September 1, 2023

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Already king of the mountain in college sports and generating the most revenue of any conference, the Big Ten will soon welcome USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington. Now it’s thinking even bigger, approaching its new media rights deals with NFL-style broadcasts.

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo has lofty ambitions of his own for his business activities, Luton Town FC looks to take financial advantage of its Premier League arrival, and a big media rights deal further reshapes the world of cricket.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

The Big Ten’s NFL-Inspired Media Plan [[link removed]]

Syndication: HawkCentral

This fall, Big Ten Saturdays are going to feel a lot like NFL Sundays.

The conference is beginning its seven-year, $7 billion media deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC — and each will take an NFL-inspired approach to broadcasting its games.

Fox and CBS will largely air marquee games in the afternoons, leading into a primetime matchup on NBC. This weekend includes Utah State-Iowa at noon ET on FS1, Ohio State-Indiana at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, and West Virginia-Penn State at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.

“It will look exactly like the NFL looks every week,” NBC Sports President of Acquisitions and Partnerships Jon Miller told Front Office Sports. “Where you see on ‘Sunday Night Football’ we’re promoting … the lineup of games the following week. And then those partners will do the same.”

Miller says he came up with the idea for a “Big Ten Saturday Night” package back in 2015 but couldn’t truly explore the concept until Kevin Warren became the conference’s commissioner in 2020.

The two men had a longstanding relationship from Warren’s days as an NFL team executive, which proved to be pivotal when the Big Ten started negotiating its next media deals. This year, Warren left the Big Ten to return to the NFL and become president of the Chicago Bears.

Double-Dipping

For CBS, 2023 is a transition year as it completes its final SEC season while introducing Big Ten coverage. The network has seven Big Ten games this season and 13 SEC games before the latter conference begins an exclusive deal with ESPN in 2024.

“Our expectations are high,” CBS Sports executive vice president of programming Dan Weinberg told FOS of the long-term potential with the Big Ten.

And while the network is concluding its 26-year run with the SEC, don’t expect any bad blood from CBS. “You’ll see promotion for the Big Ten, you’ll see promotion for the SEC in the same way that we’ve been doing it,” Weinberg explained.

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🎙️ They Said What?

“The Nationals are trying to sell, the Angels are trying to sell. I think you’re gonna see the Angelos [family] sell Baltimore.”

— David Samson, former Miami Marlins president, on MLB teams that could end up being sold in the coming year. For more on Samson’s comments, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

🎧 Listen and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], and Spotify [[link removed]].

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Sports Empire Is Only Getting Bigger [[link removed]]

Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s long-term NBA future may be newly uncertain, but in the meantime the two-time MVP continues to expand his business empire.

The Milwaukee Bucks star recently told [[link removed]] the New York Times he doesn’t “want to be 20 years on the same [team]” without winning another championship, sparking a frenzy of potential trade talk [[link removed]]. But amid the speculation, Antetokounmpo made [[link removed]] another off-court investment by acquiring a stake in Los Angeles Golf Club this week.

LAGC — which also counts as co-owners tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams and Serena’s husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian — was the first announced team [[link removed]] in TGL, the startup golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy that will begin play in January.

Expanding Sports Portfolio

For Antetokounmpo, the investments add to a burgeoning portfolio that also includes equity stakes in MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers [[link removed]], MLS’ Nashville FC [[link removed]], and a partnership [[link removed]] with global investment firm Calamos Investments. With his brothers, Antetokounmpo recently formed Ante, Inc. [[link removed]] to house their various investments and business relationships on which he serves as co-founder and chair.

Giannis’ activity, similar to that of other NBA superstars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant, reflects a heightened interest in business investments over the past three years.

“From 2020 to 2023, people think I’ve taken a large jump on the basketball court, but I think I’ve taken [a] 10X jump off the court,” Antetokounmpo said to the Times.

Antetokounmpo is under contract for the next two seasons with a player option for 2025-26. He will be eligible to sign a three-year, $173 million extension with the Bucks beginning Sept. 22 but has signaled he won’t — at least not yet.

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That’s why T-Mobile and the MLB® turned the 2023 MLB® All-Star Week™ into a hotbed of tech innovation [[link removed]], all powered by T-Mobile 5G Advanced Network Solutions. The duo delighted fans on and off the field with:

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Viacom18 Secures Indian Cricket Media Rights for $721M [[link removed]]

Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Cricket has little need to prove its value as India’s most popular sport — and now, one media company with loose American ties is shelling out nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars to broadcast key games.

