Sport & Story Daily September 12, 2023

Stay Ahead of the Game

September 12, 2023

Good morning! Nearly two weeks after a blackout left 27 networks and ABC stations dark for the 14.7 million subscribers to the No. 2 U.S. cable system, Disney and Charter made a deal just ahead of MNF…

🤝🏼 Disney & Charter make peace ahead of MNF debut
The Walt Disney Company and Charter Communications ended their standoff and inked a transformative, multiyear distribution agreement that “supports the linear TV experience as the industry continues to evolve.” As part of the deal, the majority of Disney’s networks and stations will be immediately restored to Spectrum’s video customers with the deal completed just before Monday Night Football on ABC and ESPN. Read more here.

🧸 ESPN, Disney bring NFL to Pixar Universe
Meanwhile, ESPN, The Walt Disney Company and the National Football League are poised to serve up a “first-of-its-kind” NFL game presentation – Toy Story Funday Football – as real-time action between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars will be experienced in Pixar’s iconic “Toy Story” Universe. The event takes place on Oct. 1, at 9:30 a.m. ET, on Disney+, ESPN+ and on mobile with NFL+ during the game from Wembley Stadium in London. Andy’s room will replicate the on-the-field play, where each Falcon and Jaguar player will have animated representation, catered to the “Toy Story” setting. Read more here.

🏀 NBA Board of Governors to vote on fining teams for resting stars in nationally televised games
The NBA Competition Committee is looking to shake up teams resting star players during nationally televised games. The NBA Board of Governors will vote Wednesday on a policy that would fine teams that make that decision. ESPN reports that if the policy is passed, teams would reportedly face a $100,000 fine for a first violation. That figure would jump to $250,000 for the second violation, and then increase by $1 million for each subsequent violation. Read more here.

✂ FaZe Clan drops CEO Trink
North American esports, gaming and lifestyle brand FaZe Clan terminated CEO Lee Trink from his position, effective immediately. Trink will be replaced by interim CEO Christoph Pachler, FaZe Clan’s current COO and CFO, until the company finds a suitable replacement. Lee Trink first joined FaZe Clan in 2016 as an advisor before coming the organisation’s CEO in September 2018, where he headed the company’s major expansion and transformation into a lifestyle brand, as well as the company’s public listing on NASDAQ. Read more here.

🤕 Pereira could miss full NFL season on FOX
A familiar face was missing from FOX’s NFL coverage on Sunday as Mike Pereira, the network’s officiating expert, was not on-camera despite being listed as part of this year’s talent team. According to the NY Post, Pereira could be out for the whole season with an injured back. “Well, the season is starting and for me, I am on IR. Bad back and soon to come surgery keeps me from traveling and keeps me home,” Pereira tweeted. Read more here.

Kraken LPs part of rare sports SPAC to successfully IPO this year

ESH Acquisition Corp., a blank-check company seeking a business combination, recently raised $100 million in an initial public offering.

ESH is led by Jim Francis. He is the founder and former CEO and president of two publicly traded hospitality companies (NYSE: CHSP, HIH). Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts president Allen Weiss is ESH’s chairman. Christina Francis, the president of Magic Johnson Enterprises, and Seattle Kraken LP Chris Ackerley are on the SPAC’s board. Ackerley’s brother Ted, another Kraken LP, is an advisor to the SPAC.

The group’s decision to leverage a financial instrument that has fallen out of favor with investors to take a private company public may seem curious. There were only 16 successful SPAC IPOs in H1 ’23 after 68 in H1 ’22.

But SPAC IPOs can still be an attractive alternative to cash (demand remains as the IPO investor can always redeem and get their money back), and the Ackerleys do not view ESH in the same vein as many of the failed SPAC sponsor efforts that have come before. Its leadership has a track record of demonstrable success, connections that should yield attractive opportunities, access to capital, and plans to remain involved post-merger.

“We thought we could be counter to what had become so problematic in the SPAC market, which was [sponsors] capitalizing on a financial instrument and playing the arbitrage game with no real intent to identify a company that had real assets [or] a real growth strategy,” Ted Ackerley said.

Read the rest of this story on JohnWallStreet.

