Also: Warner Bros. Discovery prepares for a future without NBA games. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
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Front Office Sports - The Memo

Afternoon Edition

December 11, 2024

POWERED BY

This college football season has embraced entropy, with upsets galore and only one undefeated team. But the sport’s bluebloods continue to dominate in at least one key metric. We look at the SEC’s clear viewership advantage last weekend, and how many of the conference’s schools ranked among the most-watched in the nation throughout the season.

David Rumsey, Eric Fisher, and Colin Salao

Georgia-Texas SEC Showdown Tops Conference Title Game TV Ratings

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia’s 22–19 overtime victory against Texas in the SEC championship game drew higher TV ratings than any other conference title matchup last weekend.

As conference championship games took on new meanings ahead of the first 12-team College Football Playoff, 16.6 million people watched Georgia-Texas on ABC on Saturday afternoon, according to Nielsen ratings. 

That’s down 5% from Alabama-Georgia on CBS last year when the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs were fighting for one of four CFP spots. This year, both Georgia and Texas were virtually guaranteed to make the CFP, even with a loss.

The Big Ten championship, which also featured two eventual Playoff teams, saw a viewership bump from 2023, as 10.5 million viewers tuned in to see Oregon’s 45–37 win over Penn State, making it the second-most-watched title game this season.

  • SEC (Georgia-Texas): 16.6 million on ABC 
  • Big Ten (Oregon–Penn State): 10.5 million on CBS
  • Big 12 (Arizona State–Iowa State): 6.9 million on ABC
  • ACC (Clemson-SMU): 6 million on ABC
  • Mountain West (Boise State–UNLV): 3 million on Fox

The Big 12 and ACC championship games were down slightly from last year’s matchups, while the Mountain West had its most-watched title contest on record.

Most-Watched Teams: Georgia Tops SEC-Heavy List

During the regular season, Georgia was the most-watched team in college football, averaging 8.6 million viewers per game when playing on Nielsen-rated networks. The Bulldogs’ Oct. 19 win at Texas was the most-watched game of the regular season, drawing 13.2 million viewers on ABC.

The SEC had eight of the 10 most-watched teams this season, with the Big Ten’s Ohio State and Michigan the only non-SEC schools to crack the list revealed by Nielsen on Wednesday.

In the Nielsen report, team rankings were limited to schools that appeared in at least four televised games across networks. Because not all conference-specific networks are currently measured, all were excluded to keep comparisons equal.

MORE FROM FOS NEWSROOM

Dolphins, Bills Make History With Minority Ownership Deals 

The NFL has welcomed private equity into its ranks, as the Dolphins and Bills become the first teams to sell minority stakes to PE firms since the league adjusted its rules. Additional minority sales, including a key transaction with the Eagles, were also approved.

Read more in this story by FOS senior reporter A.J. Perez, who is in Irving, Texas, at the NFL owners meetings.

WBD Secures Comcast Deal, Readies for Future Without NBA Rights

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Warner Bros. Discovery’s ongoing preparation for an existence without domestic NBA media rights continues to gather steam, representing one of the unlikelier stories in the media industry. 

The TNT Sports parent this week completed a large-scale distribution agreement with Comcast, the second-largest U.S. cable company, that will cover not only domestic distribution but also the U.K. and Ireland. Following a somewhat similar deal WBD struck in September with Charter Communications, the No. 1 carrier, Comcast will continue to carry key WBD networks such as TNT, TBS, CNN, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, and TLC.

The Comcast pact marks the latest in a steady flow of new business for WBD under CEO David Zaslav since the NBA announced in late July its plan to move forward without TNT Sports holding national rights with the league, starting with the 2025–2026 season. 

In the last four months, WBD has also moved heavily into college football and basketball, picking up partial game rights to the Big 12, Big East, and Mountain West conferences as well as the College Football Playoff, in turn helping protect the company’s critical carriage fees. The run of activity additionally includes the resolution of WBD’s lawsuit against the NBA, with the company acquiring a broad set of league content and highlight rights, including live rights in several international territories, and a “reimagined and enhanced” partnership for NBA Digital.

That settlement further involved a three-way agreement with ESPN, paving the way for TNT Sports’ Inside the NBA to move to the Disney-owned network.

“These broad and multiyear agreements underscore the value and appeal of our linear portfolio,” said Bruce Campbell, WBD chief revenue and strategy officer, of the Comcast agreement, which included a resolution of an outstanding legal dispute there, too. 

Stock Run-Up

Investors have clearly taken notice of WBD’s ongoing reconstruction. After hitting a 52-week low in early August, days after the NBA media deals were announced, WBD shares have grown more than 60%, and by more than 15% just in the last month. 

There’s still a big hill to climb, though, as the stock is still less than half the level it was at when the current company was created following a 2022 merger with Discovery, Inc. There’s also an investor lawsuit against the company that is seeking class-action status. But it’s becoming increasingly clear there indeed can be life for WBD without its long-held NBA live rights deal in the U.S., and has given some vindication to Zaslav’s much-scrutinized 2022 comment that WBD didn’t “have to have the NBA.”

F1’s TV Ratings Similar to 2023, but Still Below the Record Highs in 2022

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Formula One finale in Abu Dhabi had been uneventful for the last two years as both championships had been decided before the race. But the 2024 edition was different, as it delivered the decisive constructors’ championship points for McLaren and also served as Lewis Hamilton’s final race with Mercedes.

