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Not Surprised.. Boston…
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The Sports Media (Sports Radio, Podcasts, Shows, Networks, Etc.) Thread
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Not Surprised.. Boston…
One of the guys I follow regularly gave his predictions for 2022 in sports media:
Amazon buys a nearly 50% stake in the NFL’s media properties.
Amazon executives have made it clear that they want to deepen their relationship with the NFL. They have been active in negotiating a deal
to have a less than 50% stake in NFL Network, NFL RedZone and NFL.com. This deal will close in the first quarter. But it will not include Sunday Ticket.
Disney, DirecTV carry NFL Sunday Ticket.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek has said he wants the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package. Disney said it will spend $33 billion on content in 2022. Amazon also wants the package and has much deeper pockets than Disney. But Amazon will not engage in a bidding war for these rights. Meanwhile, DirecTV wants to keep Sunday Ticket, and the NFL wants to stay with DirecTV, so those two will work out a non-exclusive deal.
Big Ten signs deals with CBS and Fox.
Fox, which owns 51% of Big Ten Network, will step up to take a bigger package with that conference than it has had previously. CBSwants high-quality college football games for its Saturday afternoon window. Fox and CBS will have the first pick of games every other week starting in 2023, but Fox will carry the Michigan-Ohio State game every year. NBC and WarnerMedia will make big runs at the Big Ten, too.
SEC leaves CBS a year early.
After CBS signs its Big Ten deal, it will negotiate a deal that allows the SEC to move to ESPN a year early. CBS’s SEC deal runs through the 2023 season.
ESPN renews with Formula One with a big rights increase.
It would be trendy to predict that Netflix would pick up these rights given the popularity of its “Drive to Survive” series. But that won’t happen. Look for ESPN to renew its deal by summer. The current deal expires at the end of 2022.
MLS signs deals with ESPN, WarnerMedia.
ESPN will renew its MLS rights in a deal that looks a lot like the NHL’s. That means that most of the league’s inventory will stream on ESPN+with some games on Hulu. Once regulators approve the Discovery-WarnerMedia merger in the spring, the combined company will pick up the MLS “B” package. Expect Bleacher Report to stream some of those games.
NASCAR negotiations get up to speed.
This deal won’t be completed in 2022. After all, NASCAR’s current deal runs through 2024. But when the car racing circuit starts its negotiations next year, it will find that Fox wants to renew, while NBC Sports, which will shut down NBCSNon Jan. 1, is more tepid. Talks with ESPN will heat up this year. Fox and ESPN will split the NASCAR package as part of a deal signed in 2023.
Sinclair’s Diamond Sports Group stays out of bankruptcy.
The narrative coming out of league and media offices these days is that Sinclair’s Diamond Sports Group is headed into bankruptcy in 2022, at which point leagues will be able to reclaim local rights. That’s not going to happen. Diamond Sports’ debt holders will keep the company out of bankruptcy and make sure Sinclair plays a big role in reimagining the RSN business.
Bally Sports RSNs stay on Spectrum systems.
The biggest sports media deal of the year will happen in the first quarter of the year when Sinclair and Charter work to renew their deals for both the RSNs and local stations. Negotiations will go public and get nasty. In the end, Sinclair and Charter will work out a deal that keeps the Bally Sports RSNs on Spectrum. The rate Charter pays will essentially be flat from its current deal.
Disney will not spin off ESPN.
Speaking of deals that won’t happen in 2022 … It’s been well reported that Disney executives have looked into the possibility of spinning off ESPN. It won’t happen this year, but could be fodder for my predictions column in coming years.
FuboTV will cut a local pro team rights deal.
Worried about the future of traditional RSNs, an MLB or NBA team will cut a local rights deal with FuboTV, which will mark the streaming company’s first foray into local sports rights.
Fox’s Thanksgiving game will set viewership records.
Fox has the late-afternoon Dallas game in 2022. It also will carry a World Cup game in the early afternoon window. Could you imagine how the TV numbers would look on Fox that day if the U.S. men’s national team is in that game?
Al Michaels and Drew Brees will call games for Amazon.
Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” presentation will be noticeably younger than network pregame shows. It will hire Tony Gonzalez, Marshawn Lynch and Philip Riversfor a studio show and will opt for Drew Breesover Troy Aikman as the game analyst. The only exception: 77-year-old broadcasting legend Al Michaels will handle play-by-play.
