Morning Buzz

The release of “Quarterback” Season 2 on Netflix early last month could prove to be a wise strategic decision, as Netflix saw its best figure yet in terms of its share of the U.S. streaming audience, according to new data from the Nielsen Gauge for July. With a dearth of big-time live sports or new entertainment shows on broadcast and cable TV, streaming was a major beneficiary, and Netflix was able to account for a platform-record 8.8% of all streaming last month. That’s up 5% from June as well.

Overall, streaming usage in the U.S. reached a record 47.3% in July, compared to 22.2% for cable TV, 18.4% for broadcast TV and 12.1% for other outlets.

YouTube, which will carry its first live NFL game next month, led all streaming platforms with 13.4% of that U.S. streaming audience -- also a record for the Google-owned platform. Roku Channel established a record for itself as well with 2.8% of the U.S. streaming audience, remaining above competitors like Tubi, Paramount+, Peacock or HBO Max.

Sports on cable TV saw a 17% decline in watch time compared to June, as there was no NBA postseason.

California-based apparel brand Vuori is set to announce a “new, multiyear partnership” with ATP World No. 5 Jack Draper that will include Draper having “his own signature line.” The move to supply Draper’s on-court attire “represents a bold leap into the world of high-level professional sports” for Vuori -- a “departure from its reputation as an athleisure brand.” Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Vuori founder & CEO Joe Kudla said his hope was that the partnership with Draper “would give the brand more technical credibility while growing its global brand awareness.” Draper -- who is appearing in the U.S. Open’s revamped mixed doubles event beginning today -- previously had a contract with Nike, which “expired last month” (N.Y. TIMES, 8/19).

A stadium for USL Championship club Sacramento Republic FC in Sacramento’s Railyards development is now “underway” after city officials, team execs and members of Wilton Rancheria, the tribe that owns the team, held “an official groundbreaking” Monday at the project site. After the event, Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said to “expect an announcement soon about work on a planned event venue in one of the historic Railyards buildings.” He also said the city and master project developer Downtown Railyard Venture LLC “will try again on creating an enhanced infrastructure financing district for the western part of the Railyards.” The $175M stadium is “set to be built in about 18 months, opening for the team’s 2027 season” (SACRAMENTO BUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/18).

Altius Sports Partners is set hire Learfield Amplify VP Tyler Reichwein and FC Cincinnati CCO John Durbin, sources told Sports Business Journal. Reichwein will serve as the SVP/ASP College, while Durbin will be brought on as VP/ASP College. An official announcement is expected this week.

Reichwein spent the last 14 years at Learfield, most recently with its Amplify division. He also worked on the company’s university partnership group and served as a GM for Learfield’s local properties at Tennessee and Georgia State.

Prior to his work with FC Cincinnati, Durbin rose to the SVP/Marketing & Business Strategy over eight years at Pegula Sports and Entertainment.

In this episode of On Stage, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred joins SBJ Senior Writer Joe Lemire for a candid conversation on the business, challenges and opportunities shaping professional baseball.

Recorded on April 22, 2025, at the CAA World Congress of Sports presented by Sports Business Journal, this keynote captures Manfred’s perspective just months before major headlines about MLB’s labor landscape and new national media rights negotiations. While the news cycle has since moved quickly -- with fresh updates on his talks with players over the next labor agreement and signs of progress on a new media deal -- this conversation offers an evergreen look at the commissioner’s leadership priorities and long-term vision for the league. It’s a valuable snapshot of the commissioner’s thinking -- one that’s as relevant today as when he stepped on stage.

Topics include:

• Labor Relations: How MLB approaches dialogue with the players’ union and lessons from past negotiations. 
• Media and Distribution Strategy: MLB’s vision for its next rights deal and the role of direct-to-consumer streaming. 
• The Business of the Game: Expanding MLB’s global reach and deepening engagement with younger fans. 
• Competition and On-Field Innovation: Balancing tradition with changes that improve pace of play and overall fan experience. 
• Leadership at the Helm: What it takes to guide a century-old league in a rapidly evolving sports landscape. 

BetMGM says users will notice faster execution and a more intuitive layout in the latest version of its sportsbook app that it will roll out in time for football season, a continuation of an evolution that has closed what was a sizeable tech gap with leaders FanDuel and DraftKings.

Along with a deeper, easier to navigate menu of clearly-marked same game parlay options -- including live SGPs -- BetMGM will introduce sliders that allow bettors to select alternate lines and wheels that allow them to pick a final score. They can swipe left onto game pages that offer stats, such as teams’ records against the spread and player prop performance across the five most recent games. And they will be able to track bets on the lock screen of their mobile devices.

The updates came based on feedback from BetMGM customers and in response to criticism from independent testing panels.

“We’ve been on a chase to competitive parity,” said Brittany Dunbar, director of product for BetMGM’s online sportsbook. “I think we’re at an inflection point now where we feel pretty good about table-stakes functionality. We’ve come leaps and bounds with our product.”

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Netflix on Monday released its highly anticipated documentary “America’s Team: The Gambler and his Cowboys.” Directors Chapman and Maclain Way joined Austin Karp on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast this week, where Maclain revealed that Jerry Jones didn’t hesitate and was all in on shaping his own legendary portrayal.

RELATED: SBJ Media: The journey to chronicle ‘America’s Team’

Don’t miss the rest of the conversation on Thursday. Subscribe to the SBJ Sports Media Podcast wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Octagon’s Olympic Sports Division is taking on squash representation. The agency will represent its first batch of squash athletes with the addition of Olivia Weaver, Amanda Sobhy, Sabrina Sobhy and Marina Stefanoni. Octagon will also work directly with the sport’s American governing body, US Squash, to elevate the sport’s profile ahead of its Olympics debut in 2028. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Although the sport has struggled to gain popularity in the U.S., instead finding large audiences in Egypt, England and Australia, US Squash and other significant stakeholders pulled Octagon Managing Dir of Olympics & Action Sports Peter Carlisle into conversations about representing athletes and the governing body. Though Octagon has never represented squash athletes, Carlisle said now is the perfect time.

“This is a uniquely close-knit community because they’re not a big sport in the U.S. yet. There’s certainly a challenge here but there’s an opportunity that’s really attractive in terms of applying the expertise that my team has within the Olympic space,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle’s team, consisting of about 10 employees, will lead the charge on squash, focusing on increasing media visibility and leveraging and creating commercial partnerships for athletes.

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