Latest news with #mediaRights
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NBC Sports, USA, Golf Channel will keep U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open through 2032
As expected, the U.S. Golf Association's contract with NBCUniversal has been extended, according to a release sent on Tuesday. Back in 2020, the USGA moved its media rights from Fox Sports to NBCUniversal, a move that ended a 12-year deal with Fox Sports worth about $1 billion. With the deal set to run through the end of 2026, there was speculation that Netflix and others might try to swoop in and snag the coveted viewership, but that sped up talks to close the deal. The new deal will run through 2032. 'We're incredibly proud of the partnership we've built over the years with NBCU and VERSANT, and we're equally excited to continue building on that legacy through our shared passion and dedication – alongside people we're proud to call our friends,' USGA CEO Mike Whan said in the release. 'The value NBCU and VERSANT place on the USGA brand is evident, and this agreement enables the USGA to further advance our mission to positively impact the game, while providing the most expansive coverage and broadest reach to showcase USGA championships.' Here's more from the release: NBC will be the exclusive broadcast home of the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open. The U.S. Open will continue to have the most broadcast hours of any major championship – a minimum of 25 – and will further cement its legacy with an additional hour of primetime coverage on NBC each year on Thursday and Friday. Peacock will simulstream all USGA programming airing on NBC and will provide exclusive streaming coverage of the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open. As part of the agreement, VERSANT, the new independent media company set to be spun out from Comcast Corporation, has also acquired media rights to the USGA championships for USA Network and Golf Channel through 2032. USA Network will provide coverage of the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open, while Golf Channel will carry coverage of the U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Senior Women's Open, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women's Amateur, U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Girls' Junior, U.S. Adaptive Open, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup. The new elements of the agreement will begin in 2027 following the conclusion of the current agreement in 2026. The release said the following will be part of the deal: 48 hours of U.S. Open coverage, including 25 hours on NBC (33 when on the West Coast); an increase of four hours of NBC coverage on Thursday/Friday (for a total of five hours per day, including two in primetime, one each day); combining to deliver more broadcast network coverage than any other major championship; 27 hours of U.S. Women's Open coverage, including seven weekend hours on NBC; 18 hours of U.S. Senior Open coverage, including six weekend hours on NBC; 15 hours of coverage for both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women's Amateur and continuing coverage of the U.S. Junior Amateur, U.S. Girls' Junior, U.S. Adaptive Open and U.S. Senior Women's Open; 12 hours of coverage for the Walker Cup (played over two days) and 16 hours of Curtis Cup coverage (contested over three days) when played in the U.S. Golf Channel's Live From studio show will deliver comprehensive pre-championship and post-round coverage on-site at the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open each year and will continue to deliver its coast-to-coast 'election-night' style coverage surrounding U.S. Open Final Qualifying known as 'Golf's Longest Day.' Netflix had bid for the rights, after ESPN, CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery inquired, but the NBCUniversal extension seemed the most logical route. The network has been working with the USGA since 1995, with a break from 2014-2020. 'The USGA has been an important partner of ours for most of the last 30 years and we're extraordinarily proud of our relationship with their leadership team,' said Rick Cordella, president, NBC Sports. 'We have built something incredibly special with the U.S. Open on NBC. We look forward to further advancing and enhancing our coverage of the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open across NBC and Peacock through 2032.' 'We're proud to partner with the USGA and present coverage of 11 USGA championships across USA Network and Golf Channel,' said Matt Hong, president of sports, VERSANT. 'The USGA championships represent some of the most prestigious events in all of golf. USA Network's reach and Golf Channel's reputation as the television home of the sport are ideal platforms to bring the USGA championships to golf fans across the country.' This article originally appeared on Golfweek: NBC signs extension with USGA to keep rights to U.S. Open and more
Forbes
11-08-2025
- Business
- Forbes
UFC Just Killed PPV In The U.S. — Here's What It Means For Everyone
