All articles tagged with #broadcast deals
The NBA is close to finalizing a $76 billion broadcast deal with Amazon, ESPN, and NBC, significantly increasing its rights fees and excluding Warner Bros. Discovery. This development is likely to prompt the NFL to renegotiate its own contracts early, potentially after the 2029 season, to capitalize on rising broadcast and streaming revenues.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver discussed ongoing negotiations for the league's next TV rights deal, with major networks like ABC/ESPN, Amazon, Turner Sports, and NBC Sports in the mix. Despite uncertainty, Silver assured that "Inside the NBA" personalities like Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith will continue covering the NBA. Reports suggest Disney will secure the top package, followed by Comcast/NBC and Amazon.
The NFL announced a record salary cap of $255.4 million per team for the 2024 season, marking a 13.6% increase over last year. This significant jump, attributed to the repayment of deferred player benefits and an extraordinary increase in media revenue, is expected to impact the upcoming free agent market and alleviate cap concerns for certain teams. The league's new broadcast deals are anticipated to continue driving revenue growth, suggesting further cap increases in the coming years.
The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) has signed new broadcast deals with CBS, ESPN, Amazon, and ION worth $60 million per year. The agreements will run from 2024-2027 and include games shown on CBS, ESPN's channels, ION over-the-air network, and Amazon's Prime Video streaming platform. CBS will feature at least 21 games a year, while ESPN will broadcast 20 games across its networks. Amazon's Prime Video will have exclusive games on Friday nights, and ION will air 50 games on Saturday nights. The remaining games will be streamed online by the league itself. This marks a significant milestone for the NWSL in terms of media recognition and economic value.
Showtime, after 37 years of televising boxing matches, will exit boxing programming at the end of 2023 as part of a strategic reallocation of resources, according to parent company Paramount Global. Showtime will honor its remaining 2023 boxing slate and obligations. PBC, the main provider of fights on Showtime since 2013, has not commented on the matter. Canelo Alvarez, the current face of boxing, recently signed a three-fight deal with PBC. PBC is reportedly exploring broadcast deals with Amazon Prime Video and DAZN. Showtime's exit follows HBO's departure from boxing programming in 2018.
LIV Golf, backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, struggled to secure major broadcast deals, leading to questions about the future of the upstart league. Last week's agreement between LIV and the PGA Tour raises questions about the future of the league. Even if the deal gets through antitrust regulators, it's unclear whether LIV will exist beyond this year. The most important question hanging over this new PGA-LIV entity is whether the former brand will exist at all. Last year, much of the controversy surrounding LIV focused on criticism the Saudis were continuing their 'sportswashing' campaign through golf.