SBJ Morning Buzzcast
SBJ Morning Buzzcast: July 30, 2024
4 days in and the Olympics are off to a very strong start, NBC's numbers are healthy, and the men's gymnastics team are the stories so far of the games, and check out SBJ's Rachel Accons on the ground coverage from Paris. And the best video I saw over the last few days was on Friday when the bill saluted Team co-owner Kim Pagula, who was stricken with a debilitating cardiac arrest more than two years ago. I've always been a big fan of Kim Pagula's, and it was heartening, if a bit sad, to see her make an appearance at Bill's training camp. Meanwhile, cults owner Jim Ursay made his first public appearance since last season on Sunday. Ursay has been rehabilitating after a string of recent surgeries. So some names in the news to lead the morning buzzcast for Tuesday, July 30th, I made Mad Corp. Thanks for listening to the buzzcast. In a deal that was watched by many, Diamond Sports Group and Comcast have reached a distribution agreement after months of Bally Sports not being on Comcast cable systems. So this means, as of Thursday, August 1st, 15th of Diamond's regional sports networks will be back on Xfinity. Now the Bally Sports RSN's owned by Diamond have been dark on Comcast since May 1st. But while the teams will be back on the nation's largest cable distributor, they will be moved to a higher cost, pricier tier, which was the main point of disagreement during negotiations. Of course, Diamond and Bally's wanted widespread distribution. Comcast wanted them on a specific tier. So now Comcast subscribers who have Xfinity's ultimate TV package will have access to the games from Diamond Sports. And depending on the area of the country, that could cost around $68 to $70 per month more than the basic tier package. So to try and drive coverage, Comcast will be offering a promotion to those who want to upgrade for three, three months. Obviously, these are big moves for Diamond. They are trying to maintain their long-term sustainability as a company. They have now secured deals for 11 of its top 12 carriage partners. They remain dark on Altius' optimum cable system that's largely in the New York area. But for now, the bottom line is that viewers in 15 sports markets will get their Bally Sports regional sports network back on air as of this Thursday. Let's move on to global events. Of course, we're talking about Paris and the Olympics. We know after Paris, it will be Milan, Los Angeles, the French Alps, Brisbane, and then Salt Lake City. Those are the sites of the next few Olympic games. Over the World Cup, FIFA will be hosted by US, Mexico, and Canada in 2026, and now they've received books for the Federations which want to host 2030 and 2034. So the 2030 World Cup is being co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, plus Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. So they will each stage one of the tournament's 104 games. And Saudi Arabia is the only candidate for the 2034 World Cup. So those two bids are set to be confirmed in December by FIFA, and that would establish the global sports landscape for the foreseeable future for both the Olympics and the World Cup. Speaking of big events, Super Bowl 59 this February on-box, and you will remember this number, media buyers have said that pricing for 32nd ad spots will be in the $7 million range. That's pretty much even with the last three Super Bowls. Now that price does depend on the size of the ad buy and how much business the advertiser will do with Fox overall, but the bottom line is Super Bowl ad pricing showing some signs of leveling. And I know many of you are used to the in-game interviews done by NBA and baseball and most other sports of coaches during the game. Well, get ready for more of them in the NFL, beginning with this season. NFL coaches will be required to give interviews during games. A new policy will go into effect where all clubs are going to have to make a head coach available live for an interview during the game. Remember, it's previously been during halftime or on the way on and off the field, but this will be more coordinated during in-game coverage and also they can pick offensive or defensive or special teams coordinators to be interviewed as well. So this will be a new element during the game, something the network certainly want to give their access, something fans could benefit from. This also comes as the NFL PA is looking to possibly change the NFL's media access policies to have reporters, interview players in a different setting following games and during practice weeks. Details are sparse about the changes they want to make and any changes for this season are unlikely given that the media policy has already been distributed for this season, but the NFL PA not in love with the current post-game interview policies and structure and may be looking to make changes. You can potentially add Manchester United to the stadium building boom as the team could submit plans for a 100,000-seat new stadium by the end of this year. Sources estimate that such a stadium could cost at least $2.6 billion and new co-owner Jim Radcliffe, who we've talked a lot about on the buzzcast, believes this is the best path forward. As he wants the club to have the biggest stadium in Britain and they are optimistic that they could consistently host 100,000 fans, that's just a huge number and it runs opposite to most of the trends we are seeing of smaller facilities. Old Trafford currently holds 75,000 fans. Manchester United has acquired land around the stadium so they believe they have the ability to expand their footprint, but we will see if they will look for a rebuild or if they will look for a totally new 100,000-seat facility, all of these things should be a little bit more clear by the end of the year. And the early attendance returns for the league's cup are healthy. As the earthquakes opening League's Cup match against Shiba Squadalahara on Saturday drew a crowd of more than 50,000 to Levi's stadium. That's a new attendance record for the second-year tournament, remember this tournament during the month of August features all 47 clubs from MLS and Liga MX. The opening weekend average attendance was more than 21,000 fans. That was up almost 25% from the start of last year's inaugural edition and there's also more interest on the corporate side. As the 2024 League's Cup right now has 15 corporate sponsors, that's up from 9 from last year. This is important. Bottom line, we see more and more leagues trying to create new events that they own and operate and can monetize, MLS and Liga MX are big believers in this league's cup and so they will be watching the business metrics very closely going forward. And let's end with this. I have talked about the genuine excitement in Atlanta about the Falcons and that is being proven at the box office as the Falcons have sold out of season tickets even before training camp started last week. That's the first time that's happened in 20 years. Remember the team is coming off six straight losing seasons, but there's genuine enthusiasm. They have a new coach, they have Kirk Cousins, they have Michael Panics. So the team said about 95% of last year's season ticket holders renewed a very strong number. They obviously added new sales so they are sold out of season tickets. Meanwhile, suites for the season are also sold out. The Falcons focus on customer service is also evident. They have been number one or number two in the NFL's fan experience surveys over the past few years. Last year, their fan experience score actually went up, but they were edged out by the Detroit Lions for the top spot and so the Falcons were two. The Lions were one on the fan experience survey, but bottom line, people feeling bullish about the Falcons in Atlanta. And so that is your morning buzzcast for Tuesday, July 30th. I made mad core. Thanks for listening to the buzzcast. Stay healthy. Be good to each other. I'll speak to you tomorrow. [MUSIC]