Ben Stevenson’s Post

The global value of sports media rights has increased to a record high of almost $56bn (€51.1bn/£44.7bn), SportBusiness’ Global Media Report 2023 reveals. The newly published report finds the combined worldwide media rights value of all sports properties has climbed to $55.986bn this year, up 2.4 per cent from $54.698m in 2022. The report also projects the global value of sports media rights will exceed $60bn for the first time next year as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and 2024 Uefa European Championship add weight to the total.

💲 NBA becomes the second most valuable sports property by annual media rights value from 2025-26! 🏀 While it has been widely anticipated that the domestic rights for the NBA would generate significant cycle on cycle growth from 2025/26, the impending announcement of deals worth $6.9bn per year will still send shockwaves across the industry. 💹 At a time when broadcaster margins are squeezed more than ever, the NBA have benefitted from intense competition and the crystallisation of Amazon as a serious player, for major live sports rights. 🖋 Exclusive for subscribers, Jonathan Rest analyses the five major ramifications of this tender process for all stakeholders, ahead of the deadline for WBD to match the Disney-NBC-Amazon bids, which expires today. #NBA #mediarights #USA

Has the TV Rights Business Model within sports reached a glass ceiling? 🎥 The LFP’s (Ligue de Football Professionnel) current predicament is an example of the challenges faced by the TV Rights Business Model, as noted by Sébastien Audoux, a sports media consultant, in our article on the evolution of sports media. In the current European sports media ecosystem, sports organisations are bound to seek alternative revenue streams. However, enforcing change is difficult and often met with resistance unless everyone’s situation is improved by that change, according to Tom Evens. In conversation with our Chief Business Officer Leander, Sébastien and Tom share their thoughts on the following:   💡 The prowess of live sports is demonstrated by the recent 're-bundling' efforts of broadcasters and other players to become the go-to destination for sports. 🤝 The dead-end of the 'Take the Money and Run' model in sports media and the shift towards more collaborative partnerships between rights holders and broadcasters. Curious to read more about their insights? Read the entire article here - https://lnkd.in/e59-BD4i #sportmedia #sportbroadcasting #mediarights #football

🇫🇷 The value of Ligue 1's TV rights have fluctuated significantly over the past decade, with a noticeable decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. After a period of growth during the 2016/17–2019/20 cycle and the promise of a lucrative long-term deal with Mediapro - which was abruptly terminated - the league has faced ongoing challenges in selling its media rights. These issues reached a peak this summer, when Ligue 1 managed to secure a deal just one month before the start of the 2024/25 season. 💰 With DAZN securing the rights to broadcast 8 games per matchday for €400 million and beIN SPORTS France acquiring the remaining weekly match for €100 million, Ligue 1's total revenue from media rights has fallen to around €500 million, down 32% from its peak value pre-COVID. 📉 As a result, the value of Ligue 1 rights in its domestic market is now very close to that of UEFA competitions in the French territory. This decline has been further compounded by the delayed bidding process, leaving clubs to set their season budgets months in advance without certainty. 📺 Although the current media rights deals extend through the end of the 2028/29 season, a break clause offers an opportunity to renegotiate and potentially secure more favorable terms. However, it also poses a risk to stabilizing this vital revenue stream if DAZN and beIN SPORTS fail to achieve their anticipated value from the broadcasts. 🗞️ If you want to read more about the challenges of Ligue 1, check out our article: https://lnkd.in/dZmQsyBR

What were the major recent #SportsBiz media rights highlights?   1. German FTA network ZDF retains Champions League highlight rights through 2027 2. ESPN secures exclusive Caribbean rights to the Premier League 3. Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche ink local rights contract with TEGNA, which also lands similar deal with Dallas Mavericks 4. Chicago Sports Network rolling out over-the-air broadcast channels for Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox games 5. Women's Super League agree one-year deal with ESPN for US, South American, and Caribbean rights 6. DAZN secures exclusive global broadcast rights for UK's Super League Basketball 7. A-Leagues extends Sky Sport rights deal in New Zealand for three more years 8. ITV adds two more years to Premiership Rugby free-to-air rights deal 9. BeIN Sports extends NBA deal covering MENA and France until end of 2024/25 season 10. Foxtel Group adds domestic women's T20 and men's Sheffield Shield to live cricket offering   Stay up to date with this running log of the most significant media rights agreements signed globally 👉 https://lnkd.in/dTRMs-Nb

In a recent article, O&O's resident Mystic Meg Sean McGuire, looks at the next batch of sports rights deals. "... committing to a decade-long deal, with regular escalators in fees, is exactly what blew up the regional sports networks.  In today’s climate, any model that depends on a combination of broadcast advertising and cable revenues over the next ten years is risky, to say the least." Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e_brCcJ3

The LFP - Ligue de Football Professionnel continues to attract industry scrutiny over its failed Ligue 1 media rights auction, unrealistic targets cited in public and now its plan to launch an owned-and-operated subscription service. French market sources still expect the league to settle for a cut-price rights deal and view the channel as a negotiating threat. But back-up plans are being prepared with the new season just seven weeks away and relations ruptured with CANAL+ Group, France’s dominant pay-TV market player. So, do the projected numbers for the LFP’s channel business add up? Serious doubts have been cast by French media rights executives and Ligue 1 clubs speaking to SportBusiness Media in this in-depth analysis. ✍️ Frank Dunne & Martin Ross 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e8v2amVr

A bold goal of doubling the media revenue for the Women's Super League (WSL) by making all games available for broadcast. Sky, the leagues current major rights investor, are some of the best negotiators in the business, and there's a lack of competition in the market for media rights generally, meaning a challenge to create the tension to push up the investment to the desired levels. Whilst it may be a challenge, it is a possibility, especially if other platforms who've ramped up investment internationally in women's football come to the table (I'm talking about DAZN obviously!). And even if they can't directly increase media revenues to those levels, the increased reach in their new approach should allow them to significantly increase sponsorship revenue across the league and for its clubs. #streaming #linkedinsports #sportsbiz

Smart tempered thoughts below on how it is still VERY early for local broadcasters to declare victory over RSNs in the race for local sports rights; remember, teams will be dealing with massive TV revenue holes that OTA reach alone will not even come close to replicating in the near-term, if ever. The below commentary via John WallStreet & Patrick Crakes lays out one scenario (tiered RSN model); the NBA's upcoming national rights deals - which may now also include some form of local rights - may provide another. https://lnkd.in/gUDRRQYV

The explosion of sports streaming is great for sports but making sense of the fragmented landscape across services and devices is holding up potential greatness, dentsu's Cara Lewis tells Beet.TV. To remedy this, Lewis shares how Dentsu is busy helping brands navigate the sports space through the lens of audience via its recently launched sports division. #measurement #sports #advertising #marketing https://lnkd.in/guW7scWU