Sport & Story Daily October 16, 2023

Stay Ahead of the Game

October 16, 2023

Good morning! The Microsoft gaming behemoth officially got larger as the company was finally able to close its deal with one of the biggest game publishers in the world…

Microsoft closes $69 billion Activision deal after Britain's greenlight
Microsoft finally closed its $69 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard, wrapping up the biggest deal ever in the gaming industry after clearing its final obstacle -  an approval from Britain - earlier in the day. "Today is a good day to play," Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in a post on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. He will oversee the Activision business, with the video-game publisher's CEO Bobby Kotick staying on until end-2023. Read more here.

Bach announces IOC plan to launch inaugural Olympic Esports Games
Speaking of games, the International Olympic Committee President is officially launching an inaugural Olympic Esports Games. In an address, he discussed the increasing prominence of esports within the Olympic Movement, including the first Olympic Esports Week in Singapore earlier this year. The IOC has previously flagged its Olympic Esports Week as a success, pointing to 500,000 unique participants in the wider Olympic Esports Series, more than six million views on live channels and the attendance of more than 130 participants across 10 events in Singapore. Read more here.

TNF gets biggest spike yet for Amazon
Thursday Night Football viewership continues to swell of 2022 numbers, most recently bolstered by the Chiefs’ win over the Broncos, which averaged a 6.4 rating and 13.83 million viewers on Amazon Prime Video, up a season-high 47% in ratings and 57% in viewership from last year’s equitable game. Just five telecasts in, this season already boasts the four largest TNF audiences since moving to the platform. Read more here.

Report: Ratcliffe would pay more than $1.5 billion for 25% Manchester United stake, source says
Ineos Chair Jim Ratcliffe would pay over $1.5 billion for a 25% stake in Manchester United Plc were his bid for the iconic soccer club to be accepted by the Glazer family that controls it, Reuters reports. The terms of Ratcliffe's bid, reported here for the first time, infer a valuation on Manchester United of close to $6.5 billion, excluding its net debt of more than $600 million, the source said. Read more here.

Bally Sports Arizona goes dark
After 27 years on the air, Bally Sports Arizona closed the doors and shut down after losing the rights to its three Big Four pro sports teams amid financial difficulties. Bally Sports Arizona made it official with a tweet on Friday, saying it “is no longer providing coverage of your favorite local teams.” With the move, Phoenix becomes the largest market in the country without an RSN. Read more here.

Genius’ BetVision could be used to create immersive TV experiences for core audience

Genius Sports’ (NYSE: GENI) new BetVision product enables fans to watch high quality, low latency, live streams of nationally televised NFL games, consume real-time statistics and game information, and place wagers on a single screen within online sports betting applications.

The product’s primary goal is “to increase engagement amongst bettors, particularly with live in-play betting, which ultimately drives the business forward of the operators and Genius,” Sean Conroy (EVP North America, Genius Sports Group) said.

However, the publicly traded sports betting data distribution and technology company sees a future where BetVision tech is used to underpin immersive sports television viewing experiences that span beyond gambling.

“Building out the BetVision capabilities and continuing to play a role as a B2B technology provider to the various rights holders, streamers, and broadcasters within the ecosystem is part of Genius’ roadmap,” Conroy said.

The company’s video augmentation technology already supports several streaming and broadcast providers (see: stat-centric TNF feed on Amazon Prime).

Read more on this at JohnWallStreet.

Formula 1 renews alliance with Pirelli until 2027
Formula 1 announced a collaboration extension with the Italian tire developer, Pirelli. The Italian brand was associated with the F1 world championship for the first time in 2011.
sportsmintmedia.com

UFC to Continue Anti-Doping Program in Partnership with Drug Free Sport International
As the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s partnership with the United States Anti-Doping Agency comes to an end in December 2023, the Las Vegas-based promotion already has another deal with a sport drug testing organization in place. In a Thursday press conference, UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell and Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky revealed that the UFC will be partnering with Drug Free Sport International for their anti-doping program starting Jan 1. 2024.
sherdog.com

CCM Hockey becomes Official Hockey Equipment Supplier of the PWHL
CCM Hockey, a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of hockey equipmentwas named as a full hockey equipment supplier and official partner of the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). CCM Hockey will supply helmets, protective gear, skates, and sticks to PWHL players beginning in January 2024.
prnewswire.com

