The Female Quotient’s Post

The Varsity 1. Shari Redstone's decision to kill the Skydance/RedBird Capital Partners' Paramount acquisition in the thirteenth hour has caused some angst at 345 Park Ave., where National Football League (NFL) executives are gaming out their options in the highly unlikely (but not impossible) scenario that its highly leveraged broadcast partner is unable to make its $2 billion-plus annual rights fee payments. 2. Paramount's corporate mess shouldn’t have any immediate effect on CBS Sports, which has a bunch of long-term rights deals with its biggest properties. The National Football League (NFL) deal runs through 2033 (although the league likely will use its out in 2029), and its Big Ten Conference, PGA TOUR, and UEFA deals run until 2030. Its NCAA March Madness deals end a couple of years later. Under David Berson, the CBS Sports leadership has a steady hand and a ton of experience. 3. The vibe among Warner Bros. Discovery's TNT staffers in Atlanta is, understandably, depressing. However, WBD’s moves to pick up rights to other sports (notably the French Open and College Football Playoff) should cushion some of the blow. But the real angst, sources told me, is coming from the 50 or so NBA TV staffers, who work out of WBD’s Atlanta studios and face a decidedly uncertain future. 4. Dennis Dodd's blockbuster report that the Big 12 Conference is considering selling a 15-20 percent stake in its conference to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners for between $800 million and $1 billion marks the continuation of a years-long trend in college sports. 5. RIP Jerry West: Legendary National Basketball Association (NBA) executive Rod Thorn has known Jerry West since the NBA icon was a teenager. He shares some stories of West's early days in West Virginia. The ageless John Malone's decision to take a controlling position in Formula E shows that he’s looking to re-create the magic he found in its sister racing sport. But Malone is hardly the only investor nosing around for underperforming assets in the space that appear ready to be whipped into shape. Another deal further ratifies his strategy—especially the desire to go niche. MSP Capital Ltd is backing a couple of former ESPN executives (Scott Guglielmino and Eric Johnson) who are transitioning X Games into a team sports model. https://lnkd.in/eGGmVqmY

Ahead of the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) Draft and the upcoming season, Prime Video & Amazon Studios and the league have extended their media rights agreement for two more years. This renewed partnership means that Prime Video will broadcast 21 games in the 2024 season, including the championship game of the 2024 Commissioner's Cup! This extension with Amazon is a major win for the league, as it remains in the market for its next primary media rights deal. Currently, the The Walt Disney Company/ ESPN is the league's largest rights holder. 🏀 #wbna #womensbasketball #amazon #amazonprimevideo #disney #espn #mediarights #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness #marketing #media #sportssponsorships #sponsorships #ai #mensio #hive Article by Sports Business Journal

Where is the concern about the Number of Games that kids will be playing and the Number of Months that they will be playing football to further enrich everyone else except themselves and their families! It is criminal the way these plantations are exploiting and abusing the poor, disadvantaged minority boys. It is Shameful and Disgraceful! Greed and Selfishness are the Core issues that are driving all this misdirection and intentional confusion. I have an argument that have not and cannot be disputed or debunked. The Greed is at the Gross Revenue level with the Private Bowl Games, CFP, NCAA, and the Universities not carving out 30-50% off the Top for line item #1 on their Expense. The Selfishness is at the Net Revenue with the Athletic Department and University Administrative number of jobs and Compensation, the two Revenue Generating Sports coaching Compensation, Sharing of the FB & BB Revenues with other Sports, Departments, Facilities, Projects, Programs and interests. NIL and Collectives do not address this Theft and Travesty, and everyone at the school that is accepting their cut from this hush money is furthering this crime against these poor, disadvantaged young men and their families and communities.

📈 Something for us in #Sportsbiz to continue to watch: According to Axios, Americans continue to disengage in political and general news, as evident in the web traffic data screenshot below. This aligns with the increase in average viewership across sports; for example, in 2023, the NFL saw a 7% increase in viewership at 17.9M on average, per ESPN. We expect to see this translate to more brands coming to the table in 2024 to acquire and expand sponsorship rights and assets from sports properties, athletes, and broadcasters. It will be interesting to see how this continues as we lead into the election, and how this impacts churn on streamers who are acquiring sports rights. Shout out to Sara Fischer for the stellar media coverage.