For the first time since the UFC broke into the mainstream, fans in the United States won't have to shell out money every time a numbered card rolls around. In 2026, the promotion's seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount+ and CBS will wipe out the $80 pay-per-view model in favor of a monthly subscription. Beginning that year, this deal includes every fight — 13 numbered events, 30 Fight Nights, many simulcast on CBS. For now, the cost of that subscription is $12.99 without ads. We've seen Paramount+ and Peacock raise their prices in the past after adding content and acquiring sports rights. It would not shock me to see it rise to $19.99 or even $24.99 in the near future. That means the era of deciding whether a main event is 'worth the money' is over. For fans, this isn't just a cost change. It's a fundamental shift in how the sport is consumed and how its biggest stars are made and Death of $80 PPVs That Are Sometimes Not Worth It PPV pricing has been a gatekeeper for casual fans for decades. Hardcore followers like me might pay for every card, but millions of potential viewers sat out unless a fight had crossover appeal. Unless Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Brock Lesnar, or maybe Jon Jones was on the card, the casuals would simply wait to watch the highlights, read a synopsis, or find out the results in passing. With the barrier gone, Paramount+ could bring back something the UFC hasn't had since the Spike TV era: spontaneous, low-effort discovery. A bored sports fan flipping through CBS on a Saturday night might stumble into a fight that makes them a regular. The question is whether every card will still feel like an event without the PPV build-up. That can be addressed with clever marketing and by leveraging something that wasn't as powerful in the Spike TV era: social media. UFC CEO Dana White and the promotion have proven to have a strong handle on this over the past five years. Plans are likely already in place to compensate for the shift from traditional PPV hype to a steady diet of UFC-related concepts that keep fans Could Create TUF Moments Mark Shapiro (TKO COO) said PPV is 'outdated, antiquated." Based on DAZN's move away from PPV in boxing — spearheaded by Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi boxing power broker who is working with White for TKO Boxing's debut in September with Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford — Shapiro is likely on to something. There's precedent for this in the UFC. In 2005, The Ultimate Fighter finale on Spike introduced millions to Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar in a single night. The CBS platform offers that same kind of pop potential, with the bonus of polished production and Paramount's marketing muscle. For fighters, a primetime slot on a free-to-air network is a fast track to recognition and endorsement opportunities. Fighters should be ready to craft their approaches during pre- and post-fight interviews, knowing the potential audience for every event just got much Fighters Simply Get a Raise or a Bigger Share of Much Bigger Pie? On paper, this is the richest deal in UFC history. At $1.1 billion a year, it's roughly five times the average annual value of the ESPN deal. But fighter revenue share in the UFC still hovers around 16–20%, according to multiple MMA media reports and antitrust lawsuit filings — well below other major sports leagues. Will the influx of money lead to better pay, or will it fall into corporate stock boosts and executive bonuses? The larger deal already means more money is available, but the question is whether fighters will see a bigger Paramount+ Share Viewership Numbers? The UFC has long used PPV sales as a negotiating tool. Fighters who could move 500,000+ buys had leverage. Without that metric, the promotion might rely on streaming viewership data — if they choose to share it. That could work both ways: some stars may find their true audience is bigger than PPV buys suggested, while others may lose the ability to prove their drawing power in hard numbers. The ripple effects on contract talks could be significant. I'd love to see Paramount+ share their viewership numbers, but that can be a slippery slope in an era when figures are posted online without context. We'll Will Be Made Before the PPV Starts While the top of the card will always get the headlines, the real winners in this deal might be fighters trying to break through. A Fight Night co-main that once lived behind ESPN+'s paywall will now be one click away for millions of Paramount+ subscribers — and sometimes free on CBS. That kind of exposure early in a career can accelerate fan followings, boost sponsorship appeal, and build momentum into bigger fights. This switch essentially puts the fighter opening the card on closer footing with main-eventers — at least from a viewership Era, New Questions When the ESPN deal kicked in back in 2019, the UFC's goal was to funnel fans into ESPN+. Now, with Paramount+, the aim is to make UFC content unavoidable for subscribers while leaning on CBS to hook the casual crowd. This is the most ambitious media shift in the company's history, and it's going to reshape the sport's ecosystem. It makes the UFC more fan-friendly and accessible than ever. The only thing left to find out is whether the benefits trickle down. Fans are getting a sweeter deal — at least for now — and the UFC is cashing in. But for the fighters, this could either be a golden age of opportunity or just another case of the house winning bigger than anyone inside the cage. Without a union, their fight for a more competitive share may simply be entering its next round.
