The New York Times plans to acquire The Athletic for $550 million. The acquisition of the sports media company solves two problems for the 170-year-old newspaper. The NYT’s sports coverage has always been thin. Meanwhile, the paper has been looking for ways to expand its digital subscription base. Buying The […]
FOX Sports and the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday that the network now owns the exclusive media rights to one of the jewels of the Triple Crown. FOX Sports acquired the exclusive media rights to the Belmont Stakes beginning in 2023. The eight-year agreement with the New York Racing […]
Walt Disney’s ESPN is looking to generate more than $3 billion in sports-betting licensing deals. Once reluctant to associate with gambling, the multimedia company has gradually changed its tune. Initially tentative to offer sports-betting content, the company is now looking to leap into ESPN-branded sportsbooks. According to the Wall Street […]
Until the introduction of social media, the only time you’d be able to follow a professional boxer’s journey would be during a TV interview, press conference, weigh-in, or fight night. Now, thanks to platforms such as Instagram, we’re able to get an insight into the lives of the most formidable […]
Cricket and sports betting came up multiple times during Walt Disney’s earnings call on Thursday. It was a knuckleball for Disney analysts who normally focus on theme parks and movies. They failed to predict the impact of Disney’s newest revenue streams. Disney’s parks can’t operate at full capacity, due to […]
By now, most people have heard about the recent battle over a videogame retailer’s stock. But, few understand how the GameStop stock saga impacted sports and gaming. An MLB owner, a casino company — and even the Super Bowl — all became part of the drama. It all started with […]
The NFL’s expanded slate on wild-card weekend, with several networks opting to expand their footprint by simultaneously broadcast on alternate networks or streaming, did not yield a ratings bonanza. Instead, overall viewer numbers were down year over year and in some cases were the lowest in five years or more. […]
Entain CEO Shay Segev announced he is leaving his post less than a week after the company turned down an $11 billion takeover offer from online betting partner MGM. Segev said he’s headed to digital sports broadcaster DAZN and will join James Rushton there as a co-CEO. Speculation has run […]
While the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL have suffered rating sags since the COVID-19 virus touched down in the U.S. last spring, ESPN’s New Year’s Day bowl broadcast numbers remained steady compared with the previous six years of the format, averaging close to 19 million viewers across its pair of […]
With tech giants like Amazon emerging as players in NFL broadcasting, ESPN is staking its reputation on streaming this weekend with its first-ever NFL “MegaCast.” The idea is to broadcast the Ravens vs. Titans wild-card game at 1:O5 p.m. ET across six Disney-owned networks with different viewer experiences on each. […]
UFC regulars will pay more to watch premiere fights starting Friday, as ESPN Plus will up its pay-per-view rates on select matches. The price increase coincides with parent company Disney’s focus on streaming services and partnerships with sports betting operations. ESPN’s streaming service is the exclusive broadcast home of the […]
Fire up the Zoom, crank up the Keurig, and make sure the mute button’s off. ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit will broadcast from home after testing positive for COVID-19 on the eve of college football’s biggest weekend. The network’s college GameDay analyst tweeted Tuesday night that he was diagnosed with the virus […]
ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt revealed Thursday evening he has tested positive for COVID-19. The 54-year-old host of ESPN’s late-night SportsCenter said in a tweet that he would be off the air after testing positive for the virus. Won’t be doing shows for a bit after a positive Covid-19 test. […]
You know things are near rock bottom when “Saturday Night Live” parodies your favorite football team in a sketch. Then again, when you’re known as the LOL Jets, everything you do is a dark comedy. In the latest episode of NBC’s SNL with guest host Timothee Chalamet, the 0-12 New […]
Friday Disney promised $3 billion to the Southeastern Conference for a decade of rights to broadcast the conference’s entire sports catalog on its ABC and ESPN networks. The deal solidifies collegiate sports’ valuation as equal to its professional counterparts. And it comes just days after California state senators Nancy Skinner […]
FOX Corporation, which signed a five-year, $3.2 billion contract to broadcast “Thursday Night Football” two years ago, is looking to bounce out of that deal sooner than later. Since the contract was signed in December, 2018, FOX has had trouble finding an audience for “Thursday Night Football.” Those problems are […]
Bally’s Corporation, formerly Twin River Worldwide Holdings, acquired the sportsbook and iGaming technology company, Bet.Works. But that wasn’t Bally’s only mega-deal this week. Bally’s also announced a strategic partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group, which sent both their stocks soaring. Bally’s recent deals should boost its sports betting profits. At least […]
ESPN’s financial woes, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have resulted in a massive layoff of 300 staffers along with the elimination of 200 currently unfilled job openings. The layoffs will be spread throughout the sports cable empire, with on-air personnel being spared initially, according to a memo from ESPN Chairman […]
ESPN announced Monday that it reached separate, co-exclusive deals with Caesars Entertainment and DraftKings, both of which are designed to expand the sports media giant’s exposure to the sports betting industry. Under the agreements, Caesars will become ESPN’s exclusive odds partner while DraftKings becomes its exclusive daily fantasy sports provider. […]
NBC Universal became the latest major American media organization to partner with a sports betting operator on Thursday, announcing a multiyear partnership with Australian firm PointsBet. The deal makes PointsBet the official sports betting partner of NBC Sports. NBC Seeks Engagement, PointsBet Looks for Credibility PointsBet launched its US operations […]
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