan data, and how investors assess opportunities across the sports value chain. 

Streaming, graphics and the India connection

Streaming will take the spotlight at 3:20 pm with “Local Fans, Global Reach: How Free Streaming Is Expanding the Sports Experience”. Keith Bedford, general manager, EMEA, Wurl, will moderate the session, which will look at how free ad-supported streaming can help sports organisations strengthen local fan connections while expanding their global reach. 

At 3:50 pm, John Murphy, creative director sport, BBC Sport, and Phil Ventre, chief strategy officer, Pixotope Technologies, will discuss “From The Studio To The Live Game, Advancements In Graphics Technology”. The session will explore AR, XR, virtual production, real-time graphics and immersive technologies and their potential impact on sports storytelling, production workflows and commercial opportunities.

A separate YouTube presentation is scheduled from 3:50 pm to 4:15 pm, further underlining the importance of digital platforms and online distribution in the sports media ecosystem.

The India connection will become particularly visible at 5:10 pm with “Beyond Competition: How Grassroots Sport Can Transform Communities – Lessons from India’s Largest Rural Sports Festival”. The session will feature Chandradev Bhagat, founder and director, Grey Matter Entertainment, and will centre on A Ball Can Change the World, a documentary around Isha Gramotsavam and the impact of grassroots sport on rural communities in India.

The first day will close with a networking Happy Hour from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm, followed by the SPORTEL Awards Ceremony from 7 pm to 9:30 pm at Salle Prince Pierre, Grimaldi Forum. The ceremony will showcase nominated sports programmes, with Olympic champions and major international sporting personalities expected to take part in the evening. 

Production, XR and direct-to-consumer distribution

The second day, Tuesday, 20 October, will begin with the masterclass “The Future of Production: Which Way to Go?”from 10 am to 10:45 am.

The session will examine how sports productions are increasingly using smaller on-site teams and new production models without compromising quality. Speakers include Lowell Conn, president, Protocol Sports Marketing; Sarah Jakob, sports marketing lead EMEA, LiveU; Dominik Scholler, SVP project management & innovation / Direktor, Bundesliga Media; Carlos Silva, president, TNA Wrestling; and Will Strauss, editor, SVG Europe.

At 10:50 am, the XR Sports Alliance will present “Learnings from the FISE World Series Immersive Project”. The session will examine the use of immersive technology in sports and the lessons emerging from the FISE World Series project.

Patrick Costello, senior director, business development, Qualcomm Technologies, will moderate the session, joined by Charles-Edwin Rolot, digital marketing manager, HBS, XR Sports Alliance, and Jose Somolinos, XR lead, Accedo, XR Sports Alliance. 

The programme will then feature “LiveMode, YouTube, and the Next Era of Live Sports Broadcasting” from 11:15 am to 11:40 am. SPORTEL’s speaker roster includes Pedro Pina, VP EMEA, YouTube; Evan Shapiro, consultant, ESHAP; and Thiago Tourinho, partner, LiveMode, in connection with the session. 

At 11:45 am, “Role of DTC Digital Infrastructure in Global Event Distribution” will examine how direct-to-consumer platforms are changing the technology infrastructure required to distribute live sports globally. The session will feature Gibran Khan, head of media, FISU, and Charles Mellilo, chief business officer, ViewLift. 

The day will also feature the Women’s Networking Panel & Lunch at Twiga from 12 noon to 2 pm.

Betting, esports and the next phase of sports broadcasting

The afternoon programme will turn to the intersection of technology, data and fan engagement.

From 2:15 pm to 3 pm, “Inside Live Sports Betting: The Technology, Data, and Fan Experience” will bring together Ken Kerschbaumer, co-executive director, SVG, as moderator, with Steve Carter, CEO, Bolt6; Paul Devlin, global leader, betting, gaming & sports, AWS; and Patrick Mostboeck, SVP, fan engagement, Sportradar Group. The session will examine real-time data, cloud technology, AI, media innovation, scalability, latency, integrity and regulation in live sports betting.

This will be followed by “Beyond the Broadcast: How Esports Is Expanding the Global Sports Audience” from 3:05 pm to 3:35 pm.

The session will feature Mohammed Alnimer, chief commercial officer, Esports Foundation, and Patrick Maitrot, group senior vice president global ad sales & partnerships, Warner Bros. Discovery. The discussion will focus on the growth of esports as a global media property, including the Esports World Cup and Esports Nations Cup, mainstream distribution, digital-native audiences and new media partnerships.