New York Times
11-08-2025
- Business
- New York Times
UFC dropping ‘pay-per-view' model for fights with move to Paramount+ in 2026
UFC fans will be able to watch fights for the first time without pay-per-view costs starting in 2026, ushering in a radical change to how viewers have accessed bouts for years. The promotion reached a seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights deal with Paramount, making the media giant the exclusive home of all UFC events in the U.S. starting next year. Fans will be able to watch UFC's full slate of 13 marquee numbered events and 30 'Fight Nights' on Paramount+, and select events will also air on CBS. Advertisement Viewers with a Paramount+ subscription will not need to pay additional fees to watch the fights. UFC president and CEO Dana White took to social media Monday and said UFC will become 'more affordable and accessible to view the greatest fights on a massive platform' with the deal. Most UFC fights currently air in the U.S. on ESPN+, where viewers must subscribe to the streaming platform for $12 per month and then pay an additional $79.99 per fight under the pay-per-view model. Paramount+ costs $13 per month for an ad-free subscription or $8 per month with ads. Without a pay-per-view model, UFC can potentially reach a wider audience and reduce the number of fees that viewers have faced during the streaming era to access UFC events. Breaking News 🚨UFC has a new home in 2026 only on @paramountplus — danawhite (@danawhite) August 11, 2025 The seven-year deal with Paramount has an average annual value of $1.1 billion, and the contract's payment schedule is weighted more toward the back end of the deal, according to Paramount. Paramount said it intends to explore acquiring UFC rights outside the U.S. as they become available in the future. UFC's move comes on the heels of Paramount, which also owns CBS, merging with media company Skydance in an $8 billion deal earlier this month. CBS and Hollywood's Paramount Pictures are now under the control of Skydance boss David Ellison, a movie producer and the son of tech titan Larry Ellison. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Bloomberg
31-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Fox Buys One-Third Stake in IndyCar Series-Owner Penske
Fox Corp. acquired a one-third interest in Penske Entertainment, the owner of the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the companies said Thursday. The deal also included a multi-year extension of IndyCar's media rights with Fox Sports. Deal terms were not disclosed, but the investment was between $125 million and $135 million, according to people familiar with the matter, who did not wish to be identified discussing sensitive information. The Wall Street Journal previously reported the deal size.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Apple makes multi-million dollar offer for F1 rights
Encouraged with the box-office success of ' F1: The Movie, ' Apple is now in talks to buy Formula One's US media rights, sources familiar with the matter told the Financial Times . Apple senior VP of services Eddy Cue is believed to have offered something around $180 million annually to F1s parent company, Liberty Media, for the US media rights, Sportico has reported . That's about double what ESPN/ABC currently pays. ESPN/ABC holds those rights through the remainder of the 2025 season. But as sources previously told Reuters in February, ESPN's opportunity to exclusively negotiate with the open-wheel racing circuit has expired, allowing rival bidders to enter the media auction. Daily Mail has reached out to both Apple and F1 for comment. Apple is aiming to capitalize on the sport's growing popularity in the U.S. which was also driven by the success of Netflix 's hit docuseries 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive' that provided an engaging behind-the-scenes look at the sport. Netflix is also among the contenders for the F1 U.S. broadcasting rights from the 2026 season, according to media reports in February. Apple TV+, known for original shows such as ' Ted Lasso ', 'The Morning Show', 'Shrinking' and 'Severance', has been trailing behind competitors like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video in subscriber numbers, and acquiring F1 rights could help boost its sports content offering. Streaming platforms are investing heavily in exclusive rights to dominate the lucrative live sports market to drive subscriber growth and increase ad dollars in an increasingly competitive landscape. Netflix paid more than $5 billion to be the exclusive home of World Wrestling Entertainment's 'Raw' in several territories in January, and previously drew an estimated 60 million households for the 2024 Mike Tyson-Jake Paul bout. But it's the success of F1: The Movie that may have convinced Apple to go after US media rights. Brad Pitt's latest film earned the top spot in its opening weekend by drawing $140 million globally. That includes $55.6 million in the United States, with $25 million of that coming on the movie's opening day Friday, according to The Numbers. The movie, which stars Pitt and was executive-produced by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, was filmed at F1 racetracks through the 2024 season. Pitt plays an F1 driver who comes out of retirement to help a struggling team while also mentoring an up-and-coming young driver.
