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Archie Graham: Hey, ump, how 'bout a warning? Umpire: Sure, kid. Watch out you don't get killed. WSJ’s deep dive into the sports broadcast landscape is a good one, as they smartly illuminate an important viewership angle. Certainly, the news of the Spulu streaming service was good news for sports fans, but as we look into the slicing, dicing and pricing (ha! see what I did there?), there’s an interesting gap here: While the new service will account for 55% of all sports rights (https://lnkd.in/gjfBeJ4c) and carry nearly all of the nationally broadcast NBA, NHL and MLB games, it will not have access to those games carried on the regional sports networks, which carry local-market telecasts for major professional teams. As we know, the biggest RSN broadcast entity is the filing-for-bankruptcy (something like 42 teams) across which is currently being rescued by Amazon Prime Video (https://lnkd.in/gHv8zkUH) for the price of an hour's parking on Wilshire. The rest are scattered across traditional cable. With sports as the next battleground for streaming, this disjointedness will no doubt amplify consumer confusion/frustration regarding content (game) discovery and ultimately dilute viewership, especially since 52% of Millennial/Gen Z sports fans don't view watching live sports as an important part of being a fan in the first place per Morning Consult (https://lnkd.in/gujHRgDV). I remain bullish on sports and streaming, but baffling consumers, who will be asked to dig even deeper into their pockets ($50 for Spulu + another $20 for Paramount+ and Peacock to complete the set), is something sports streamers will need solve for via better curation, better tune-in, better integration with how’ve dimensionalized our fandom, better sports-as-culture moments. Without better integration into contemporary sports fan culture, just because you build it, they may not come at these price points. https://lnkd.in/gBnTzCAs

Sports content continues to dominate linear TV, accounting for over 95% of the most-watched programs in 2023 in the US. The strength of live sports programming is growing as traditional linear TV networks spar against streaming services for valuable media rights. At the same time, local rights are shifting from regional sports networks to local broadcast stations, and new sports-centric streaming services have emerged to target audiences outside of the traditional pay-tv ecosystem. Consumers now have a myriad of platforms to consume content amidst the changing landscape. Please join S&P Global’s Mike Reynolds, Justin Nielson and Scott Robson in a discussion on: The increasing cost of global sports rights The evolving business model for local sports rights The state of the regional sports networks The growth of sports direct-to-consumer services

Sports on Cable - Too good to be TruTV? 🏀⚾🏈🏎 TruTV which currently airs Impractical Jokers across most of its schedule - is going to shift its focus towards sports programming. New episodes of IJ will air on TBS alongside TruTV in April. With TruTV part of the WBD family launching a sports joint venture with FOX & ESPN, investing more airtime in sports now makes sense. It would also help WBD compete with Fox and ESPN who currently have a wider sports talk show and documentary focus alongside their live sports coverage. Sports are ruling the roost on Linear TV, cable networks increasing sports content is a strategy that has also been utilised by NBCU with the USA network shifting towards sports. The shift to Sports on TRU could also be with an eye on the NBA rights renewal next year, with high levels of interest are being shown by television and digital providers. TNT currently has rights to the NBA

From Taylor Swift's highly publicized romance to the starstudded attendees, I couldn't help but question if this year's Super Bowl was still about football.🤔 At face value, we can see that the media plays a huge role in marketability. The more consolidated the media sector gets, the more promotional time viewers can expect the network with the broadcast rights to the Super Bowl to reserve for the many corporate siblings their parent company deems priority to showcase. With media companies taking center stage and competing for our attention, the combination of linear and streaming proved to be very powerful in terms of maximizing reach, interactivity, and personalization for viewers. So yeah, in a way, the Super Bowl has become more than just a football game. However, as the most-watched program to date, averaging 123.4 million viewers across all platforms, clearly they're doing something right! #SuperBowl #Media #Streaming

Check out my article in the Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment Law Blog about potential antitrust risks in the proposed joint venture between ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery for a new sports streaming service.

