Sport & Story Daily October 27, 2023

Stay Ahead of the Game

October 27, 2023

Good morning! FOX Sports revealed plans to take the World Series telecast where it has never gone before, mapping out technical and production plans for this year’s slate of games…

FOX Sports winds up for 2023 World Series
As the World Series begins play tonight, FOX Sports revealed its programming plans for the series FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports streaming services. Production technology will be headlined by the use of aerial production drones for the first time in World Series history. The custom three-drone fleet, developed and operated by Beverly Hills Aerials, includes the “Gimbal Bee,” “Hummer Lite,” and “Hummingbird.” Meanwhile, FOX Sports UmpCam, which made its postseason debut in the ALDS, continues delivering its unique point of view in the World Series as part of a 52-camera effort that includes a FlyCam, three DirtCams, 13 Super Motion cameras and three RF cameras. Read more here.

Wembanyama’s debut is gold for ESPN
ESPN scored its most-watched NBA opening night in 11 years and its second-most watched opening night ever, according to Nielsen as viewership for the doubleheader was up 80% from last year. The first two games of the season on ESPN generated an average audience of 2,756,000 viewers, up from 1,532,000 viewers in 2022. The nightcap, which featured the debut of Victor Wembanyama, averaged nearly three million viewers (2,989,000) as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs. Read more here.

Swiss prosecutors end proceedings against FIFA boss Infantino
Criminal proceedings against FIFA President Gianni Infantino over his dealings with former Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber have been dropped, Swiss prosecutors announced Thursday. Infantino called the move a vindication of "the new FIFA". Infantino was elected in 2016 to clean up FIFA after a number of corruption scandals surfaced. Read more here.

Amazon Prime Video adds Dude Perfect alternate broadcast for NFL Black Friday game
Famed YouTube sports trick shot group Dude Perfect is being tapped to host an alternate broadcast for the Black Friday NFL game on Amazon Prime Video. The game will pit the Jets and Dolphins, and marks a second consecutive year of these broadcasts. The team will also return for another alternate stream on Thursday, Nov. 30 for the TNF contest between the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks. Read more here.

NBA investigating if 76ers, James Harden violated participation policy
The NBA is looking into if the Philadelphia 76ers and guard James Harden violated the league's new player participation policy for their opening night national television game on Thursday. The NBA's player participation policy allows teams and players an out for injury, personal reasons and "rare and unusual circumstances." A team could be fined $100,000 for a first offense, with increasing penalties afterward. Read more here.

Exclusive Q&A: Volleyball World CEO Finn Taylor

While recent viewership records have renewed the spotlight on the growth of of volleyball, the sport’s momentum has been trending upward for years. Volleyball ranks as the fourth most popular sport globally, with more than 800 million fans around the world. Enter Volleyball World TV, the OTT creation of a partnership between the FIVB and the CVC Capital Partners designed to “create an integrated ecosystem connecting all volleyball stakeholders (fans, athletes, corporate partners) together through both digital and live events.” Sports & Story asked Volleyball World CEO Finn Taylor about the continues popularity of the sport, the state of the platform and what fans can expect in the years ahead.

Taylor on volleyball’s popularity: Several factors have fueled the growth of audiences interested in volleyball. Notably, volleyball has become a global leader in gender equality, attracting new fans to the sport. Both the men’s and women’s games receive equal attention from the sport’s gender equal fanbase, and of course equal prize money has been the case for many, many years now.

On Volleyball World’s mission: While these factors attract fans to the sport, here at Volleyball World we want to make sure they become long-term fans. We achieve this by delivering a world-class live broadcast experience, providing an exceptional OTT platform known as VBTV, actively engaging with fans through social media, and consistently creating compelling and entertaining content.

On goals: We really set out with the aim of making VBTV a hub for all things volleyball, with the biggest international and league competitions, and the world’s best superstar athletes, for fans to watch whenever and wherever they want. To achieve this, we knew that we had to bring more than just the world's best international volleyball competitions to VBTV. So, over the past years we have formed partnerships with some of the best leagues globally, including the men's and women's Italian professional leagues and the Big Ten in the USA.

On the state of the union for VBTV: We have witnessed substantial growth on our platform, with subscribers increasing by 75% year on year. Notably, in the USA, the growth rate has exceeded 100% year on year. These figures underscore the significant appeal of the sport and the way in which VBTV is bringing the best content to fans on one platform to attract and retain fans.

On new plans: In the short term, we are working on major technical improvements to the platform, to provide users with the best-in-class digital experience. Given the speed of innovation in today’s world, it is key that we remain dynamic and capable of seamlessly incorporating future technologies into the VBTV experience. In addition, we are working to expand the content offering on VBTV. Our goal is to seamlessly integrate VBTV into a single digital experience where fans not only have a huge array of volleyball matches at their fingertips, but also educational content that will enhance their engagement with the sport.

