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Know What's Happening in Sports Business
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WNBA Set to Add Three Teams with $250M Expansion Fees
The league will introduce franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, each paying a $250 million expansion fee. Cleveland and Detroit have already secured outside capital, valuing the clubs at $290 million and $325 million respectively. Ownership groups feature local investors such as Dan Gilbert and Tom Gores.
UConn’s dramatic comeback win over Duke in the Elite Eight attracted an average 13.4 million viewers on CBS, a 15% increase over last year’s comparable game but still modest for the late‑Sunday window. The broadcast peaked at 18.9 million viewers, ranking it among the lower‑draw games in the past decade despite the on‑court excitement. Overall tournament viewership rose 9% year‑over‑year, reaching a combined 10.3 million per window, the highest since 1993. Nielsen’s recent shift to include smart‑TV and out‑of‑home data further reshapes how these numbers are reported.
ITV Sport is debuting a six‑part documentary series, “Up The Jamme,” on ITV4 and ITVX this April. The series follows entrepreneur Barrie Drewitt‑Barlow’s recent multi‑million‑pound (≈ $3 million) purchase of non‑league side Maldon & Tiptree FC and his first year of ownership....
Scoop: Fox Corp's Red Seat Ventures is building a premium membership for the ultra-wealthy centered around live events — Eyeing concierge services, VIP access, the works — Could be synergies with Fox Sports More in @axios https://t.co/0GyAdBFPsM
81X 👀 Kevin Durant Whoop Valuation Up 81x Since His 2017 Investment https://t.co/olA2QmD9bf via @sportico @kbadenhausen
Roger Goodell sent a note to NFL Network staff as ESPN finalizes its acquisition of the network and RedZone rights, a deal approved by regulators weeks after announcement. The rapid approval allows ESPN to integrate NFL Media assets before the...
Health‑tech wearable Whoop raised $575 million in a Series G round, pushing its valuation to $10.1 billion. The funding, led by Collaborative Fund and joined by athletes Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Rory McIlroy, supports global expansion. Kevin Durant, who first invested in 2017 when Whoop...
The Detroit Lions exercised a contractual clause to recover $1.2 million of Frank Ragnow's signing bonus after he announced his retirement, invoking the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement’s maximum forfeiture provision. Ragnow’s original 2021 extension was a six‑year, $54 million deal that included...
Joe Buck will call the Mets‑Dodgers season opener on ESPN alongside former players Ron Darling and Orel Hershiser, marking his second MLB assignment in as many seasons. NFL owners have voted to exempt Friday games from the league’s short‑week limit,...
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has expanded to 16 teams, adding 58 matches for a total of 248 world‑feed productions in 2026. To support the larger schedule, the league’s in‑house broadcast operation, partnered with NEP Connected Solutions, has added...
The episode features Oscar Fernandez, SVP of Technology for the New York Mets, and James Binesh, VP of Ballpark Experience, discussing how Citi Field leverages cutting‑edge technology to enhance the fan experience. Key initiatives include facial‑recognition ticketing, a 4K control...
Turner Sports' Banana Ball, featuring the Savannah Bananas, returns to broadcast on HBO Max and truTV beginning May 8, 2026. The season will comprise 15 matchups, largely on Friday evenings, with all games streamed live on HBO Max’s ad‑free tier ($18.49/month). A concurrent agreement adds...
Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy says talks with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers are progressing, after Rodgers signed a one‑year, $13.65 million contract with a $500,000 playoff bonus in June 2025. The decision on whether Rodgers will return is expected soon, potentially...
Sports Studio Inc. announced a five‑member Advisory Board to guide its Free Live Sports platform, an ad‑supported service that streams live sports for free. The board includes former executives from FuboTV, AOL Time Warner, Yahoo, and Fox Sports, bringing deep...
MLB TV’s out‑of‑market streaming has moved to the ESPN Unlimited app, making ESPN the new home for the service. Subscribers who pay the $149 out‑of‑market plan automatically receive a 30‑day free ESPN trial that must be cancelled to avoid an...
Sela has hired Whisper as its full‑service production partner for the heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Arslanbek Makhmudov, live on Netflix on April 11 from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The co‑main event features Conor Benn versus Regis Prograis, with the under‑card...
A federal judge dismissed DC Gambling Recovery's lawsuit against DraftKings, Fanatics, FanDuel and other sportsbooks, ruling that the District’s historic Statute of Anne no longer applies to sports wagering. The 2025 Budget Support Act retroactively removed the statute’s reach, shielding...
A federal judge dismissed the antitrust suit against Fanatics, the NFL, NBA, MLB and their players’ associations because the five plaintiffs never bought a Fanatics‑licensed trading card before filing the complaint. The court emphasized that standing requires a concrete injury...
Spectrum TV recently announced a carriage agreement to add BravesVision, the Atlanta Braves' new regional sports network, to its lineup. The channel will broadcast Braves games starting in 2026 but is limited to six states—Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee,...
College Sports’ New Legal Risks: Prediction Markets and NIL Fraud - Guest OpEd https://t.co/jR1urXO6O4 via @sportico
In this episode, Scott Sashner and Eben Novy‑Williams dissect the recent sale of the WNBA Connecticut Sun to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta for about $300 million and explore why local bids from Boston and Hartford fell short. They then pivot...
The Connecticut Sun of the WNBA is being sold for $300 million to Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Houston Rockets, who plans to move the franchise to Houston and resurrect the historic Houston Comets brand. Connecticut officials and fans protested, arguing...
FIFA’s new fan‑festival model for the 2026 World Cup expands the event by 64% more games than Qatar 2022, aiming to boost ticket sales and sponsorship inventory. The tournament’s projected revenue tops $11 billion, with broadcast rights and global sponsorships driving...
The NFL has formally warned prediction‑market operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket to stop offering trades on events that could be easily manipulated, sending letters that outline specific vulnerable bets. EVP Jeff Miller said the league will not pursue any...
The WNBA's Connecticut Sun is being sold to Tilman Fertitta’s Fertitta Entertainment for a reported $300 million and will relocate to Houston as the new Comets after the upcoming season. A competing $325 million offer from former Bucks co‑owner Marc Lasry, which could...
The NBA Board of Governors has approved the sale of a controlling interest in the Portland Trail Blazers to an investor group led by Tom Dundon. Dundon will assume the role of the franchise’s Governor, and the transaction is slated...
The piece reports that local residents view FIFA’s summer fan festivals as a financial headache rather than a revenue generator, while YouGov data reveals a notable rise in church attendance among Gen Z. It also announces Hugh Bonneville’s move to Miami as...
The episode opens with a look at record‑setting March Madness viewership, noting a 7% rise for the men’s Sweet 16 and a 3% increase for the women’s tournament, driven in part by advanced data analytics that help track out‑of‑home audiences....
Major League Baseball’s 2026 broadcast lineup shifts as NBC and Peacock take over Sunday Night Baseball, while ESPN retains a reduced 30‑game schedule and Netflix secures three high‑profile games. Analysts predict viewership gains on NBC, with Sunday Night Baseball reaching...
The episode covers several hot topics in sports business: the WNBA’s near‑finalized collective bargaining agreement granting players a 20% revenue share and a $7 million salary cap, record‑breaking viewership for the men’s NCAA tournament, Seattle’s Kraken owner consolidating control of Climate...
In this episode of Sports Business Radio, host Brian Berger interviews Jennifer Van Dijk, president of the NWSL’s Boston Legacy FC, about the team’s record‑breaking inaugural match that drew over 30,000 fans at Gillette Stadium and the broader challenges of...
