Latest news with #JohnOurand
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
The CW says so long to Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL is on the outside looking in, again. A must-watch highlights repository in the days before the Internet, Inside the NFL has struggled in recent years. John Ourand of Puck reports that the show will be on the move, again. The CW held the rights to the weekly program for the past two years. It has decided not to renew the show. After an extended run at HBO, Inside the NFL spent 13 years at Showtime before a brief run at Paramount+. It's unknown where it will land in 2025. As Ourand notes, there aren't many options. Ourand adds that the league has opened talks with 'several interested parties,' but no announcement is imminent. Some network may view buying the show as a price to be paid to otherwise have a good relationship with the league. Still, the overriding question is whether anyone will watch. It never creates news, never moves the needle. Even with Bill Belichick on the show in 2024, it was a tree that fell in an empty forest. (Indeed, the only news it made last year came from the hiring of Belichick.) If the show is going to survive, it needs to be ripped down and reimagined. Highlights are everywhere. Debates are everywhere. Interviews are everywhere. Inside the NFL needs to come up with a fresh approach that gives the audience something that it wants — and something that it can't get anywhere else. In an ever crowded landscape of NFL media options, it's entirely possible that this is impossible. And the inescapa ble conclusion could be that there's no longer a seat at the table for Inside the NFL.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Roger Goodell declines invitation to appear before Senate hearing on streaming
The Senate Finance Committee will be holding a hearing on Tuesday regarding the ongoing migration of sports from broadcast TV to streaming. One requested witness has opted to pass. John Ourand of Puck reports that Commissioner Roger Goodell has declined an invitation to participate. The letter to Goodell from Finance Committee chairman Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) includes a sentences that Ourand accurately characterizes as "ominous": 'Given the unique federal statutes that apply to the NFL's broadcasting rights, such as the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, the Committee is especially interested in understanding how the League balances commercial innovation and its legal responsibilities.' The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 grants the NFL and other pro sports leagues the ability to sell TV rights as a league and not on a team-by-team basis. Moving the games from broadcast networks to streaming services tests the limits of the antitrust exemption. As we explained two years ago, the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 arguably applies only to broadcasting through traditional over-the-air channels. Streaming deals for games previously televised on three-letter networks could fall beyond the scope of the exemption. Goodell is free to decline the invitation; only a subpoena would compel him to attend. Still, saying "no" to the folks who hold the legislative power carries with it some risk. Especially at a time when the league could be (and perhaps should be) tiptoeing on corporate-sponsored eggshells given simmering animosity toward the NFL from the current chief of the executive branch.
NBC Sports
02-05-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Roger Goodell declines invitation to appear before Senate hearing on streaming
The Senate Finance Committee will be holding a hearing on Tuesday regarding the ongoing migration of sports from broadcast TV to streaming. One requested witness has opted to pass. John Ourand of Puck reports that Commissioner Roger Goodell has declined an invitation to participate. The letter to Goodell from Finance Committee chairman Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) includes a sentences that Ourand accurately characterizes as 'ominous": 'Given the unique federal statutes that apply to the NFL's broadcasting rights, such as the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, the Committee is especially interested in understanding how the League balances commercial innovation and its legal responsibilities.' The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 grants the NFL and other pro sports leagues the ability to sell TV rights as a league and not on a team-by-team basis. Moving the games from broadcast networks to streaming services tests the limits of the antitrust exemption. As we explained two years ago, the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 arguably applies only to broadcasting through traditional over-the-air channels. Streaming deals for games previously televised on three-letter networks could fall beyond the scope of the exemption. Goodell is free to decline the invitation; only a subpoena would compel him to attend. Still, saying 'no' to the folks who hold the legislative power carries with it some risk. Especially at a time when the league could be (and perhaps should be) tiptoeing on corporate-sponsored eggshells given simmering animosity toward the NFL from the current chief of the executive branch.
