Forbes most valuable sport business brands 2015: Nike beats Adidas and Under Armour as Sky Sports tops UK companies
Nike has been named the most valuable brand in sport, beating competition from Adidas, Under Armour and Sky Sports.
According to Forbes magazine, the sportswear giant is worth almost £17bn – nearly £6bn more than any other sports business brand in the world.
Walt Disney-owned ESPN follows with a value of £11bn, while Nike's rivals in the apparel industry, Adidas and Under Armour, are worth £4bn and £3.3bn respectively.
Read more: Under Armour posts first billion-dollar quarter
Sky Sports is the only UK-based business named in Forbes' top 10, with an estimated value of £3bn, but the broadcaster was leapfrogged in this year's list by Under Armour whose value increased by around £650,000.
A year ago, Under Armour overtook Adidas in the US sportswear market with sales worth £1.7bn compared to the German company's £1bn.
| Brand | Value |
| Nike | £16.9bn |
| ESPN | £11bn |
| Adidas | £4bn |
| Under Armour | £3.3bn |
| Sky Sports | £3bn |
| MLB Advanced media | £1.3bn |
| Yankees Entertainment and Sports | £840m |
| Reebok | £539m |
| New England Sports Network | £454.6m |
| UFC | £298.7m |
Forbes calculates the value of businesses based on the difference between the estimated enterprise value of the business brand and what the value of a similar business is worth.
Nike's continued dominance of the sportswear market is well demonstrated in the growth of its brand value from around £5bn in 2007 to its current level.
The American conglomerate currently has a market capitalisation of around $112.9bn (£73.3bn) on the New York Stock Exchange and announced revenue of $8.4bn in its most recent quarter.