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The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. —Walt Disney #creativebusiness #creativecollaboration #designcollaboration #creativecommunity #positioning #creativebusinessowner #newbusiness #businessdevelopment #designleadership #designtogether #businessofdesign #branding

What went into the #NHL Draft this past weekend at Sphere Entertainment Co. ? Here’s a quick read!

New Post: Sphere Entertainment Recruits Jennifer Koester For Key Leadership Role - https://lnkd.in/dkfCQd6w - Former Google executive Jennifer Koester joins Sphere Entertainment as president, Sphere Business Operations, with effect from Feb. 5. In this new position, Koester leads the strategy and execution of all business aspects of Sphere, the $2 billion next-generation entertainment space that opened last September in Las Vegas, with U2’s UV’s Achtung Baby Live At Sphere residency. Announced today (Jan. 22), Koester will work closely with executive leadership to grow the Sphere businesses, including maximizing the calendar and ticket sales; driving strategic partnerships with artists, managers, promoters and others in the live entertainment space; and developing a corporate conference business for product launches and other events. Based in New York, Koester reports to James Dolan, executive chairman and CEO, Sphere Entertainment. “We have seen a strong worldwide reaction to Sphere from customers, brands and artists since our September opening,” comments Dolan in a statement, “and we look forward to leveraging Jennifer’s extensive background driving growth at premier technology and entertainment brands as we continue to build our Sphere business.” Koester joins the company having racked-up 25 years’ executive-level experience across sales, marketing, technology, digital business, legal counsel and more, most recently serving as managing director, Americas strategic alliances, global partnerships at Google Commercial Operations. Before that, she was director, telecommunications and video distributors, global partnerships at Google. “Throughout my career, I have focused on pioneering and delivering growth strategies that bridge business needs and leverage new technologies,” she comments, “and I am excited to bring that experience to Sphere.” The state-of-the-art venue on the Vegas Strip is massive — standing 366 feet tall by 516 feet wide, big enough to house the Statue of Liberty. But it’s the detail that matters. Its 20,000 capacity main room is dominated by a 160,000-square-foot LED screen that curves and towers to an apex of 240 feet above. Footage from U2’s first run in the room went viral, and the shows were box-office gold. According to Billboard Boxscore, U2‘s 17-show run beginning in September at Sphere generated nearly $110 million in ticket sales, with an SEC filing noting that those dates generated a total of $30.7 million in revenue for Sphere Entertainment through Nov. 30. Next up, Sphere Entertainment’s own content offering, Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth, generated approximately $44.5 million in total revenue from ticket sales from 111 showings. Read more here. - Download: Stupid Simple CMS - https://lnkd.in/g4y9XFgR

I've always been a big fan of the Warner Bros. DC Extended Universe. Yet, the current challenges repeatedly reveal significant leadership and strategic missteps. It seems unlikely that Warner Bros. could secure the NBA rights renewal it desperately needs. If it were to stand alone, Warner might not survive the year, largely due to catastrophic management by its C-Suite. Despite recent PR efforts to boost the image of their leadership, the harsh reality remains. Under Zaslav's leadership, thousands of employees have been let go in a tumultuous quest for a strategy, resulting in a 70% loss for shareholders while revenues falter and the company lacks clear direction. Amid similar turmoil at Disney and Paramount, this situation epitomizes the broader challenges that legacy media faces: the need for transformative leadership—leaders who can think beyond the next earnings report and envision a future where they remain central to our digital lives. https://lnkd.in/geMkQRvM

Warner Bros. Discovery's NBA Contract Loss: A significant and high-profile failure. The forfeiture reflects a possible overestimation of Warner Bros. Discovery's bargaining power and strategy. That being said, and as the article states, the timing for all of this has been terrible. What raises the questions in this article is that Zaslav's team initially conveyed that they did not need the NBA, only to make an unsuccessful last-ditch effort. This miscalculation- if they were serious about signing a deal, resulted in a significant blow to the company's sports broadcasting portfolio and perhaps another post "Deprecate HBO" hit to WB Discovery's brand prestige, a factor that cannot be overlooked in the competitive media and entertainment industry. Despite this setback, Warner Bros. Discovery will most likely use these redirected funds to develop more profitable types of (unscripted) content. #streaming #sports

