September 11, 2024

Read in Browser [[link removed]]

POWERED BY

The NFL keeps raising the bar for TV ratings, with Week 1 of the 2024 season featuring double-digit percentage growth from 2023. Can anything get in its way?

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

NFL Week 1 Sets Viewership Record With 21 Million Average, Up 12% [[link removed]]

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

With the full audience results from the NFL’s Week 1 now in, the league’s dominance is only growing stronger.

Already enjoying bullish results from the league’s initial national games [[link removed]], the full slate of the NFL’s opening weekend averaged 21 million viewers across all platforms, representing the most-watched Week 1 on record, and up 12% from a year ago. The NFL’s total audience from Sept. 5–9 of 123 million was also the largest such viewership since 2019, and up slightly from the comparable 122 million to begin the 2023 season.

The NFL’s year-over-year viewership comparison excludes the Sept. 6 Packers-Eagles game in Brazil, given the particularly unusual nature of that Friday night broadcast [[link removed]]. But that contest still drew 14 million viewers for the exclusive airing on Peacock, the second-most-watched event on that service, pleasing executives for both the league and NBCUniversal.

Within those overall figures, Sunday afternoon coverage on CBS and Fox averaged 18.4 million viewers per game, up 21% from last year and the highest opening week Sunday afternoon viewership since 2016. ESPN, meanwhile, averaged 20.4 million viewers across several Disney-owned networks for the Monday Night Football opener between the Jets and 49ers. That figure, though down 10% from last year’s record-setting figure [[link removed]] and marred somewhat by the ongoing DirecTV-Disney carriage dispute [[link removed]], still [[link removed]]marked the second-most-watched MNF season debut since 2006 [[link removed]].

The overall lift for Week 1 gives the NFL some important early momentum as it faces potential headwinds ahead, including fewer MNF simulcasts on ABC and the upcoming U.S. presidential election [[link removed]].

As RSNs Continue to Crumble, Scripps Sports Seeks New Broadcast Deals [[link removed]]

Tuned In—Front Office Sports

As the regional sports network business erodes, more entities around the industry are embracing solutions for team broadcasts that avoid the traditional RSN model altogether.

Scripps Sports president Brian Lawlor said Tuesday at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit in New York that he is actively looking to strike additional team deals based on over-the-air television, particularly in the wake of the ongoing bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group [[link removed]]. Such a sentiment builds upon local rights deals that the company has already signed with teams such as the NHL’s Golden Knights, Panthers, and Utah Hockey Club.

“The regional sports [network] business is a disaster. And we did not predict the bankruptcy of Diamond,” Lawlor said. “But what we said was, ‘That was a great business 10 years ago when regional sports networks reached 80% of the households in America.’ Today, in almost every market it’s less than 50%, and in some cases, it’s less than 40%. So to own a professional baseball team or hockey team or something in a market and to reach [only] 35% of your fans, that’s not a good business model. … So we believe that bringing these games to linear television, putting them over the air was going to be a great platform. And it turned out our timing was right.”

Lawlor is hardly alone. As that over-the-air broadcast trend expands [[link removed]], MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reiterated Tuesday that the league is actively exploring a more nationalized media model, somewhat similar to the NFL, that would be a radical departure from its current approach.

“We need a more national strategy,” Manfred said at an event in Los Angeles produced by CNBC and Boardroom [[link removed]]. “We’re blessed with a huge amount of content: 2,430 games [per season]. Because of the amount of content, I think there will be some local component, but I think the strategy needs to be more national, and our reach needs to be more national.”

Those comments from Manfred closely follow ones he made in May [[link removed]], when he said that “there is a continuing conversation about a national media strategy, a national control of [team] rights.”

At roughly the same time Tuesday, Manfred’s counterpart at the NBA, Adam Silver, said that he, too, wanted to develop a more nationalized and broadcast-focused model [[link removed]] for his league’s regional team broadcasts. That’s even after the NBA recently struck both its set of new national rights deals [[link removed]], and a separate agreement with DSG for at least the 2024–2025 season [[link removed]].

“You have sort of a broken RSN model and some broadcast exposure. I think what we’re going to be in the process of doing now is spending the next six months or so studying what the opportunity is,” Silver said. “I think we’ll emerge in a very good place, [but] I think we have a bit of a rocky transition. We have significantly lost revenue in the short term.”

Easier Said Than Done

Those regional rights fee reductions, at least for the next year or two, are increasingly common across multiple sports [[link removed]]. Beyond that, reshaping the local TV model in sports also carries significant labor implications between leagues and players. The NFL, NBA, and NHL all operate in a salary cap model with a defined division of revenue in agreements with their respective players’ unions.

While MLB does not have a salary cap, that league’s collective bargaining agreement with the MLB Players Association also has a variety of critical levers governing its economic system based on how revenue arrives and is then partially shared among teams.

“That’s obviously a complicated topic,” Manfred said in May about potentially moving to a different model. “It’s important to separate two issues. There’s [the process of how] MLB controls these rights and comes up with a program where they’re monetized. There’s an entirely separate issue as to how the revenue flows.”

SPONSORED BY WELLS FARGO

Win Like a 2%er, Earn 2% Cash Rewards

[[link removed]]

When you have the Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card, you’re a 2%er. That means you earn unlimited 2% [[link removed]] cash rewards on purchases.

