Master of Some

?? Wednesday Round Up - Top Stories ?? ??On Christmas day, 2024, Netflix will be the global home of the National Football League (NFL)'s two marquee games - check out the 3-year deal ?? https://shorturl.at/gpwP0 ?? Candace Parker, Cameron Brink and others star in SKIMS' First WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) campaign ?? https://shorturl.at/djFJM ?? Childish Gambino announces ‘New World Tour’ dates. Quietly drops new version of ‘3.15.20’ album and video.. ?? https://shorturl.at/aeNY4 ?? Major League Rugby? The sport is celebrating a momentous occasion this year— the 150th anniversary of its first recorded game on United States soil. Despite its rich history dating back to 1874, the sport is experiencing a renaissance ?? https://shorturl.at/qtCHP ?? Co-founder of the?Premier Lacrosse League, Rabil has been growing the young league since it launched in 2019. Along the way, he’s taken bits and pieces from other professional sports leagues to help fuel the foundation ?? https://shorturl.at/fqBW8 #Sports #sportsbiz #music #musictour #entertainment #fashion #streaming #netflix #nfl

?? As the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) season gets ready to tip-off, local broadcasts are on the rise in a big way! ?? ?? Front Office Sports writes, "The WNBA is currently in the midst of selling a new set of national media-rights deals, doing so?in concert with the NBA?to help forge a potential year-round basketball presence on partner networks." ?? In fact, just last month, over-the-air TV broadcaster TEGNA and Indiana Fever Fever parent company Pacers Sports & Entertainment struck an?agreement?to show 17 of the team’s games on broadcast stations in Indianapolis.? ?? Tegna and the team then quickly expanded the pact to increase that coverage to 11 other markets stretching from Davenport and Des Moines, Iowa—the state where Clark starred collegiately—to Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. ?? The increased broadcast footprint pulled in five other TV station owners, which turned companies that are rivals in multiple other areas into partners in the fast-growing economy of Clark. ?? When you look more closely at the deal, Tegna and the Fever are tapping not only into the unprecedented fan frenzy surrounding the professional debut of Clark but also the rapidly increasing cord-cutting. The National Basketball Association (NBA)’s?Phoenix Suns & Utah Jazz, along with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Seattle Kraken Kraken &?Vegas Golden Knights and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury have made the switch to broadcast all of their local games on free television. ?? The Tegna-Fever deal also highlights a previously undervalued element of a WNBA that is now set for major expansion: full-fledged local team affinity, built significantly through local broadcasts. ?? Historically, local team broadcast coverage has not been a prominent fixture of the league’s overall media presence, particularly compared to what the league receives through a series of national partners such ESPN, CBS, Ion, Amazon, NBA TV, or on social media. ?? Each of the league’s 12 current teams already has some level of local coverage to supplement the national deals, whether those deals are based on over-the-air distribution, on a cable-focused regional sports network, or via streaming. ?? In recent years, though, that mixed collection of distribution structures and number of available games have not been as much of a featured component for the WNBA. But things are changing & we're excited to see how these new local deals affect the league's growth going forward! #sports #sportsbiz #WNBA #Media #MediaRights #LocalMedia #Clarkenomics

?? Thursday Roundup - Top Stories ?? Front Office Sports - Major League Baseball (MLB) team broadcasts threatened as DSG- Comcast dispute escalates. The Bally Sports parent posts an open letter to fans, encouraging fans to complain. ?? https://shorturl.at/oKO78 Deadline Hollywood - Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce‘s foray into Hollywood continues with his first major acting job: a role in?Ryan Murphy‘s high-profile new?FX?horror series?Grotesquerie.? ?? https://shorturl.at/hlnr3 Billboard - Travis Scott rolls out dates for Summer 2024 Circus Maximus European?Tour. The madness will hit arenas and stadiums beginning June 28 in the Netherlands. ?? https://shorturl.at/eqwyA Bleacher Report - A'ja Wilson joins Caitlin Clark, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan & Luka Don?i? on Gatorade's roster. ?? https://shorturl.at/pDOV6 Major League Baseball (MLB) - A budding new partnership. MLB players will be brought together with various athletes, executives, and entertainers for a curated event series with storytelling and amplification across Boardroom's platform. ?? https://shorturl.at/jCPU8 ?? Boardroom #sports #sportsbiz #culture #entertainment #music #musictour #sponsorships #CaitlinClark #hollywood

?? Tuesday Roundup - Top Stories ?? Front Office Sports - The WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) will finally get charter flights this season, according to the league's commissioner! ?? https://shorturl.at/akltQ Yahoo Finance - Why losing National Basketball Association (NBA) media rights would be 'a big negative' for Warner Bros. Discovery & how NBCUniversal might swoop in for a cool $2.5B. ?? https://shorturl.at/fsIU2 The New York Times - The Walt Disney Company reports strong earnings but warns of bumps ahead. In a surprise, Disney+ made money for the first time in the latest quarter, but the company said it expected a slowdown in its parks division. ?? https://shorturl.at/jpFG1 ESPN - Roger Penske said he has suspended the president of Team Penske along with three others for two races for their roles in the cheating scandal that has rocked INDYCAR ahead of the Indianapolis 500. ?? https://shorturl.at/luD25 Vogue - Serving Lewks! Everything to know about the 2024 Met Gala: Theme, hosts, and more! ??https://shorturl.at/mFX58 Which story are you reading first?! #sports #culture #entertainment #markets #earnings #MetGala #CaitlinClark #NBApayoffs #fashion #earnings

