Closing Bell

The Big Ten amassed nearly $70M from NCAA distributions for team appearances and performances in the 2026 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, which is “by far the most among conferences.” Nine men’s teams and 12 women’s teams from the Big Ten combined to make at least $69.4M, with $63M “coming from the men’s side.” Michigan earned $14.7M for the conference by playing in six games and receiving a seventh unit for winning the men’s tournament championship. UCLA earned just over $1.4M by playing in six games and receiving an extra unit for winning the women’s tournament championship. The SEC, which had 10 teams in each tournament, totaled at least $56.2M. Distributions will total at least $42.9M for the Big 12, $34.2M for the ACC and $22.2M for the Big East (AP, 4/9).

RELATED: With Michigan’s win, Big Ten holds the cards to college sports’ future

Amazon’s Prime Video debuted its first-ever broadcast of the Masters on Thursday, starting with its “Inside Amen Corner” feed a little after 10am ET. But the real debut came at 1pm ET, when Prime went live with its full broadcast led by play-by-play voice Terry Gannon and a special guest in World Golf HOFer Jack Nicklaus. After an opening montage, the duo opened by speaking about Rory McIlroy‘s victory in 2025, with Nicklaus revealing that he and McIlroy had breakfast before last year’s tournament and went through how McIlroy was going to play the course “shot-for-shot” (“The Masters,” Prime Video, 4/9). As for the coverage of the golf, the broadcast looked almost identical to the CBS and ESPN broadcasts that normally run, with the CBS broadcast duo of Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman stepping in to call shots at times and a host of regular Masters contributors like Frank Nobilo, Shane Bacon and others all part of the coverage (SBJ).

Prime Video is the fourth-ever media partner of the Masters, joining current partners CBS and ESPN and former partner USA Network (1982-2007). To “do business with Augusta National, Amazon has to play by the club’s rules.” A source noted “part of that agreement includes assurances from Amazon that coverage of the broadcast would maintain” the “pristine, traditional image” that the club is known for. The source also added that Amazon “won’t be injecting anything into the streaming broadcast to highlight its e-commerce business.” For Amazon’s part, it will “get data on how golf plays on the service.” And if its “streaming audience responds,” Prime Video “will likely be in the market for more golf” (CNBC.com, 4/9).

The NBA’s push into Europe is “facing skepticism from European football-club owners who are considering investing in the new league,” according to sources cited by BLOOMBERG NEWS. While a number of club owners “have expressed interest in taking stakes” in teams in the new league, they “have also registered their opposition to some of the proposed terms and questioned the lack of detail before being asked to make bids.” Sources said that club owners are “concerned with the NBA’s proposal to take just under half the income from the new competition.” Another “major hurdle is the lack of information over a potential broadcast deal.” European investors are also “questioning the franchise fees that would be paid to the NBA, voicing concern that a sizable proportion could end up back with the existing NBA owners rather than into the new league” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 4/9).

RELATED: EuroLeague CEO set to talk with NBA on potential partnership

New courtside seating will be available at Crypto.com Arena for Lakers postseason games. Floor seats for the team have been sold out for nearly 50 years, but Courtside Reserve brings a second-row of courtside seating within the floor section. The new on-floor seating features in-seat food and beverage service and VIP club access. Courtside Reserve tickets are not available for resale (Lakers). Courtside tickets for Lakers games “typically cost between $4,000-$10,000 per seat” depending on the day of the week and the matchup. For the postseason, that cost “can range from $20,000-$40,000,” again dependent on the game and matchup (CALIFORNIA POST, 4/9).

Panini America, the official trading card partner of the WNBA and WNBPA, has signed Aces C A’ja Wilson to a multiyear autographed trading card agreement. Wilson will be showcased in multiple WNBA trading card products from Panini, including its Prizm and Origins lines, along with their Instant Card platform, which will highlight players and performances throughout the 2026 season. Wilson will also be featured in Panini marketing activations. In addition to Wilson, Fever G Caitlin Clark, Liberty F Breanna Stewart, Dream F Angel Reese and Wings G Paige Bueckers are also exclusive Panini trading card athletes (Panini).

Rogers Sports & Media President Colette Watson is “set to retire” after 35 years with the company. She will “leave Rogers in mid-May, while serving in an advisory role through fall 2026.” Rogers Sports & Media, a division of Rogers Communications, also owns the Blue Jays and “drives key revenue” from Sportsnet (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 4/9). Watson has been in the role since 2022, “overseeing 2,800 employees working in the company’s radio, television and streaming divisions, including Sportsnet.” Watson, who first joined the company in 1990, held a “range of senior roles across the company’s media, regulatory and cable divisions.” Watson was “instrumental” in the recent re-signing of the agreement with the NHL. Last year, Rogers renewed its deal with the NHL for exclusive national broadcast rights for its games over 12 years. Watson is departing the company “just months before it has the right to acquire the final outstanding stake it doesn’t already own of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment” (GLOBE & MAIL, 4/8).

Nike is in exclusive talks to “become the match ball provider for the UEFA men’s Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.” Adidas has provided the ball for the Champions League for 25 years while France-based Decathlon has supplied the ball for the other two tourneys since 2024. However, UEFA “went out to tender … to maximise revenue from the match ball and create a market for the opportunity.” Adidas and Decathlon hold their deals through 2026-27 (THE ATHLETIC, 4/9).

Former Galaxy F Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez is the latest global soccer star to join Fox for its coverage of the FIFA World Cup. He will serve as a studio analyst, and he indicated that he had “other broadcast offers to do the World Cup in Spanish but chose to work in English instead.” Hernandez is Mexico’s all-time leading scorer and played in three World Cups (L.A. TIMES, 4/9). Hernandez joins “other big-name Fox hires for the World Cup” such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry and host Rebecca Lowe (USA TODAY, 4/9).