Top 10 most valuable sports businesses in the world

Recently, the renowned magazine Forbes released a list of the most valuable sports brands in the world for 2013. Here, we take a look at the 10 of the most valuable sports businesses in the world for the year 2013.

This is not a list that has been prepared after conducting a poll. Rather, this list has been compiled using hard financial data. Therefore, for a business, the brand value is calculated is based on how much more money it would sell for in comparison with a similar company.

10. MSG

MSG’s New York Rangers’ games got an average rating of 1.65 for the 2012-2013 season

Brand Value 2013: $300 million

Brand Value 2012: $210 million

MSG is a cable television and radio service company that mainly focuses its content on New York City based sports teams. The company takes its name from the famous Madis0n Square Garden and have long been broadcasting NBA‘s New York Knicks and NHL‘s New York Rangers.

Last season’s broadcast of the New York Rangers’ games got an average rating of 1.65, which was an improvement of 67% when compared to the 2011-2012 season as well as being the second highest ever, after the 1994-1995 season.

9. MLBAM

MLBAM is worth roughly $6 billion

Brand Value 2013: $480 million

Brand Value 2012: $420 million

The Major League Baseball Advanced Media is co-owned by all the club owners in the Major League Baseball. With MLBAM being a $6 billion worth company, every franchise has an added value of $200 million for being part of it.

The MLBAM is the internet and the interactive branch of MLB and has about 4 million hits a day on its website. It provides news, statistics, etc to visitors.

8. NESN

Brand Value 2013: $510 million

Brand Value 2012: $500 million

The New England Sports Network is a cable television network that covers the 6 New England States (except 2 towns in Connecticut). They are the primary broadcasters for the Boston Red Sox and used to be a carrier for Fox Sports and ESPNews.

In 2013, NESN had the 5ht highest rating for 2013 (7.3) in baseball when it broadcast games of the Boston Red Sox. It also has the 3rd highest subscriber fees at $3.56 per month.

7. YES

Brand Value 2013: $625 million Brand Value 2012: $600 million

Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is the United States of America’s most watched sports network and was valued at $3.8 billion, when Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. bought a stake in RSN.

The channel is a joint venture between 21st Century Fox, Yankee Global Enterprises, Goldman Sachs and NJ Holdings, with 21st Century Fox having a controlling stake of 49%, Yankee Global Enterprises having 25% and the remaining 2 having 12% each.

6. Reebok

Brand Value 2013: $1.1 billion Brand Value 2012: $1.2 billion

Reebok has been one of the most recognisable sports brands in the world, and has been a subsidiary of Adidas since 2005, after the German company bought Reebok.

Reebok has been trying to build a niche market by getting into sponsorship deals with tough fitness groups like CrossFit and Spartan Race.

5. Under Armour

Brand Value 2013: $3.7 billion Brand Value 2012: $3.5 billion

Under Armour is an American sportswear company, which also supplies casual apparel as well. It serves a worldwide audience with additional offices in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Toronto, etc.

Under Armour had begun offering footwear products from 2006 and the revenue it generates is almost 12% of the total revenue of the company. In fact, this year, the revenue is set to more than double by bringing in $290 million, with the revenue being $127 million in 2010.

4. Sky Sports

Brand Value 2013: $4.1 billion

Brand Value 2012: $4.0 billion

Sky Sports is a television network based in the United Kingdom. For a number of years, Sky Sports has been pumping in money in British sports, with the formation of the English Premier League in 1992 being its major contribution.

In 2009, when Sky Sports telecast its first F1 season, there were more than 9 million viewers watching the program. And Sky Sports has its near future with 90% of its sports rights deals secured till 2015.

3. Adidas

Brand Value 2013: $7.1 billion Brand Value 2012: $6.8 billion

Adidas is a very popular sportswear brand from Germany. Not only do they have their own famous sports line, they also known other popular brands such as Reebok, Rockport as well as 9.1% of the famous German football club FC Bayern Munich. They also sell shirts, watches, eyewear, etc as well.

In fact, in the 2012 London Olympics, Adidas provided kits for more than 5,000 athletes and 30% of the medals were won by athletes sponsored by Adidas.

2. ESPN

Brand Value 2013: $15.0 billion Brand Value 2012: $11.5 billion

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network is a US based cable and satellite television channel which is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hearst Corporation. However, it is The Walt Disney Company that runs the network, having an 80% stake with the Hearst Corporation holding the remaining 20%.

ESPN has the highest cable subscription fee in the United States, costing $5.50 every month to its subscribers. In fact, in 2013, ESPN is set to collect as much as $6 billion in subscription fees.

1. Nike

Brand Value 2013: $17.3 billion Brand Value 2012: $15.9 billion

Nike is an American based company that sells footwear, apparel and other sports related accessories. As of 2012, Nike employs more than 44,000 people worldwide and had a revenue of more than $24.1 billion. Nike is named after the Greek goddess of victory.

Nike is the worldwide leader in the footwear market, servicing close to 20% of the market. Nike has been performing especially well in the Stock Market as well, and has outperformed the Dow Jones U.S. Footwear index by more than 50% in the past 5 years.