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The CW has found a solution for the streaming of its sports content, striking a four-year deal with ESPN that will see over 800 hours of content added to the ESPN Unlimited tier of the company’s app this summer. The deal means the CW’s coverage of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, ACC, Pac-12, Mountain West, PBR, PBA, WWE NXT, AVP and Arizona Bowl will now be available for those with the ESPN Unlimited tier.

CW Sports has been without a streaming option for fans since the division’s launch in 2023, making the network a free agent as it continued to add to its roster of properties. “This strengthens us in the marketplace when we go out and are looking for new things,” said CW Sports President Mike Perman. “One of the things that we hear when we’re negotiating is, ‘what’s your digital business like?’ This takes that talking point out when we’re in negotiations now. We’re going to have a robust business with that.”

Precise deal terms were not available, but CW President Brad Schwartz called it a “true kind of partnership” and the “first of its kind.” ESPN SVP/Programming & Acquisitions Nick Dawson also called the deal a “mutually beneficial opportunity.”

“It’s really about adding kind of more robust sports content to the ESPN Unlimited plan,” Dawson said. “Complementary content like ACC football, college football that … we already have some presence in, or the brand-new content like NASCAR, PBR, PBA, et cetera, where we don’t really have a presence.”

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While new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro has reportedly decided against spinning off ESPN for now, that doesn’t mean the company’s thinking might not shift over the next six to nine months, sources told SBJ. D’Amaro was in Bristol last week meeting with ESPN execs in one of his first high-level meetings with network brass, sources noted. Some industry insiders have suggested ESPN could be an option for Disney to license in the emerging “channels” business, in which an OTT platform’s subs can subscribe to a streaming service directly through that platform (for instance, subscribing to Paramount+ through your Prime Video or Apple TV account). But sources noted Disney’s position on that has not changed and there are no plans to license ESPN, NFL Network or other Disney-owned channels to competitors.

Business Insider’s Peter Kafka was the first to cite sources as saying that Disney has decided against spinning off ESPN. It was “one of the first major calls” for D’Amaro. The question of whether Disney would turn ESPN into a stand-alone company has “hung over the company for years, as some investors and analysts argued that the declining cable business was a drag on the larger company’s value.” But sources said that Disney thinks ESPN’s “presence will help its pivot to streaming.” Disney will “continue with efforts to offer ESPN to customers in multiple ways,” as part of its traditional cable bundle, as part of a streaming bundle with Hulu and Disney+, and as a streaming service. It may also “look for other partners to take minority interests in the company,” as it did when it sold a 10% stake in the company to the NFL last year.

The NCAA has “initiated the final steps to expand the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments to 76 teams,” according to sources cited by ESPN.com. The expansion, which has been discussed for more than a year, is “on track to be formalized in the upcoming weeks and would begin this coming season.” Sources indicated that mid-May was a “potential timeline for an announcement.” While there are still steps to take in terms of approvals by NCAA committees, a source indicated “those are just formalities.” Sources said that NCAA officials “met with the media partners for the men’s tournament last week.” Sources added that the sides are “in the final steps of the media contracts” but they have “not been signed.” Sources indicated that the expansion “isn’t expected to be a financial windfall,” but there “will be a profit.” The added finances will “cover the additional logistics cost for both the men’s and women’s tournaments, the additional units that will come into play and still deliver ‘a modest financial upside’” (ESPN.com, 4/28).

The NCAA in a statement said, “Expanding the basketball tournaments would require approval from multiple NCAA committees, including the men’s and women’s basketball committees, and no final recommendation or decisions have been made at this time” (X, 4/28).

