- On the latest SBJ Sports Media Podcast, co-host Josh Carpenter and I dig into the big numbers to start the World Cup and how Fox has commercialized hydration breaks. We also discuss NBA and NHL ending their seasons with strong viewership for their championships and what to make of Fox’s purchase of Roku. I also interviewed Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events, to talk about the upcoming Fanatics Fest.
- Bank of America Securities analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich upgraded Disney to a “buy” based on some factors surrounding the company’s fiscal Q3, including profitability inflection/growth in DTC, multiyear sports drivers like personalization, betting and multiscreen experiences that are “cementing ESPN’s role as the premium sports platform.” Two sports headwinds were the strong NBA Finals viewership being offset by only a five-game series and a continued blackout of NFL Network on certain distributors, like Comcast Xfinity.
- USA Sports President Matt Hong discusses how the network is growing its business beyond a traditional pay TV model in SBJ’s latest episode of “On My Mind.”
- ESPN is tapping Rece Davis of “College GameDay” as a studio host for its upcoming two weeks of Wimbledon coverage, continuing a year of shake-ups to the network’s talent lineup for tennis, reports SBJ’s Rob Schaefer. This is Davis’ first foray into tennis.
- NASCAR bankrolled a 30-minute film on Amazon Prime to promote the debut San Diego race, pitting fictional drivers head-to-head against the Navy in farcical events such as dodgeball. It also features a car-vs.-jet race. Concept80 put it together in two-and-a-half days, writes SBJ’s Tom Friend.
Media speed reads
