[JackPMiller]

[Elvis]

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/20 ... pn-directv

NFL’s new broadcast deal will start to ‘streamline’ game experience for fans

By SAM FARMERSTAFF WRITER
MARCH 18, 2021

Much more streaming. Much more money. But that might not be the most impactful aspect of the newest generation of NFL media deals, announced Thursday by the league.

The biggest winner in these agreements could be over-the-air TV.

With everything pointing to its ever-expanding online presence, the NFL underscored its belief that broadcast TV is here to stay — at least for the duration of the deals, which run through the 2033 season.

“I think this is a very good deal for the league, and what it does is it consolidates broadcast television for at least the next decade as the most powerful platform for football,” said legendary TV executive David Hill, responsible for creating Fox Sports, the virtual first-down line in football, the glowing puck in hockey, and all sorts of other innovations.

“In what’s becoming a very moist swamp of broadcast television, the NFL is becoming the only rock on which you can balance your schedule. … Look at the Oscars, the Emmys, the Grammys, the Golden Globes, everything that was rock-solid for decades is crumbling to dust before our very eyes.

“Yet the NFL keeps churning on.”

These new deals are no ordinary grind. They represent a near doubling of media revenue to more than $10 billion per season over the 11-year life of the contracts, which begin in 2023. The overall value of the packages is a staggering $113 billion, an 80% increase from the deals that now garner the league $5.9 billion per year.

“This is a seminal moment for the distribution of our content,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “These deals remind me of back in the ‘60s, how NFL content and games were a big part of the broadcast TV growth, and then going into the ’80s, with our first commitment to cable television, and then the ‘90s with our commitment to satellite television and our Sunday Ticket package. I’m sure we’re going to look back on these deals the same way that we did back in the 1980s.

“This provides our fans with greater access. We want to provide our games on more platforms than ever before.”

Amazon Prime Video will assume exclusive rights to “Thursday Night Football,” taking over the entire package from Fox, which has had it since 2018. Before that, CBS and NBC shared the package for two seasons.

By Hill’s thinking, it actually will help the league to make those Thursday games slightly more difficult for fans to access — as opposed to stumbling upon a football game when they’re channel surfing. The airwaves might not feel quite as saturated with football during the week.

“Pete Rozelle always believed that the less NFL that was on broadcast television, the better,” said Hill, referring to the late commissioner who oversaw the league from 1960-89. “As far as he was concerned, Monday Night Football was the maximum. The NFL was a unique product, and you either watched it on Sunday afternoon or on Monday night.”

Added Hill, who stepped down from 21st Century Fox in 2015 yet is still involved in multiple sports TV endeavors: “I always thought that by opening up Thursday night, that was detrimental. Because it became like the NBA; you didn’t have to watch every game.

“None of the networks made money on the Thursday night package. I think it had a negative effect on their balance sheet, plus a negative impact on NFL fans. Now, Sunday becomes the football day again, that and Monday night.”

Those Thursday games will be simulcast in the home markets on broadcast TV.

That said, streaming games is an essential component to the new deals. Each of the networks — CBS, ESPN/ABC, Fox, and NBC –— has a companion streaming service that will feature games.

“Our fans want this option and understand streaming is the future,” said New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, chairman of the media committee. “We have created a unique hybrid of viewing options and streaming. This should provide a smooth transition to the future of content distribution.”

Among the deals:

CBS: CBS retains the rights for the AFC package of Sunday afternoon games. In addition, all those games will be streamed live on Paramount+, ViacomCBS’ flagship streaming service.

ESPN: ESPN will retain “Monday Night Football.” Additionally, ABC has acquired the rights to televise two Super Bowls along with exclusive regular-season games. ESPN+ subscribers can stream one International Series game on an exclusive national basis every season and the new agreement allows ESPN the opportunity to simulcast all ABC and ESPN games on ESPN+. Because the current ESPN deal expires after this season, the new one includes a bridge agreement that covers the 2022 season.

FOX: Fox will keep its NFC package and expand its digital rights, which includes the streaming platform Tubi. “America’s Game of the Week” has been the most-watched show in television for the last 12 seasons and the most-watched NFL window for the last 20 seasons.

NBC: “Sunday Night Football,” the No. 1 prime-time show on TV for a 10th consecutive year, will continue to be produced by NBC Sports. In addition to simulcasting all “Sunday Night Football” games, Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, will deliver an exclusive feed of a select number of NFL games over the course of the agreement. NBC first acquired its package of prime-time games in 2006.

