More than two decades after relinquishing media rights to the NBA, NBC is reportedly planning to make a bid in the next round of negotiations. 

The NBA is approaching the end of its current $24 billion media contract with ESPN and TNT, which expires in 2025. NBC is putting together a proposal for a future deal, according to CNBC.

• Since ESPN and TNT have an exclusive negotiating window until April 2024, NBC hasn’t made a formal bid yet.
• However, the league could decide to waive that window — opening up the floor to other networks.
• An NBA spokesperson reiterated to CNBC that the league still has a “relationship” with NBC through deals with regional networks.

The NBA is seeking a collective $50 billion to $75 billion from its next media rights deals, Front Office Sports previously reported.

The Competition

Of course, NBC will have to compete with any bids from ESPN or TNT, but it’s unclear just how interested the latter are in re-upping. David Zaslav, president and chief executive officer of their parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, has said publicly that the NBA isn’t a requisite property for the company and refuses to “overpay.”

Meanwhile, the NBA could be eyeing deals with streamers like Apple, Amazon, or Google.

Ryan Reynolds is one crucial step closer to owning an NHL team.

The Hollywood superstar is partnering with a consortium led by Toronto-based real estate developer The Remington Group that is expected to make a bid to buy the Ottawa Senators, per the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch.

A key piece of the bid will be its intention to build a new arena in the LeBreton Flats area near downtown Ottawa — a substantial location upgrade from the Sens’ current arena, Canadian Tire Centre, on the outskirts of the city.

When first announcing his intention to buy the team in November, Reynolds said that keeping the team in Ottawa was one of his top priorities.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman “made it clear” that the league wants Reynolds as a minority owner, so The Remington Group now seems to have the inside edge over the reported dozens of groups exploring a bid.

• Just after the team went up for sale, billionaire and Montreal Canadiens minority owner Michael Andlauer was seen as the favorite to buy the team.
• Los Angeles-based actor, producer, and tech entrepreneur Neko Sparks was reportedly putting in a bid — which, if successful, would have made him the first Black owner in NHL history.

Welcome to Ottawa

Garrioch also reports that Reynolds’ production company, Maximum Effort, would plan to produce a docuseries on the Senators similar to his hit show, “Welcome to Wrexham.”

Wrexham AFC has experienced a renaissance since being bought by Reynolds and fellow Hollywood star Rob McElhenney.

The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t the only Super Bowl winners, as several brands used the opportunity to speak to the Big Game’s 113 million viewers.

Nike was the most visible brand during Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVII, with 1,079 seconds on screen and $211.1 million in unweighted media equivalency, according to Vision Insights.

• State Farm, the naming rights partner of the stadium, was the second-most visible with $34.6 million in unweighted media equivalency.
• Bud Light came in third ($28.3 million), and Gatorade fourth ($27.4 million).
• Apple Music, the Super Bowl Halftime Show sponsor, rounded out the top five ($19 million). 

Brand exposure wasn’t just on TV — Super Bowl ads, which went for around $7 million, made their way to YouTube as well. 

Melissa McCarthy’s Booking.com spot was the most watched on the platform Sunday with 100 million views, followed by John Travolta’s T-Mobile ad (37 million) and Snoop Dogg’s Skechers commercial (26 million).

Blue Who?

Taking advantage of Anheuser Busch InBev’s decision not to renew its exclusivity deal, Molson Coors returned to the Super Bowl for the first time in more than 30 years with its Blue Moon ad — and it paid off.

The second-most searched Google term in the U.S. during the game was reportedly “Who owns Blue Moon beer?” It was beat out only by “Is Rihanna pregnant?”

Rihanna performed in Apple Music’s Super Bowl Halftime show, which averaged 118.7 million viewers.