Closing Bell

The NFL for the 2023 regular season had its best average viewership for games since 2015 -- and tied with 2010 for the second-best season on record. Regular-season games averaged 17.9 million viewers this season, up 7% from last year, and the best figure since the league averaged 18.1 million in 2015 (the all-time record).

The NFL saw gains across all key demos (in the 4-10% range), including its best female viewership on record (dating back to 2000). Among adults 18-34, the league had its best season since 2019. Male viewership was up 6% and female viewership was up 9%.

NBC again had the most-watched overall package, averaging 21.4 million viewers -- the network’s best figure for the package since 2015. CBS recorded its best season since returning as an NFL media partner in 1998, averaging 19.3 million for all its games. The previous best for CBS was 19.1 million in 2015. For the first time in many years, CBS had the NFL’s most-watched window, averaging 24.6 million viewers for the Sunday 4:30pm ET telecasts (national windows). Fox averaged 19 million viewers for its games this season, down just 2% from last year. The network’s number was impacted by blowouts in seven of 10 national windows (where the network was just 15,000 viewers behind CBS’ average at 4:30pm). Still, Fox was up 2% for its national window from 2022.

ESPN averaged 17.4 million viewers this season, which is the best figure for the “Monday Night Football” package since ABC in 2000 (“MNF” moved primarily to cable in 2006). The ESPN numbers saw a big uptick by having ABC simulcasts for almost every “MNF” game this season (there were 11 more ABC games this season versus last season). ESPN numbers also include ManningCast numbers for select games on ESPN2. “MNF” is up 29% from last season.

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Titans coach Mike Vrabel is "out of a job after weeks of reported friction" with first-year GM Ran Carthon and "differences in philosophy with controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk on how to proceed into the future." A source said that the decision to fire Vrabel was "reflective of NFL-wide trends relating to collaboration between front offices and coaching staffs." The source said that the decision "did relate to Vrabel's philosophy on running a franchise aligning more with the New England model of one person having a majority of the decision-making power." The decision to move on from Vrabel early instead of "prolonging the process in search for trade partners related to the timeline of events for the coaching interview cycle." The Titans held meetings yesterday and today "discussing the future of the franchise, leading to" today's decision (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 1/9).

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers appeared on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" today and "twice criticized" ESPN SVP/Digital & Studio Production Mike Foss, who had "apologized on behalf of the network" following comments Rodgers made last week on McAfee's show suggesting ABC's Jimmy Kimmel "might be connected to Jeffrey Epstein." Foss on Friday in a statement said Rodgers made a “dumb and factually inaccurate joke.” Rodgers on today's McAfee show said into the camera, “Mike, you’re not helping.” Rodgers' appearance comes after Kimmel "called on Rodgers to apologize" during yesterday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Rodgers did "not apologize" toKimmel, but instead went on a "five-minute rant about COVID-19 vaccines" and claimed Kimmel "actually misunderstood his comments about him" (PEOPLE, 1/9).

While the feud between Rodgers and Kimmel is "ugly, the reality is this is a huge win" for McAfee. All Kimmel did yesterday was "make sure more people will tune into Rodgers’s weekly spot with McAfee" today. The "only interesting thing about the feud at this point is to see who will end it." Kimmel may "light into Rodgers again" on tonight's show, but at some point, someone "has to end this." However, Kimmel and Rodgers deep down may "love to keep this going" (SI, 1/9).

Bruin Capital is in the final stages of negotiating an agreement to sell its 80% stake in marketing agency Two Circles to British private equity firm Charterhouse Capital Partners at a valuation of £250 million, or around $317 million. That represents a more than 650% increase in value since George Pyne’s Bruin first bought in at a $42 million valuation at the end of 2019. Under Bruin’s ownership, Two Circles has acquired tech firm Codeware, creative agency LiveWire Sport, ticketing and hospitality company Sports Ink and sponsorship sales agency TRM. Two Circles’ global sports client list includes Formula One, the NFL, the Premier League, UEFA and World Rugby, among others. It’s also partnered on strategic joint ventures with the DP World Tour and FIBA, among other global sports properties, and is currently in market selling jersey patches for the Philadelphia Phillies and San Jose Sharks. The firm today has over 600 employees. Moelis and Latham & Watkins advised Bruin, while British law firm Milbank advised Charterhouse. A source familiar with details of the transaction said that a final agreement is imminent and that the sale is expected to close in Q1. Sky News first reported news of the deal. 

