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It is the Upfronts media week, which today serves as a sports programming showcase. Readers of this newsletter should not be surprised. As YouTube noted, the NFL matches were 90 of the 100 best TVs watched during the 2024 NFL season. Disney, Amazon and Nbcuniversal have just spent billions of dollars – each – on an NBA television rights agreement that starts next season.
Why have large media companies have so far leaning on sport? One of the main reasons is advertising revenues. This is what the week up That’s it.
I attended almost all the major level media companies and I had the chance to speak with certain executives and talents next to it. Here are some of my take-out dishes.
* Disney / ESPN: I will start with Disney because it was the company with the most substantial announcement of this week – the long -awaited ESPN streaming service that I reported last week will be called … ESPN. This week, we have learned that the service will cost $ 29.99 per month, which is not a surprise – I have reported it for months that it would be $ 25 or $ 30 per month.
However, the extent of the regrouping discounts with Disney + and Hulu was massive and unexpected. For customers who register for launch this fall (exact date TBD), Disney will add Disney + and Hulu for free for ESPN subscribers for 12 months. After that, the ESPN, Disney + and Hulu bundle (with advertisements) will cost $ 35.99 per month – only $ 6 more than ESPN alone.
Disney pushes its package to reduce unsubscribe – industry jargon for the cancellation rate for streaming services. The idea is simple – if you make a package more profitable than the purchase of a solo service, more consumers will stick to the product. In other words, it is easier to cancel ESPN than ESPN, Disney + and Hulu.
ESPN also wishes to increase its 24 million ESPN + subscribers to unlimited espn, president Jimmy Pitaro Said during a media event this week. ESPN +, which costs $ 11.99 per month for smaller sampling of ESPN live events, will essentially convert into an ESPN level entry level. Part of the reason why Disney offers such a discount for the first -year bundle is to convert as many ESPN + customers to ESPN customers as possible.
“A large part of our marketing, our messages will focus on the sale resistant to these Bundle trio subscribers to this new package at this very attractive price,” said Pitaro.
Disney fully embraces ESPN these days, a change compared to the moment he considered turning his arm of sports media a few years ago. The first five people who showed up during the initial Disney presentation? Current and old stars of the NFL Saquon Barkley,, Pat Mahomes,, Eli Manning And Peyton Manning … And CEO Bob iger.
Some other pieces related to ESPN that I picked up during the week …
ESPN still wants the rights of the UFC, but not for the price asked about $ 1 billion a year from the Martial Arts League. ESPN is currently paying around $ 600 million for the UFC, I am told. This can lead to a situation where the UFC divides its rights between several media partners.
It is a similar story for F1, although the dollars are lower. Despite certain ESPN speculations were no longer interested in F1, I am told that this is not true. ESPN is specifically interested in American streaming rights for F1 given its younger audience and the lack of commercial ruptures once a race begins. But I am told that the media company only wanted part of a package – select the races rather than the entire circuit. This could open the door to Amazon or even Netflix as a new partner. Netflix has a relationship with F1 via its documentary series “Drive to Survive”, now surprisingly in its seventh season. However, Netflix’s sports strategy remains motivated, and it is doubtful that a F1 race can be transformed into an event, given its limited audience. F1 has requested $ 150 million a year for its rights, sources said.
On the program side, ESPN plans to add two new daily programs. One would replace “around the horn”, which would end on May 23. The other could submit to 2 hours sportscenter. An idea that is launched is a show that presents newly signed Peter SchrageThe NFL analyst who, according to ESPN, may be more a fully sporting figure, told me a trendy source.
I am told that ESPN’s decision to cancel “around the horn” was largely focused on costs. ESPN had dozens of journalists on his payroll given the rotating guest nature of the show, and he paid license fees to Erik Rydholm, the executive producer of the show. While ESPN does not intend to cancel “forgive the interruption”, another Rydholm joint, he would prefer to create a new internal programming.
*Nbcuniversal: The biggest news from NBC Sports has been the addition of Michael Jordan At the NBA on NBC broadcasts next season. NBC said Jordan would be a “special contributor” to dissemination, then made the public the great service not to explain what it means.
There is a reason for this – the role is still nebulous. But, the reader just, I’m here to serve. I am told that the initial plan is that Jordan appears in segments recorded during the season to provide analyzes that will be broadcast during pre-match shows or half-time shows. How it changes over time is always TBD. The agreement with Jordan was orchestrated by a long -standing sports framework of NBC Jon Millerwhich has a relationship of several decades with MJ.