?? One heck of a weekend for sports & entertainment in the books ?? ?? On Saturday, the 150th Kentucky Derby drew its largest audience since 1989. The average viewership for?NBCUniversal's broadcast?was 16.7 million, up 13% from last year’s 14.8 million. ?? At 18-1 odds,?Mystik Dan?edged Sierra Leone and Forever Young to win the Run for the Roses in a three-horse photo finish. ?? Broadcast viewership peaked at 20.1 million from 7 to 7:15 p.m., the largest peak audience ever for the Derby on NBC. ??? And on Sunday afternoon, Formula 1 took over Miami. Stars & celebrities were out in full force, partying the weekend away in style. Paramount, The Duracell Company, American Express, Crypto.com, Celcius & ROLEX were some of the headline brands sponsoring the event. ?? Despite the extravagant fan fare taking place everywhere around the city, F1 is actually fighting to regain an upwards viewership trend. The company has reported that they've actually experienced 28% growth on its official US-specific social media channels in 2023 regardless of recent stagnation in TV ratings on ESPN. In fact, last year, the competition had over 100 million unique visitors on the official F1 website and app,?viewing over 3.1 billion pages,?representing a 10% increase from 2022. ?? Consumption of race highlights video content also grew by 35% last year in the States. The U.S. market also makes up Formula 1’s largest audience on YouTube and TikTok worldwide. ?? However, 2023's Miami GP drew 1.96 million viewers, which was actually down 24% from the 2.58 million for the inaugural race, in 2022. ??♂? The numbers for 2024's Miami GP are still being tabulated & we'll post them when they're official. Something tells me they might be record breaking... ?? But in the meantime, hopefully you were able to check out Netflix's roast of Tom Brady! What?? A??Time?? #sports #sportsbiz #entertainment #kentuckyderby #horseracing #F1 #MiamiGP #Netflix #Streaming #Comedy

?? Marijuana is getting a makeover! ?? ?? The Biden administration plans to reclassify weed as a lower-risk drug, which would help decriminalize the drug. Here's what it means: ?? The proposed plan would no longer consider cannabis a Schedule I drug – believed highly dangerous, addictive, and without medical use. ?? The Drug Enforcement Administration’s proposal, which has to be reviewed by the?White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis, acknowledge it has less potential for abuse and reclassify cannabis as a Schedule III drug. It would not legalize cannabis for recreational use. According to the?DEA, the following are examples of Schedule I drugs: - Heroin? - Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)? - Cannabis? - Methamphetamine? - Methaqualone (Quaalude)? - Peyote According to the?DEA, the following are examples of Schedule III drugs: - Ketamine? - Anabolic steroids? - Testosterone - Products containing less than 90mg of codeine per dosage unit ?? So what's the difference between decriminalizing and legalizing weed? According to the?ACLU, drug decriminalization is the act of removing criminal sanctions against certain activities, including possession of drugs for personal use. What could this mean going forward? Will we see more states become more open to legalizing marijuana use for medical & recreational purposes? Will we see festivals & entertainment venues in recreationally legal states start to include cannabis vendors more regularly? Comment & let us know what you think!?? #marijuana #cannabis #government #law #whitehouse #Drugs #Weed

? Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are at it again! ? ???? But this time... It's in Mexico! ???? ?? Yesterday, the news broke that Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney have bought a stake in Mexico's Liga MX club, Necaxa. The success the stars have enjoyed reviving Wrexham AFC has inspired their latest investment project but this time, they're swapping Wales for Mexico & joining a famous friend on their journey - Eva Longoria! ?? Necaxa is a century-old Mexican soccer club with a rich history & loyal fandom. Reynolds & McElhenney will work with Longoria alongside fellow investors Al Tylis and Sam Porter to enhance Club Necaxa’s standing and grow its profile in international sports circles at a time of heightened TV and streaming demand for soccer content. ? The famous duo's involvement raises the prospect of Club Necaxa being a focal point of a TV docu-series along the lines of “Welcome to Wrexham,” which put the storied Welsh club on the pop culture map. ?? Over the last couple of years, it has become quite clear how crucial media deals and pop culture promotion strategies are to bringing new life to sports franchises. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other streaming platforms with global reach are helping to grow international fan bases for overseas teams that were once out of reach for most American viewers. ?? Club Necaxa was valued in the low nine figures back in 2021, when a group led by Tylis and Porter and including Longoria bought about 50% of the franchise from the Tinajero family. A more recent 2022 round valued the team north of $200 million. ?? Liga MX is the most-watched soccer league in the U.S. by a wide margin, outdrawing Major League Soccer, LALIGA and the English Premier League, but its teams trade for much less than its MLS counterparts. ?? Some of that is due to structural differences, primarily the fact that the league doesn’t sell its commercial rights as a unified group, which allows the more popular teams like CHIVAS FC and Club América to command most of the money in the market. It will be interesting to see where this project goes & what kind of bump that might mean for one of Mexico's most storied clubs. #sports #sportsbiz #soccer #futbol #mexico #ryanreynolds #robMcElhenney #wrexham #deadpool #alwayssunny #entertainment