Miami Herald
23-04-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
MLB team makes major mistake, costing fans
Major League Baseball is at a crossroads. The most pressing item on the league's agenda is the pending lockout, given that its collective bargaining agreement with the MLB Players Association runs out after the 2026 World Series. Don't miss the move: SIGN UP for TheStreet's FREE Daily newsletter The player lockout is basically a decennial tradition at this point, as the MLBPA, perhaps the most successful labor organization - not just in sports, but in general -and the league's 30 owners usually agree to about 10 years of peace before they squabble over every crumb of the revenue pie. It's a substantial pie. Related: Major League Baseball rivals settle long, angry dispute off the diamond MLB generated a record $12.1 billion in gross revenue in 2024, a half a billion dollar increase from the previous year. "Our business was strong," Rob Manfred, MLB commissioner, told Sportico last year. A decade ago, that number was a reported $9 billion, meaning the league has increased revenue by 33%. This increase was driven mainly by an uptick in attendance. The league reported league-wide attendance of 71 million, the highest it has seen since 2017. Over 30% of the league's revenue comes from seating and suites, according to 2022 data. This percentage is much more than the 26% and 17% the NBA and NFL see from ticket sales, respectively. Unlike the NBA and NFl, MLB gets more money from attendance revenue than it does from its national media rights deals. But the strategy for the league's broadcast future is at the heart of a mishap that has fans of one team furious with their hometown club. Image source:Last year, MLB chose to exercise the opt-out clause in its broadcast contract with ESPN, meaning at the end of this season, at least a portion of the league's broadcast rights will become a free agent. MLB's current broadcast contracts, which also include deals with Turner Sports and Fox Sports, bring in less than $2 billion annually. But the league is reportedly in talks with Amazon, NBCUniversal, and Netflix, according to Puck's John Ourand. At the same time, the league's regional sports network is crumbling, as more teams pursue a direct-to-consumer streaming model. It's in this environment that the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network launched its own DTC service MASN+ this week. Fans of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals can pay $19.99 per month or $89.99 for the rest of the season to watch their teams play, with no blackout dates or cable contracts required. There's just one problem. Some fans who signed up for the service and opted for the more cost-effective full-year option were met with a rude surprise. "Many who opted for the $89.99 cost of a season-long subscription to MASN+, as opposed to the $19.99 per month option, were hit with a head-rattling mistake charge of $8,999," The Baltimore Sun reported. MASN, which is jointly owned by the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals with a 77%/23% respective split, has since said that it is aware of the issue, which it says only "affected a handful of subscribers." Those handful of subscribers took to social media to share their stories. "I tried to sign up and they tried to charge my card $8,999.00," said bobcatgoldthwait. "They forgot a decimal. Fortunately my bank auto-rejected that charge, but I would not sign up right now." Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
New York Times
02-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Chiefs the favorite to face the Chargers in Brazil, request Christmas Day spotlight
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The NFL's second game of the 2025 season will be played in São Paulo, Brazil, a Friday night game Sept. 5 that will feature the Los Angeles Chargers as the designated home team. In the past two days, during the annual league meeting, a familiar Chargers rival has become the favorite to be their opponent on the international stage: the Kansas City Chiefs. Advertisement According to multiple league sources, the Chiefs are the No. 1 franchise in consideration by the league to take on the Chargers in the stand-alone game that is up for bid among the league's broadcasting partners. The Chargers and the Chiefs, according to sources, are not opposed to the idea of the opening-week AFC West battle. Similar to last year, when the Philadelphia Eagles faced the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo, the game is expected to be televised by a streaming service — Amazon, Disney+, Netflix, Paramount+ or Peacock. 'On playing international games, we're willing to do it whenever the opportunity presents itself,' Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said Monday. 'We don't have a lot of control over that, except periodically with whatever the rotation (of teams scheduled to play overseas) of the league is at where we can be the home team. 'We make the league aware every year that we would be delighted to play (an international game), whether as a home team or as an away team. We hope, at some point, we'll get picked back up.' boraaa brasil → — Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) February 19, 2025 When it comes to domestic stand-alone games, the Chiefs have requested that the NFL make them a fixture on Christmas Day, according to a league source. The Chiefs, who have played on Christmas Day the past two seasons, want to be a staple on that holiday, similar to the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. This year, the NFL will have three games on Christmas Day, the first two streaming on Netflix and the third as part of Amazon Prime's 'Thursday Night Football' package (the holiday falls on a Thursday), an industry source confirmed Tuesday. The news was first reported by John Ourand of Puck. For a third consecutive year, the Chiefs are expected to be one of the teams to play on Christmas Day, according to a league source. Last year, the Chiefs-Steelers game drew 24.1 million viewers across Netflix and local CBS stations in the participating markets, according to Nielsen. The NFL is expected to announce its series of seven international games in May, when the entire schedule is revealed. In less than a decade, the Chiefs have become the NFL's most prominent franchise in terms of marketing and elevating the league's TV viewership, boosting the league's business growth in the United States and around the world. The Chiefs are also the first team in NFL history to reach five Super Bowls in six seasons. Advertisement The NFL knows a marquee matchup between the Chargers and Chiefs — showcasing quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes, coaches Jim Harbaugh and Andy Reid and Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce — will be quite appetizing for the streaming service that wins the rights to televise the game. Last year, 82 percent of people watching TV in Kansas City on Dec. 8 were watching the Chiefs' dramatic comeback win over the Chargers, according to NBC Sports. Ahead of Thanksgiving last year, the NFL shared that the Chiefs were featured in four of the league's five most-watched games. The NFL also selected the Chiefs for stand-alone games for its newest deep-pocketed partners — Amazon's Black Friday game (against the Las Vegas Raiders) and one of Netflix's Christmas games (against the Pittsburgh Steelers). The Chiefs' win over the Houston Texans in the AFC divisional round in January produced record viewership for ESPN as the 32.7 million viewers made it the most-watched NFL game in the network's history. 'They're a heavy request from our network partners,' Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcast planning, told The Athletic in November 2023. 'More than anything, a testament to their success and their star power.' 🚨NFL Viewership🚨 *17.5 million avg. viewers per game — highest avg. through Week 11 since 2015 *NFL games rank as 47 of the top 50 shows on TV since start of 2024 season *Chiefs-Bills avg. 31.2 million viewers — NFL Media (@NFLMedia) November 20, 2024 If it were up to Hunt, he would have the Chiefs play an international game and a holiday game every season to help grow the franchise's brand. On Monday, Hunt was asked a question that made him chuckle: How do you feel about the Chiefs being the new 'America's Team'? 'Well, our goal is to be the world's team,' Hunt said. 'That starts with being one of the top teams here in the United States. It's a credit to our players, some of the personalities that we have on the team and certainly the success we've had the last six years. Our TV ratings have been very high whenever we play. 'We also have some very special fans (of Taylor Swift, who is dating Kelce) who help drive those numbers as well.' (Photo of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
