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Afternoon Edition

December 5, 2024

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Netflix drew a huge audience for the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul last month, but widespread technical issues raised concern about its ability to handle NFL games on Christmas. As its stock price continues to soar and the platform debut of WWE beckons, the streaming colossus says it’s learned from the bout and is prepared for the NFL—and Beyoncé.

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

Netflix Tackles Buffering Woes Just in Time for NFL, WWE Debuts [[link removed]]

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Netflix believes it has wrestled down its buffering issues—just in time for not only Christmas Day NFL games but the Jan. 6 start of its live coverage of World Wrestling Entertainment’s Raw.

The streaming giant and the TKO Group Holdings [[link removed]]–owned WWE are starting to trumpet the onset of its 10-year rights deal, which is estimated at more than $5 billion [[link removed]]. Coverage of the pro wrestling property’s flagship weekly show will immediately become a key tentpole for Netflix, which says it has addressed its large-scale performance problems from last month.

Scrutiny on Netflix has heightened in recent weeks as its coverage of the Nov. 15 Jake Paul–Mike Tyson boxing match suffered from widespread outages [[link removed]]. The NFL is still standing behind the company [[link removed]], which reported an average global live audience [[link removed]] of 108 million viewers for the fight—though those numbers were not tabulated or audited by a highly established, third-party measurement agency.

“It was a big number, but you don’t know, and you can’t learn these things until you do them, so you take a big swing,” said Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria, of the Paul-Tyson event. “Our teams and our engineers are amazing, moved super quickly, and stabilized it, and many of the members had it back up and running pretty quickly. But we learn from these things. We’ve all obviously done a lot of stuff to learn and get ready for the NFL and Beyoncé [on Christmas], and so we’re totally ready and excited for WWE.”

WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque also conveyed calm about any possible streaming issues.

“I’ll just say if it blinks a couple of times and we do 60 million [households], I’m good with that,” he joked.

Though Raw is moving to a streaming platform, WWE insists the program will not become more adult-oriented in its tone and content—a critical element as Netflix markets it to advertisers.

“There’s some online chatter about, ‘oh, it’s going to be R-rated, or for us old folks, X-rated.’ That’s definitely not happening,” said WWE president Nick Khan. “It’s family-friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly programming. It’s going to stay that way. I would look for more global flair, especially as the relationship continues to develop.”

Runaway Stock

While the debate continues on both Netflix’s technical competence and metrics, the company’s stock is extending its run as one of the most remarkable stories in all of U.S. business in 2024. Shares in Netflix have soared by 96% this year, and by more than 20% just in the last month, closing Thursday at another company high of nearly $918 each.

The ongoing exuberance from investors owes heavily to Netflix’s standing as by far the world’s largest streaming service, with 282.7 million subscribers as of the end of its last fiscal quarter [[link removed]], and plenty of room for future growth with the accelerating development of its still-nascent advertising business [[link removed]].

Talor Gooch Using LIV Golf Fortune to Start Building Sports Empire [[link removed]]

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Talor Gooch has made more than $43 million in individual earnings on LIV Golf since jumping from the PGA Tour in 2022. He’s using that money to try to create a sports ownership empire.

Gooch, who bought the Professional Bull Riders franchise Oklahoma Wildcatters earlier this year, is making a second professional team purchase, Front Office Sports has learned. The golfer, 33, is buying into the burgeoning Sport Fishing Championship, in which Gooch will own the Mississippi Blues Angling Club.

Those purchases were made through FJS Ventures, of which Gooch is the majority owner, alongside minority partners Preston Lyon and Brandon Bates. The total investment so far in the PBR and SFC teams is between $20 million and $30 million, Lyon tells FOS, with the Wildcatters representing the majority.

Gooch and FJS are also eyeing potential investment opportunities within the Big3, X Games, and a recently announced effort to bring a USL soccer franchise and new stadium to Oklahoma City [[link removed]], Lyon says.

At LIV, Gooch has played for the RangeGoats GC team—where he took home $18 million for winning the 2023 individual championship—and most recently Smash GC. He doesn’t have any equity in those franchises as the team captains do, but that’s something he would be interested in down the road. “We will always want to sit at that table when the opportunity presents itself to potentially invest in LIV Golf, for sure,” Lyon says.

Gooch made nearly $10 million in winnings on the PGA Tour before joining LIV, which came with an eight-figure signing bonus. Coincidentally, at SFC, Gooch joins the team ownership ranks that include the PGA Tour’s 2024 FedExCup champion Scottie Scheffler, who earned more than $62 million this past season [[link removed]]. SFC also has other current and former athletes as owners, like former NFL great Randy Moss, the Saints’ Alvin Kamara, the Dolphins’ Raheem Mostert, and the Hornets’ Grant Williams.

