UFC, F1 Seeking Media Deals

When it comes to media, the UFC and Formula 1 are up for grabs, while Pac-12 and MW seek deals

January 29, 2025

The Next Media Rights Deal: What’s In Play
SBJ’s Mollie Cahillane, “While media rights for most marquee properties are locked in, 2025 will still see significant dealmaking. Major properties including the UFC and Formula 1 are up for grabs, and the newly shaped Pac-12 is looking for a deal, as is the depleted Mountain West. ESPN could opt out of its MLB deal in favor of renegotiating.

“The UFC’s deal with ESPN ends this year, and its exclusive negotiating window with Disney began this month and ends in April. Owner TKO Group Holdings is eyeing more than $1 billion per year in its next deal, more than double its current deal. Consensus is UFC’s rights will end up being split between ESPN and a streaming property — Amazon Prime Video, or more likely, Netflix.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Denver NWSL Investors Likely to Include Coors Family, Ariel
Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams and Kurt Badenhausen write, “Ariel Investments, Molly and David Coors, and the Colorado-based Borgen family are among those in advanced discussions to join the ownership group of the new Denver NWSL expansion franchise, according to multiple people familiar with the talks.

“The team, which will be controlled by IMA Financial Group CEO Robert Cohen, was recently chosen to become the NWSL’s 16^th franchise. The first part of the $110 million expansion fee, the largest in the history of U.S. women’s sports, was paid before the end of 2024, Sportico previously reported.”
^Sportico

Chiefs-Bills AFC Title Game Delivers Record Audience of 57.4M Viewers
The Kansas City Chiefs' 32-29 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Sunday's AFC championship game delivered a record-setting viewing audience. Kansas City's win that put it a win away from a third straight Super Bowl title averaged 57.4 million viewers for CBS, according to the Sports Business Journal's Austin Karp. The number tops the previous AFC title game record of 55.5 million set during last year's game between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Amazon Eyeing ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth for NBA Sideline Reporter Role: Sources
Amazon Prime Video is poaching ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth to be its No. 1 sideline reporter when it begins NBA coverage next season, sources briefed on the agreement told The Athletic. Hubbarth moves to the top position with Prime Video where she will join play-by-play caller Ian Eagle on its lead crew. Amazon has not yet hired top game analysts, but has TNT’s Stan Van Gundy and ESPN’s Richard Jefferson, among its top choices. It also has had talks with Dwyane Wade about a hybrid role that would comprise studio and games.
^{The Athletic}

Bears Hire Dennis Allen as Defensive Coordinator Under New Coach Ben Johnson
The Chicago Bears have hired Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator and Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator under new coach Ben Johnson. Chicago also is keeping Richard Hightower as special teams coordinator as it looks to rebound after going 5-12 this season. The team announced the moves on Tuesday.
^{AP News}

Virginia Tech Hires Arizona Cardinals LBs Coach Sam Siefkes as its Defensive Coordinator
Virginia Tech has hired Sam Siefkes as defensive coordinator after he spent the last two seasons as the Arizona Cardinals’ linebackers coach. Siefkes had come to Arizona after two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He replaces the fired Chris Marve at Virginia Tech.
^{AP News}

Senators Spark Backlash With Decision to Play Games in Quebec City
The Senators said the team will play two preseason games this fall in Quebec City. Quebec City previously had the Nordiques—originally a World Hockey Association franchise—from 1979 to 1995, when they relocated to Colorado and became the Avalanche. 

As FOS’ Eric Fisher writes, “The team’s announcement of the planned activity in Quebec City, however, went over very poorly in Ottawa, where the Senators under prior ownership regimes often teetered on the brink of financial disaster, and even fell into bankruptcy in 2003.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Matt Seidler Responds to Suit Over Padres’ Control
Padres longtime chairman Peter Seidler, Sheel’s late husband and Matt’s brother, died in November 2023. Just over a year later, the team announced that Peter’s oldest brother, John, would become its next control person.

Sheel’s Jan. 6 lawsuit against Matt and his other brother Bob alleged breaches of their fiduciary duties and fraud. It also alleged that Sheel should be the next Padres control person as she is the sole beneficiary in the trust that owns the largest stake of the team. 

“The crux of this case is Sheel’s pursuit of two things that Peter intentionally chose not to give her: control and unlimited money,” the response states. 
^{Sports Business Journal}

Texas Athletics Department Topped $300 Million in Revenue and Operating Expenses in 2024
USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz and David Eckert, “The University of Texas athletics department again has shown its status as a national college sports business leviathan, recording $331.9 million in operating revenues and $325 million in operating expenses during its 2024 fiscal year, according to its new financial report to the NCAA.

“This is the first time since the NCAA began its current reporting system in 2005 that a Division I public school has reported more than $300 million in both revenues and expenses in the same year. It also is the largest single-year spending total, exceeding the $292.3 million that Ohio State reported for fiscal 2024 in a disclosure that occurred earlier on Monday.”
^{USA Today}

Ohio State Reports Athletics Budget Deficit of Nearly $38 Million From 2024 Fiscal Year
Ohio State’s athletic department reported an operating deficit of nearly $38 million during the most recent fiscal year, according to an annual financial statement submitted to the NCAA. The athletic department spent a record $292.7 million from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, while it also saw a dip in overall revenue. It brought in $254.9 million in total operating revenues over the period, a decline of $24.6 million from the previous fiscal year, contributing to the budget shortfall.
^{The Columbus Dispatch}

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