Media rights for live sports are more valuable than ever. 

Their global value has reached $55 billion in 2022 and is expected to surpass the $60 billion mark in the next two years. 

Live sports have become a valuable commodity thanks to expensive contracts with major networks and streaming services, including domestic rights deals for the NFL and Indian Premier League.

• In 2021, the combined global value of all sports media rights was $54.45 billion.
• The NFL is No. 1 in the world, holding 15% of the sports media rights market in 2022.
• Roughly 97% of income from the NFL’s media rights deals is domestic. 

In 2021, the NFL finalized media rights deals with CBS, NBC, Disney, FOX, and Amazon worth a collective $113 billion over 11 seasons.

As part of the deals, Amazon received exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football” — the first time a tech company has held exclusive NFL rights. 

CBS retained its AFC package for Sundays, while Fox kept the NFC Sunday package it has held since 1994. Disney kept “Monday Night Football” on ESPN, and NBC retained rights to “Sunday Night Football.”

Another Coveted League 

In June, Viacom18 — a joint venture between Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, Paramount Global, and investment company Bodhi Tree Systems — secured streaming rights to the IPL in a five-year, $2.6 billion deal.

The Indian subcontinent has a combined sports media rights value of $1.2 billion, ranking 10th in the world.

The WNBA is working on a way to keep players working in the U.S.

Since before the league began in 1997, players have been going overseas, first to play and then to complement their salaries — the WNBA minimum is $62,285.

“We’ve been chipping away at the economic model and growing the league,” league commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “I think you’re seeing players take advantage of other opportunities, and we’re certainly going to provide them more opportunities to do things with the league in the offseason.”

• Engelbert spoke on the efforts following Brittney Griner’s release from Russian custody earlier this week.
• Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for allegedly carrying vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage while playing overseas.

Come 2024, the league will also be able to suspend players with more than three seasons of experience who don’t report to training camp. Some players have previously reported late from playing overseas.

But the WNBA is looking to marketing agreements to cover some of the missed financial opportunities. The agreements — which around 10 players have signed this year — can reportedly raise a player’s annual income to $750,000.

Engelbert said the league will still continue to support players if they want to go overseas.

Off-Court Wins

The league recently raised $75 million in capital and will soon negotiate for a new media rights deal — its current one is up in 2025.

“I am very optimistic we’ll get something favorable,” Engelbert said about the new deal. This year’s season brought in the highest viewership since 2006.

FIFA finally got an expanded World Cup. Now it has to deal with the consequences.

Soccer’s global governing body has been working to figure out how to handle a 48-team format when the World Cup expands from 32 teams in 2026.

• The initial proposal of 16 three-team groups raises the issue that two teams could collude in a group’s final game to ensure both advance to the next round.
• The situation has led to calls for 12 groups of four teams, which would grow the tournament to 104 games from 64 this year.
• European teams and leagues are expected to take issue with the idea of a longer, more taxing tournament.

The Premier League and others could be loath to surrender an additional demanding week for many of its players.

FIFA, on the other hand, is seeking to grow its earning potential from tickets, broadcasts, and more from its core revenue-driver. The organization expects to earn $7.5 billion for the four-year cycle that includes the 2022 World Cup — $1 billion above the previous cycle.

Shootout Shakeup?

If FIFA goes ahead with groups of three teams, another change that could be of particular interest is the possibility of eliminating draws in the group stage by deciding every tied game by a penalty shootout. This would reduce the potential for collusion between teams and potentially add to the drama.

The growth of women’s soccer continues to soar, and England’s Euro 2022 victory is giving the sport an extra boost in the country.

Attendance for the Barclays Women’s Super League is up 200% so far from last season, according to Kelly Simmons, FA Director of the Women’s Professional Game.

“Since the season commenced, we have seen almost 300,000 spectators attend matches across the Barclays Women’s Super League,” Simmons said.

• He added that the WSL is “currently averaging almost 6,000 fans a week.”
• September’s Arsenal-Tottenham Hotspur matchup at the Emirates attracted a league-record 47,367 fans.

Simmons also noted that the Barclays Women’s Championship has seen its attendance increase 85% compared to the same time last year.

Trophy Talk

“It has often been said that a successful women’s England team will help generate interest in the domestic game,” Simmons said. “This is certainly true.”

England’s championship victory drew 87,192 fans — the highest ever for any men’s or women’s European national team tournament game. It was also the most-watched women’s soccer match ever in the U.K.

“The Lionesses’ victory propelled the women’s game in this country to new levels, and it was important for us to capture and capitalize on that momentum,” Simmons said.