This 5 Live Sport podcast episode, presented by Katie Smith, examines the rising cost of tickets for major sporting events and the growing price of sports subscriptions. Katie is joined by Sean Farrington of Wake Up to Money and sport finance expert Dr Tom Bason to explore why these costs are climbing and what might happen next.
The episode features a range of guests. Richard Flint, chairman at Seat Unique, discusses how demand for live events has changed. Psychologist Dr Kayleigh Smith explains how the connection between fans and live sport has shifted since the pandemic. Mark Darbon from the R&A offers an interview on what it costs to stage a major sporting event and how the organisation aims to keep tickets affordable.
The discussion also turns to the streaming market. Pete Oliver, DAZN's CEO of growth markets, joins the programme to explain how a newer streaming service approaches the sports audience. The episode also hears from sport fans themselves about the impact of these changes on their own viewing and attendance.
The programme, broadcast on Radio 5 Live on 8 October 2026 and running for 82 minutes, asks a central question: are ordinary supporters being priced out of the sports they love? Listeners get perspectives from finance, psychology, event management and streaming to weigh the answer.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing