On Monday, the NFL announced a new streaming service, NFL+. Since the sports streaming landscape is already crowded, the announcement made little splash. Also, NFL+ will have some limitations, so as not to irritate both current and future NFL media providers. For instance, one provider is getting ready to pay […]
Tag: Disney
F1 Renews with ESPN Even Though Amazon Bid More
F1 chose to renew its media rights deal with ESPN through 2025. Amazon’s bid to stream the prestigious auto racing series, however, was significantly higher, according to Sports Business Journal sources. Still, ESPN will have to cough up a lot more than it paid to cover the previous three years. […]
Cricket’s IPL Media Rights Fetch More Than $6 Billion
In a series of recent auctions, the Indian Premier League (IPL) sold its media rights for more than $6 billion. The popular cricket league’s current media contract with Star India — a subsidiary of Disney — expires at the end of this year. Going forward, however, Disney will have to […]
Entain CEO Segev Bounces for DAZN in Wake of Attempted MGM Takeover
Entain CEO Shay Segev announced he is leaving his post less than a week after the company turned down an $11 billion takeover offer from online betting partner MGM. Segev said he’s headed to digital sports broadcaster DAZN and will join James Rushton there as a co-CEO. Speculation has run […]
ESPN Plus to Feature Betting Commentary for NFL Wild Card ‘MegaCast’
With tech giants like Amazon emerging as players in NFL broadcasting, ESPN is staking its reputation on streaming this weekend with its first-ever NFL “MegaCast.†The idea is to broadcast the Ravens vs. Titans wild-card game at 1:O5 p.m. ET across six Disney-owned networks with different viewer experiences on each. […]
Disney Bets on ESPN Plus Subscribers Paying More for UFC Pay-Per-View
UFC regulars will pay more to watch premiere fights starting Friday, as ESPN Plus will up its pay-per-view rates on select matches. The price increase coincides with parent company Disney’s focus on streaming services and partnerships with sports betting operations. ESPN’s streaming service is the exclusive broadcast home of the […]
Entain Shares Soar as British Gambling Giant Rejects MGM’s $11 Billion Takeover Bid
Betting giant Entain, the Isle of Man-headquartered parent company of Ladbrokes, rejected an £8.1 billion ($11b) buyout offer from US partner MGM Resorts Monday, sparking a rally in its stock as MGM shares took a dip. Entain officials said the offer from MGM, owner of several high-end resorts and casinos […]
MGM and Digital Media Giant IAC Team Up to Acquire Ladbrokes’ Parent Company
MGM Resorts International, the parent company of BetMGM, is looking to start the new year big as it’s reportedly on the cusp of acquiring Entain, the parent of one of the biggest and oldest sportsbooks in the world, London-based Ladbrokes. With the backing of billionaire Barry Diller’s IAC Group, Entain, […]
Disney Goes All-In With Caesars, DraftKings, and SEC Deal in Effort to Save ESPN
Last week, Disney officials announced several initiatives that will pivot the media behemoth toward a future focused on online sports gambling. At its Investor Day last Thursday, Disney executives highlighted ESPN’s multi-year partnership with Caesars Entertainment signed in September. The deal includes link integrations from ESPN’s digital platforms to William […]
SEC Inks $3 Billion Deal with Disney As California Lawmakers Press To Get Collegiate Athletes Paid
Friday Disney promised $3 billion to the Southeastern Conference for a decade of rights to broadcast the conference’s entire sports catalog on its ABC and ESPN networks. The deal solidifies collegiate sports’ valuation as equal to its professional counterparts. And it comes just days after California state senators Nancy Skinner […]