Viacom18 — of which Paramount Global owns a 13% stake via a subsidiary — has agreed to pay [[link removed]] $721 million for the rights to broadcast India’s domestic cricket matches through March 2028.

The deal includes 88 matches in total, making the rights to each one worth more than $8 million.

Other bidders for the package included subsidiaries of Disney and Sony. The Board of Control for Cricket in India had reportedly tried [[link removed]] in vain to get tech giants like Amazon and Alphabet — Google’s parent company — to bid on the rights.

This latest deal marks the continued emphasis on cricket from Viacom18, which is majority-owned by Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in Asia, who also owns the most valuable franchise in India, per Forbes — the $1.3 billion Mumbai Indians.

Last year, the company paid $3 billion for digital rights to the Indian Premier League cricket championship, and earlier this year it spent $116 million on media rights for the inaugural Women’s Indian Premier League seasons from 2023-27.

Disney Star owns the Indian broadcast rights to the Cricket World Cup and the TV rights to the aforementioned IPL, but Disney could be exploring a sale [[link removed]] of its Indian operations.

How Luton Plans To Capitalize On Premier League Cashflow [[link removed]]

Luton Town FC

Luton Town FC is still looking for its first points in the Premier League — a feat it hopes to accomplish on Friday when it hosts its first league game at Kenilworth Road since being promoted to England’s top league for the first time in 31 years.

The match between West Ham United and Luton Town will air on USA Network at 3 p.m. ET, kicking off this weekend’s slate of EPL games.

Over the summer, Luton had to install about $16 million worth of upgrades [[link removed]] to its 10,000-seat stadium in order to bring the 118-year-old venue up to EPL standards. That included a new main concourse, media center, entry stairwell, and ticket office.

In 2022, Luton’s revenue was about $21 million, and the club lost [[link removed]'s%20pre-tax%20loss%20widened,m%20to%20%C2%A325.1m.] about $7 million. That won’t be the case this season, no matter where they end up in the table.

Luton will earn [[link removed]] at least $100 million from EPL media rights distributions alone — and potentially more depending on how many home games it ends up playing in major TV windows. Those revenues will go a long way toward the club’s plans for a new, 20,000-seat stadium [[link removed]] planned for 2026, a project that could cost [[link removed]] more than $125 million.

But this season, the focus is on Kenilworth Road, which will welcome the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea. Along the way, the top priority for Luton will be staying out of the bottom three, and keeping its coveted, lucrative spot in the Premier League.

Conversation Starters The U.S. Open’s Honey Deuce cocktail is back [[link removed]] — part of the tournament’s 17-year deal with Grey Goose. The event has sold over 1.8 million since 2007. The fate of the College Football Playoff is in flux following the most recent realignment [[link removed]]. FOS reporter Amanda Christovich recapped the meeting of the CFP Board of Managers — and its possible impact moving forward. For years, kids have played their own games behind the end zones of high school football stadiums. Now, Kentucky’s Somerset Independent School actually made a mini-field [[link removed]] for them.

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My Other Passion: J.K. Dobbins

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As one of football’s best young running backs, J.K. Dobbins is mostly known for his work on the field. But like many professional athletes – J.K has his own passions off the field.

In our new series, My Other Passion, presented by Chevrolet, we hit the outdoors [[link removed]] with some of the most recognizable athletes in sports to explore their interests outside the arena.

Learn how J.K. Dobbins grew up fishing in Texas, how it helps him practice patience on and off the field, the importance of family, his thoughts on the upcoming season and more.

Watch episode one [[link removed]] now.

Editor's Picks SEC Leads College Football Ticket Sales, Colorado Makes Biggest Jump [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]Alabama tops StubHub's ticket sales, five SEC schools make top-10. Potential Trial in Michael Irvin’s Lawsuit Against Marriott Many Months Off [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Irvin returned to the air this week as a contributor on FS1’s “Undisputed”. Everyone Wants In On Messi Betting — and Sportsbooks Are Adjusting [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Messi Mania has found its way to the betting markets. Question Of The Day

Do you prefer to shop online or in-person?

Online [[link removed]] In-person [[link removed]] No preference [[link removed]]

Thursday’s Answer

64% of respondents are interested in going or have been on a cruise.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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