YouTube has around 1.5 million ‘NFL Sunday Ticket’ subscribers, will lose over $1.2 billion this season: Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley estimates that Google has sold around 1.5 million NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions so far through YouTube and its YouTube TV virtual pay TV platform, generating revenue of $569 million. (Notably, 80% of subscribers, the equity research outfit suggests, are not choosing the bundled YouTube TV option and are paying full $399-a-season freight.) Projecting a first-year rights cost of $1.773 billion, Morgan Stanley projects that Google will lose $1.204 billion in its first year. It would take 3.18 million subscribers for Google/YouTube to break even.
nexttv.com

Kings PG De'Aaron Fox becomes first NBA player to sign with Stephen Curry's shoe brand
The Kings' All-Star point guard will become the first NBA player to sign with the Golden State Warriors star's nascent Curry Brand shoe line, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. The news was reported as the Kings opened their season with a 130-114 win over the Utah Jazz.
yahoo.com

Gamesquare partners with Camarena Tequila for EA FC series hosted by Ninja
North American esports and entertainment holding company GameSquare has partnered with Mexican tequila manufacturer Camarena Tequila. As a result, GameSquare initiative NinjaLabs, led by popular streamer Ninja, will launch Camarena Happy Hour, a new content series using sports simulation title EA Sports FC 24.
esportsinsider.com

NBA All-Star Game returning to East vs. West format in 2024
The NBA All-Star Game is returning to its old format pitting the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference this season, the league announced Wednesday. The game, which is set for Feb. 18 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, will have a traditional scoring system with four 12-minute quarters, eliminating the Elam Ending. The teams will compete to win each quarter to benefit a charitable organization of their choosing.
theathletic.com

Report: Top cycling teams explore creating new league
A number of major European cycling teams have been exploring plans to create a new competitive league in a move that could reshape the sport's landscape and allocate more funding for participants, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. External investors could help finance the project, two of the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. The venture could amalgamate new and existing races, one of the people said.
reuters.com

British Basketball League secures US TV deal with NBC Sports RSNs
The British Basketball League has agreed a US broadcast deal with four of NBC Sports’ regional sports networks (RSNs). Two games will be shown each week, on Thursday and Friday, with programming on NBC Sports RSNs in Bay Area, California, Chicago and Philadelphia.
sportspromedia.com

PWHL’s potential team names for original 6 franchises revealed through trademark filings
Potential names for the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s original six franchises have been revealed through trademark applications, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that these will be the team names when puck drops for the PWHL’s inaugural season in January 2024. Applications for Toronto Torch, Montreal Echo, Ottawa Alert, Minnesota Superior, Boston Wicked and New York Sound were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office by PWHL Holdings, LLC on Wednesday.
theathletic.com

LA Kings renew long-standing partnership with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
This milestone renewal provides CHLA with enhanced visibility across all LA Kings platforms, in addition to unique fan engagement opportunities and new community outreach initiatives across the Southern California region. As part of this expanded partnership, the Kings Care Foundation will move forward with an additional scheduled commitment of $1 million to CHLA.
businesswire.com

NBA great Jason Kidd becomes part owner of USL’s Oakland Roots
Kidd is the latest Bay Area celebrity to become part owner of the Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club — Oakland’s lone committed pro franchise. Kidd joins an existing group of investors that include Marshawn Lynch, the first star aboard in 2021, followed by multiplatinum rapper G-Eazy in 2022, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Josh Johnson, Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong last month and WNBA legend Ruthie Bolton.
sportico.com

MSG implements AI for Knicks, Rangers highlights on social accounts
MSG Networks will bolster its coverage of the New York Rangers and Knicks this season by curating highlights and clip packages for social distribution using Infosys’ Topaz AI platform.
sportico.com

Timeline unveiled for A's new Vegas ballpark
Construction on the A's Las Vegas ballpark is "scheduled to begin in April 2025 and be completed in January 2028." The timeline was revealed "during a presentation by Mortenson-McCarthy," the A's ballpark construction manager , to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority.
sportsbusinessjournal.com

ESPN signs boxing insider and analyst Mike Coppinger to extension
ESPN has announced it has struck a multi-year contract extension with boxing analyst Mike Coppinger. Coppinger will continue his work as ESPN’s boxing insider. Additionally, he will remain an analyst on the network’s State of Boxing programs. He will also be a contributor to coverage of the upcoming fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou that will air on ESPN+ on Saturday evening.
barrettsportsmedia.com

On This Day in Sports History:

1863: Football Association forms in England
1960: MLB: American League approves Washington Senators move to become Minnesota Twins, and two new expansion franchises - Los Angeles Angels & Washington (D.C.) Senators
1982: Phillies’ Steve Carlton becomes first pitcher to win four Cy Young awards
1993: NFL announces expansion team Carolina Panthers in Charlotte
2018: Longest Baseball World Series game as Dodgers beat Red Sox in the 18th inning (7 hours, 20 mins)

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.

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