September 5, 2024

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Amazon has spent tens of billions on national sports rights. A partnership with Diamond Sports Group could lead to 27 NBA, NHL, and MLB teams being streamed regionally on Prime Video. We go into how it could work.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Amazon Nears Game-Changing Deal to Stream Bally Sports Content [[link removed]]

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Amazon is poised to complete a long-expected expansion in its regional sports streaming efforts.

The online retail and streaming giant is closing in on an agreement with bankrupt Diamond Sports Group [[link removed]] to stream most of the Bally Sports parent company’s content, according to a report in the New York Post. Fans could pay approximately $20 per month to Amazon to gain access to regional teams. The pact has been expected since early this year [[link removed]], and more so in recent weeks—even after Amazon dropped out of a prior agreement to provide DSG with $115 million post-exit financing [[link removed]] to aid its emergence from bankruptcy.

The agreement, at least at the outset, will involve 27 teams from the NBA, NHL, and MLB for which DSG has digital rights. DSG also airs games for seven other MLB teams, at least for the 2024 season, only on a linear basis as digital rights have been seen as a particularly thorny “gating issue” for some of those clubs [[link removed]].

Amazon and DSG declined to comment.

While this agreement is approaching, DSG is attempting to complete its efforts to emerge from bankruptcy. In a status conference in U.S. Bankruptcy Court earlier this week, the company received formal approval of recently completed NBA and NHL deals [[link removed]] and said it is now targeting early- to mid-November to hold a confirmation hearing for its reorganization plan. But MLB is still expressing significant doubts, particularly around DSG’s ability to assert in a timely fashion its ability to air games in 2025.

Before this DSG deal, Amazon had steadily expanded its presence in local sports, acquiring rights to the NHL’s Kraken to add to an existing relationship with MLB’s Yankees. Those deals are part of a portfolio that Amazon now has involving each of the top four U.S. men’s pro leagues in some fashion [[link removed]].

For the teams in which it holds digital rights, DSG already offers its local content through the Bally Sports+ streaming app, costing $19.99 per month in most cases. But that product has had some notable technical issues [[link removed]]. Amazon Prime Video, while having a much stronger reputation for reliability, would also offer a major boost in scale to reach consumers.

Belichick Remaining in NFL Spotlight With Unprecedented Media Schedule [[link removed]]

USA TODAY

Bill Belichick has joined Instagram.

What would have been a shocking headline a decade ago is perhaps not all that surprising in 2024 for the six-time Super Bowl–winning head coach after he failed to land one of the NFL’s 32 most coveted jobs [[link removed]] this fall. Belichick gained more than 300,000 followers on his first day on the social media app that he still facetiously dubbed “InstaFace” in his first post [[link removed]].

That’s a good sign for the former coach, who is seemingly striving to prove he’s still at the top of his game by racking up as many media gigs as he can. This season, Belichick will stay in the NFL spotlight through virtually every medium available, from linear TV to streaming to radio and even, now, social media.

Channel Surfing

Belichick has already lined up a half dozen weekly media jobs during the 2024 NFL season:

The Pat McAfee Show: Guest interview slot each Monday on the popular, and sometimes controversial, program that airs on ESPN and YouTube ManningCast: Featured guest during the first half of all 11 editions of the alternate Monday Night Football telecast on ESPN2 with Peyton and Eli Manning The Breakdown with Peyton and Belichick: A 30-minute ESPN+ show released each Friday, previewing that week’s upcoming MNF matchup Inside the NFL: Full-time cast member on the long-running show that now airs on The CW on Friday nights Let’s Go!: Cohost of SiriusXM show alongside Jim Gray, Peter King, and Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. Tom Brady, the show’s former cohost, will still make some appearances on the Monday evening program Coach with Bill Belichick: Digital show from Underdog Fantasy featuring breakdowns on various players and teams

In addition to the media work, Belichick has also signed on as a strategic adviser for The 33rd Team, a website emphasizing NFL content from former players, coaches, and executives.

The Belichick Way

Belichick is taking a more aggressive approach to media work than other recent head coaches who have successfully returned to the NFL following a year off.