*Fox: Fox’s biggest announcement was the launch of its streaming service, Fox One. Remember that Fox’s initial plan was to get into business with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery to create Venu Sports, a digital lean pack that would have given Fox a streaming outing for its programming.
When the companies disconnected on the coming while he was facing an antitrust retreat, Fox pivoted to plan B – launch of its own streaming service made up of live programming and at the request of Fox Broadcast, Fox News, Fox Business and Fox Sports, with the possibility of grouping Fox Nation. The person responsible for the new streaming service? Pete Distadwho was will be the CEO.
*Amazon: The biggest Amazon sport stars are probably Jason Kelce And Kelce TravisWho comes to Amazon via Wondery, who owns “New Heights”, the popular podcast of the brothers. Amazon has “Thursday evening football” and will now add the NBA and the WNBA on Thursdays and Fridays.
But while Amazon launched a ton of star power in advance (Arnold Schwarzenegger,, Michael B. Jordan, John Cena, Jamie Lee Curtis, etc.)I thought it was remarkable that his power of the NBA star is significantly light compared to the Disney license at “Inside The NBA” (Shaq, Charles Barkley, etc.) and the announcement of Jordan de NBC.
Amazon trotted Blake Griffin,, Udonis Haslem,, Taylor Rooks And Candace Parker To talk about its NBA and WNBA range. While Parker is an excellent big in the WNBA, this collective is not exactly the Avengers. And Parker is not even exclusively on Amazon – she presented herself at the Discovery of Warner Bros. Also because it also broadcasts “unrivaled”, the league of three against three women who broadcasts on the cable networks of Turner.
As if to underline the point, the NFL analyst (and the old quarter-arre) Ryan Fitzpatrick Beat griffin easily in a pop-a-shot pop competition on stage, which asked Jamie Lee Curtis aloud why the professional basketball player did not know how to shoot.
I think that Amazon can have a little NBA problem given its lack of talent on the antenna and slate games during the week. NBC made a huge part of the return of the NBA during its front, especially by flying John Tesh To direct a large orchestra in “Roundball Rock”. Jimmy Fallon Even jokingly, saying that NBC upfronts looked like NBA couriers. Earlier this month, the president of NBC Sports Rick Cordella Told me that NBC plans to incorporate the introductory music of the stadium into its programs – a return to the 1990s of Chicago Bulls. The idea is to ensure that “Sunday evening basketball” feels like the match of the week, he told me.
I fear that Amazon games can feel third -order compared to ESPN and NBC. Amazon paid less for its game package than the two companies, but ideally, Prime Video would find a way to make games younger and fresher, since it is the first time that an exclusive streamer has had NBA rights. And, to be fair, “Thursday Night Football” improved every year.
* Discovery Warner Bros.: When everyone zigs, you zag. WBD has lost its NBA rights for next season, so the company has considerably minimized sports in relation to entertainment programming. While Nbcu, Amazon and Disney all focused on sports at the start of their presentations, WBD took one hour before the president and chief executive officer of TNT SPORTS Luis Silberwasser I took the scene.
It was not an accident. WBD changes the name of its streaming service From max to hbo max. The goal is to underline the prestigious and HBO programming again rather than a range of B-Minus sports.
* Netflix: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell Put on a Santa Claus costume to announce the two new Christmas games of the platform – Dallas Cowboys against Washington Commanders and Minnesota Vikings against Detroit Lions.
Then, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders carried out a routine at AC / DC “Thunderstruck” to boast a new Netflix series featuring the owner of the Cowboys Jerry Jones“America’s Team: The Gambeler and His Cowboys”, which strikes the service this summer.
Netflix is still new in sports, so the service relied on the strength of “Squid Game 3”, “Stranger Things” season five, and “Nobody wants it”. Content Bela Bajaria said the Netflix event “concerns our programs and films”.
Netflix noted that eight of the 20 best Nielsen nominal television programs were on his platform. The company’s sports strategy presents major live events. Thus, while Netflix announced the Christmas games and promoted a Amanda Serrano–Katie Taylor Revalence of female boxing, it is always to know how much he wants to be a player as a media partner.
However, there is a reason why the NFL commissioner presented himself to this departure. Netflix has an evaluation of the market of almost $ 500 billion. To use a Christmas analogy, Goodell wants to make sure that Netflix is not only the ghost of the Christmas gift, but also the ghost of Christmas Future.
Netflix Co-PDG Ted Sarandos Tell me that he is talking about adding more NFL games with Goodell, but the question always comes back to know if Netflix believes that it can “flow” the game beyond a random opportunity of the regular season.