The addition of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten could increase the conference’s media rights value significantly. 

One source told Front Office Sports the number could be around 10%, though another suggested it could go as high as 25%. The broadcast value could now be worth anywhere from $1.1 billion to $1.25 billion per year. 

“Basically, the Big Ten told everybody: Go back to the drawing board,” one source said.

• In 2017, the Big Ten signed a six-year deal worth $2.64 billion — which is up in 2023.
• Over the past few months, the conference has been working on renegotiations.
• Before USC and UCLA joined, FOS reported that the Big Ten’s next media rights package could be worth more than $1 billion annually.

But the addition of the Trojans and Bruins brings not just diehard fan bases and storied brands. It also provides access to the coveted Los Angeles television market, sports business expert Lee Berke told FOS.

“The timing couldn’t be better,” said Berke. “There’s no other Pac-12 presence throughout Southern California. So you get that market. It’s not just the city; it’s the DMA.”

The Big 12’s Precedent

The power of a top football brand to drive up media rights value can’t be overstated.

When Texas and Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC, former commissioner Bob Bowlsby estimated that the conference lost half its broadcast rights value.

One of the most popular additions to the NBA schedule could be here to stay.

On Tuesday, the NBA board of governors is expected to vote to make the postseason play-in tournament a permanent fixture, per Adrian Wojnarowski — just months after commissioner Adam Silver said he believed the competition would stay.

The board had been approving the tournament’s inclusion on a year-by-year basis, but swelling support from teams and fans is pushing the league to keep it.

Impressive TV numbers have been key for the tournament’s success.

• The Clippers and Timberwolves play-in averaged 2.7 million viewers on TNT this season, its most-watched game since the season opener.
• It was the 14th-largest audience of the season for any network up to that point.
• In 2021, the highly anticipated Lakers-Warriors play-in averaged 5.6 million viewers — at the time the most-watched ESPN NBA telecast since the 2019 Western Conference Finals.

In-Season Tournament Incoming

The board of governors will likely discuss adding an in-season tournament Tuesday — but several key components will need to be addressed.

The format of the tournament and the logistics of placing it in-season will be important — as will competitive and financial incentives, such as a discussed $1 million purse for each player on the winning team.

All changes will need to be collectively bargained with the players’ union before approval.

The Premier Hockey Federation unveiled plans to double its salary cap from $300,000 to $750,000 in January — and now the sole North American women’s hockey league announced it’s expanding to Montreal. 

The league’s seventh franchise, which has yet to be named, will debut during the 2022-23 season.

BTM Partners will own the team — its third in the PHF.

• The company also owns New Jersey’s Metropolitan Riveters and the Boston Pride.
• BTM sold the Toronto Six earlier this year reportedly for a price between $3 million and $5 million.

Montreal, the second Canadian market to have a PHF team, will play its home games at Centre 21.02, which has a 2,500-seat capacity. The franchise has been in the works for the last year-and-a-half but was reportedly delayed a year due to the pandemic.

The league began with four teams in 2015, adding the preexisting Minnesota Whitecaps in 2016 and the Toronto Six in 2020.

Eight’s Date

The PHF was originally planning to add an eighth team in a U.S. city by next season, but that may be delayed. PHF commissioner Reagan Carey said it’s in the sport’s best interest to take a slow approach to ensure long-term stability.

“I have no reservations about committing to expansion in season nine,” said Carey, who was hired in April.

Along with the salary increase announcement in January, the PHF’s board of governors made a commitment to invest more than $25 million in the league over the next three years.

Private equity firm Joffre Capital is looking to raise capital to fund a potential bid to acquire full control of digital entertainment and mobile gaming company Playtika. 

Joffre Capital’s desire to bid for complete ownership comes after the Israel-based firm agreed to acquire a 25.7% stake in Playtika worth $2.2 billion from a holding company controlled by Chinese video gaming tycoon Shi Yuzhu, according to a regulatory filing. 

• Playtika has a market value of roughly $5.3 billion, per Bloomberg.
• The company generated $676.9 million in revenue in Q1 2022.
• Its net income reached $83.2 million, up from $35.7 million in Q1 2021.
• Full-year revenue is projected to reach $2.73 billion in FY2022. 

Playtika’s willingness to offload full control of its business is no surprise after the company announced in February that its board of directors hired New York-based investment bank The Raine Group to maximize its value for stockholders. 

At the time, Playtika did not rule out a sale or other potential transactions. 

Getting into Gaming 

Despite a potential sale, Playtika has continued to invest in gaming. Earlier this month, Israeli game content platform Edge Gaming raised $30 million in a Series A funding round.

The round was led by Corner Ventures and included existing investors Playtika, AnD Ventures, and Stardom Ventures. Playtika previously led Edge Gaming’s $10 million seed round in 2021.