Sport & Story Daily October 23, 2023

Stay Ahead of the Game

October 23, 2023

Good morning! Amid attendance and revenue surges along with the addition of Messi, Major League Soccer hits the post-season on a hot streak…

MLS playoff matches confirmed for both the Eastern and Western Conferences ahead of the postseason
The MLS playoff picture is locked in as Decision Day saw Sporting Kansas City, Charlotte FC, the New York Red Bulls, San Jose Earthquakes and FC Dallas all clinch their spots in the playoffs. The newly created wild-card round starts Wednesday and will see Sporting KC host the San Jose Earthquakes and the Red Bulls host Charlotte FC with the winners of those one-off matches then facing the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences. Read more here.

GameSquare to acquire FaZe Clan
North American esports and entertainment company GameSquare is set to pick up key gaming, lifestyle and esports organization FaZe Clan in an all-stock transaction. The move comes over a year after FaZe Clan went public in a deal that claimed an initial valuation of a billion dollars. The new transaction, however, is expected to be closed in Q4 2023 and is reportedly valued at $16 million. Read more here.

TNF continues uptick streak
Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football continues to pick up wins. Despite landing its lowest viewership of the season, the franchise generated its sixth consecutive double-digit viewership increase over year-ago numbers. According to Nielsen National TV Ratings (panel only), TNF on Prime Video averaged 9.79 million viewers on Thursday night, an increase of +25% over last year’s comparable TNF game. Read more here.

TGL partners with Fanatics as official operator for league and teams' e-commerce platforms
TGL presented by SoFi, the new team golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports in partnership with the PGA TOUR, locked in a multi-year partnership with Fanatics to become the official operator for the league and individual teams’ e-commerce platforms. Under the partnership Fanatics will also gain the rights to design and manufacture TGL and team merchandise as an official licensee. Read more here.

DirecTV casts doubt on Diamond Sports’ salvation strategy
Amid Diamond Sports Group's bankruptcy drama, DirecTV said that while it "does not object" to a 60-day extension for the RSN operator to come up with a plan, the pay TV operator had "concerns" about where Diamond is headed. "Despite more than seven months in Chapter 11, the debtors seem to have failed to shore up both the supply (team rights) and revenues (distribution) sides of their business," DirecTV said in a statement filed to a Houston bankruptcy court. Read more here.

‘Americanization’ bleeding into every faction of Australian sport, including team ownership

The National Hockey League played a pair of sold-out exhibition games in Melbourne, Australia back in late September. It was the first time the NHL played games in the Southern Hemisphere.

That same week, TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) announced World Wrestling Entertainment would be making its first return to Australia since 2018 in 2024 with a globally televised premium live event (WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth).

Earlier in September, WWE’s sister company UFC hosted its first PPV card in Sydney in more than a decade (‘11). The event came as part of a deal that will see the MMA promotion bring three fight cards to New South Wales over a four-year period.

“The appetite for U.S. sports in Australia has surely increased in an age of social media and with greater access to [American] content through streaming,” Rhys Lenarduzzi (head of sports & entertainment, capital & advisory, Prime Financial Group) said.

But the ‘Americanization of Australian sport’ extends beyond the increasingly crowded live events calendar.

Read the rest of this at JohnWallStreet.

LIV Golf signs multi-year partnership with Asprey
LIV Golf today announced that Asprey, one of the world’s preeminent British manufacturers of luxury silverware, jewelry, timepieces and goods has agreed to a multi-year partnership to serve as the Official Trophy Provider of LIV Golf. Asprey trophies have been lifted on LIV Golf podiums since the league’s first tournament in June 2022, and the agreement officially formalizes a partnership that will see Asprey create all league trophies and be prominently featured at tournaments through its support of LIV Golf.
livgolf.com

Oreo returns to Super Bowl
Oreo plans to air a Super Bowl commercial in the 2024 game, more than a decade since its famed “Dunk in the Dark” Big Game tweet.
adage.com

Freeway Insurance expands partnership with Trackhouse & Daniel Suárez for 2024 NASCAR season
Auto insurance can sometimes get confusing and expensive, especially with rates increasing as they are in many states. Freeway Insurance joined with NASCAR driver Daniel Suárez, the only Mexican driver to win a Cup Series race, and his Trackhouse Racing team in 2021 to ensure everyone knows low-cost car insurance is available to people who need it, regardless of their driving record. Everyone deserves a second chance.
jayski.com

Amazon is eyeing an NBA package for Tuesdays or Thursdays
During an industry conference last year, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted he was “fascinated” with the job Amazon Prime Video is doing with “Thursday Night Football” — the ratings-challenged NFL package from which longtime broadcast partners like FOX Sports and CBS Sports had walked away. With ‘TNF’ averaging a linear TV-like 12.9 million viewers year to date this season, Amazon wants to create an exclusive night of streaming NBA action, sources told Front Office Sports.
frontofficesports.com

First-Ever NHL Frozen Frenzy to showcase all 32 teams in continuous action on Tuesday
Next week a rare NHL Frozen Frenzy occurs on Tuesday, October 24, with all 32 teams in action, led by ESPN’s exclusive tripleheader beginning at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN+) – featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins at Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers visiting the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights. The additional 13 Tuesday night Frozen Frenzy games are available on NHL Power Play on ESPN+.
espnpressroom.com

NASCAR to debut fan-controlled car in Xfinity Series’ championship race
NASCAR’s Xfinity Series will debut a fan-controlled car at Phoenix Raceway on 4th November in collaboration with Fan Controlled Sports & Entertainment. This move into NASCAR, under the name Fan Controlled Racing (FCR), will see fans make critical decisions from selecting the driver and the paint scheme to determining live race strategies, including when to pit and which lane to pick after restart.
sportspromedia.com

Tony Bruno launching own sports radio network
Longtime sports radio host Tony Bruno has announced he’s launching his own sports radio network. Bruno will relaunch The Tony Bruno Show from 3-6 PM ET as part of the Tony Bruno Sports Network, in partnership with Big Mama Radio’s Jason Jones. The network has announced Pete Sheppard as its morning show host. Sheppard joins after his recent departure from ESPN Southwest Florida.
barrettsportsmedia.com

San Diego FC: MLS expansion team unveil name, crest & brand identity
San Diego Football Club unveiled their name, crest and brand identity Friday evening in front of thousands of fans at Snapdragon Stadium, before the 30th MLS club debuts in 2025. The team states that San Diego FC’s crest and visual identity aim to capture the vibrant essence of San Diego, paying homage to the 18 diverse cities that form the Californian community. It was created by design agency Pupila, anchored by the colors of chrome and azul.
mlssoccer.com

Blue Jackets, Monsters announce multi-year affiliation extension
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Cleveland Monsters have agreed to a long-term, multi-year affiliation extension through the current decade of their current National Hockey League and American Hockey League partnership agreement. The 2023-24 season marks the ninth season that the Monsters have been the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate since the club’s initial partnership was announced in the spring of 2015.
nhl.com

Devils tap Nerd Focus partnership
Energy brand NERD Focus announces its triumphant return as the official energy drink of the New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center for a second season. Building on the resounding success of their inaugural partnership, NERD Focus is set to elevate the fan experience and energize the top five world-ranked home of the Devils.
prnewswire.com

Major League Pickleball founder Steve Kuhn resigns from board
Major League Pickleball (MLP) founder Steve Kuhn has resigned from his position as chair of the organization’s board. Kuhn was part of a five-person board that was set to oversee the new entity formed as a result of the merger between MLP and the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour.
sportspromedia.com

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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.

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