At 3:40 pm, Javier Tebas, president, LALIGA, is scheduled to deliver the keynote “LALIGA’s Next Frontier: New Broadcast Models, Formats and Challenges”. The session is expected to address the evolution of sports broadcasting and the challenges and opportunities emerging from new formats and distribution models. SPORTEL’s official speaker page lists Tebas as the speaker for the session. 

The conference will conclude its formal content programme with the Pitch Perfect Innovation Contest from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. The quick-fire contest will feature new companies presenting innovative sports and media solutions, with BuzzMyVideos, Epic Clips, Valkaai and Wyplay among the companies listed to participate. Each company will have three minutes to present, followed by two minutes of Q&A. Arnaud Albella, VP sales & marketing, Wyplay, is listed among the speakers. 

A networking Happy Hour will follow from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

SPORTEL Monaco 2026 speaker line-up

The broader 2026 speaker roster brings together executives and industry specialists from across sports media, broadcasting, technology, streaming, advertising and rights management.

Among the names listed by SPORTEL are Jeffrey Roth, partner, Bruin Capital; Javier Tebas, president, LALIGA; Danny Townsend, chief executive officer, SURJ Sports Investment; Jonny Keogh, head of UK sports, YouTube; Peter Bellamy, chief revenue officer, Deltatre; Prashant Khanna, head – rights, innovation and Cricinfo business, JioStar; Sarah Jakob, sports marketing lead EMEA, LiveU; Arnaud Albella, VP sales & marketing, Wyplay; Mohammed Alnimer, chief commercial officer, Esports Foundation; Ashish Babu, CMO – global markets, Tata Consultancy Services; Keith Bedford, general manager, EMEA, Wurl; Chandradev Bhagat, founder and director, Grey Matter Entertainment; Volodymyr Boiko, founder & CEO, Epic Clips; Paddy Carberry, Guinness global marketing manager – head of sport, Diageo; Steve Carter, CEO, Bolt6; Lowell Conn, president, Protocol Sports Marketing; Patrick Costello, senior director, business development, Qualcomm Technologies; Paul Devlin, global leader, betting, gaming & sports, AWS; Ken Kerschbaumer, co-executive director, SVG; Gibran Khan, head of media, FISU; Patrick Maitrot, group senior vice president global ad sales & partnerships, Warner Bros. Discovery; Hillary Mandel, EVP, head of commercial rights, Americas, IMG; Charles Mellilo, chief business officer, ViewLift; Rory Miller-Cheevers, partner & executive director & business growth, Revolut; Patrick Mostboeck, SVP, fan engagement, Sportradar Group; John Murphy, creative director sport, BBC Sport; Pedro Pina, VP EMEA, YouTube; Charles-Edwin Rolot, digital marketing manager, HBS; Dominik Scholler, SVP project management & innovation / Direktor, Bundesliga Media; Marcin Serafin, COO, Live Park, Ekstraklasa; Evan Shapiro, consultant, ESHAP; Carlos Silva, president, TNA Wrestling; Jose Somolinos, XR lead, Accedo; Will Strauss, editor, SVG Europe; Thiago Tourinho, partner, LiveMode; Vlastimil Venclik, CEO & co-founder, Valkaai; and Phil Ventre, chief strategy officer, Pixotope Technologies.

The 2026 exhibitor and partner ecosystem further reflects the breadth of the sports media and technology market. SPORTEL’s official list includes AWS, Bundesliga, FeedConstruct, Qualcomm, Telstra, WSC Sports, Wurl and XR Sport among its sponsors, while its exhibitor list includes Deltatre, Ekstraklasa, Epic Clips, ESPN, European Broadcasting Union, FIFA, Globecast, Sportradar, Sportfive, ViewLift, WSC Sports, Wyplay, YouTube and XR Sports Alliance, among others.

Indian Television is also listed among SPORTEL Monaco’s 2026 media partners, alongside international industry publications and media organisations including SportBusiness, SportsPro and Sports Video Group.

With its 2026 programme spanning AI, sports media rights, streaming, data, direct-to-consumer distribution, immersive technology, production, betting, esports and sports marketing, SPORTEL Monaco is set to bring several of the industry’s key conversations under one roof when the convention opens at the Grimaldi Forum on 19 October.

Note: The SPORTEL Monaco 2026 programme is subject to modification.