Media and tech titans are touching down in Sun Valley this week for the annual Allen & Co. conference, and streaming alliances will be top of mind. -Potential combinations -- from mergers to joint ventures to bundles -- are bound to be a topic of discussion, especially as some media giants like Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney have already started teaming up. -Those alliances can spill into the sports world, especially as sports media rights balloon and league commissioners are often conference attendees. -Then there's the recently announced merger of Skydance and Paramount Global that'll be part of the chatter -- from the ups and downs of the negotiations to the deal including a 45-day go shop period that allows potential bidders to make competing offers. National Amusements' Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount, is a habitual Sun Valley attendee. Read more of my story on CNBC:

Tonight's #trailblazingtuesday takes us down memory lane.... I started at ESPN the same year Bob Iger became the CEO of the The Walt Disney Company in 2005. The stock price was $19.60 on Dec 31st of that year. For 18 years while I was at the Company I watched him masterfully create multidimensional franchises out of singular IP titles, acquire and integrate the Pixar, Lucas Arts, and Marvel brands into the Disney ecosystem, license the first ever television show (Desperate Housewives) to iTunes, go after the rights to the World Cup and the first ever College Football Playoff, pull all of Disney IP from Netflix to start Disney+, put the first American theme park in China, and the list goes on and on. 16 years later, in 2021 the stock price was at record high of $201. And now in 2024, Bob Iger and Willow Bay join a number of smart and savvy business owners, CEO's, tech leaders, and VC/hedge fund investors, as the newest majority owners of a women's sports franchise, and my Angel City Football Club is in for the ride of the lifetime. (You better believe I am upgrading my season tickets NOW) . If this doesn't scream WAKE UP to everyone sitting on the sidelines NOT investing in women's sports because the scale still isn't as big as men's sports, the athletes aren't as recognizable, the content can't be found, blah blah blah. One of the most iconic visionaries in business just bought a team at a $250M valuation for more than double what it was just 3 years ago, just imagine where we are headed over the next 10 years! #buckleup #undervaluedasset #ROI #thebusinessofsports Trailblazing Sports Group

A BIG GAME What happened: Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery are launching a joint sports streaming service with live channels and rights to major sports, aiming for a fall launch to coincide with the NFL season. Strategic Considerations: The venture faces questions about pricing, partnership expansion, revenue sharing, and potential antitrust issues. It represents a strategic move towards re-bundling sports content for direct-to-consumer access. Industry Impact: Seen as a defensive strategy against tech giants entering the sports broadcasting space, the initiative aims to simplify access to sports for consumers. Analysts view it as a significant effort to reshape sports distribution. #mediaindustry #sportsbroadcasting #streamingmedia #bigtech #sportsstreaming #vod #streaming #streamingwars

I just read about what could be a potential seismic shift in the sports media landscape. Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery, are reportedly in early talks about a merger. As someone engaged in the sports media space, I find this development both fascinating and a bit uncertain. On one hand, this merger could reshape sports broadcasting, enhancing the viewer experience by potentially combining the vast sports assets of CBS with those of WBD. Imagine the synergies – NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, PGA Tour, NASCAR, and Big Ten Conference all under one umbrella. It's an exciting prospect. On the other hand, there are many unknowns. The biggest question that comes to my mind is how this merger could influence WBD's NBA deal, which is up for renewal after the 2024-25 season. Could this union provide WBD with the leverage and resources to craft a more competitive or innovative strategy for the NBA's next package? Streaming is already an integral part of both companies' strategies, and the potential of merging Paramount+ and Max services was discussed. This raises another question: How will this impact the streaming landscape, which is increasingly becoming a go-to medium for sports consumption? As we navigate through this evolving space, it's crucial to keep an open mind and a willingness to adapt. The sports media industry is ever-changing, and staying ahead means being ready to embrace new opportunities and tackle the challenges they bring. I'm eager to learn more and understand the implications of this potential merger. How do you think a union between Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery could change the sports media landscape? Any insights or perspectives are welcome as we try to grasp the potential impact of this monumental development. #SportsMedia #Broadcasting #ParamountGlobal #WarnerBrosDiscovery

Here another great piece to unpack the recent announcement by Disney, WBD and Fox, highlighting a twist that not many have been putting forward: the beauty of accounting! Indeed, with 33% each, none of the three owners will have to fully consolidate the JV … "One advantage the joint-venture sports streaming offering will have that few have taken notice of is accounting. As a trio of media equity analysts at Lightshed Research point out in a recent note, by splitting ownership among three companies, the sports streaming joint venture won’t require Disney, Fox or Warner Brothers to explicitly point out the costs associated with the service on their financials. It can aggressively spend to acquire subs and the operating losses are all off balance sheet for all three owners" https://lnkd.in/eJZGhfw8 Christoph Sommer Pascal Stefan Robin Fasel Livio Baumli Alessandro Oehy Davide Tesoro-Tess