“Sunday Ticket” will remain on DirecTV for the next two seasons, and that wasn’t part of these negotiations.

Goodell said he expects a decision from NFL owners by the end of the month on expanding the regular season to 17 games, and trimming the preseason to three games.

[St. Loser Fan]

We might hate Goodell and the players might not like him: but right now the owners all have to llllloooooovvvvvveeeee him right now.

Monster TV money 2023 to 2033 + NFLPA contract through 2030 = at least 7 years of labor peace and big profits.

[Elvis]

The genius of the cap being tied to revenue is when the NFL wins, so do the players. I know some people on Twitter are saying this is so unfair, the players just had the cap go down while the owners are raking in all this new money but that misses the mark by quite a bit.

The cap is down because revenue was down. The owners took that hit too. And now the cap is gonna go way up because of these TV deals and whatever else (gambling?) the NFL can monetize. These new deals are a big win for the players too...

[HopHead Ram]

Plus they need to realize that this money is not in the coffers yet. The deal doesn't take effect until 2023 so that money will not be "spent" until then. The Cap may not go up dramatically next year but will certainly shoot up big time in 2023. That is the year you want to be a FA hitting the prime of his career.

[St. Loser Fan]

There's been talk of smoothing the increase plus advancing some of the money to 2022. Seems like most everyone doesn't want a sudden increase in 2023 that leads to a feeding frenzy.

[Elvis]

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/20/with-me ... ghts-.html

With media deals complete, NFL eyes over $100 million per year for its data rights

PUBLISHED SAT, MAR 20 2021
Jabari Young
@JABARIJYOUNG

KEY POINTS
The National Football League is seeking over $100 million per year for its data rights that are provided to sports betting companies.

Currently, Switzerland-based data company Sportradar has the NFL’s data rights. The league also owns equity in the company.

About 30 minutes after the National Football League announced its new 11-year media rights deal this week, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft praised his commissioner Roger Goodell.

Kraft, the chairman of the league’s media committee, had plenty of reasons to compliment Goodell. He just delivered NFL team owners more than $100 billion in media rights fees. Kraft was so thrilled he said working with Goodell on this negotiation was “one of the most enjoyable experiences of my professional career.”

Kraft added: “He treats his position as being the custodian of the league’s long-term best interest. When coupled with his unique strategic business acumen, we’re able to get outcomes like this one. We are very fortunate to have him as our commissioner.”

Goodell has locked in a decade of NFL labor peace and TV deals. Now, he’ll oversee the league’s data rights which fuel sports betting. The NFL could seek over $100 million per year for its new data rights agreement according to people familiar with the situation.

The people said the NFL would try to align its new data rights deal with media deals. The individuals spoke with CNBC on condition of anonymity due to privacy concerns. One of the people said the NFL could even seek up to $250 million, as its data rights continue to lead U.S. sports betting hauls.

The NFL currently has a data agreement with Sportradar and has equity in the firm dating back to 2015. Terms of that deal are undisclosed but the parties are currently in talks to extend the agreement, the people said.

Sportradar is a data and integrity company that gathers sports data like live play-by-plays and operates the NFL’s next generation stats using Amazon technology. The firm has deals with sports gambling companies to provide data used to set betting odds. Sportradar is using the SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company, route to enter the public market.

The company also extended its deal with the National Basketball Association last October. Under its previous deal, it paid the NBA about $41 million per year. Chicago-based Stats Perform is also one of the more notable data firms.

The NFL did not make an official available to discuss the matter and Sportradar declined to comment.

As for the broader media rights deal that was inked on Thursday, here’s what stands out:

Amazon video ads could increase with NFL

Networks who had the NFL’s Thursday package won’t entirely lose out on the game entirely, as the two teams playing in the game will have the contest available on broadcast and Amazon will need to pay for production costs.

That can get expensive, but Amazon’s video ads will benefit. In a note to clients, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote that Amazon’s video ads are the fastest-growing part of the company’s roughly $20 billion ad revenue. And now that it has football exclusively, rates could increase. The tech company trails only Google and Facebook for digital advertising market share.

“The Amazon deal is particularly interesting as it shows how important live sports content is in the streaming wars,” Bill Wise, CEO of advertising software company Mediaocean, told CNBC via email. “It also demonstrates Amazon’s continued foray into advertising and, with that, its unique capabilities to close the loop across screens and all the way down to purchase.”