Premier League club Aston Villa has "struck a major deal with Adidas" to "take over as their kit manufacturer" from Castore next season. The deal was "overseen by the club’s billionaire Egyptian owner Nassef Sawiris," who also owns around 7% of the German company. The Adidas deal is "understood to be a long-term agreement worth multi-millions of pounds for the men’s and women’s teams and the academy." Sawiris was "eager that the club had a blue-chip manufacturer to reflect the ambitions he has for Villa." The club’s new President of Business Operations Chris Heck was "also involved centrally in the negotiations" to complete the deal (London TELEGRAPH, 1/9).

IndyCar and iRacing today confirmed that they are back in business, having signed a new multiyear licensing deal for the simulator platform. SBJ reported in late December that the sides were close to an agreement that would see IndyCar’s official presence and marks re-installed on the platform. IndyCar had removed its official presence from the platform after 2022 as part of an exclusive deal with the now beleaguered Motorsport Games. That deal has since been terminated by IndyCar following development delays to a potential console video game by Motorsport Games. On the console front, IndyCar is exploring several options but has nothing concrete to discuss yet. But with the iRacing deal, it will be back on the simulator platform and bring back the iRacing Indianapolis 500, IndyCar series branding, multiple leagues and a license extension of Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The deal starts immediately. The financial workings of the deal were unclear.

Meanwhile, Luxco, which produces over a dozen liquor brands including Everclear, is getting into NASCAR with a team sponsorship with Richard Childress Racing. Luxco will deploy its Rebel Bourbon brand, which becomes RCR's official bourbon and will sponsor races on Kyle Busch's No. 8 Chevrolet for the 2024 and '25 NASCAR Cup Series seasons. The primary count for 2024 was unclear but the first announced race is at Richmond at the end of March. The agreement was revealed this morning. Rebel is based in Bardstown, Ky. It was formerly known as Rebel Yell until the brand dropped “Yell” in 2020 to ward off perceived associations with the Confederacy. Rebel also has a sponsorship deal with the PLL in lacrosse. Rebel Brand Manager Philip Lux said the company looked at several sports sponsorship opportunities but “this was the perfect fit.” He added: “We wanted a team who does their own thing and embodies the essence of our brand.” The sides will activate on digital and social but plans beyond that were not yet clear. Other sponsors on the No. 8 include Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, BetMGM, Lenovo and 3CHI.

5-hour Energy is back in racing for the first time since its Furniture Row Racing deal ended after 2018, with a new associate IndyCar team deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Over the course of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season, 5-hour will have branding on driver Pietro Fittipaldi’s firesuit and No. 30 Honda. Living Essentials President & COO Jeff Sigouin, whose company makes 5-hour, said in a statement that the brand is “excited to return to motorsports through this partnership with world-class Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing." Financial terms were unclear but the spend is likely limited with it being announced as only an associate-level deal. 5-hour was formerly a major sponsor in NASCAR before its deal with FRR ended and the company elected to exit the sport and racing overall.

Apple TV+ today unveiled the official trailer for "The Dynasty: New England Patriots," the 10-part documentary event from Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries, showcasing the rise of the Patriots dynasty in the 21st century. Set to premiere globally Feb. 16, the docuseries brings together former QB Tom Brady, coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft, along with a wide range of contributors, as they give the definitive story of the team’s reign. The docuseries is based on the N.Y. Times bestselling book of the same title by author Jeff Benedict and goes deeper, drawing on thousands of hours of never-before-seen video footage and audio files from the Patriots organization’s archive (Apple).