2022 still will not be the year for VR.
Amazon buys a nearly 50% stake in the NFL’s media properties.
Amazon executives have made it clear that they want to deepen their relationship with the NFL. They have been active in negotiating a deal
to have a less than 50% stake in NFL Network, NFL RedZone and NFL.com. This deal will close in the first quarter. But it will not include Sunday Ticket.
Disney, DirecTV carry NFL Sunday Ticket.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek has said he wants the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package. Disney said it will spend $33 billion on content in 2022. Amazon also wants the package and has much deeper pockets than Disney. But Amazon will not engage in a bidding war for these rights. Meanwhile, DirecTV wants to keep Sunday Ticket, and the NFL wants to stay with DirecTV, so those two will work out a non-exclusive deal.
Big Ten signs deals with CBS and Fox.
Fox, which owns 51% of Big Ten Network, will step up to take a bigger package with that conference than it has had previously. CBSwants high-quality college football games for its Saturday afternoon window. Fox and CBS will have the first pick of games every other week starting in 2023, but Fox will carry the Michigan-Ohio State game every year. NBC and WarnerMedia will make big runs at the Big Ten, too.
SEC leaves CBS a year early.
After CBS signs its Big Ten deal, it will negotiate a deal that allows the SEC to move to ESPN a year early. CBS’s SEC deal runs through the 2023 season.
ESPN renews with Formula One with a big rights increase.
It would be trendy to predict that Netflix would pick up these rights given the popularity of its “Drive to Survive” series. But that won’t happen. Look for ESPN to renew its deal by summer. The current deal expires at the end of 2022.
MLS signs deals with ESPN, WarnerMedia.
ESPN will renew its MLS rights in a deal that looks a lot like the NHL’s. That means that most of the league’s inventory will stream on ESPN+with some games on Hulu. Once regulators approve the Discovery-WarnerMedia merger in the spring, the combined company will pick up the MLS “B” package. Expect Bleacher Report to stream some of those games.
NASCAR negotiations get up to speed.
This deal won’t be completed in 2022. After all, NASCAR’s current deal runs through 2024. But when the car racing circuit starts its negotiations next year, it will find that Fox wants to renew, while NBC Sports, which will shut down NBCSNon Jan. 1, is more tepid. Talks with ESPN will heat up this year. Fox and ESPN will split the NASCAR package as part of a deal signed in 2023.
Sinclair’s Diamond Sports Group stays out of bankruptcy.
The narrative coming out of league and media offices these days is that Sinclair’s Diamond Sports Group is headed into bankruptcy in 2022, at which point leagues will be able to reclaim local rights. That’s not going to happen. Diamond Sports’ debt holders will keep the company out of bankruptcy and make sure Sinclair plays a big role in reimagining the RSN business.
Bally Sports RSNs stay on Spectrum systems.
The biggest sports media deal of the year will happen in the first quarter of the year when Sinclair and Charter work to renew their deals for both the RSNs and local stations. Negotiations will go public and get nasty. In the end, Sinclair and Charter will work out a deal that keeps the Bally Sports RSNs on Spectrum. The rate Charter pays will essentially be flat from its current deal.
Disney will not spin off ESPN.
Speaking of deals that won’t happen in 2022 … It’s been well reported that Disney executives have looked into the possibility of spinning off ESPN. It won’t happen this year, but could be fodder for my predictions column in coming years.
FuboTV will cut a local pro team rights deal.
Worried about the future of traditional RSNs, an MLB or NBA team will cut a local rights deal with FuboTV, which will mark the streaming company’s first foray into local sports rights.
Fox’s Thanksgiving game will set viewership records.
Fox has the late-afternoon Dallas game in 2022. It also will carry a World Cup game in the early afternoon window. Could you imagine how the TV numbers would look on Fox that day if the U.S. men’s national team is in that game?
Al Michaels and Drew Brees will call games for Amazon.
Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” presentation will be noticeably younger than network pregame shows. It will hire Tony Gonzalez, Marshawn Lynch and Philip Riversfor a studio show and will opt for Drew Breesover Troy Aikman as the game analyst. The only exception: 77-year-old broadcasting legend Al Michaels will handle play-by-play.
2022 still will not be the year for VR.