?? Amazon Nears NBA Rights Deal, Eyes Sweep of U.S. Sports Leagues ?? ?? With all the hype & excitement from last night's National Football League (NFL) draft in Detroit, Amazon is quietly securing major media rights deals for all the American major sports leagues. ?? After picking up two separate pieces of National Hockey League (NHL) media rights, Amazon is inching closer to a highly rare sweep of the four major men’s U.S. pro sports leagues. ?? The online retail and streaming giant has completed a two-year pact with the NHL to stream games on Mondays in Canada, starting with the 2024–25 season, creating a new?Prime Monday Night Hockey?showcase. ?? Amazon has also struck an additional deal with the Seattle Kraken for regional rights to show the NHL team’s games on Prime Video to fans in Washington state, Oregon, and Alaska. ?? According to?The Athletic The Athletic, Amazon is separately closing in on a landmark deal to acquire a portion of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s national rights. ? ?? The hockey pacts add to Amazon’s existing, long-term rights with the NFL for?Thursday Night Football?and a regional streaming pact with Major League Baseball (MLB)’s New York Yankees for 21 games this season. Amazon also has a deal with Diamond Sports Group that—if the regional sports network operator’s reorganization?bid?is approved—will?provide?bankruptcy exit financing in exchange for an equity stake and a much broader set of regional broadcast rights. How is this being viewed by industry insiders & what might Amazon's end game be? ?? Amazon's interest in attaining NBA media rights might actually be a bit more intuitive on its face than you'd initially think. Amazon’s active?pursuit?of domestic streaming rights to the NBA actually builds on what the company already?does?with the league in Brazil. ?? And if the latest basketball pursuit is successful, Amazon would have a set of U.S. rights relationships among the most popular American sports properties only rivaled by ESPN. The The Walt Disney Company-owned network currently has national-level domestic rights to the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. #sports #sportsbiz #streaming #amazon #entertainment #nfl #nba #mlb #nhl

?? The business of being Coachella ?? ?? Every April, festival enthusiasts chase that feeling in the desert. For the last couple of decades, Indio, California & the greater Palm Springs area have played host to some of the largest music & arts festivals. Thank you AEG & Goldenvoice! ?? While this year’s festival may have seen a little less hype (and was reported to have?slower ticket sales) than some in the past, many of the key artists involved still saw big bumps in streaming consumption following their buzzed-about performances. The numbers in this post are from Weekend 1??: ?? According to Luminate, Friday's (4/12) headliner?Lana Del Rey?saw a 36% rise in official on-demand U.S. streams over the following Saturday to Monday compared to that period from the previous week, climbing from 19.4 million streams to 26.4 million. ?? Breakthrough hit “Video Games” was one of her biggest beneficiaries, rising 70% to nearly 1.2 million streams, thanks to Del Rey bringing out fellow alt-pop superstar Billie Eilish for her Coachella performance of it — then returning the favor by dueting with Eilish on her own breakout single, “Ocean Eyes” (up 21% to 1.5 million). ?? Saturday's (4/13) headliner?Tyler, the Creator?also saw a Sunday-to-Monday bump from the prior week, with his catalog increasing 20% to 13.5 million streams. ?? No Doubt?held it down for the reuiniting '90s rock acts, experiencing the biggest gains with their overall catalog leaping 85% (from 1.4 million to 2.6 million) over Sunday and Monday from the previous week. ?? Coachella Music & Arts Festival reportedly sees north of 125K attendees per day over the course of 2 weekends & grosses more than $116M in revenue. It's one of the largest music festivals on earth by a number of metrics & 2024 was no exception. Curious - who was your favorite act this year? Tell us in the comments!?? #music #musicbiz #coachella #musicfestival #entertainment #AEG #Goldenvoice #PalmSprings

?? The Supreme Court OKs Relevent Sports' antitrust suit over FIFA policy ?? Today (4/22), the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a soccer promoter's antitrust lawsuit to go forward against FIFA and the U.S. Soccer Federation over the world governing body's policy of not permitting a country to host league matches involving teams from other countries. Relevent Sports sued in 2019 after FIFA disrupted its plan to host a?LALIGA?match between?FC Barcelona?and?Girona?at Miami Gardens, Florida, and the USSF refused permission to sanction a league match between two teams from Ecuador. The high court order leaves in a place a federal appeals court ruling in favor of Relevent Sports, controlled by?Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium owner Stephen Ross. A district court?dismissed the lawsuit, but a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously reinstated it. What do you think? Should the soccer promoters be allowed to host matches involving foreign teams on US soil without needing FIFA or US soccer's approval? Let us know in the comments! #sports #sportsbiz #soccer #futbol #laliga #ussoccer #fifa #SCOTUS #antitrust