Weekly Roundup – February 6th, 2024

"This year, the value of global sports television contracts is projected to reach a high-water mark of $62.4 billion, which is, more or less, the GDP of Slovenia. Nearly half of those TV and streaming bucks will be generated here in the U.S., where the NFL alone accounts for $12.4 billion, or about 43% of the overall stateside haul. ... Annual Rights Cost for U.S. Providers:
NBA YouTube 2029 $2B
NFL Fox 2033 $2.3B
NFL NBC 2033 $2.2B
NFL CBS 2033 $2.1B
NFL ESPN/ABC 2033 $1.4B
NFL Amazon Prime Video 2033 $1.1B NBA ESPN/ABC 2025 $1.4B
NBA TNT 2025 $1.2B MLB Fox 2028 $730M
MLB TBS 2028 $470M
MLB ESPN 2028 $550M
MLB Apple 2028 $85M
NHL ESPN/ABC 2028 $410M
NHL TBS/TNT 2028 $225M
Olympics NBCUniversal 2032 $1.3B March Madness CBS / WBD 2032 $1.1B
College Football Playoff ESPN 2026 $470M
Big Ten Fox 2030 $400M
Big Ten CBS 2030 $350M
Big Ten NBC 2030 $350M
SEC ESPN/ABC 2034 $330M
ACC ESPN/ABC 2036 $240M
Big 12 ESPN/Fox 2031 $380M
NASCAR Disney / Fox / WBD / Amazon Prime Video 2031 $1.1B
PGA CBS / NBCU / ESPN+ 2030 $700M FIFA World Cup Fox 2026 $425M
EPL NBCUniversal 2028 $450M
UEFA Champions League Paramount 2030 $250M
La Liga ESPN 2029 $175M
MLS Apple 2032 $250M"

"Players on the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are barred from participating in any form of sports betting or casino gambling during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas, an NFL source confirmed to LSR.
Super Bowl LVIII is slated for Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium. LSR projects US bettors to record a record $1.3 billion in legal Super Bowl betting wagers on the game.
... According to the Post, NFL players in Las Vegas who are not playing in the Super Bowl can gamble legally. However, they are prohibited from NFL betting (as usual), and from sportsbook entry until after the Super Bowl."

"Yet the embedding of sports gambling so quickly into the culture of the league has resulted in jarring contradictions. The N.F.L. is pushing to popularize and benefit from sports betting while still guarding against the potential pitfalls that it long condemned. While the league donates money to promote responsible gambling, its broadcasts are peppered with advertisements for sports betting companies. The N.F.L. is part of a growing apparatus that encourages casual fans to regularly place wagers on games, while punishing league employees — most notably players — who might do the same."

"Spotify inked a new multiyear partnership deal for controversial podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience,” which is said to be worth up to $250 million. Under the new pact, Rogan’s popular show — which has been exclusively available on Spotify for three years — will now be available on other audio platforms.
In addition to continued availability on Spotify, Rogan’s show will soon be available on additional services, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube. The move comes under Spotify’s revised strategy to give up exclusive streaming rights in favor of broader distribution, which the company kicked off in 2023."

"Deep reservoirs of individual and philanthropic wealth are being tapped in an attempt to save or rebuild the news industry. In reality, however, large amounts of up-front liquidity never seem to be the solution to the problem. ...
Ultra-wealthy entrepreneurs — including Patrick Soon-Shiong at the LA Times and Jeff Bezos at the Washington Post — have a lifetime of experience of investing money, using that investment to drive growth, and then seeing profits roll in once enough scale has been achieved.
When it comes to the news business, however, spending a lot of money generally only seems to to end up only making losses bigger."

"Florida lawmakers advanced a bill on Wednesday that would prohibit social media platforms from allowing young teens to have an account while requiring everyone else to verify their age.
The measure prohibits anyone under 16 from creating a new social media account and requires platforms to delete existing accounts held by minors who are younger than 16. It also would require social media companies to delete any personal information from the accounts and for the platforms to use a “nongovernmental, independent, third-party not affiliated with the social media platform” to verify users’ age."