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FOS writes, “The combined entities of CBS and TNT Sports would have an enormous treasure trove of live rights if their parent companies are ultimately combined.”

September 12, 2025

Paramount-WBD Merger Would Create Sports Superpower
FOS’ Ryan Glasspiegel writes, “The combined entities of CBS and TNT Sports would have an enormous treasure trove of live rights if their parent companies are ultimately combined.

“The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Paramount Skydance is ‘preparing a majority cash bid’ to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount owns CBS. WBD had been planning to separate its studio and streaming assets from its linear cable networks (TNT, TBS, CNN, and more). The bid, backed by the Ellison family, would reportedly encompass the full WBD company.”
^{Wall Street Journal via Front Office Sports}

Silver Says Free Highlights Are an Issue As NBA Begins $77B Deal
FOS’ Colin Salao writes, “The NBA has faced criticism over its national broadcast schedule this upcoming season, the first under a new media-rights deal. While the league has added 75 more national games for the 2025–26 season, additional broadcast partners have made it more complicated—and expensive—for fans to watch all of the league’s national games.”
_{Front Office Sports}

CVC Builds Out Sports Division Amid Crowded PE Market
FOS’ Ben Horney writes, “The private-equity firm whose investment holdings include Spanish soccer league LaLiga and the Women’s Tennis Association is expanding its sports business through a dedicated division led by veteran sports-industry executives. Rumors that Luxembourg-based CVC Capital Partners was planning a sports-specific division date back to July, when Sky News reported the firm had hired Goldman Sachs, PJT Partners, and Raine Group to assist with a deal to bring its sports assets together under a new entity called SportsCo.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records
FOS’ David Rumsey writes, “The stage is set for another massive NFL weekend, as the league has put itself in prime position to attract a potentially record-setting TV audience for Sunday afternoon’s Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl LIX rematch.

“After Week 1 viewership was up across the board, Fox’s broadcast of Philadelphia–Kansas City will be nationally televised to 100% of the country at 4:25 p.m. ET, with just two other games on CBS taking place in the same window (4:05 p.m. ET), Broncos-Colts and Panthers-Cardinals. Meanwhile, the network’s weekly pregame show, Fox NFL Sunday, is venturing away from its Los Angeles studio to broadcast live from Kansas City.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Lachlan Murdoch on Fox’s Sports Strategy, FanDuel Plans
FOS’ Eric Fisher writes, “Fox CEO and executive chair Lachlan Murdoch, making his first appearance since resolving an extended intrafamily dispute, said the resolution strongly affirms the current company strategy, which is based significantly on its presence in live sports. Speaking this week at a Goldman Sachs conference, Murdoch said the complex settlement that keeps him in place leading the family empire and pays three siblings for their interests will be a boon for investors and sports fans.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Vikings-Bears Was ESPN’s Second-Best Week 1 ‘MNF’
ESPN drew its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” game on record with the Vikings’ comeback win over the Bears, with ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 drawing 22.1 million viewers. That’s behind only the 22.6 million for Bills-Jets in 2023 (Aaron Rodgers’ debut with N.Y.).
^{Sports Business Journal}

Super Bowl Lining Up for Vegas in ’29
SBJ’s Ben Fischer writes, “The NFL and Las Vegas officials will soon start negotiations over hosting rights to Super Bowl LXIII in 2029, sources said, which would be its second time hosting in five years on the heels of the city’s strong debut in 2024. The details still may take some time to iron out, sources said, and it’s possible that the two sides don’t come to terms. But this is consistent with my reporting from February that indicated Vegas had the inside track.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Tech is Changing, and Improving, How Fans Access Venue Parking
SBJ’s Bret McCormick writes, “Changes in technology, human behavioral engineering and the rise of mixed-use development projects around sports venues are all tilting live sports attendees’ parking experiences toward the positive side of the meter.

“Starting Oct. 1 in Anaheim, a parking access fee will be incorporated into every ticket sold for events at Honda Center and OCVibe — whether Ducks games or a concert — so that no one pays for parking when they arrive at the development/arena. The catalyst for that approach is the construction of an 8,000-space parking structure, part of the Honda Center’s billion-dollar renovation and the simultaneous $5 billion OCVibe mixed-use development project happening around the arena.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

UEFA Delays Decision on Allowing Barcelona to Play in Miami and AC Milan in Australia
AP News’ Graham Dunbar writes, “A tradition-busting plan to play domestic league games for Barcelona in the United States and AC Milan in Australia failed to make key progress Thursday with fans promised more say in the decision. The UEFA executive committee said it needed more time to weigh proposals by the Spanish and Italian leagues and talk more with fan groups. Fans overwhelmingly oppose taking competitive games outside Europe which soccer’s world body FIFA previously blocked.”
^{AP News}

Meet Jesse Sisgold, Paramount Sports Entertainment’s First President
Paramount has launched a new sports division, and they have tabbed president and COO of Skydance Media and chairman of Skydance Sports Jesse Sisgold to lead Paramount Sports Entertainment as its President.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Greg Norman Leaves LIV As Golf World Continues to Shift
FOS’ David Rumsey writes, “Another domino has fallen in professional golf’s changing of the guard, as Greg Norman announced he has officially left LIV Golf.”

“After four unforgettable years, I have officially closed out my time with LIV Golf, and reflecting with nothing but gratitude, pride and achievement,” Norman wrote on social media Wednesday.
^{Front Office Sports}

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ESPN/ABC Off to Best Start to College Football Season Since 2009
ESPN/ABC’s college football game audience (3.2 million viewers) is off to its best start in 16 years, fueled by more strong numbers in Week 2. That comes a year after ABC, in its first year with the SEC’s full rights, had its best season on record (5.8 million), while ESPN last year had its best season since 2016 (1.9 million).

The best game on any network in Week 2 was Michigan-Oklahoma on Saturday night in primetime on ABC, which drew 9.7 million viewers. That was ESPN’s best Week 2 game since 2006. That audience was around double the No. 2 game of the weekend, which was ABC’s Ole Miss-Kentucky game in the 3:30pm ET window (4.8 million).
^{Sports Business Journal}

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