CNBC Sport: Premier League CEO Richard Masters on the future of global soccer
From bold financial reforms and global media expansion to navigating the rise of U.S. ownership and capitalizing on the attention from the World Cup, Masters shares how the Premier League is positioning itself for 2026 and beyond.
Watch the full conversation above, and sign up to receive future editions of the CNBC Sport newsletter straight to your inbox.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
FICO CEO defends credit score pricing amid FHFA criticism, says cost isn't blocking home ownership
In a Thursday interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer, Fair Isaac CEO Will Lansing pushed back against recent criticism of his company, saying FICO credit score pricing isn't an issue for home owners. "We have been accused of raising our prices, and it's true, we have, but they're still very, very small relative to what we offer," Lansing said. "We charge $4.95 for a mortgage score out of $6,000 in closing costs. So it's not the cost of a FICO score that' problems for home ownership." In May, Bill Pulte, the newly-appointed head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, chastised Fair Isaac for its price hikes. Pulte later announced that mortgage lenders can now choose to use a traditional FICO score or one from rival VantageScore to evaluate borrowers. Previously, mortgage lenders selling loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — government-sponsored enterprises that back the majority of residential mortgages in the U.S. — were only allowed to use FICO scores. Pulte later went on to disparage Fair Isaac as a "monopoly who has ripped off Americans for decades." FICO said in a statement that the new policy "introduces a dangerous precedent that increases adverse selection risk" and "inexplicably favors a less predictive credit score that will undermine the safety and soundness of the enterprises and their counterparties." Lansing reiterated his company's statement, telling Cramer "there's all kinds of safety and soundness concerns" with the FHFA's actions. According to Lansing, Fair Isaac has been competing with Vantage for 15 years and "we always win," touting the widespread use of the traditional FICO model. He also said Fair Isaac's new credit score model, FICO 10T, outperforms the classic model and that of VantageScore. "We have over 90% market share in all these other markets that have nothing to do with the government," Lansing said. "And then within the mortgage market, in the non-conforming market where there's no government mandate, FICO is the clear industry standard." Click here to download Jim Cramer's Guide to Investing at no cost to help you build long-term wealth and invest
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Tariff turmoil: How global CEOs are shifting gears
Trade tensions are rising, forcing top executives to rewrite the rulebook on how their companies operate, where they invest and what customers buy. In interviews with CNBC this earnings season, CEOs across industries — from aluminum and aerospace to chocolate, banking, telecoms, and energy — sent a clear message: tariffs are no longer just a political tactic. As trade rules grow more uncertain and tariffs resurface in policy discussions, business leaders say they're rethinking everything from where factories are located to how products are priced. The old "just in time" model is giving way to something more cautious: make goods closer to the buyer, ask for exemptions where possible, and stay alert to shifting consumer habits. This earnings season has been marked by currency swings, inflation, and political uncertainty. And in that environment, tariffs are no longer background noise. They're front and center in how companies are managing risk. For many in the C-suite, the threat isn't just about short-term costs — it's about staying competitive for the long haul. Build local, think political "We are concerned about the competitiveness of aluminum compared to other materials," Hydro Chief Financial Officer Trond Olaf Christophersen told CNBC earlier this week. The company is already passing U.S. tariff costs onto customers. But the deeper worry is how, "some customers in packaging are already testing steel and plastic alternatives. That's the long game we're watching." For Christophersen, it's not just a quarterly issue — it's a warning sign. And Hydro's concern reflects a broader shift: tariffs are speeding up lasting changes in how companies do business. One of the most common responses is moving production closer to customers. Ericsson CEO Börje Ekholm told CNBC the company's North American factory, opened in 2020, was a forward-looking move. "We've had that 'Made in America' stamp for some time," he said. The facility now helps protect the company from shifting global politics. Volvo Cars CEO Håkan Samuelsson is also focused on the U.S. "We want to fill our factory in South Carolina," he told CNBC, noting