The NBA has disclosed to its 30 GMs a “new anti-tanking, draft reform termed the ‘3-2-1 lottery’” expected to start with the 2027 draft, according to sources cited by ESPN.com. The proposal includes “expanding the lottery to 16 teams, flattened odds and a relegation zone where the bottom three teams will be penalized with fewer lottery balls for the No. 1 pick.” Sources said that the league office has “held multiple critical meetings” over the last few weeks to “narrow toward this new singular proposal ahead of the owners’ May 28 vote.” Teams that do not qualify for the playoffs or play-in tournament but “stay out of the relegation zone (spots four through 10) would receive three lottery balls each.” Teams with a bottom-three record -- the “relegation area -- would have just two lottery balls but have a floor of the 12th pick while the rest of the 13 lottery teams could fall as far as the 16th pick.” The 9th and 10th play-in seeds in each conference “receive two lottery balls” while the losers of the 7-8 play-in games “receive one lottery ball.” No team would be able to “win the top pick in consecutive years or be able to win three consecutive top-five picks” (ESPN.com, 4/28).

India-based tech consultancy HCLTech has become an “official A.I.” sponsor at MetLife Stadium as part of its renewal of a cornerstone sponsorship first signed in 2022, a designation and deal extension that also applies to its sponsorship of the N.Y. Jets and N.Y. Giants. Neither financial terms nor the length of the new contract was disclosed. HCLTech will continue to entitle the southeast corner gate to the stadium, receive additional game day stadium signage, access to a 75-person capacity suite on the 50-yard-line and B2B networking opportunities, and digital/social/TV assets.

With two NFL teams and a robust lineup of major concerts, MetLife can command fees for cornerstone sponsorships that are similar to stadium naming rights deals in smaller markets.

In line with its new, non-exclusive AI category rights, HCLTech will explore “integration of its AI-led capabilities that will create intelligent, scalable solutions to elevate customer experiences and support smarter, safer and more connected environments” at the stadium, according to a joint statement. The AI category is in addition to HCLTech’s original category of “digital transformation partner.”

HCLTech said the MetLife presence, an anchor of its global sports play that includes golf and cricket, has allowed it to resonate with customers in the N.Y. region. It pointed to a study by Brand Finance that attributes $247M in new brand value to the MetLife deal. The extension was negotiated directly between the team and brand.

FIFA will “increase payments to teams taking part in the 2026 World Cup to almost” $900M, “citing the commercial success” of the ​expanded tournament. The FIFA Council, meeting in Vancouver ahead of the ​76th FIFA Congress, “approved a 15% increase in the resources to ⁠be distributed to all 48 participating member associations.” The total pot will rise to $871M, with “each participating team receiving increased preparation money” of $2.5M, up from $1.5M. Qualification money “will also increase” from $9M to $10M, and additional team contributions will “include subsidies ​for team delegation costs and increased team ticketing allocations totalling more than” $16M (REUTERS, 4/28). The increase in funds was announced after reports that “nations were expressing concern about the costs they’ll accrue during the World Cup, including travel, tax payments and operational expenses.” Among other decisions made by the council was confirming that FIFA President Gianni Infantino “will be up for election for the 2027-2031 term.” The electoral period begins April 30 and “runs through the election at next year’s FIFA Congress.” Also of note, the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup “was awarded to Miami” and will take place Jan. 27-31, 2027 (USA TODAY, 4/28).

THE ATHLETIC cited FIFA sources as insisting that the increase “was not a reaction to UEFA’s lobbying nor to pressure from elsewhere.” The FIFA Council also confirmed that the increase “will be spread evenly across the 48 teams, rather than based on how far they progress in the tournament or based on where they will play their games.” Their costs “do vary by location, especially in the U.S., where tax rates differ significantly from state to state” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/28).

Meanwhile, a request for Infantino “to be given a level-four motorcade escort” for the FIFA Congress in Vancouver this week “was rejected by local police.” A level-four motorcade is typically what the Pope or U.S. President Trump “could expect to receive on a visit to Canada.” The request, which FIFA said that “was made without Infantino’s knowledge, was submitted by FWC26 Canada and dismissed by the local authorities” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/28).

