Roy Alexander joins Texas Tech football team after 100-catch season with Incarnate Word
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Paramount Snatches $7.7B UFC Deal--Shakes Up Streaming's Fight for Subscribers
Paramount (NASDAQ:PSKY) is making its biggest sports rights bet yet. The company has signed a seven-year, $7.7 billion agreement to become the exclusive U.S. home for all Ultimate Fighting Championship events, a move designed to give Paramount+ a year-round sports anchor. Beginning next year, the platform will stream all 13 numbered UFC events and 30 additional fight nights annually, with select bouts also airing on CBS. The price tag works out to roughly $1.1 billion per yearmore than double what TKO Group Holdings was getting from Walt Disney's ESPNand Paramount has indicated it may look to secure international rights when they come up for grabs. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 4 Warning Signs with PSKY. The strategy marks a significant shift in UFC's distribution model. Instead of charging fans both a subscription fee and pay-per-view pricing, Paramount will make all events available to Paramount+ subscribers at no additional cost. By adding a sport with a consistent, year-round schedule, Paramount+ could improve retention during quieter months for its existing sports lineup, which already includes the NFL, college football, golf, and soccer. The UFC is a unicorn sports asset, said David Ellison, who took control of Paramount last week, noting that no other platform will have a sport of this scale entirely to itself. TKO executives Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro had been shopping UFC's rights throughout the year, with interest from Amazon, YouTube, Warner Bros. Discovery, Fox, and Netflix. ESPN had an exclusive window to renew but let it lapse, clearing the way for Paramount's aggressive bid. While the UFC has faced challenges in producing new breakout stars in recent years, its popularity among younger fans and its global appeal were enough to secure a rights deal that represents a major step-up in value. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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The NBA is already punting on the Eastern Conference
For most of the 21st century, the disparity between the NBA's Western and Eastern Conferences has been a chasm. The prevailing sentiment among hoops fans has been that the West's overall quality usually blows the East out of the water. Between the contrast in the number of All-NBA selections, the massive difference in the number of league champions this millennium (17 for the West, nine for the East), and the sheer amount of free agent superstars who seemingly waste no time running to states like California and Texas, it's hard to ignore this reality as a basketball lover. I just never thought the NBA itself would directly acknowledge the gulf between the West and East. Well, at least heavily imply it exists, you know? On Friday, the league revealed (news-dumped) its opening night and Christmas schedules. These are, as I'm sure all of you know, traditionally considered the two biggest evenings on the NBA regular season calendar. One tips off eight months of professional men's basketball after a much-needed summer break. The other is essentially a marquee league showcase for people who have been paying attention to the NFL and college football up until that point and are ready to start devoting their energy elsewhere. But when you look at the reported games, you'll notice there's a distinct lack of Eastern basketball flavor. Of the seven total opening night and Christmas games, only the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are carrying the East's torch. One game. Of 14 total slots, just two East teams. Woof. Essentially, the only two teams being featured are the two who might end up meeting in this year's Eastern Conference Finals. Otherwise, the NBA is temporarily giving up on selling the East to hardcore fans and casuals alike. By ignoring everyone else, the NBA is saying no other East team this season has the juice. At least, not yet. NBA WIN TOTALS: To be clear, I'm not surprised by this development. With the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers operating without an injured Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, respectively, for the entire season, the East is extremely top-heavy. Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks aren't in flux, but they're also not very good. The Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons could all be nice stories and great teams by the end of the year, but they're likely not going to attract a lot of eyeballs right now. There's not a lot to work with here. While the East was already weaker than the West on paper, it, by default, has even less intrigue than ever. By comparison, the West has, at minimum, three of the NBA's five best teams (the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Nikola Jokić's Denver Nuggets, and Kevin Durant's Houston Rockets). Luka Dončić plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, arguably the most popular sports team in the world. Potential all-time generational talent Victor Wembanyama is a San Antonio Spur. And, of course, there's still the electric Steph Curry in Golden State and the