“For advertisers, the imperative is clear,” added Wise. “You have to be thinking omnichannel and marketing your brands consistently across screens to connect with fragmented audiences.”

Disney gets access to Super Bowl money.

With Disney once again in the rotation to broadcast Super Bowls, it will now be able to capitalize on the highest-viewed U.S. sporting event and the money that comes with it.

Ad spots for the 2021 Super Bowl were around $5.5 million per ad. For the 2020 game, Fox pulled in more than $400 million from Super Bowl spots. Once it’s time for Disney in 2026, that rate could surpass $7 million per slot. Disney will also have a Super Bowl in 2030 as part of its $2.7 billion per year agreement.

The NFL’s Covid-19 Super Bowl in February attracted 96.4 million viewers watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9. Though NFL viewership has declined, the game remains a draw for marketers.

“Linear TV is still a mainstay on brand advertising budgets and the Super Bowl offers reach like no other event in the world,” said Wise.

Fox could see impacts after cutting TNF

Had Fox kept the Thursday package, it might’ve paid close to $3 billion total for NFL rights if you count the $660 million per year it currently spends for the TNF package. Advertising data firm MediaRadar estimates Fox’s 2020 NFL games generated approximately $2 billion in national advertising most of which comes from its Sunday afternoon games.

“It’s the weakest of the packages,” longtime television executive Neal Pilson said of TNF. “Not a surprise that none of the networks wanted it and it’s not a surprise that Amazon stepped up to take it.”

But unloading NFL rights comes with a cost for Fox. Dropping TNF could impact the network’s retransmission fees from distributors and Fox station affiliates in 2024, who may push to pay less without the NFL on Thursdays.

Said Morgan Stanley: “Our assumption is Fox’s existing retransmission contracts will not be affected by losing this content. Clearly, once these agreements are finalized and Fox enters negotiations with MVPDs and Fox station affiliates for new distribution contracts there may be a cost to shedding TNF.”

But one of the interesting parts of the new rights deal is the network’s FoxBet gambling asset becomes an official sportsbook of the league, “if, and when, the NFL approves official sportsbook operators for its officially licensed intellectual property,” according to a Fox Sports press release.

It puts Fox in prime position to capitalize on popular NFL wagers as the league continues to explore the sports betting space and helping network partners, too. And once the NFL organizes its role in sports gambling, Kraft’s praise of Goodell should only intensify as more revenue will roll in.

“We’re going to find ways which we engage fans through legalized sports betting,” Goodell said of assisting media companies with gambling. “But we’ve retained those rights and we’re going to look to see where those opportunities lie and how we’ll be working with our network partners. But we fully expect that they’ll be engaged in all of our activities going forward.”

[St. Loser Fan]

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/20/with-me ... ghts-.html

With media deals complete, NFL eyes over $100 million per year for its data rights

PUBLISHED SAT, MAR 20 2021
Jabari Young
@JABARIJYOUNG

KEY POINTS
The National Football League is seeking over $100 million per year for its data rights that are provided to sports betting companies.

Currently, Switzerland-based data company Sportradar has the NFL’s data rights. The league also owns equity in the company.

About 30 minutes after the National Football League announced its new 11-year media rights deal this week, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft praised his commissioner Roger Goodell.

Kraft, the chairman of the league’s media committee, had plenty of reasons to compliment Goodell. He just delivered NFL team owners more than $100 billion in media rights fees. Kraft was so thrilled he said working with Goodell on this negotiation was “one of the most enjoyable experiences of my professional career.”

Kraft added: “He treats his position as being the custodian of the league’s long-term best interest. When coupled with his unique strategic business acumen, we’re able to get outcomes like this one. We are very fortunate to have him as our commissioner.”

Goodell has locked in a decade of NFL labor peace and TV deals. Now, he’ll oversee the league’s data rights which fuel sports betting. The NFL could seek over $100 million per year for its new data rights agreement according to people familiar with the situation.

The people said the NFL would try to align its new data rights deal with media deals. The individuals spoke with CNBC on condition of anonymity due to privacy concerns. One of the people said the NFL could even seek up to $250 million, as its data rights continue to lead U.S. sports betting hauls.