In 2025, SFC will have 16 team charters, as it transitions to a more structured model [[link removed]] after originally launching in 2022. Gooch’s Mississippi club is the 11th team charter purchased, with one more to be announced, as 12 will be owned by individual groups, and four by the league next season.

Lyon is confident his and Gooch’s SFC team valuation can take a similar upward path that their PBR team has. “We bought the team in February, and we would probably classify our value increasing at around $15 million, so far,” he said, based on new fundraising that the Wildcatters have received this year.

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ONE BIG FIG Stunning Severino Signing

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$67 million

The size of the three-year contract the A’s have signed with pitcher Luis Severino. Perhaps shockingly, the deal represents the largest player guarantee in the 124-year history of the franchise across four markets—beating by just $1 million a contract the A’s signed nearly 21 years ago with third baseman Eric Chavez, now retired for more than a decade and currently working as the Mets’ hitting coach. Under fire and looking to develop a new stadium in Las Vegas [[link removed]], the A’s have said they want to boost their payroll [[link removed]] as the team relocates temporarily to Sacramento [[link removed]]. Severino declined a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Mets, his last team, and New York will receive draft pick compensation.

FOS EXPLAINS The NFL Player Born Into a Potato Empire

FOS illustration

Jets offensive lineman Connor McGovern grew up in North Dakota’s richest family, heir to a $500 million potato farming empire responsible for McDonald’s french fries, Frito-Lay chips, and more. In the latest episode of FOS Explains [[link removed]], learn how McGovern left behind the lucrative legacy of R.D. Offutt Farms—the largest potato supplier in the U.S.—to carve out his path in professional football.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Push

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Hallmark Channel ⬆ The cable network drew a big audience for the premiere of its original movie, Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story, which was produced in collaboration with the NFL. On Saturday night, Hallmark averaged 2.88 million viewers [[link removed]] for the film, which was the most-watched program on cable that evening and the second-most-watched primetime program behind Texas–Texas A&M on ABC, per Nielsen ratings. The movie had cameos from Chiefs coach Andy Reid and tight end Travis Kelce’s mother, Donna.

Michigan ⬆ Bryce Underwood, the highly coveted five-star recruit from nearby Belleville (Mich.) High School, has officially signed with the Wolverines to play quarterback next season. Underwood is receiving an NIL (name, image, and likeness) package worth more than $10 million, funded by billionaire software and media tycoon Larry Ellison [[link removed]].

Kevin Kisner ⬆ NBC Sports has hired the PGA Tour veteran, 40, as its lead golf analyst for 2025. Kisner, who has made several test runs in the booth this year, will be on the mic for at least 10 of NBC’s biggest tournaments, including the U.S. Open, Open Championship, and Ryder Cup. He will still compete in some events throughout the year.

Toronto Tempo ⬆⬇ The WNBA expansion franchise set to debut in 2026 announced its official name Thursday [[link removed]]. The name was leaked two days earlier when the WNBA website’s drop-down list of teams included the Toronto Tempo. Read more [[link removed]] about the premature release of the team name from FOS reporter Colin Salao.

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From Defense to Digital: New Career Paths

For retired NFL linebacker Josh Carraway and Air Force veteran Janette Suarez, Cisco’s Networking Academy [[link removed]] provides the answer to new challenges after their first career ends.

By teaching IT and cybersecurity skills, the program helps former athletes and veterans leverage their unique traits for a second career. From securing Super Bowl networks to guiding others into tech, Carraway and Suarez are proving the transition is possible—and impactful.

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Conversation Starters The 2024 NCAA volleyball season was ESPN’s most-watched, with games averaging 140,000 viewers [[link removed]], up 21% from last year. PGA Tour SVP for media Chris Wandell told FOS newsletter writer David Rumsey that the Tour wants its top players to be social media stars. Watch The FOS Interview here [[link removed]]. The Golden State Valkyries revealed their franchise’s first uniforms Thursday, a day before the WNBA’s expansion draft. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks NFL Relaxes Drug Policy by Reducing Fines and Resetting Violation Clocks [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]It makes it harder to test positive for marijuana and reduces fines. Judge Orders MSG Bootleg Merch Sellers to Cut It Out, Appear in Court [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]MSG Sports, the Knicks, and Rangers sued the vendors Monday. LPGA Alters Transgender Player Policy, At Least One Player Barred [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The new rules disqualify a current transgender golfer, Hailey Davidson. 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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