intrigue of Cooper Flagg in Dallas, among other hotspots. If you were a league trying to sell yourself to bog-standard sports fans, it's just good business to center this conference. But that's the thing. Most of us already knew the NBA's West generally provided better basketball than the East. You know, especially as it tries to get back on its feet. It's still pretty jarring to see the league, the people running the show, agree with us. Serbia has a golden European opportunity For those of you jonesing to see some of your favorite NBA players hoop it up again, may I humbly suggest this year's EuroBasket tournament? I mean, let's be honest, three of the league's four best players will be featured. It's no amateur showcase of young players. It's a serious affair with the vaunted title of European champion on the line. So, to put it lightly, I think it's worth our time. But not every nation participating in EuroBasket is created equal. With all due respect to squads like Iceland and Jeremy Sochan's Poland, they're probably going to have the chance to go home early and put their feet up. FIBA's been keeping track of the leading contenders for the gold medal so far, and I have to say: it's pretty spot on. With Nikola Jokić in the fold, this is Serbia's tournament to lose: I'm not saying Serbia is guaranteed its fourth-ever European championship and the first in nearly a quarter-century. Squads like Franz Wagner's Germany and the always-tough France will be tough outs. But I feel a lot less confident in the French without their twin towers in Rudy Gobert and Wembanyama, who won't play in the tournament. And while Germany is a well-oiled machine of efficiency, it doesn't have the same level of talent or depth that Serbia's program possesses. The Serbians are not so quietly ranked second in FIBA's men's world rankings. They're only a year removed from putting a genuine scare into arguably the greatest on-paper team the United States has ever assembled. And they've only gotten better since then, with more young players coming into their own. Also, again, they still have the world's best player in his prime in Jokić. Call me old-fashioned, but I think it's wonderful that a country with a population of less than seven million people can really put itself on the map as a mainstream basketball powerhouse by winning EuroBasket. Shootaround Kevin Durant isn't fazed by Thunder venom anymore. I don't think he's bluffing. Sydney Colson's season-ending injury is devastating for the Fever. Cory Woodroof outlined some replacement options. Speaking of the injured Fever, at least Caitlin Clark is keeping busy courtside. Grown man Tyrese Maxey doesn't know how to use a standard kitchen tool. This article originally appeared on For The Win: NBA deservedly overlooking Eastern Conference with Christmas schedule
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House Judiciary Committee Queries Major Sports Leagues On Whether They Still Should Get Antitrust Exemption For Broadcast TV Blackouts
The House Judiciary Committee is requesting a briefing from the heads of the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League on whether they should still get an antitrust exemption for coordinating TV broadcast rights, including a rule that allows for game blackouts. The Sports Broadcasting Act gives leagues immunity for broadcasting deals for games on network television, including provisions that permit blackouts of home games in that team's broadcast area. Such blackout requirements were meant to ensure that ticket sales remained robust in a market. More from Deadline Donald Trump Says He's Deploying National Guard In D.C., Placing Metropolitan Police Under Federal Control Donald Trump Lashes Out At Paul Krugman As "Deranged Bum"; "Now This Is Flattering," Economist Responds Kristi Noem Didn't Laugh Off 'South Park' Satire: "It Never Ends, But It's So Lazy" In letters sent on Monday, Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI), who chairs an antitrust subcommittee, wrote that despite the rise of subscription services and online streaming, 'it is sometimes more difficult and more expensive for some fans to watch their teams during the season. In some major sports leagues, a fan may need to sign up for multiple streaming platforms and purchase an over-the-air antenna to watch every game at home. Even then, because every major sports league has its own blackout restrictions, there are certain games that fans cannot watch at home regardless of how much they are willing to pay or how many streaming services they purchase.' The Sports Broadcasting Act antitrust exemption applies to 'sponsored telecasting,' Jordan and Fitzgerald noted, noting that courts have ruled that it does not apply to cable, satellite, pay-per-view and streaming. 'The majority of sports viewership now occurs outside of traditional network broadcasting,' they wrote. 'As a result, most of the distribution agreements that a sports league enters into are subject to antitrust challenges, while a narrow subset are not, creating legal uncertainty, distorting the market, and 'effectively expanding the blind spot for potential antitrust violations.'' Their letters gave the league heads until August 25 to set up a of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media 'The Boys' Season 5: Everything We Know So Far