Additionally, Iranian soccer execs were “unable to attend” an annual meeting of the sport’s Asian governing body in Canada “due to visa issues.” Held at the Vancouver Convention Centre two days before the broader FIFA Congress at the same venue, the Asian Football Confederation Congress “brought together officials from 46 of the 47 AFC members.” Most “participated, though some joined via Zoom.” But Iran’s delegates “did not participate at all” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/28).

MLS has selected the third cohort for its MLS Innovation Lab program that trials promising athlete and business technologies across the North American soccer ecosystem.

Three of the companies -- Orreco, Springbok Analytics and Fit:match -- are working in athlete performance and talent development. Two others, AIR and WMT Digital, will be utilized for projects in fan experience on broadcast and ticketing, respectively.

“Every one of these companies is a very specific, niche use case where it’s deploying AI in service of something,” said MLS SVP/Emerging Ventures Chris Schlosser. “Especially in the sports world, it’s not necessarily going to be the massive LLM that’s going to come and change the world.”

Schlosser noted that the league’s enterprise use of ChatGPT has been widely beneficial, but these more focused implementations are important for new breakthroughs. However they need to be rigorously tested on site.

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Major League Volleyball club San Diego Mojo “will not return for the 2027 season” after it competes in the league’s playoffs this year. Team owner Gary Jacobs said in a statement that he “wanted the Mojo to take the 2027 season off while building a long-term plan for the franchise,” but that “the league believes a different direction is required.” The team also said MLV “remains committed to San Diego” and will “lead the effort to identify potential new investors” in the club. The Mojo “will play one final home match” on Thursday night before heading to Dallas for the MLV playoffs. The club is “offering free tickets to fans who want to attend Thursday’s match at Viejas Arena.” Fans “can claim up to eight per person” by visiting the team’s social media profiles and clicking the attached link (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 4/28).

UFL viewership is up 3% at the midpoint of the regular season, with games through Week 5 across Fox, ABC, ESPN, FS1 and NFL Network averaging 631,000 viewers. At the same point last season, without the benefit of Big Data increases, the UFL was averaging 611,000 viewers for games across Fox, ABC, ESPN and FS1.

Games across ESPN, ABC and NFL Net are averaging 670,000 viewers, which is up 11% through Week 5 last season. ESPN has attracted seven of the 10 best game audiences to date, including a season-high 1.01 million for Birmingham Stallions-St. Louis Battlehawks on ABC in Week 3.

Fox Sports games are averaging 636,000 viewers, up slightly from 633,000 at the midpoint of 2025.

As the regional sports network model continues to unravel, teams are being forced into a rapid rethink of how they reach local fans. In the latest SBJ Live -- set for 12:30pm ET on Wednesday -- industry experts break down what the collapse of Main Street Sports Group means for MLB, NBA and NHL teams, and how over-the-air partners, league-supported models and DTC platforms are reshaping the local media playbook. Watch for a clear look at the tradeoffs teams now face around revenue stability, control, and long-term fan access. Visit SBJ Live’s landing page to register.

Rubicon Talent is looking for a Manager/Client Services. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for supporting athlete and creator clients in a multi-faceted role across all divisions of the company, including client management, social & digital media marketing, project management and logistical support. Interested candidates can submit resumes to jobs@rubicontalent.com.

Rubicon Talent is looking for a Social Media Manager. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for leading and executing digital initiatives across client and company platforms and working with talent, brand partners and internal teams to develop compelling content and social strategies that elevate brand presence and drive engagement. Interested candidates can submit resumes to jobs@rubicontalent.com

EA Sports are looking for a Senior Manager/CRM Strategy. The Redwood-based position is responsible for leading end-to-end CRM workstreams for EA Sports FC, driving customer lifecycle engagement, loyalty and retention through data-driven, personalized experiences (EA Sports).

MLB is looking for a Senior Product Manager. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for building product vision and roadmaps by synthesizing league strategy and business objectives into actionable steps and realistic deliverables for your scrum team (MLB).

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“When she was 7, her family moved to the mostly white Chicago neighborhood of Woodlawn, leading to attacks & a Supreme Court case.”