Nike
Current brand value: $27 bn
The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area. It is one of the world’s largest suppliers of athletic shoes and apparel, and a major manufacturer of sports equipment. Revenue for the Nike brand rose 6% to
$32.4 billion in fiscal 2016, as the athletic apparel-maker sponsored 189 medal-winners at the Brazil Summer Olympics.
ESPN
Current brand value: $16.5 bn
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is a
US-based global cable and satellite television channel owned by ESPN Inc, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network) and Hearst Corporation (which owns a 20% minority share). ESPN broadcasts primarily from studio facilities located in Bristol, Connecticut. ESPN lost 11 million household subscribers for the five-year period ending July, 2016.
Adidas
Current brand value: $7 bn
Adidas is a German multinational corporation that designs and manufactures sports shoes, clothing and accessories headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second-biggest in the world. Shares of the apparel-maker have more than doubled during the past year on surging revenue and profits, and a 31% increase in its brand sales in North America during the
first half of 2016.
Under Armour
Current brand value: $5.5 bn
Under Armour is an American sports clothing and accessories company. The company is a supplier of sportswear and casual apparel. Under Armour began offering footwear in 2006. Under Armour’s global headquarters is located in Baltimore, Maryland. The company’s footwear revenue jumped 64% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2016, to $264 million, driven by expanded running shoe offerings and the success of the Stephen Curry signature basketball line.
Sky Sports
Current brand value: $5 bn
Sky Sports is a group of sports television channels operated by the satellite pay-TV company Sky. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The satellite broadcaster’s revenue-per-product has slipped about 3% the past year due to higher programming costs.
MLBAM
Current brand value: $2.2 bn
MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) is a limited partnership of the club owners of Major League Baseball based in New York City and is the Internet and interactive branch of the league. Revenue for baseball’s Internet and technology arm, including its majority stake in Bam Tech, is expected to be well over $1 billion in 2016.
UFC
Current brand value: $2 bn
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion company, a subsidiary of the parent company William Morris Endeavor, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the largest MMA promoter in the world and features most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport. WME-IMG purchased the UFC for $4 billion in July, 2016.
YES
Current brand value: $1.4 bn
The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) is an American cable and satellite television regional sports network that is owned by 21st Century Fox (which owns a controlling 80% interest and serves as managing partner) and Yankee Global Enterprises (which owns the remaining 20%). In 2015, the YES Network generated over $370 million in cash flow, by far the most of any regional sports network in the country and almost one-fifth more than the previous year.
Reebok
Current brand value: $800 m
Reebok is a global athletic footwear and apparel company. Reebok produces and distributes fitness and sports items, including shoes, workout clothing and accessories, and training equipment. Reebok’s revenue and market share (under 2%) of the sneaker market has continued to decline despite its apparel sponsorship deal with the UFC.
NESN
Current brand value: $750 m
NESN is an American regional sports cable and satellite television network that is owned by a joint venture of Fenway Sports Group (which owns a controlling 80% interest, and is the owner of Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club) and Delaware North (which owns the remaining 20% interest in the network, and owns the Boston Bruins and the TD Garden). Ratings for the Boston Red Sox on NESN increased 33% during the 2016 season to an average of 6.93 (seventh-highest in the league), while ratings for the Boston Bruins fell 23% to 3.45 (fifth-highest in the league) for the 2015-16 campaign.
