Amazon’s evolution into a major player in sports media is beginning to take shape as the tech giant eyes studio shows that could potentially compete with the daily lineups at ESPN and FS1.

Amazon has been in talks with Sony Pictures Television’s Embassy Row to develop the shows, Front Office Sports confirmed. The New York Post was the first to report Amazon and Embassy Row have held discussions to create a daily morning show and develop other studio shows.

Embassy Row — which has studios in Culver City, the same Southern California city where Amazon has based much of its burgeoning sports operation — produces “Men in Blazers” for NBC Sports and NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football.”

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.

Amazon’s Sports Moves

It’s not an unexpected development given how aggressively Amazon has made moves in the sports world over the last several months.

• Amazon has carried “Thursday Night Football” since the 2017 season but will produce and carry the games exclusively beginning next NFL season.
• FOS reported last month that Amazon emerged as the favorite to acquire a minority stake in NFL Media, which includes NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and NFL.com. Amazon is also bidding for “NFL Sunday Ticket.”

Beyond the NFL, Amazon partnered with YES to stream 21 New York Yankees games per season and has a deal in place to carry 20 Premier League games.

Real Madrid has secured an extended $255 million loan from JPMorgan and Bank of America for the redevelopment of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

The extension has a 27-year term with a 1.53% fixed interest rate — reportedly the “largest” conditions ever for a long-term loan in the sports industry. Real Madrid will not start repaying until July 2024 thanks to a grace period.

The funding will allow Real Madrid build a new greenhouse, helping preserve “optimal conditions” for a retractable pitch that opens the door for additional events to be held at the facility.

Other Stadium Plans

Secured in April 2019, the initial loan is worth $651 million and will be used toward the retractable roof, 360-degree video scoreboard, and exterior skin of steel bands for image projections.

Reports also stated that the new stadium will include space for a casino, first-class restaurant, and museum. The redevelopment plan is not expected to be completed until the end of next year.

The team was valued at $4.75 billion in April, beat out only by rivals Barcelona, valued at $4.76 billion. In the 2019-20 season, Real Madrid brought in $792 million in revenue.

Vail Resorts has agreed to acquire Seven Springs Mountain Resort in a deal valued at roughly $125 million.

“We have been focused on acquiring resorts near major metropolitan areas,” said Vail Resorts CEO Kristen Lynch.

• The deal includes Hidden Valley Resort and the operations of Laurel Mountain Ski Area in Pennsylvania.
• Vail will acquire all assets related to the mountain operations of the resorts, including ski areas, a hotel, lodging, and a conference center.
• The transaction is expected to close this winter, with operations continuing in ordinary fashion for the 2021-22 season.

In September, the company announced a $315 million-to-$325 million capital plan to install 19 new chairlifts across 14 resorts in an effort to improve guest experiences for the 2022-23 season.

Vail’s Latest Earnings

Vail Resorts — which operates 37 mountain resorts and ski areas — generated $175.6 million in revenue in fiscal Q1 2022, up from $43.8 million for the same period last year.

The company suffered a net loss of $139.3 million during the quarter, an improvement from a loss of $153.8 million in fiscal Q1 2021.

Just months after the Arizona Coyotes unveiled a $1.7 billion plan for a new Tempe complex, the City of Glendale threatened to lock the team out of its current home — Gila River Arena — for failing to pay arena charges and delinquent tax bills.

With more than $1.3 million in unpaid city and state taxes, the Arizona Department of Revenue filed a tax lien notice on Dec. 3 against IceArizona Hockey, the company that owns the Coyotes.

The team was apparently unaware of its debts, citing “human error” as a potential cause. It told The Athletic it would make sure that by Thursday morning, “the Arizona Coyotes are current on all of our bills and owe no state or local taxes whatsoever.”

The team followed through, paying all their bills Thursday.

• The club reportedly owed Glendale roughly $250,000 in unpaid city taxes.
• The state tax lien said the team had taxes owed from June 2020.

Coyotes’ History with Glendale

The team has called Glendale home since the 2003-04 season, but the city decided earlier this year not to renew its lease, making the 2021-22 season the Coyotes’ last in Gila River Arena.

In August, city manager Kevin Phelps wrote in a letter that the team owed more than $1.4 million to the arena as of July 17, and more than $300,000 of it was “over four months delinquent.”