Sports Business Ventures’ Post

Last month, I attended a 70th anniversary celebration for Sports Illustrated, attended by over 180 attendees including many who traveled to New York City. The experience felt like a high school reunion and there were so many hugs, laughs, smiles and tears. Having read an article about the changing landscape in Chicago Sports TV, I pondered, will I be attending a similar event in the not to distant future for NBC Sports Chicago after its 20 years of broadcasting Chicago Sports. Despite the challenges in the Regional Sports Network business, it appears my former RSN will likely go the way of its predecessor, Fox Sports Net Chicago and cease operations given the value of network to distributors without live sports means a drastic reduction in affiliate fees, alongside a significant decrease in advertising. From a business perspective, I'd love to learn how this new network was able to keep the Chicago Blackhawks who likely had options to join the Chicago Cubs on Marquee Sports Network. With a few exceptions, the most successful RSNs have spring summer + fall/winter programming of the four major pro sports (e.g. YES Network has Brooklyn Nets in addition to New York Yankees, compared to MSG Networks has New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils). And what carriage deal can this network expect from Comcast, the managing partner of NBC Sports Chicago, and number one distributor in the region? #sportsbiz #chicagosports #bulls #blackhawks, #cubs, #whitesox #OTT #sportstv

$331M in value for the NFL/Chiefs is insane and everything 🤯 ... But the marketer in me wants to know HOW MUCH earned media value was generated from this story... on earned media value, lol. Salute, Apex Marketing Group, Inc + Front Office Sports 🙂. We need to do a case study on such a masterfully-timed, strategic release. #marketing #brandawareness #taylorswift https://lnkd.in/eFirNRgE

✅🖥️ Crain’s Chicago Business (6/3): “The Chicago Sports Network is the name of the venture launching in October. The channel will stream more than 300 live games, post-game coverage and 24/7 multi-sport programming, according to a statement from the network. Both the Blackhawks and the Bulls will have their preseason games aired in October, while the Sox will make their debut on the network in 2025. The network is a partnership between the teams and Nashville-based Standard Media, which owns four local stations in Nebraska, Rhode Island, Missouri and Kentucky. The move comes as the teams' contracts with NBC Sports Chicago are set to end on Oct. 1. NBC has been the teams' broadcast channel since 2004. The network lost the Chicago Cubs when the team signed a deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group to create the Marquee Sports Network in 2020. The Chicago Tribune first reported on the aim to launch the new regional sports network in May detailing the many hurdles the teams seem to have overcome, including having to get the NBA, MLB and NHL to sign off on the plan and to work out complicated rights fees as cable providers such as Comcast have "blacked out" regional sports networks due to contract disputes.” 🏀🏒⚾️⬇️ #streamingtv #ctvadvertising #livesports https://lnkd.in/e-zmfan3

The Varsity * Comcast-Diamond Sports deadline is less than two weeks away--a negotiation that may determine the future of the regional sports network business. In this issue, I spell out exactly what's at stake for both sides for this high-stakes negotiation. * The entire sports business is paying attention to that Comcast-Diamond Sports negotiation. To wit: take a look at Chicago, where Jerry Reinsdorf is considering taking his Bulls and White Sox local rights to the digital sports network Stadium as negotiations with NBC Sports Chicago have been put on hold. * Golf executives are coming up with lots of reasons why Masters viewership dropped by 20 percent this year. It's not all because Scottie Scheffler has a boring personality. (No drama and perfect weather also play a part.) * From pantsgate to Olympic uniforms to the Caitlin Clark jersey fiasco, Nike has had a lot of bad press recently. It's no wonder that Nike's CEO was forced to publicly address an "innovation slowdown" on CNBC. * The NFL will have another package of rights to sell later this year, as ESPN's deal to carry the NFL Draft ends in 2025. Odds are that ESPN will renew it; but expect other media companies to at least kick the tires on the package. Plus, ESPN executives are looking outside the company as it looks to replace Norby Williamson--a huge strategy shift for a company that historically has promoted from within. https://lnkd.in/eXybxiVe

Showing the world it still cares deeply about sports, Warner Bros. Discovery has inked a five-year sublicensing deal with Disney to carry certain College Football Playoff games exclusively on TNT. The deal is for two first round games this year and next year, and then four total games (two first round, two quarterfinal) in years 3-5. WBD Sports now owns rights to carry some CFP games, MLB games, NHL games, and some NASCAR races for years to come. Warner Bros. Discovery continues to work with the NBA on figuring out if there's a way for the company to carry live games in the league's next media rights deal. WBD/TNT will have NBA rights next year no matter what -- the last year of the league's current media rights deal. But CFP bolsters not just TNT and Max's sports tier but also Venue Sports, the sports streaming app that's co-owned by Disney and WBD (and Fox), which launches in the fall. Both ESPN and TNT are part of the Venue, which doesn't yet have a price. Story here: https://lnkd.in/eXybwxQi

Billboards and Sporting Events: Creating Buzz for Fall Sports As fall sports heat up, brands have a unique opportunity to tap into the excitement surrounding major events like the NFL, NBA, and college football. Billboard advertising offers a powerful way to capture the attention of passionate fans as they travel to games, sports bars, and gatherings. But to make a real impact, timing and location are everything. By placing billboards near stadiums, along major highways, or in neighborhoods with strong sports culture, brands can create buzz and drive engagement. With the right strategy, you can turn sports fans' excitement into brand loyalty. Read today's blog on billboard advertising in sports marketing. https://wix.to/MiiEX0I #newblogpost #ooh #oohadvertising #billboard