🗣️Your message is that much more impactful when delivered with a voice that resonates with your audience; one they can relate to and understand. That is why this groundbreaking partnership with #FOXDeportes AND NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises to deliver a Spanish-speaking broadcast for the National Football League (NFL) #SuperBowlLIX in #NewOrleans is so intriguing. 🏈🏟️ This is bigger than just translating a game. Not only will this coverage be the largest distribution of the “Big Game” in Spanish-language in history of the United States, but having two unique simultaneous broadcasts provides an enhanced tailored experience for fans in efforts to expand the NFL’s reach within the Latino community. Kudos for understanding there is no “one size fits all” approach when effectively communicating with audiences, despite them sharing a common language. 👏🏻👏🏽👏🏿 #SportsMarketing #StrategicPartnerships #SportsManagement #InnovativeGroupNews Full article can be found below 👇

Invitation to a free webinar on the topic of Sports Broadcasting. The Power of Sports: Breaking down the big business of sports broadcasting Wednesday, April 3 | 11am – 12pm EDT Sports content continues to dominate linear TV, accounting for over 95% of the most-watched programs in 2023 in the US. The strength of live sports programming is growing as traditional linear TV networks spar against streaming services for valuable media rights. At the same time, local rights are shifting from regional sports networks to local broadcast stations, and new sports-centric streaming services have emerged to target audiences outside of the traditional pay-tv ecosystem. Consumers now have a myriad of platforms to consume content amidst the changing landscape. Please join S&P Global’s Mike Reynolds, Justin Nielson and Scott Robson in a discussion on: * The increasing cost of global sports rights * The evolving business model for local sports rights * The state of the regional sports networks * The growth of sports direct-to-consumer services Register here. https://lnkd.in/g8sxnjVu

The Premier League shifting to an in-house production just takes us to another step closer to the emergence of an OTT platform for the biggest league in the world. This clearly guarantees more revenue for the league (and clubs) compared to their current broadcasting deal payouts. This is not anything new with the likes of 'NBA League Pass' or 'NFL+' in the US markets. The challenge however lies in the foreign markets; which the American sports have not had to deal with until very recently. The main driver that makes the Premier League the juggernaut of a league, is the global audience. Reaching them through an OTT platform may have its own challenges with retail level penetration, foreign payment methods and the extra toll it will put on the pockets of people not earning $£€. Should be fun times! Might be an absolute gamechanger for football broadcasting.

🚀 The Future of Sports Broadcasting: YouTube Takes the Lead 🚀 In his latest thought leadership article for Unofficial Partner, Robbie Spargo (Managing Director of Little Dot Sport) delves into YouTube's rapid entrance into the live sports broadcasting market. With traditional broadcasters facing an existential crisis and the sports rights market in flux, YouTube is showing signs of a potential shift in the landscape. At Little Dot Studios, we're excited about the opportunities for sports rights-owners. YouTube offers a unique blend of reach and monetisation opportunities that increasingly rival traditional TV and direct-to-consumer models. With live sports streaming, dynamic ad insertion, and robust audience engagement, YouTube is emerging as a formidable player in sports broadcasting. Discover how this could be a viable third way for rights-owners and why it's time to rethink sports media distribution. 🏈 📺 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eW_hhZ5Q #SportsBroadcasting #YouTube #DigitalMedia #SportsRights #LittleDotStudios

🗣️Your message is that much more impactful when delivered with a voice that resonates with your audience; one they can relate to and understand. That is why this groundbreaking partnership with #FOXDeportes AND NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises to deliver a Spanish-speaking broadcast for the National Football League (NFL) #SuperBowlLIX in #NewOrleans is so intriguing. 🏈🏟️ This is bigger than just translating a game. Not only will this coverage be the largest distribution of the “Big Game” in Spanish-language in history of the United States, but having two unique simultaneous broadcasts provides an enhanced tailored experience for fans in efforts to expand the NFL’s reach within the Latino community. Kudos for understanding there is no “one size fits all” approach when trying to effectively communicate with audiences, despite them sharing a common language. 👏🏻👏🏽👏🏿 #SportsMarketing #StrategicPartnerships #SportsManagement #InnovativeGroupNews