I think every sports fan can agree that the amount services and apps needed to watch one sport has reach an extreme point of absurdity. On top of that, you can't even pay to watch all of the games for the teams you are a fan of with those services. Let the fans pick and pay for the games they want to actually watch for the teams they actual like all from ONE app instead of having us play this game of "find the needle in the haystack of services" each year. #FreeCast #NextGenStreaming #StreamingWars #NBA #NFL #NHL #MLB #MLS #NoMoreAppDiving

The Varsity * The NBA is continuing to talk with Warner Bros. Discovery and NBC, but negotiations are not far enough along yet for the league to start conversations around WBD’s all-important matching rights. NBC and the NBA would have to be close to a signed deal for negotiations over those matching rights to truly commence. * Comcast and Diamond have barely spoken in the nine days since the cable operator dropped all of the Bally Sports Networks from its Xfinity cable systems. Both sides are entrenched in their positions, and it doesn't look like any deal is close. * CBS Sports’s deal with the Italian soccer league Serie A expires in a couple of weeks and the two sides are not close on a renewal. The Italian soccer league will either have to accept a much lower rights fee from CBS or find a new partner in the U.S. market. * Former Turner Sports president Lenny Daniels was considered one of the early favorites to replace Norby Williamson, but now has become a much longer shop as ESPN is not moving off its desire that the role will be based in Bristol, Conn. * Streaming, Paramount, women's sports, Spulu and sports betting were the top topics on the minds of NFL lawyers who gathered in Washington, D.C. this week. I spoke to the group on Wednesday morning about the changing media landscape, and these were the focus of most of the questions I fielded. * It looks like Netflix will wind up carrying the two NFL games scheduled for December 25, per a bevy of sources. It’s a first-of-its-kind deal, and almost certainly not the last. https://lnkd.in/eQN-tqcj

Why a $2.2 billion NBA deal was too much for WB Discovery https://lnkd.in/gnnMhb8T In a challenging ad market, TNT would need to more than double its ad revenue to maintain current profits (if there are any) from broadcasting NBA games. Moreover, as cord-cutting shows no signs of abating, Venu Sports would need to be a big success to keep viewership at current levels. WB Discovery may not cover the license fees with ad revenue in the first few years of the deal. Moreover, with the company heavily in debt, waiting three or more years for profits is just not an option.

Warner Bros. Discovery matched the new NBA media rights deal, likely Amazon’s $1.8 billion per year offer before Wednesday’s deadline, possibly leading to court action. The 11-year, $76 billion deal includes ESPN paying $2.6 billion annually, NBC $2.5 billion, and Amazon $1.8 billion, which also covers WNBA games at $200 million annually. The WNBA will receive $2.2 billion over the contract, significantly boosting its annual media rights value from $43 million to $260 million. This increase should raise average WNBA salaries to mid-six figures. The WNBA, in growth mode with rising attendance, viewership, and merchandise sales, sees this deal as undervaluing its future potential, as it places the WNBA’s annual value below the NHL and closer to MLS. Despite the new money, WNBA owners will get less than 50% due to the league's shared ownership structure. NBA owners stand to benefit immensely, with the WNBA becoming a premium sports property and an expectation that they will turn their first-ever annual profit next year. #DrexelSBIZ #SportBusiness #NBA #WNBA #NBAonTNT #ESPN #Basketball

🏀 📺 We've got ourselves a showdown in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and it's not the playoffs. After not reaching a deal during its exclusive negotiating period, Warner Bros. Discovery - parent company of Turner (Turner Broadcasting System, Inc) - is in danger of losing the NBA media rights it's held for nearly 40 years to NBCUniversal, as NBC has come in with a significant offer of $2.5 billion, nearly 120% over the current agreement. The agreement puts WBD in a Catch-22. Keeping the rights would surely mean overpaying (reports are saying they'd need to come in at $2.8 billion to have a shot), and the company is already in challenging financial times. But, if it loses the rights, it drastically weakens its cable business due to being unable to maintain its carriage rights, which are among the highest out there ($3/subscriber) and generates $2.56 billion annually for the company. Decisions, decisions. In this week’s SBP, you’ll learn (with the assistance of some memes): - How the NBA is carving up its new media rights package - The “tale of the tape” between WBD and NBC - The outcomes of either scenario (and NBC's ultimate angle) - What I think the NBA will do - The ramifications this broader deal will have on the industry as a whole Check it out below! 👇 https://lnkd.in/gtizrPdY

💰 Game Changer: NBA's $76 Billion Media Rights Deal Announced! 💰 The NBA just announced a groundbreaking media rights deal late Wednesday afternoon, and it's a game-changer for both leagues! Here are the highlights: NBA's New Media Rights Deal: - 📅 Duration: 11 years - 💰 Value: Approximately $76 billion Impact on Players: - 📈 Yearly Cap Increases: 10% over the next few seasons - 🔄 Flexibility: Potential for adjustments if necessary WNBA's Milestone Achievement: - 🏆 Secured Deal: $2.2 billion - 📈 Growth Potential: Could increase to $3 billion contingent on the league's growth Future Prospects: - 🚀 Expansion: Adam Silver will “engage this fall in earnest in the process of making those determinations” for league expansion Let's Talk About It: - Why is financial literacy crucial for athletes, especially with such lucrative deals on the table? - What does the future hold for the WNBA with this substantial financial backing? - How long until this deal produces the first $100 million player in the NBA? Engage in the conversation and share your thoughts below! #NBA #WNBA #MediaRights #SportsBusiness #FinancialLiteracy #SportsIndustry #LeagueExpansion #FutureOfSports #SportsEconomics #GameChanger #SportsMedia