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Investment Landscape within Sports, Media and Entertainment

05/20/2025

Q: How many teams or leagues are there — isn’t it a limited investment universe?

— Financial Advisor, Florida

A: The total addressable market (TAM) across the global sports, media and entertainment ecosystem is much broader than many people might realize.

While sports teams, clubs and leagues often draw much of the attention, we believe the broader potential ecosystem of sports, media and entertainment investing is significant and underpenetrated. In fact, we estimate the total investment opportunity in adjacent strategies could be five times larger than the teams and leagues themselves ($2.5T vs $500B).1

Among these are:

  • Sports-related products and services: athletic gear, merchandise, ticketing platforms, facility operators and youth sports
  • Media companies: broadcasters, streaming and subscription services and analytics
  • Entertainment businesses and assets: live content, talent agencies, production management, data analytics and digital media
Significant Opportunity Within the Broader Sports Ecosystem

To highlight some specific examples of opportunities within sub-sectors of sports, media and entertainment:

  • Equipment and Athletic Gear ($150-200B TAM): Characterized by consistent professional and recreational demand, benefitting from a growing consumer focus on health and wellness.2
  • Youth Sports ($35-50B TAM): Deeply embedded in the American culture and viewed as one of the most important discretionary spend categories with long-term, recurring low correlated demand.3
  • Stadium Services ($30-40B TAM): Experiencing a period of aging assets requiring modernization paired with a history of steady and predictable consumer demand.4
  • Music ($75-100B TAM): A globally underpenetrated and uncorrelated market benefiting from the rise of streaming and technology.5
  • Golf and Country Clubs ($30-35B TAM): Underpinned by significant real estate assets with membership-driven models that drive strong revenue visibility.6

When considering the sports, media and entertainment investment universe, we believe one should think beyond the headline sports teams and look to adjacencies across the ecosystem. Expanding or considering the sports investing asset class may generate increased opportunities to generate alpha and create value.

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AWMS Financial Advisor Solutions Team Led By:

Brendan McCurdy

Head of Research & Marketing

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AccessAres is the thought-leadership and educational division of Ares Wealth Management Solutions. The materials distributed by AccessAres are for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, investment strategy or market sector. Ares Wealth Management Solutions is a global brand of Ares Management Corporation.

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AccessAres is the thought-leadership and educational division of Ares Wealth Management Solutions. The materials distributed by AccessAres are for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, investment strategy or market sector. Ares Wealth Management Solutions is a global brand of Ares Management Corporation.

You are now leaving the AccessAres website

AccessAres is the thought-leadership and educational division of Ares Wealth Management Solutions. The materials distributed by AccessAres are for informational purposes only and do not constitute investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security, investment strategy or market sector. Ares Wealth Management Solutions is a global brand of Ares Management Corporation.