Good afternoon, here’s what we’re following at SBJ today:
- Sports playing even bigger role at Upfronts
- Engelbert says WNBA ‘not unique’ to fans’ media deal challenges
- USL names McDonough as CEO as Papadakis becomes board chair
- Plus: One month until FIFA World Cup, Trump’s warning to NFL, Bruin Capital’s latest deal and more
Start your morning with Buzzcast with Abe Madkour: The WNBA’s successful opening weekend; plans for World Cup opening ceremonies; the expansion of the NCAA tournaments; and Jimmy Haslam’s bigger role with the Bucks. Listen >>
THE BIG STORY
Sports playing even bigger role at Upfronts
The bulk of upfront season gets underway in Manhattan on Monday with advertising presentations from NBC, Fox and Amazon, with sports taking the lead as traditional entertainment TV continues to see a decline in ad dollars, reports SBJ’s Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter.
A growing segment that’s catching advertisers and media buyers’ eyes is the culture around sports, such as biopics and docuseries. The “athlete creator” also is a segment to watch, as some players’ brands have grown larger than the teams they play on. And, of course, AI and tech, which continue improving telecasts and providing viewers ways to engage like never before.
NBC gets things going Monday morning at Radio City Music Hall. The company doesn’t have its “Legendary February” to pitch to brands this year, but it still has a healthy slate of sports programming, including “Sunday Night Football,” MLB, the NBA, Notre Dame football, Big Ten football (although it will be selling the Big Ten Championship to Fox), the PGA Tour, Premier League, two-thirds of the Triple Crown, NASCAR and the WNBA.
5 STORIES WE’RE WATCHING
1. Cathy Engelbert says WNBA ‘not unique’ to fans’ media deal challenges: WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was in Toronto on Friday to celebrate the Tempo’s first-ever regular season game in the WNBA, and in comments to the media, she said the WNBA isn’t alone in facing the challenges associated with costs and discovery with streaming.
2. USL names Paul McDonough as CEO as Alec Papadakis becomes board chair: The USL is reshuffling its leadership structure, naming Paul McDonough President and CEO and moving longtime chief executive Alec Papadakis into a board co-chair role after nearly two decades leading the soccer organization.
3. Countdown to World Cup officially hits one month: It is now exactly on month until the first game of the FIFA World Cup. The tournament has been making headlines, with the biggest controversy so far being the rising costs for fans.
4. Trump: NFL needs to be ‘careful’ how many games it puts on streaming services: President Trump on Sunday cautioned the NFL about how many games it puts on streaming services.
5. Bruin Capital buys stake in Matchroom Holdings: Sports investment firm Bruin Capital bought into sports promotion and broadcasting company Matchroom Holdings, with sources saying the deal gives it a 15% stake while leaving Barry and Eddie Hearn in control of a business valued at $1.4 billion.
ON THE MOVE
- Trail Blazers Assistant GM Mike Schmitz is leaving the team to become the Mavericks’ GM, joining the front office of new President Masai Ujiri. Schmitz spent years in international basketball as a member of the media before joining the Blazers in 2022 (Portland OREGONIAN, 5/8).
- Elevate named Kroenke Signature Properties GM Olly Dale as managing partner of Europe and Asia. Dale in his career notably served as Commercial Dir at both Premier League clubs Arsenal and Liverpool, as well as at the Aston Martin F1 Team (Elevate).
- The University of Arkansas at Little Rock promoted Associate AD/Marketing and Engagement Brandy Sweeden Dixon to senior associate AD/external operations — marketing and communications (Little Rock).
- KKR named Prosek Partners VP Kristen Duarte as VP (SBJ).
NAMES IN THE NEWS
- Raiders owner Mark Davis was inducted into the Southern Nevada Sports HOF on Friday night in a ceremony at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson. The induction ceremony being held in Henderson is “only fitting,” as Davis built the Aces and Raiders HQ in the city (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 5/8).
- L.A. mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt made an appearance at Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Thunder and the Lakers on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena, sitting with Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss’ (N.Y. POST, 5/10).
- Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. and his longtime girlfriend, Olivia Carter, got married last weekend. Many of Penix’s Falcons teammates attended the wedding: RB Bijan Robinson, WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts (ESPN.com, 5/8)
- Hornets G LaMelo Ball and his partner, Analicia Chaves, welcomed their first baby together, son LaOne (PEOPLE, 5/10).
HOT READS
BLOOMBERG NEWS went with the header, “Inside a year of chaos and conflict at Kevin Hart’s media company.” When comedian Kevin Hart in January licensed his name to Authentic Brands Group, he “was silent on a key detail: the future of his namesake media company.” Hart sold some ownership and oversight of his brand in exchange for an undisclosed sum and a stake in Authentic, a N.Y.-based firm that manages the likenesses of the late Muhammad Ali, Basketball HOFer Shaquille O’Neal and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham. But Hart’s employees say they “worry that this deal marks the beginning of the end of Hartbeat,” the comedian’s media company.
Also:
- Brooks Koepka is having fun again. All he had to do was leave LIV Golf.