Now in the second season of an 11-year, $11 billion deal with the NFL, Amazon is setting its sights on more live sports.

The tech giant’s confidence stems from brisk ad sales for its exclusive streaming of “Thursday Night Football.”

“We’re above our expectations at this point in the ad cycle,” Amazon global head of sports Jay Marine said recently on a “TNF” preview call. 

Marine also pointed to a noticeable shift of advertising funds toward live sports, particularly the NFL: “We’re acquiring more than our fair share of this increased ad revenue. We’re charting a successful course.”

Amazon is gearing up to stream the Miami Dolphins-New York Jets game live for free on Black Friday — when it could test interactive shopping and marketing. “We’ll have some interesting things for Black Friday where we think it will be additive for fans,” Marine said of the busiest shopping day of the year.

Rights for the additional game — which is not part of the ‘TNF’ package — reportedly cost Amazon between $50 million and $70 million.

Amazon’s 16-game regular-season schedule kicks off in Week 2, when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 14. It is also streaming Thursday night’s preseason game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Eagles.

Is The NBA Next Up?

Amazon’s aspirations extend beyond football: With the emergence of different live sports packages, including the coveted rights to broadcast NBA games, the company is positioning itself as a major contender.

The league is seeking between $50 billion and $75 billion for its next multiyear package, sources told Front Office Sports. 

“We’ll be aggressive, but we’ll also be rational,” Marine said of any future sports deals. “And so we’ll just have to see how that evolves over time.”

ATLANTA — PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan reiterated his confidence in ultimately reaching a definitive agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, with a Dec. 31 deadline almost four months away.

Speaking during his annual “state of the tour” press conference on Tuesday from the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, Monahan said he was “certain” an agreement would be reached, resulting in a “positive outcome” for the Tour and its fans.

While he wouldn’t specify how far along negotiations are, Monahan said there are “frequent talks” and the process is “right where I would expect” it to be. “There’s an intensity and there’s an urgency, and there’s a lot of good work that’s being done,” he said.

Part of negotiations concern how and when LIV Golf players would be allowed back on the PGA Tour. When asked by Front Office Sports about whether that could be in 2024, Monahan said, “These are the kind of topics and discussions that we’re having right now with PIF. So, to be able to project what’s going to happen, I don’t have any answer today.”

If there’s another Senate hearing examining the PIF deal, Monahan is willing to testify. He had agreed when first asked, but his dates didn’t work, which is why he didn’t take the stand at July’s hearing.

“The PGA Tour will continue to comply with the requests that come our way, and if there’s a request for me to be there, then I will be there,” Monahan said.

Dick’s Sporting Goods missed Wall Street’s earnings expectations for the first time in three years, dropping its stock nearly 25% to around $111 as of Tuesday afternoon.

The company reported $2.82 per share in adjusted profit for its second fiscal quarter, compared with expectations of $3.81 per share. Sales rose 3.6% to $3.224 billion — slightly below the $3.238 billion expected.

Shoplifting and employee theft were blamed in part for the poor results.

“Organized retail crime and theft in general is an increasingly serious issue impacting many retailers,” Dick’s CEO Lauren Hobart said on the company’s earnings call. Dick’s chief financial officer Navdeep Gupta added that organized retail crime was “significantly higher” than the company anticipated.

Looking toward end-of-year, Dick’s reduced its expectations for adjusted profits to between $11.50 and $12.30 per share.

Despite the unfavorable financial results, Dick’s stock is still up around 600% from the end of March 2022, as the company has largely been able to capitalize on increased interest in athletic gear, at-home workout equipment, and other sporting activities like golf, tennis, and pickleball. 

Corporate Layoffs

Dick’s reportedly let go of 250 employees this week, according to Bloomberg. As of January, it had employed nearly 53,000 full- and part-time workers.