Leeds-based Planet Sport plans to create jobs as it pursues 'untapped opportunities' overseas
Barrie Jarrett said he was keen to hire more staff in his home city of Leeds where the sports media sector is growing.
In its latest financial year, to March 2024, Planet Sport delivered a 54 per cent year-on-year increase in group revenue to £8.44m and it also achieved a 439 per cent increase in group net profit to £762,000.
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Hide AdIn the financial quarter from April to June 2024, the company achieved a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in group revenue to £2.3m.


Mr Jarrett said of recent performance: "We've been bucking trends in media in recent years and now have 60 staff in Leeds and 120 staff overall, including 30 in South Africa.
"We've been able to grow traffic at a good rate of knots and the sports media world in Leeds is phenomenal with big companies like DAZN, Flutter and Evoke in the city.
"There's a great pool of talent in Leeds,’’ he added.
"Leeds is one of the biggest hubs outside London for innovation and technology. Our brands are really well known in the UK so we are going to look at other territories.
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Hide Ad"There are untapped opportunities overseas. Given my background in Africa, there should be low-hanging fruit there and we are just employing our first employees in the US.
"Being born and bred in Leeds I am keen to keep developing our base in the city.
"Government incentives around R&D (research and development) are really important to produce more jobs.
"We hope to create at least another 50 to 100 jobs over the next year or two in the city. It's a very competitive space in Leeds but we are determined to scale up.
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Hide Ad"At Planet Sport we enjoy what we do and put every penny back into the business."
Mr Jarrett, who was born in Gipton, Leeds, describes himself as a life-long student and relentless seeker of knowledge.
Mr Jarrett started his digital career in August 1998 with TEAMtalk.com, which migrated its original premium rate fixed line football content onto the internet, becoming one of the UK's first sports websites.
TEAMtalk.com was later acquired by 365 Media Group in 2002.
Mr Jarrett originally worked in a tannery in Leeds until a car accident made him reconsider his future because he could no longer do heavy manual work.
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Hide AdBy 2005 he had risen to become Operations Director at 365 Media Group’s South African operation: TEAMtalk Media.
After Sky bought 365 Media Group in 2007, TEAMtalk Media was eventually spun out to become the largest independently owned digital sports media business in South Africa with Mr Jarrett at its helm.
He recalled: "I landed in South Africa with just a suitcase and stayed for 10 years. The ANC were in power and there was a sense of optimism in the country, although it still faced challenges.
"I was based on Cape Town's West Beach and had magnificent views of Table Mountain."
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Hide AdAfter eventually selling TEAMtalk Media - via the founding of another technology and digital advertising business - Yormedia - he became Chief Executive Officer of Planet Sport Group at its launch in 2021.
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