The first event of the 2025 Sportel season wrapped up successfully. Following a booming edition in Buenos Aires in 2024, Sportel returned to North America with a strategic stop in Miami, a key player in the sports business market. Held from 1 to 2 April 2025, Sportel Miami reaffirmed its status as a global hub for the sports media and tech industry, welcoming 350 participants from more than 200 companies across 37 countries.
The event kicked off in style with a vibrant Opening Party at JW Marriott’s Pool Deck, offering attendees the perfect opportunity to connect in a relaxed and dynamic setting before diving into two days of intensive business networking. A highlight of the evening was an exclusive live painting performance by Lili Cantero, the renowned sports artist, who captivated the audience with her unique artistic tribute to the world of sports.
Over two intense days of networking and conferences, the Sportel community had the opportunity to engage with top decision-makers (46% of C-Level and 1/3 of Content Buyers) from across the global sports media and technology ecosystem. This included media rights holders, broadcasters, streaming platforms, sports leagues, federations, agencies, and tech innovators specializing in AI, data analytics, and immersive fan experiences.
Agnès Marsan, Sportel Miami Executive Director described the event as a "must" on the industry's agenda: “This edition proved once again that Sportel Miami is more than just an event — we are committed to driving innovation and staying ahead of industry shifts, solidifying Sportel Miami as a must-attend marketplace for fostering growth and forging strategic partnerships in the sports business arena. It’s the perfect opportunity to network with top-tier executives, gain strategic insights, and unlock new business opportunities in an intimate and privileged setting. We sincerely thank all our esteemed sponsors, partners, exhibitors, and speakers who contributed to the success of this Miami edition;" stated.
In addition to the traditional marketplace, the expertly curated Conference Summit programme—continuously expanding in scope and significance—explored several forward-thinking themes shaping the future of the industry. A diverse lineup of international sports executives and disruptive innovators took the Speakers Corner stage to deliver engaging sessions on key topics such as the role of the US as the world’s largest media market, the impact of Generative AI on content creation and fan engagement, the monetization of data, the new era of live sports streaming, evolving sponsorship models, and the expansion of European football leagues into the US market.
Another highlight of the event was the Pitch Perfect competition, where ten new Sportel companies—pioneers in sports content innovation—had the opportunity to showcase their cutting-edge solutions to an international judging panel of top-tier experts. The lucky winner, Johnny Kutnowski, Chief Product Officer at Blinkfire, was awarded a full-access Visitor pass for Sportel Monaco 2025.
Bringing together North and Latin America with the global sports media and tech ecosystem under one roof, Sportel Miami reaffirmed its role as a strategic gateway between these markets, fostering meaningful connections, sparking new collaborations, and providing a key platform in today’s fast-evolving landscape.
Finally, Laurent Puons, Managing Director of Monaco Mediax mentioned that new destinations are being explored for the development of similar events"While Sportel’s schedule for 2026 is currently preparing, we remain committed to creating fresh opportunities through our international spring events. We are actively working on new destinations and event concepts to further expand Sportel’s reach and continue delivering unparalleled value to our global community, wherever we go," commented.