Sport & Story Daily September 25, 2023

Stay Ahead of the Game

September 25, 2023

Good morning! In an announcement featuring Kim Kardashian, Usher revealed that he will be the headline act for the Super Bowl Halftime Show this year in Las Vegas…

🎵 Usher to headline Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas
Apple Music, the NFL and Roc Nation announced that Usher will perform during the Apple Music at the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb.11, on CBS. “Usher is an icon whose music has left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape throughout his career, we couldn't be more excited to have him headline this year's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show," said Seth Dudowsky, NFL Head of Music. “We look forward to working with Usher, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another Halftime Show for the history books." Read more here.

🦚 Rick Cordella named President of NBC Sports
NBCUniversal appointed Rick Cordella to the role of President, NBC Sports, reporting into Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group. Cordella will now lead all aspects of NBC Sports’ collection of brands and platforms, which includes NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Digital and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. In addition, Cordella will work with NBC Local on the company’s Regional Sports Network strategy and will continue to oversee sports on Peacock, Read more here.

🏈 Amazon’s TNF continues upticks
After claiming record-setting viewership for the 2023 debut of Thursday Night Football a week prior, Prime Video again saw big gains over last season with its second outing this season, between the Giants and 49ers. According to Nielsen National TV Ratings, TNF on Prime Video averaged 13.92 million viewers on Thursday night, marking an increase of +26% over last year’s comparable TNF game a year prior. Read more here.

⚖ Adidas files logo trademark issue against LIV Golf
Adidas is alleging that LIV Golf’s “L” logo is “confusingly similar” to its own staple three-stripe icon. FOS reports that Adidas is taking legal action to block five trademark applications filed by LIV Golf, claiming that the similarities infringe on the brand. Read more here.

🔍 United States, Mexico, and Canada launch joint initiative to detect collusive schemes seeking to exploit the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The Justice Department is working with partners from Mexico’s COFECE and Canada’s Competition Bureau to launch a joint initiative to “deter, detect and prosecute collusive schemes related to the provision of goods and services in connection with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.” The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the three nations, with events scheduled to occur across 11 locations in the United States, three cities in Mexico, and two cities in Canada. Read more here.

Worldwide Express returns to Trackhouse Racing for 2024 NASCAR season
Trackhouse Racing announced the return of a key primary sponsorship partner for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season on Friday morning. Worldwide Express, which first dipped into sponsorship with the team in 2022, will return for a third season of sponsorship with Trackhouse next year.
racingamerica.com

CISA and NFL collaborate to secure Super Bowl LVIII
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in collaboration with the National Football League (NFL), Allegiant Stadium and Super Bowl LVIII partners, has conducted a cybersecurity tabletop exercise this week in preparation for Super Bowl LVIII. The exercise aimed to assess and enhance cybersecurity response capabilities, plans and procedures for the upcoming event.
infosecurity-magazine.com

Chili’s is giving away Tony Pollard jerseys stained with buffalo sauce
Game-worn NFL jerseys are much prized by fans, but what about “wing-worn” jerseys? Beginning Monday (Sept. 25), Chili’s is giving away Tony Pollard jerseys stained with buffalo sauce every week for four weeks. Each jersey has been preserved in a frame and comes with an action shot of Pollard enjoying Chili’s wings plus a certificate of authenticity.
adage.com

CBS Sports to provide live match and on-site studio coverage for U.S. Open Cup Final between Messi’s Inter Miami CF vs. Houston Dynamo
CBS Sports’ coverage on Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network begins at 7:00 with a live 90-minute pre-match show from the field of DRV PNK Stadium. Kate Abdo, Micah Richards, Clint Dempsey and Charlie Davies will lead CBS Sports’ on-site studio coverage, with Nico Cantor and Susannah Collins providing reports pitchside and from around the stadium.
paramountpressexpress.com

ICC to launch the sport’s first-ever vertical video production at Men’s Cricket World Cup
In a first for the sport, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 world feed match coverage which is supported by Disney Star, will see ICC TV produce an additional vertical video feed. The technological innovation will provide fans with an easier and more intuitive viewing experience on mobile phones that allows them to consume content on-the-go in the most convenient handheld position.
icc-cricket.com

DirecTV begins carrying cricket channel Willow TV
DirecTV and DirecTV Stream has started carrying Willow TV, a 24-7 channel devoted to cricket. The timing of the move to add the channel to its DirecTV Sports Pack tier comes just weeks before the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is slated to start in India.
sportsbusinessjournal.com

Golden State Warriors to be valued at $7B in potential stake sale
A chunk of the Golden State Warriors, the National Basketball Association’s most successful team over the past decade, is up for sale, according to people familiar with the matter. A group of minority investors accounting for just over 10% are looking to offload their stake, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information.
bloomberg.com

NFL investigates sites in Spain, Brazil for regular-season games
As the NFL prepares to play three games over the next three Sundays in London, the league already is preparing to play future international games in Spain and Brazil, according to NFL executive vice president Peter O'Reilly. Earlier this month, the NFL sent officials to investigate the possibility of playing the first NFL regular-season games in Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo as soon as next season. espn.com

Hisense and Paris Saint-Germain celebrate the renewal of their partnership
The agreement between the two organizations, which started their global partnership in August 2020, will now last until the end of the 2024/25 season as part of a partnership extension.
prnewswire.com

Yahoo Sports bolsters executive leadership team with two new hires
Yahoo Sports announces the addition of two new sports business veterans to its senior leadership team: George Leimer as Head of Product & Technology and Sam Farber as General Manager of Rivals.com. “With the additions of George and Sam to the Yahoo Sports team, we’re primed to strengthen our presence in the sports and fantasy landscape,” says Ryan Spoon, President of Yahoo Sports. “As we continue to double down on our product experience and fantasy growth, both George and Sam will be key leaders and bring a wealth of experience to our leadership team.”
sportsvideo.org

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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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