February 9, 2023
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We’re days away from Super Bowl LVII, and Fox plans on making history [[link removed]]. The network is predicting 115 million viewers for Sunday’s Eagles-Chiefs matchup — which would eclipse 2015’s Patriots-Seahawks classic as the most watched Super Bowl ever.
Media Amazon’s Prime Video Antes Up on Sports Betting [[link removed]]
Sports Grid
There’s a new thing you can find with one click on Amazon: sports betting content.
The tech and retail giant added 24/7 sports betting network SportsGrid to Prime Video. The channel will also be available on Amazon’s FreeVee platform.
The move could complement Amazon’s growing portfolio of live sports, which includes “Thursday Night Football,” some New York Yankees games, and Premier League rights in the U.K. It supplements those with 12 hours of daily sports talk shows. SportsGrid works with FanDuel, BetMGM, and WynnBet to produce ongoing sports betting content focused on live and upcoming games. It is also available on YouTube TV, Roku, and Fubo. App for That?
Amazon is working on a standalone sports app, according to The Information.
SportsGrid content could potentially be part of that endeavor, which would presumably include Amazon’s live sports offerings.
Amazon’s audience [[link removed]] for “Thursday Night Football” averaged 11.3 million viewers — lower than previous years when it was available on linear networks, but with an audience around 10 years younger than those of other NFL games.
On Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell floated the idea that the league could offer additional flex scheduling for “TNF,” allowing Amazon to swap out scheduled games for more desirable matchups.
Media ESPN Becomes Separate Unit in Disney Reorganization [[link removed]]
Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel
The Walt Disney Co. has announced a sweeping corporate reorganization that makes ESPN one of the three pillars of the global entertainment giant.
There’s been speculation the Mouse would spin off the sports network, but ESPN and chairman Jimmy Pitaro are emerging as key power players in the reorganized $82 billion company.
ESPN will be one of three divisions, along with Disney Entertainment and Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products.
Each segment will have full operational control and financial responsibility for creative development, marketing, technology, sales, and distribution. Pitaro will oversee ESPN+ and international sports channels and eight linear TV networks, as well as manage sports content for Disney’s domestic and international platforms. “Our strategic restructuring will return creativity to the center of the company, increase accountability, improve results, and ensure the quality of our content and experiences,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Disney’s revenues grew 8% to $23.5 billion for the three months ending Dec. 31, but it still expects to cut 7,000 jobs and slash $5.5 billion in costs. ESPN is expected to be impacted by the layoffs.
No ESPN Spinoff
Despite calls from activist investors, Iger said there are no plans to spin off ESPN [[link removed]].
“ESPN is a differentiator for this company,” Iger told analysts on an earnings call. “We just have to figure out how to monetize it.”
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Leagues Former Players Sue NFL’s Benefits Plan, Roger Goodell [[link removed]]
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL is facing a lawsuit as it prepares for Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII.
Ten former players sued commissioner Roger Goodell, the league’s benefit plan, and its board of trustees, for allegedly wrongfully denying their disability claims — a behavior the plaintiffs said [[link removed]] was “motivated by financial considerations to limit the payment of benefits.”
The lawsuit accuses [[link removed]] the defendants of a “disturbing pattern of erroneous and arbitrary benefits denials, bad-faith contract misinterpretations, and other unscrupulous tactics.”
Filed in the U.S. District Court for Maryland, the lawsuit seeks class-action status. It also asks for financial damages and the removal of the board overseeing the plan.
The plaintiffs also claim decisions were made by physicians who had an interest in denying benefits.
“There is powerful statistical evidence that strongly suggests a systemic pattern that the more the Board pays a physician, the more likely the physician is to have a high rate of rendering opinions adverse to benefits applicants,” the lawsuit states.
Plaintiff Players
The plaintiffs, who are represented by several legal teams, include Willis McGahee, Jason Alford, Daniel Loper, Michael McKenzie, Jamize Olawale, Alex Parsons, Charles Sims, Joey Thomas, Lance Zeno, and Eric Smith — who, according [[link removed]] to the lawsuit, suffered 13 documented traumatic brain injuries.
“Through this lawsuit, we are bringing these injustices to light and demanding the NFL fulfill its responsibilities to players rather than continue to try to dodge accountability every step of the way,” Eric Smith said.
Conversation Starters Check out Driven With Michelle Wie West [[link removed]], a new series from Front Office Sports and PitchBook, where Wie West sits down with some of her favorite female athletes to discuss their journeys as investors, and what it takes to win.* LeBron James’ record-setting Tuesday night averaged [[link removed]] 3 million viewers on TNT, making it the most-watched regular-season NBA game for the network in nearly five years, excluding opening nights. Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder appears to be holding out for a $7 billion bid [[link removed]] for the franchise.
SPONSORED BY TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
How NIL is Impacting College Education in Sports
Since the NCAA passed its landmark ruling in July 2021 allowing college athletes to profit off their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) the impact has been great and far reaching.
One area within this new frontier that has not been widely discussed, however, is how universities are creating opportunities within the classroom to learn more about NIL.
In our latest webinar, Owen Poindexter (Front Office Sports) sits down with professors Thilo Kunkel and Amy Giddings (Temple University), along with recent graduate and current NIL agent Matt Lupi, to discuss The NIL Effect: Inside & Outside the Classroom [[link removed]].
Learn how Temple’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM) is leading NIL research, reimagining course curriculum, and giving students new tools to pursue a career in the ever-changing, billion-dollar industry of sports.
Register now [[link removed]].
What to Watch
The Chicago Bulls (26-28) take on the Brooklyn Nets (32-22) on Thursday at Barclays Center.
How to Watch: 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Betting Odds: Nets -1 || ML -115 || O/U 227
Win A Vegas VIP Hoops Package
We have teamed up with the Pac-12 Conference to provide a VIP experience [[link removed]] to the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas from March 8 to March 11, 2023.
One lucky winner will receive two (2) all tournament passes with club access to the tournament at T-Mobile Arena. The winner will also receive a hotel room at an MGM Resorts property for four (4) nights in Las Vegas, a $300 food and beverage voucher valid at MGM restaurants, and two (2) tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s Mad Apple show. For more information on the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, visit Pac-12.com [[link removed]]. See Official Rules [[link removed]] for details.
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