that the company is breaking operations into more independent regions so local teams can respond quickly to new trade policies. Pharma giant AstraZeneca is also pivoting its footprint, rapidly shifting manufacturing to the U.S. and planning a $50 billion investment in local operations. "We have lots of reasons to be here," CEO Pascal Soriot said on the company's earnings call. For others, localization is as much about sovereignty as it is about logistics. "We are building data centers for American hyperscalers in Europe, but also for Europeans in the U.S. It's a conscious decoupling," Skanska CEO Anders Danielsson told CNBC. "Sovereign tech is a real priority." Not every company can shift where things are made. Some are relying on diplomacy. Rolls-Royce CFO Helen McCabe told CNBC the aerospace firm worked with U.K. and U.S. governments to win exemptions for key parts. "It's not just about tariffs," she said. "It's about aligning our industrial footprint to minimize any friction." That kind of behind-the-scenes outreach points to a bigger change: trade policy has become a key part of business planning. More companies are factoring in government relations and political risk when making decisions. Price hikes, policy risk and volatility Even the most proactive companies can't prepare for everything. Some are eating the higher costs. Others are raising prices — carefully. Lindt & Sprüngli , the premium chocolate maker, raised prices by 15.8% this year to offset soaring cocoa costs, driven partly by export restrictions in West Africa. "We saw only a 4.6% decline in volume mix," CEO Adalbert Lechner told CNBC. But he admitted that U.S. consumers are becoming more price-sensitive. Givaudan CEO Gilles Andrier shared a similar view. "Some of our natural ingredients come from Africa and Latin America," he told CNBC. "So we're exposed to some tariffs there." Even companies with local factories can't avoid all trade impacts when raw materials come from abroad. For companies tied to commodities, the trade duties are just one piece of a bigger puzzle: unpredictability. "The tricky thing was, it was non-fundamentals-based volatility," Shell CEO Wael Sawan told CNBC, describing recent swings in the oil market. "This wasn't a change to physical commodity flows. This was really sort of paper-induced volatility." That, he said, makes it harder to plan investments or manage price risk. Even in banking, where the direct impact of tariffs might seem small, the consequences are showing up. "When you price risk now, you can't just look at credit or liquidity. You have to model policy unpredictability," UniCredit CEO Andrea Orcel told CNBC. That includes trade tensions, regulatory surprises, and election-related gridlock. This quarter makes one thing clear: policy is now a core business risk, not background noise. With elections ahead and industrial policy shifting, companies are localizing, diversifying, lobbying, and repricing faster than ever. Tariffs aren't just a cost — they're reshaping industries. When customers trade aluminum for steel or chocolate for cheaper treats, the threat isn't just margins. It's market share. So yes, leaders are building closer to home, pricing smarter, negotiating harder as they scramble to stay ahead of the next curveball.
Engadget
2 hours ago
- Engadget
Apple is 'open to' acquisitions to boost its AI roadmap
Apple leadership discussed results and updates today in its third-quarter conference call, including some statements about its AI endeavors. As reported by CNBC , CEO Tim Cook said that the company is "significantly growing out investments" in artificial intelligence, which shouldn't be much of a surprise for any players in the tech space. However, Cook did acknowledge that an acquisition to boost its work in AI wasn't out of the question. "We're open to M&A that accelerates our roadmap," he said. Cook said that Apple is "not stuck on a certain size company" as a possible target for an AI-related purchase. He noted that Apple has acquired "about" seven businesses so far this year across multiple disciplines but that none were "huge in terms of dollar amount." The company also has been pretty quiet on its promised plans to overhaul the Siri voice assistant with more AI features. The news is still sparse on that subject; according to Reuters , Cook simply stated that the team is "making good progress on a personalized Siri." Despite hopes that Siri improvements would be unveiled at WWDC 2025, the latest projections are that the AI-powered update to that service might not be ready until spring 2026 . Apple did announce a few Apple Intelligence iterations at WWDC, but the general consensus is that the company's AI efforts have been flagging behind other big tech businesses. That has led to speculation that it may look externally to improve its standing in the race to build the best AI features. Most recently, some execs within Apple have allegedly been eyeing up Perplexity as a potential acquisition.
