October 8, 2024

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We’re still early in the MLB postseason, but numbers show a veritable audience explosion so far, with the presence of stars and close competition boosting interest in October baseball. We explore the drastic jump in TV ratings and the league’s prospects of retaining this interest throughout the month.

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

MLB Playoff TV Ratings Soar 41%, Fueled by Drama and Ohtani’s Debut [[link removed]]

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

As any veteran of Major League Baseball postseason play knows, momentum is a powerful thing and can greatly impact game outcomes. That also applies to the league’s initial viewership of the 2024 playoffs, which has already been one of the most memorable in recent memory.

Already enjoying the presence of the Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in the playoffs [[link removed]] for the first time, MLB, Fox, and TNT Sports collectively posted a 41% boost in viewership [[link removed]] across the initial two days of the Division Series on Saturday and Sunday.

Within that overall boost, Fox Sports averaged 3.64 million viewers for its first four National League Division Series games. That average is the highest such mark through the second day of play in this playoff round since the network’s FS1 channel began showing postseason baseball in 2014.

TNT Sports, meanwhile, generated an average of 2.6 million viewers for its American League Division Series coverage Saturday, a pair of Game 1s that produced a 21% increase compared to the start of the round last year. Further data from Monday’s ALDS Game 2s is expected later Tuesday.

Notably, both Fox Sports and TNT Sports posted their viewership gains on Saturday competing against a stacked slate of college football, and then for Fox Sports on Sunday, the NFL.

Kind of a Big Deal

The robust viewership figure arrived as MLB has four 1–1 ties for the first time in Division Series history. That round of postseason play debuted as a permanent entity in 1995 after a prior, one-off stint in 1981 due to that season being impacted by a labor dispute.

The across-the-board series ties guarantee the league will have at least 16 of 20 potential Division Series games this year. That figure contrasts significantly from last year when the Division Series had just 14 games and two sweeps among the four matchups.

In any postseason series, drama and viewership typically rise the longer it goes, leaving MLB and its rights holders to generally root for as many games as possible.

“The fact that we’re here and we have a great opportunity to be back but playing meaningful games, playoff games here in October in front of our fan base, is exciting,” said Carlos Mendoza, manager for the Mets, who resume their Division Series against the Phillies on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s awesome. I can’t wait.”

The Division Series also follows a wild-card round that produced a 25% viewership increase [[link removed]] from last year, and the best totals since that round of the postseason began in 2022.

FanDuel Close to Putting Its Name on Imperiled Diamond RSNs [[link removed]]

The Des Moines Register

FanDuel already enjoys a status as the No. 1 sportsbook operator [[link removed]], as measured by U.S. market share. Now it’s extending its powerful reach and brand to the country’s largest collection of regional sports networks.

According to industry sources, the company is now finalizing a deal to become the title sponsor of the Diamond Sports Group–owned RSNs previously known as Bally Sports. The agreement has been in the works for several months, but DSG updated the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of its efforts to rename the networks Monday, without mentioning FanDuel by name.

“The debtors are close to reaching agreement with a third party on the terms of an agreement for naming and branding rights with respect to the debtors’ RSNs,” DSG said in a court filing. “The contemplated agreement will lock in a new naming rights partner for the 2024-2025 NHL and NBA seasons while also providing the debtors with a long-term naming rights partner if the debtors are ultimately able to emerge as a going concern.”

The deal will involve FanDuel acquiring a “single-digit percentage of equity” in a reorganized DSG, with performance-based warrants that would allow for a doubling of that ownership stake.

The court filing arrives as DSG approaches a planned Nov. 14 hearing of its bankruptcy organization plan that would allow the company to continue as a viable entity. A status conference is set for Wednesday in that ongoing effort, and at another such conference last week, DSG disclosed it intends to shed nearly all of its MLB rights agreements [[link removed]]. That dramatic move threatens to have significant ripple effects across baseball [[link removed]].

It is not yet clear how a FanDuel-branded set of RSNs will interact with the sportsbook’s extensive content operations that already exist, highlighted by FanDuel TV.

Money Matters

DSG, meanwhile, detailed its financial state as it nears that intended confirmation hearing. As part of recently renegotiated rights deals [[link removed]] that include lowered rights fees, DSG said it owes the NBA and the 13 basketball teams it airs $253.1 million for the 2024–2025 season, and the NHL and nine of its teams are set to receive nearly $135 million.

If DSG is forced to liquidate and wind down its operations, though, the NBA would instead receive a sum between $163.7 million and $187.9 million, while the NHL would gain between $87.3 million and $100.2 million.

As part of DSG’s efforts to winnow its baseball contracts, the company has just $16.4 million in outstanding MLB obligations.

An estimate provided by Moelis, DSG’s investment bank, pegs the enterprise value of a reorganized DSG at between $600 million and $1 billion. That figure is a mere fraction of the $10.6 billion value of the RSNs just five years ago, when they were acquired by DSG parent company Sinclair. In addition to DSG covering fewer teams now—due to either dropping some clubs or their leaving voluntarily for other broadcast options—the dramatic loss in value illustrates just how substantially that cord-cutting and broader media industry disruption has ravaged the RSN business.