The added drama helped ESPN pull one million viewers, a record viewership number for the event, which started at 7:55 a.m. ET. The number is up about 8% versus last year, and nicked the previous record of 998,000 set in 2021—when Hamilton and Max Verstappen battled until the final lap for the drivers’ championship in one of the most controversial finishes in F1 history.

F1’s 2024 season averaged 1.1 million across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC, tying the same number from last year, but down versus the all-time record of 1.21 million viewers set in 2022. The final number ESPN reported does not include all 24 races this year because the Brazilian Grand Prix, which averaged just 554,000 viewers, was originally scheduled to air on ESPN2 but aired on ESPNU for the first 68 minutes as the race was rescheduled due to inclement weather. 

Seven races hit viewership records this year, most notably the Miami Grand Prix, which drew 3.1 million viewers, the most of any race in the U.S. However, the other two U.S.-based races did not set rating records. The U.S. Grand Prix held in Austin in October averaged 1.3 million viewers, up from 2023 but down from 1.4 million in 2021, while the Las Vegas Grand Prix was down to 905,000 from 1.3 million in its inaugural race.

F1 has made a concerted effort to boost its U.S. viewership, particularly after the market responded to the Netflix docuseries Formula One: Drive to Survive, which premiered in 2019. The Miami Grand Prix was added in 2022, followed by Las Vegas in 2023. Haas will also be joined by another U.S.-based team starting in 2026 when General Motors will enter the fold as Cadillac

While viewership has plateaued over the past two years, the numbers are still double the 554,000 average in 2018, when ESPN first acquired the rights to the motorsport league away from NBC. In 2022, ESPN signed a three-year deal worth about $75 million to $90 million to keep the broadcasting rights to F1 until 2025.

With a more competitive season expected in 2025—and Hamilton, a fan favorite, likely to be more competitive with Ferrari, the sport’s most popular team—next year could provide an accurate assessment of the ceiling of the country’s interest.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Nats Strike Draft Gold

Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

“We can take whoever we want, we get the added bonus pool—and I never want to do it again.”

—Nationals GM and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, referencing the team’s ongoing rebuild after five straight losing seasons and surprise win late Tuesday in the league’s 2025 draft lottery. The Nationals will pick first at the event next July, overcoming 10.2% odds that were fourth-best going into the lottery. Washington previously held the draft’s top pick twice, selecting Stephen Strasburg in 2009 and Bryce Harper the following year. Rizzo also said he is looking to enter a frothy free-agent market this offseason to supplement the club’s young core of talent. “Now’s not the time to hit the brakes. It’s time to hit the gas,” he said.

STATUS REPORT

Three Up, One Down

The Cincinnati Enquirer

Nike Amid a tumultuous year, the Swoosh scored a win by securing a 10-year contract extension with the NFL to remain the league’s exclusive provider for uniforms and other attire. The deal will run until 2038. Read more about the agreement from Front Office Sports senior reporter A.J. Perez, who is in Texas covering the NFL owners meetings.

AdidasNike’s biggest competitor had its headquarters in Germany raided Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the company and first reported by Germany’s Manager Magazin. The raid is related to compliance with customs and tax regulations regarding the importation of products into Germany. Adidas claims it has been in contact with customs authorities for years and continuously provides documentation.

Roki Sasaki As expected, the Japanese phenom was officially posted this week for entry to Major League Baseball by his Nippon Professional Baseball team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, and clubs are now beginning to develop formal presentations in their pursuit of him. Because he is still only 23, Sasaki will join MLB as an international amateur free agent, and at a massive financial bargain relative to his professional experience and talent. Sasaki is expected to sign soon after the Jan. 15 start of MLB’s next international signing pool window, and at that point, all 30 clubs will have reset bonus pools. “The incentive to sign as early as possible is to get the visa process going so that he would be on time for spring training,” said Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe. 

ATP Challenger Tour ⬆ Prize money of the second-tier men’s tennis circuit will increase to a record $28.5 million in 2025, up $6.2 million from this year’s total.

GIVEAWAY

TickPick is giving Front Office Sports readers a chance to win an all-expenses paid flyaway trip to see PGA Tour stars Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler battle LIV Golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka at The Crypto.com Showdown, hosted at the ultra-exclusive Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas.

Enter for your chance to win this incredible experience and see four of the biggest stars in golf go head-to-head. The winner will receive:

  • Two (2) tickets to The Crypto.com Showdown at exclusive Shadow Creek Golf Club on Dec. 17
  • Two (2) tickets to the player’s clinic on Dec. 16
  • A signed flag from all four players
  • A premium golf equipment goody bag
  • A 3-night stay at the Bellagio in Las Vegas
  • Flight accommodations
  • $500 TickPick credit

The winner will be drawn on Thursday, Dec. 12. Enter before 12 p.m. ET. Terms apply.

Conversation Starters

  • The Women’s Lacrosse League announced the names and logos of its four inaugural teams. Check them out.
  • Front Office Sports multimedia reporter Derryl Barnes previews this Saturday’s Army-Navy game on an episode of FOS Explains—and lists 10 details about the event. Watch it here.
  • ESPN used StatusPro’s VR to help NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky showcase the perspective of Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold during one of his touchdown passes against the Falcons. Take a look.