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay and Beverages brands team up with NFL Icons to celebrate Kickoff
To celebrate the start of the football season, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay and Beverages brands are helping fans imagine a world where their favourite players come out of retirement with the debut of its 2023 NFL Kickoff campaign, ‘Unretirement.’ The star-studded TV commercial directed by Superprime Films’ Rick Famuyiwa, brings current and former NFL players Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Dan Marino, Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, and Josh Allen – PepsiCo's newest athlete.
lbbonline.com

Hugo Boss swaps Formula E for key Formula 1 team role

Fashion brand Hugo Boss has revealed it is to focus solely on Formula 1, ending its long-term association with the Formula E electric racing car series.
sportbusiness.com

Byron Nelson will have new title sponsor in 2024: CJ Group to take over from AT&T
The PGA Tour’s long-running tournament in Dallas, the Byron Nelson, has found a new title sponsor. AT&T, the previous sponsor, had decided to step away, leading to the search for a new sponsor. The CJ Group, which has been associated with the PGA Tour since 2017, will now be the title sponsor of the event beginning in 2024. The tournament will be renamed the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
bvmsports.com

Commercial Sports Media launches sports tech investment arm
Commercial Sports Media (CSM) is looking to leverage the fast growth of sports technology companies across the Nordic region with the creation of an investment arm to service the sector.
sportbusiness.com

ESPN debuts latest creative of its Ready For Football platform
In the creative, ESPN highlights how readiness plays out in the football world. Need to set your fantasy football team name? “Check.” Have to find that fresh-cleaned Aaron Rodgers New York Jets jersey to put on? “Check.” All across the country in various settings, fan bases are checking items off their list in preparation for kickoff, and in preparation for the readiness of the NFL, a checklist can take on a life of its own.
espnpressroom.com

National CineMedia teams with Religion of Sports for content partnership on the big screen
Each of Religion of Sports’ 60-second episodes will feature a human interest story where sports had an impact on an individual, team, or community. The six-part content series launches in September and will run as part of NCM’s The Noovie Show, which airs in 19,000+ theaters nationwide before the film trailers.
boxofficepro.com

Boss partners with NFL and Gamefam for Roblox game integration
The partnership with Super NFL Tycoon is part of Boss’s larger “Be Your Own Boss” campaign, which aims to reach younger consumers through mediums such as sports, music, and gaming. The collaboration with the NFL features 22 teams and is designed to generate excitement for Boss’s real-life NFL collection.
espnpressroom.com

DraftKings apologizes for sports betting offer referencing 9/11 terror attacks
Sports betting company DraftKings apologized Monday after using the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks to entice people to bet on baseball and football games on the anniversary of the tragedy that killed nearly 3,000 people. The Boston-based company offered users a 9/11-themed promotion that required three New York-based teams — the Yankees, Mets and Jets — to win their games Monday, the 22nd anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the downing of a passenger jet in a field in Pennsylvania.
apnews.com

Brian Boucher rejoins the Flyers' broadcast team at NBC Sports Philadelphia
Brian Boucher will be back in the Flyers' broadcast booth this season, the organization and NBC Sports Philadelphia officially announced Monday morning. Boucher will serve as the television crew's primary analyst alongside longtime play-by-play man Jim Jackson, essentially taking over for Keith Jones, who moved on to become the Flyers' alternate governor and president of hockey operations a few months back.
phillyvoice.com

LiSTNR announces audio-first partnership with LA Rams
LiSTNR has announced an audio first partnership in Australia with the American NFL team, the Los Angeles Rams, to bring Australian and expat fans live coverage of every play, every touchdown and every moment from the LA Rams' 2023/2024 NFL season. Under the new partnership, LiSTNR will take a direct feed from the team’s Los Angeles flagship radio station, ESPN LA 710 AM for each LA Rams game.
adnews.com.au

Playfly Sports adds Lindsay Amstutz as President of Media and Partnerships
Playfly Sports expanded its executive leadership team with the hiring of sports media veteran Lindsay Amstutz as its President of Media and Partnerships. Amstutz will immediately assume oversight of key revenue-driving, partnership-based divisions including Home Team Media, Playfly Digital, Playfly Access, and Playfly Premier Partnerships. Amstutz joins the Playfly team after serving as Chief Media Officer and Head of Integrated Marketing at OneTeam Partners. In prior stops, the California native has made impactful executive management roles with FOX Sports Regional Networks, the NBA and the LA Sparks.
sportsbusinessjournal.com

ESPN announces new agreement with analyst Marcus Spears
ESPN announced the re-signing of Marcus Spears, continuing the NFL analyst’s tenure with the company, which began in 2014. Spears will appear on NFL Live, a show on which he has regularly appeared since the 2020 NFL season and will remain on as part of the new agreement. Get Up, First Take, and SportsCenter also remain as frequent programming on which Spears will be seen and heard.
espnpressroom.com

Fifa loses global sponsorship sales head Rodriguez to LigaMX

Luis Rodriguez, the former IMG football executive in the Americas, has left his role as head of global partnership sales at Fifa to return home to Mexico.
sportbusiness.com

Tuesday Trivia
Which QB holds the NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass?

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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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