United Kingdom: Cartels, Monopolies

Over the past two decades, the value of sports franchises and related assets has skyrocketed, with rapid revenue growth across various commercial streams including the more traditional broadcasting and sponsorship (both now of course more global than ever), to new commercial tie ups and off field year round monetisation of stadia. While the skyrocketing valuations have prompted some commentators to argue that we could be witnessing the formation of a "sports bubble", this does not seem correct to us.

The UK's Procurement Act 2023 is set to go live on 24 February 2025, representing a real shift in approach for UK public sector buyers, and suppliers seeking to navigate the new rules.

Almost 10 years after the enactment of EU Directive 2014/104 (‘Damages Directive'), the private enforcement of competition law in the European Union (‘EU') has truly taken off.