It’s the simple and smart way to earn cash rewards on your purchases. Being a 2%er means you earn 2% on the things you buy every day, and 2% when you decide to treat yourself. There are no limits and no categories to track. And with all those rewards, you’ll definitely feel like you’re winning [[link removed]].

NWSL GMs Say Player Empowerment Has ‘Gone Too Far’ [[link removed]]

EM Dash-USA TODAY Sports

The NWSL has faced quite a few abuse and sexual misconduct allegations since its inception [[link removed]], which reached a breaking point in 2022 after former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates published a report [[link removed]] stating the league “failed to protect its players.”

The new collective bargaining agreement [[link removed]] between the NWSL and NWSL Players Association includes more reforms, such as training programs for staffers. But an anonymous survey conducted by ESPN reveals all 14 NWSL general managers believe the culture changes have skewed too far to the side of the players [[link removed]].

“There’s a fear amongst staff about what you can say, what you can’t say, what you have to ask players’ permission for, what you don’t, if you’re going to get in trouble for this,” one GM told ESPN. “And that means, to me, it’s gone too far.”

General managers said there is concern among staffers about holding private meetings, even if it is to discuss soccer-related matters. The league is acknowledging the concerns of team front offices and aiming to provide resources to help define how to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate behavior.

NWSLPA chief Meghann Burke told ESPN there is no evidence players have gained too much power amid the clear cultural changes.

“It is disingenuous to simultaneously agree that the league has been completely transformed and we’ve created a healthier, better work environment and culture, and to simultaneously claim that players have too much power, because you can’t have one without the other,” Burke said.

A Rosy Exterior

The in-house fissures in the NWSL have stained an otherwise historic season. The new CBA includes the abolishment of the draft that commissioner Jessica Berman called a move to “align with global standards.” The league’s model is akin to the European soccer model, though the NWSL is widely considered the best women’s professional soccer league in the world.

Last week, the NWSL set a record for total attendance in a season, passing the previous mark of 1.4 million. Should it maintain its average of close to 12,000 fans per game for the rest of the season, it would surpass the milestone of two million by the end of the year.

Valuations for NWSL teams continue to skyrocket, highlighted by the July sale of Angel City FC [[link removed]] to Disney CEO Bob Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, for $250 million. That figure more than doubled the previous record sale of $120 million [[link removed]] for the San Diego Wave in March.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

WNBA ⬆ ESPN announced the league’s regular season was the most-watched in history across its platforms with an average of 1.2 million viewers per game. That number is a 170% increase versus the average viewership of last season’s games. The 2023 WNBA Finals averaged under 800,000 viewers over four games.

Cathy Engelbert ⬇ Despite the WNBA’s success, the commissioner is facing some heat [[link removed]]. She gave a vague response when asked by CNBC [[link removed]] about the inclusion of race into the conversation surrounding the rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Players like DiJonai Carrington [[link removed]] and Breanna Stewart [[link removed]] called out the commissioner for her answer. In a tweet posted Tuesday night [[link removed]], Engelbert clarified “there is absolutely no place for hate or racism” in the league.

LVMH ⬆ The French luxury brand conglomerate is in advanced talks to become a major sponsor of Formula One [[link removed]], particularly with TAG Heuer replacing Rolex as the watchmaker that is plastered across each of the tracks, according to Bloomberg. Rolex has been F1’s timekeeping sponsor since 2013.

Manchester United ⬇ The once most-valuable Premier League franchise announced its fifth consecutive year of losses. But CEO Omar Berrada believes the franchise is poised for a turnaround both on and off the field. “Our clear objective is to return the club to the top of European football,” Berrada said. One of the team’s key initiatives to boost its financial standings is a new 100,000-seat stadium [[link removed]].

SPONSORED BY 3D DIGITAL VENUE

Tickets, Please

In 10 years, what will you use to get into a ballpark, stadium, or arena for a game, and what will the experience look like once you’re in? The answer isn’t so clear, and the only thing everyone agrees on is things could look dramatically different.

Join us Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Ticketing [[link removed]], supported by 3D Digital Venue.

From new technology and utilizing consumer data to QR codes, NFC chips, and fingerprint scans, all of the changes will get their moment at our latest virtual summit featuring industry experts fluent in ticketing innovation.

Register now [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Wake Forest revealed a plan for a 100-acre sports and entertainment district that includes a 240-unit residential community surrounding game venues. Check it out [[link removed]]. David Mulugheta, a sports agent at Athletes First who represents NFL stars like Jordan Love and Jalen Ramsey, has negotiated $1 billion worth of deals [[link removed]] this year. The Carolina Hurricanes revealed renderings for the Raleigh Sports & Entertainment District, which includes a plaza with tailgating suites. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Jay Williams Supports PE in College Sports: ‘I Would Like to Own 49% of Duke Basketball’ [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Williams wants in when PE gets into college sports. Hedge Fund Billionaire Ken Griffin Funded USMNT Pochettino Hire [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The federation said Griffin funded a “significant part” of the deal. ESPN’s McNutt: Fallout From Viral Women’s Basketball Argument ‘Blew My Mind’ [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]McNutt went viral in June for calling out Stephen A. Smith’s women’s basketball promotion. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here [[link removed]].

Update your preferences [link removed] / Unsubscribe [link removed]

Copyright © 2024 Front Office Sports. All rights reserved.

460 Park Avenue South, 7th Floor, New York NY, 10016