The NFL currently has a data agreement with Sportradar and has equity in the firm dating back to 2015. Terms of that deal are undisclosed but the parties are currently in talks to extend the agreement, the people said.

Sportradar is a data and integrity company that gathers sports data like live play-by-plays and operates the NFL’s next generation stats using Amazon technology. The firm has deals with sports gambling companies to provide data used to set betting odds. Sportradar is using the SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company, route to enter the public market.

The company also extended its deal with the National Basketball Association last October. Under its previous deal, it paid the NBA about $41 million per year. Chicago-based Stats Perform is also one of the more notable data firms.

The NFL did not make an official available to discuss the matter and Sportradar declined to comment.

As for the broader media rights deal that was inked on Thursday, here’s what stands out:

Amazon video ads could increase with NFL

Networks who had the NFL’s Thursday package won’t entirely lose out on the game entirely, as the two teams playing in the game will have the contest available on broadcast and Amazon will need to pay for production costs.

That can get expensive, but Amazon’s video ads will benefit. In a note to clients, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote that Amazon’s video ads are the fastest-growing part of the company’s roughly $20 billion ad revenue. And now that it has football exclusively, rates could increase. The tech company trails only Google and Facebook for digital advertising market share.

“The Amazon deal is particularly interesting as it shows how important live sports content is in the streaming wars,” Bill Wise, CEO of advertising software company Mediaocean, told CNBC via email. “It also demonstrates Amazon’s continued foray into advertising and, with that, its unique capabilities to close the loop across screens and all the way down to purchase.”

“For advertisers, the imperative is clear,” added Wise. “You have to be thinking omnichannel and marketing your brands consistently across screens to connect with fragmented audiences.”

Disney gets access to Super Bowl money.

With Disney once again in the rotation to broadcast Super Bowls, it will now be able to capitalize on the highest-viewed U.S. sporting event and the money that comes with it.

Ad spots for the 2021 Super Bowl were around $5.5 million per ad. For the 2020 game, Fox pulled in more than $400 million from Super Bowl spots. Once it’s time for Disney in 2026, that rate could surpass $7 million per slot. Disney will also have a Super Bowl in 2030 as part of its $2.7 billion per year agreement.

The NFL’s Covid-19 Super Bowl in February attracted 96.4 million viewers watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9. Though NFL viewership has declined, the game remains a draw for marketers.

“Linear TV is still a mainstay on brand advertising budgets and the Super Bowl offers reach like no other event in the world,” said Wise.

Fox could see impacts after cutting TNF

Had Fox kept the Thursday package, it might’ve paid close to $3 billion total for NFL rights if you count the $660 million per year it currently spends for the TNF package. Advertising data firm MediaRadar estimates Fox’s 2020 NFL games generated approximately $2 billion in national advertising most of which comes from its Sunday afternoon games.

“It’s the weakest of the packages,” longtime television executive Neal Pilson said of TNF. “Not a surprise that none of the networks wanted it and it’s not a surprise that Amazon stepped up to take it.”

But unloading NFL rights comes with a cost for Fox. Dropping TNF could impact the network’s retransmission fees from distributors and Fox station affiliates in 2024, who may push to pay less without the NFL on Thursdays.

Said Morgan Stanley: “Our assumption is Fox’s existing retransmission contracts will not be affected by losing this content. Clearly, once these agreements are finalized and Fox enters negotiations with MVPDs and Fox station affiliates for new distribution contracts there may be a cost to shedding TNF.”

But one of the interesting parts of the new rights deal is the network’s FoxBet gambling asset becomes an official sportsbook of the league, “if, and when, the NFL approves official sportsbook operators for its officially licensed intellectual property,” according to a Fox Sports press release.

It puts Fox in prime position to capitalize on popular NFL wagers as the league continues to explore the sports betting space and helping network partners, too. And once the NFL organizes its role in sports gambling, Kraft’s praise of Goodell should only intensify as more revenue will roll in.

“We’re going to find ways which we engage fans through legalized sports betting,” Goodell said of assisting media companies with gambling. “But we’ve retained those rights and we’re going to look to see where those opportunities lie and how we’ll be working with our network partners. But we fully expect that they’ll be engaged in all of our activities going forward.”

And just six short years ago The League freaked out because Tony Romo attended a fantasy football convention at a casino hotel in Las Vegas.

[Elvis]

[St. Loser Fan]

Now if Hulu Live could just secure the regional Fox/Ballys networks....