The feeling is mutual. It appears that the NBA doesn't need you either, David Zaslav. https://lnkd.in/gJ3QRdvC Last Summer, I did a deep dive into the sports streaming space, researching sports rights by entities to get a bird's-eye view of everyone's position. https://lnkd.in/gq_TU-Vn In short, my recommendation to Warner Bros. Discovery at that time was to: 1. Retain NBA rights — put NBA on TNT on Max (they did) to maintain TNT's NBA Playoffs edge against the vMVPDs (YouTube TV, Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV). *This year, just like last year, I opted for YouTube TV's pricey but everything-in-one-place subscription to follow the NBA season. 2. Consider a more significant play in motorsports, which they did by splitting Nascar's mid-season games with Prime Video and obtaining rights to qualifying and practice races through 2031; FOX and NBC have the lion's share. Rights to Indy500 expired this year, and it was announced last month that FOX would get exclusive rights to IndyCar and the Indy500. Finally, F1's contract with ABC-ESPN expires in 2025. Considering all the developments since last Summer, WBD may even want to consider ending their 8-year U.S. Soccer contract (2023-2031) and get out of sports altogether.

ESPN recently struck an eight-year deal with the NCAA that starts September 1st and runs through 2032. Under this deal, valued at $115 million annually, ESPN will cover 40 NCAA championships, including 21 women’s and 19 men’s sports. The agreement includes sports like women's basketball, volleyball, baseball, and softball. Many of these events will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN, with over 2,300 hours of NCAA championships expected to be aired annually across various platforms. ESPN's negotiation approach reflects a trend of dealing directly with the NCAA, rather than individual conferences. Disney executives have expressed interest in partnering with tech companies as ESPN evolves into a sports streaming leader, with this NCAA deal enhancing its content portfolio. "The ESPN networks and platforms will exclusively present a record number of championships, including all rounds of several marquee events that, together with the NCAA, we have grown over time." Steve Henson highlights how ESPN’s exclusive negotiating window enabled this agreement before other competitors could enter discussions. Despite the absence of March Madness in this contract, the deal represents a significant development in sports broadcasting.

Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. has struck a deal with The Walt Disney Company ESPN network to broadcast some College Football Playoff games over five years. Warner Bros.' TNT and other platforms will air two first-round and two quarterfinal matchups, starting in 2026, with ESPN having the option to provide more games. Financial details weren't disclosed. This move adds to Warner Bros.' sports portfolio, which includes March Madness, Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), NASCAR, and U.S. Soccer Federation. The company plans to promote the games through related programming and expects the audience to grow. The deal aims to boost viewership on both traditional TV networks and the Max streaming service. Additionally, Warner Bros., Disney, and Fox Corporation. are launching a new online service called #Venu Sports. However, securing top-tier sports rights is competitive and expensive, as seen in Warner Bros.' bid to renew its National Basketball Association (NBA) deal. Follow Amanda Newman to stay up to date with technology. https://lnkd.in/e8Pk45UK

🏀 As the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) season gets ready to tip-off, local broadcasts are on the rise in a big way! 🏀 📈 Front Office Sports writes, "The WNBA is currently in the midst of selling a new set of national media-rights deals, doing so in concert with the NBA to help forge a potential year-round basketball presence on partner networks." 🤝 In fact, just last month, over-the-air TV broadcaster TEGNA and Indiana Fever Fever parent company Pacers Sports & Entertainment struck an agreement to show 17 of the team’s games on broadcast stations in Indianapolis.  📺 Tegna and the team then quickly expanded the pact to increase that coverage to 11 other markets stretching from Davenport and Des Moines, Iowa—the state where Clark starred collegiately—to Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. 📈 The increased broadcast footprint pulled in five other TV station owners, which turned companies that are rivals in multiple other areas into partners in the fast-growing economy of Clark. 🚀 When you look more closely at the deal, Tegna and the Fever are tapping not only into the unprecedented fan frenzy surrounding the professional debut of Clark but also the rapidly increasing cord-cutting. The National Basketball Association (NBA)’s Phoenix Suns & Utah Jazz, along with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Seattle Kraken Kraken & Vegas Golden Knights and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury have made the switch to broadcast all of their local games on free television. 📈 The Tegna-Fever deal also highlights a previously undervalued element of a WNBA that is now set for major expansion: full-fledged local team affinity, built significantly through local broadcasts. 💰 Historically, local team broadcast coverage has not been a prominent fixture of the league’s overall media presence, particularly compared to what the league receives through a series of national partners such ESPN, CBS, Ion, Amazon, NBA TV, or on social media. 🤝 Each of the league’s 12 current teams already has some level of local coverage to supplement the national deals, whether those deals are based on over-the-air distribution, on a cable-focused regional sports network, or via streaming. 🚀 In recent years, though, that mixed collection of distribution structures and number of available games have not been as much of a featured component for the WNBA. But things are changing & we're excited to see how these new local deals affect the league's growth going forward! #sports #sportsbiz #WNBA #Media #MediaRights #LocalMedia #Clarkenomics