Former NFLer Rob Gronkowski is returning to the Super Bowl "with another commercial ad series," "Kick of Destiny 2," with FanDuel. It will be "a set of four advertisements again," with the first "debuting on wild card weekend." The expectation is that Gronkowski "will be kicking the field goal for FanDuel just before 6 p.m. ET on Super Bowl Sunday," on "a nearby Las Vegas field." This year, bettors on the sportsbook "will enter a free-to-play prediction game of whether Gronkowski will make or miss the field goal." Those who correctly predict the outcome "will get a share" of the $10M in free bets the company is dishing out. The 2023 Super Bowl commercial featured Gronkowski "awkwardly missing the field goal, with FanDuel giving out the free bets regardless" (N.Y. POST, 1/9).

Rapper Ice Spice "will star in a Super Bowl ad" for Starry, PepsiCo’s lemon-lime soda brand. It will be the first Super Bowl ad appearance "for both Ice Spice and Starry." She will appear "alongside Starry’s mascots," Lem and Lime, in the ad, for which VaynerMedia is the creative agency. The brand "declined to say how long the Super Bowl ad was or when it would appear" in the game. PepsiCo-owned Mtn Dew earlier confirmed plans to advertise in the Feb. 11 game on CBS. PepsiCo, which has an NFL sponsorship, "typically advertises at least one of its snack brands in the game, but has yet to publicly confirm those plans" (AD AGE, 1/9).

MLS Next Pro today announced Connecticut United FC as the fifth independent team to be added to the league with a target start date of 2025. The city of Bridgeport’s Planning and Zoning Commission granted Connecticut Sports Group unanimous approval to develop a waterfront soccer stadium and mixed-use development (MLS Next Pro).

USA Hockey signed a multiyear extension of its partnership with franchising company Winmark Corporation. Winmark and its portfolio of franchised retail resale brands will continue to have the exclusive designation as the official resale partner of USA Hockey in addition to being an official sponsor of the organization (USA Hockey).

Malaika Rivers has launched a new development and infrastructure consulting firm called Pontem Resources. Rivers has 30 years of experience in the development world, working for both municipalities and sports teams in creating public-private partnerships, with major projects including the Braves’ mixed-use development in Cobb County, The Battery, and most recently the Hawks’ mixed-use development project, Centennial Yards. (Bret McCormick).

The ATP Infosys Hall of Fame Open achieved carbon neutral status, with all carbon emissions generated by the 2023 tournament offset by the Int'l Tennis HOF through the purchase of carbon credits (ITHF).

All teams at this year's Guinness Six Nations Championship are "set to have their players' names on the back of shirts for the first time." The move, "hoped to help attract casual fans," follows that of the women's rugby tournament last year. While some countries have shown names on the backs of shirts in the past, it "has not been adopted across the Six Nations before" (BBC.com, 1/9).

Ministers have been "urged to explore free-to-air options" for England's Test series against India in a bid to "avoid a TV blackout." The British government is "under pressure" to get broadcasters including BBC and Channel 4 around the table to "avert a 'national scandal' whereby millions of cricket fans miss out on 'one of the most exciting match-ups in years'" (London TELEGRAPH, 1/9).

More: 

• Columnist: Rory McIlroy isn't dumb, his LIV change of heart is because golf is not making cut on TV.

• Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to target wage bill reduction for Manchester United plan.

ESPN BET has launched a new creative featuring Get Up host Mike Greenberg called “The Elements,” which debuted during Get Up this morning and highlights how cold weather elements come into play during postseason football. 

3  -- The number of Pac-12 schools to finish ranked in the final AP Top 25 Poll of the 2023 season in what is the "final year of the conference as we know it." Those three schools -- Washington, Oregon and Arizona -- along with seven others will all depart the conference this year. Nine Pac-12 teams "appeared in the poll at one point or another" during the season (THE ATHLETIC, 1/9).