Bach fears dearth of Winter Olympics hosts with 2030, 2034 to be awarded jointly
The International Olympic Committee looks set to pursue a dual award of the 2030 and 2034 Winter Olympic Games next year, citing concerns over climate change for its decision.
cbssports.com

NFL hasn't ruled out putting a Super Bowl in London: 'It's something that has been discussed'
After 16 years of holding games in England, the NFL is now mulling over the possibility of moving a future Super Bowl to London. During a fan forum that was held in London last week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about the possibility of the English capital getting a Super Bowl and he admitted it's an idea that the NFL has been thinking about.
cbssports.com

DAZN further invests in women's football with deal to broadcast Saudi Women's Premier League
DAZN announced a deal for women’s football in Saudi Arabia. This marks the league’s first international broadcast deal, with DAZN to make available to fans globally, excluding MENA, the Saudi Women’s Premier League, the Saudi Arabian top division for women’s football.
dazn.com

NBC Sports’ figure skating TV, live stream schedule for 2023-24 season
NBC Sports and Peacock will combine to air more than 300 hours of figure skating coverage this season, starting with Skate America next week. Events include the entire Grand Prix Series from October into December, the European Championships and U.S. Championships in January, the Four Continents Championships in February and the world championships in March.
nbcsports.com

ESPN2 to simulcast ESPN Deportes’ Spanish-language presentation of Monday Night Football
To conclude its Hispanic Heritage Month content initiative (Sept. 15-Oct. 16), ESPN2 will air a Spanish-language simulcast of ESPN Deportes’ presentation of Monday Night Football on October 16. The MNF matchup will feature the Dallas Cowboys and the L.A. Chargers, two of the NFL’s most popular teams among U.S. Hispanic, and air live in Spanish on ESPN Deportes, with a simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET.
espnpressroom.com

Colorado Avalanche and Southwest Airlines announce partnership
With basketball and hockey season kicking off, Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is bolstering its Mile High Heart in Denver with two new partnerships, allowing the airline to share more of its famous Hospitality with fans across the community. During a recent Employee-centric event in Downtown Denver, Southwest® announced it has become The Official Airline of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, joining the Colorado Rockies on the airline’s sports roster.
nhl.com

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami announce China tour in November
Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami have announced two exhibition games in China next month. The team, which was eliminated from the Major League Soccer play-offs, will play friendly fixtures against Qingdao Hainiu on November 5 and then another Chinese Super League side, Chengdu Rongcheng, in Chengdu on November 8.
espn.com

Chip Bowers leaving Elevate Sports Ventures
Chip Bowers is leaving Elevate Sports Ventures after three years as the company’s president. Bowers, who reported to Elevate Chair and CEO Al Guido , shared the news with the Elevate executive team this morning. Based in Charlotte, he’ll stay with Elevate through the rest of the year.
sportsbusinessjournal.com

TMRW Sports bolsters team with new hires
TMRW Sports announces key staffing additions with years of experience in the sports and media industry. New additions span brands in sports and media including NFL, NBA, MSG, PGA TOUR, Vinik Sports Group, NBC, Turner, IMG, MLS, AEG and Kroenke Sports and Entertainment. Hires include Scott Levine as Chief Financial Officer. Read more here. |
sportsvideo.org

Fast Studios announces key appointments at women's sports network
Carol Stiff, a 30-year veteran executive of ESPN Programming and Acquisitions and a tireless advocate for women's sports, has been named President of Women's Sports Network, while Raquel Braun, a former EA Sports and FOX Sports executive integral in negotiating unprecedented global media partnerships and developing new business opportunities, joins as Chief Business Officer.
prnewswire.com

Post-weekend Pic Puzzle
Click to play.

Thanks for reading!

Sport & Story Daily and Sports & Story College are the sport industry’s daily resource for business news. In addition to serving up exclusive trends, Q&As, and columns, the newsletter connects reads to top platforms and stories from across the sports landscape.

Chris Pursell is the founder of staple industry events such as the Cynopsis Sports Business Awards, the Esports Business Summit, the CMO Exchange, the Tempest Awards, and the Esports Newfronts. He was previously a reporter and editor for publications such as Variety and The Los Angeles Times and launched leading business publications for Cynopsis and PromaxBDA.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here!

And feel free to read our Privacy Policy.

6