After Sean Payton stepped down from coaching the Saints, he spent the 2022 NFL season as a studio analyst for Fox before signing an $18 million annual contract [[link removed]] with the Broncos last year. Neither Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy nor Jaguars coach Doug Pederson had any full-time media jobs during their off years in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

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Caitlin Clark’s Colossal Impact

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Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever clinched a playoff berth Tuesday [[link removed]] after losses by the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream—and it’s a clear win for the WNBA that Clark will make her postseason debut in her rookie season. There have been 21 WNBA games with more than one million viewers this season, including the All-Star Game, and 18 featured Clark.

If the NCAA is any indication, playoff games with Clark will bring historic numbers. The 2023–2024 Iowa Hawkeyes played a few games that reached one million viewers during the regular season, including one game with 3.4 million. In the NCAA tournament, those numbers catapulted, including at least 10 million viewers for each of the team’s final three games starting from the Elite Eight and a record 18.9 million viewers in the NCAA championship game [[link removed]].

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But viewership is just one of the metrics that indicates Clark’s impact on the WNBA. Attendance across the league is up 47%. While the entire league is seeing double-digit percentage growth in attendance, the Fever’s attendance is the lead driver with 317% attendance growth. The Fever lead the WNBA in attendance this year despite finishing second to last in 2023 and dead last in 2022.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Denis Poroy-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Morgan ⬆ The soccer legend (above) announced Thursday [[link removed]] that she will be retiring. Her last professional match with the San Diego Wave will be Sept. 8. Morgan, 35, won an Olympic gold medal and two FIFA World Cups with the U.S. women’s national team. She will also be remembered for her work in championing women’s sports, which includes cofounding Togethxr, a women-focused media company.

Magic Johnson ⬆ The NBA icon is joining the ownership group of the Washington Spirit [[link removed]] led by Michele Kang. He is already a part owner of several professional teams, including the NFL’s Commanders, MLB’s Dodgers, and WNBA’s Sparks.

Saudi Arabia soccer ⬇ After spending nearly $1 billion on soccer stars last year, the country cut its spending to $530 million [[link removed]] this year, according to The Wall Street Journal. While the figure is still massive in comparison to salaries at other pro sports leagues, the dip in budget indicates the country’s deep pockets may finally be hitting a limit.

U.S. tennis ⬆ Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe square off in the US Open semifinals Friday, ensuring at least one American will be in Sunday’s finale—the first time an American has made a men’s US Open final since Andy Roddick in 2006. One of them will have the opportunity to end the country’s Grand Slam drought of more than two decades. On the women’s side, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro are both in the semis, giving the U.S. a shot at back-to-back women’s US Open titles after Coco Gauff won last year.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS EVENTS

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We are counting down to the Front Office Sports Tuned In [[link removed]] sports media summit. Limited tickets remaining. Secure your attendance today!

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Burke Magnus, president of content, ESPN Mark Lazarus, chairman, NBCUniversal Brian Lawlor, president, Scripps Sports Charlie Collier, president, Roku Media Stephen A. Smith, host, executive producer, lead commentator, The Stephen A. Smith Show & First Take Donna Speciale, president, U.S. advertising sales & marketing, TelevisaUnivision Jay Williams, cofounder & CEO, Improbable Media, entrepreneur and investor & ESPN personality Monica McNutt, basketball analyst, ESPN Deirdre Lester, CEO, Teton Ridge Jon Cruz, director, global head of sports partnerships, YouTube

Take advantage of a limited-time registration offer that expires Friday, Sept. 6, at 11:59 p.m. ET– register now [[link removed]]!

Conversation Starters Gatorade dropped a new ad starring Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for the start of the 2024 NFL season. Check it out [[link removed]]. ESPN announced it will use generative AI to write recaps [[link removed]] in the Premier Lacrosse League and NWSL games. Kirk Herbstreit is #Globetrotting again this week, from Ann Arbor for College GameDay, to Ohio to watch his son’s football game, and Charlotte for Saturday’s prime-time game. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Big 12 Commissioner: Talks to Add UConn to Conference ‘Paused’ [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The Big 12 schools ultimately convinced Yormark to halt conversations, a source tells FOS. Topgolf Callaway to Spin Off Into Two Separate Companies [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The two golf companies are parting ways only four years after they agreed to merge. Washington Spirit Player Blows Out Knee Throwing Out Nats First Pitch [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]She was named NWSL Rookie of the Month three times this year. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Or Moyal [[link removed]], Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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