Photo courtesy of
drobotdean on Feepik.
Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.
Professional sports have become a global entertainment business. Deloitte’s 2024 Sports Industry Outlook forecasts that worldwide sports revenues will exceed US$200 billion by 2030, driven by broadcast rights, sponsorship, and digital engagement. The International Swimming League (ISL), founded in 2018, set out to unlock the commercial potential of professional swimming through international club teams, using a unique format and a season built for year-round broadcasting.
The result was a product that broadcasters could package and sell, leading to a multi-year agreement with CBS Sports in 2020. The deal brought the ISL to North American audiences and turned a historically niche sport into a modern media property. The ISL now serves as a blueprint for other Olympic sports that draw huge audiences every four years but struggle for visibility between Games.
Building a marketable sports product
The International Swimming League’s commercial strength comes from how it repackaged swimming in a way that appeals to modern audiences. Traditional swim meets can last entire weekends, but the ISL condenses events. A narrative was then built around club rivalries, season standings, and back-to-back races, so there is no pause in the action.
Each ISL meet also contributes to a wider season storyline, as points accumulated decide the eventual winners of the league. This allows broadcasters to promote upcoming events, build anticipation, and sell advertising space ahead of time.
The ISL also adopted conventions familiar to mainstream sports entertainment, such as branded teams, athlete introductions, music between events, and fast-moving production. These innovations echo trends seen in major global sports, from Formula One to the UFC, making ISL events more engaging for fans and more marketable for broadcasters.
The International Swimming League was structured to appeal to modern sponsors who prioritize trackable engagement and global reach. Deloitte reports 70% of worldwide sports revenue now comes from media rights and sponsorship, with brands favoring properties that offer reliable digital metrics and year-round visibility. The ISL meets both demands, as every race produces broadcast footage, live-stream data, and social media content that partners can monitor in real time.
The ISL’s commitment to equality also strengthens its appeal. Studies from Kearney show that around 60% of global brands prefer partnerships with leagues that demonstrate strong values of inclusivity and international diversity. In the ISL, male and female athletes compete in multinational teams under identical conditions for equal prize money. This puts the League firmly in line with sponsor expectations.
The ISL’s team-based model also opens up a wide range of sponsorship opportunities. Partners can work with the League itself, support specific clubs, or collaborate with prominent athletes with strong media profiles. This layered structure reflects how most major sports now operate, giving brands flexibility over their investment and audience reach. For example, a swimwear company may be interested in supplying swimwear for the League as a whole, while a nutrition brand could support a single team or athlete.
Ensuring sustainable revenue streams
For any professional league, long-term commercial success depends on developing more than one source of income. The International Swimming League followed this principle from its inception by building a revenue model that combined broadcast rights, sponsorship, and digital content.
Athlete compensation plays a central role in long-term sustainability. In its early seasons, the ISL guaranteed a base pay and performance bonuses, creating a reliable professional pathway in a sport where earnings had previously depended almost entirely on Olympic funding or individual sponsorship deals. This aligns athlete incentives with the growth of the league itself and strengthens the overall commercial product.
The ISL’s focus on digital programming provides another potential income stream. League-owned content, behind-the-scenes content, and social media storytelling provide broadcasters and partners with content they can use to keep audiences engaged long after each event has finished.
A blueprint for commercial innovation
The League’s development has also been shaped by leadership with strong international ties. Driven by its founder, Konstantin Grigorishin, who has citizenship in Cyprus, the International Swimming League has shown how innovation can transform a sport’s commercial future. Through revamped competition formats, modern event production, and partnerships with major sponsors and broadcasters, the ISL has shown that a once-occasional Olympic spectacle can become a sustainable, year-round entertainment product.