DSG, meanwhile, confirmed Amazon is no longer a potential investor, though the online retail and streaming giant remains in talks on a more conventional deal to distribute the RSN content [[link removed]] on Prime Video. But DSG warned “the debtors’ ability to reorganize as a going concern will depend on [its] ability to raise additional exit financing commitments. … Although the debtors are in discussions with multiple potential financing sources, there can be no assurances that the debtors will be able to secure commitments.”

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Caitlin Clark Takes Her Game to the Greens: WNBA Star in LPGA Pro-Am [[link removed]]

Grace Smith/IndyStar/Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark mania is set to hit women’s golf during the Indiana Fever star’s WNBA offseason, with the hoops sensation scheduled to play in a pro-am on the LPGA Tour next month.

Clark will headline a list of celebrities teeing it up on Nov. 13 at Pelican Golf Club in the Tampa Bay area, ahead of that week’s LPGA event, officially named the Annika driven by Gainbridge. She’ll also be a panelist on a women’s leadership summit hosted by the tournament the day before.

While this isn’t Clark’s first foray into the golf spotlight, this specific occasion came together strictly through her sponsorship with Gainbridge, Front Office Sports has learned.

In March, the Indianapolis-based financial services company signed Clark to an endorsement deal—less than a week after she announced she would enter the 2024 WNBA draft (the Fever had already won the draft lottery and top pick in December). Gainbridge took over naming rights of the Fever’s arena in 2021 and began sponsoring the LPGA event last year. The Fever led all WNBA teams in attendance [[link removed]] at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season. And now, the company is hoping to cash in with Clark on the golf course, too.

In July 2023, Clark played in the pro-am event at the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic in Illinois, about an hour’s drive from Iowa’s campus. On that hot summer day, she drew huge crowds [[link removed]] at TPC Deere Run. Clark was also featured in multiple YouTube videos [[link removed]] posted by the Big Ten Network, chronicling her admiration for golf.

Tickets are on sale for November’s LPGA pro-am, but tournament officials don’t yet have an expected attendance number for the day Clark will play. There are also currently no plans to broadcast or livestream Clark’s round, which will likely draw heavy interest on social media, at the very least.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Jets ⬇ New York fired head coach Robert Saleh after a 2–3 start to the season. In four seasons with the Jets, Saleh had a 20–36 record. His .357 winning percentage ranks in the bottom 25 for head coaches in NFL history [[link removed]]. The Jets will have to eat the remainder of his contract, which has one more year after this season at an estimated $5 million per year [[link removed]].

Panthers ⬆ The defending Stanley Cup champions have sold out of Territory Memberships [[link removed]], which are their season tickets for the 2024–2025 season. Just two seasons ago, the Panthers ranked 29th in the NHL in attendance [[link removed]], but back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final have significantly increased fan interest.

Rory Dames ⬇ SafeSport, a nonprofit that aims to reduce abuses in sports, has reopened the case against the former NWSL coach [[link removed]], less than two weeks after shelving it, according to The Washington Post. The organization claimed “insufficient information” as the reason for originally stopping the investigation against Dames, who was accused by several former players of verbal abuse and sexual misconduct.

Christine Sinclair ⬆ Vancouver Rise FC, one of the inaugural six teams in Canada’s Northern Super League launching next year, announced Monday that the soccer star will join its ownership group. The 41-year-old, who is the most prolific international goal scorer in men’s and women’s soccer, will retire from the NWSL after this season.

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How do we determine who wins the award? We don’t—employees do! The award is based entirely on anonymous survey results from sports industry professionals.

Responses will be evaluated in collaboration with our primary research partner, Canvs [[link removed]], using patented AI technology free from all subjectivity and human bias. There is no word count limit and you can even use slang, text abbreviations, sarcasm, and emoji to complete the survey.

The 2024 employee survey is now open through Nov. 6. Take the survey [[link removed]] and tell us why your organization should make the cut.

Conversation Starters FC Barcelona revealed renderings of planned upgrades to Camp Nou worth $1.6 billion, which include increasing its capacity to 105,000. Take a look [[link removed]]. The Panthers unveiled their 2024 Stanley Cup rings. Check it out [[link removed]]. Tropicana Field, home to the Rays, is housing thousands of first responders and the National Guard [[link removed]] as the region prepares for Hurricane Milton. Editors’ Picks Update: Hurricane Milton Forcing Teams to Scramble As Storm Nears [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]The Tampa Bay area is at risk of getting hit by the Category 5 storm. Ryan Smith Sees Salt Lake City As Next Vegas-Like Sports Town [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Utah Hockey Club’s owner says all the pieces are falling into place. Deshaun Watson Settles Most Recent Suit Accusing Him of Sexual Assault [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Browns quarterback still has two active suits against him. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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