Florida Panthers’ Post

Lots happening in American sports this spring. The MLB Baseball season starts, the men's AND women's collegiate basketball tournaments (NCAA, NIT, CIT) run through, US pro soccer starts (MLS, NWSL, USL) and once again we have Spring time American pro football! Being a part of the last XFL season was phenomenal. This Variety article points out an obvious fact: the best players and coaches of both the #USFL and #XFL have come together. Should be more interesting and accessible Saturdays on FOX, ESPN /ABC. While still only 8 teams, lots will be learned and I'm optimistic that 2 to 4 more teams can come online in the next 2 seasons. Hopefully the league grows west of Texas and considers some mid/ emerging markets. https://lnkd.in/gTkC4BGH

It may be a challenge to get kids into live sport, but last week's SpongeBob-themed Super Bowl alt cast had fans vowing to never watch the event the ordinary way again (look up the moment when the announcers riffed off Bikini Bottom references and gave celebrities in the Stadium fish names - 'LePrawn James' sitting next to 'Fin Diesel' had me guffawing. Anyway, next to get the treatment is hockey with the NHL's second "Big City Greens Classic", this time featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins on March 9 on Disney platforms, including ESPN+ and Disney+. The idea is to get kids to connect with the game - according to David Lehanski, the NHL's EVP for innovation - and will feature real-time volumetric animation that blends NHL players with characters from the Disney comedy. In addition, the NHL and Disney promise to amplify the absurdity from the first time around. "Characters like Cricket and Gramma will take on coaching roles for the Penguins and Bruins and will occasionally morph into animated penguins during play." I’ll watch but not sure my kids would sit through a whole game. Who else will be watching? #entertainmentindustry

I often say that if you want a sports strategy (and you should!), ESPN is essential as the starting point. This is why. Through Labor Day Weekend, ESPN has dominated college football. Oh, and we’re now adding more football with the NFL, not mention Fantasy Football. Expect the record-breaking start to continue! #poweroflive #powerofsports #powerofespn #sportsmarketing

🚀 Jump into 2024's Sports Excitement! 🌟 The new year kicks off with a bang in the sports world. January 2024 is packed with the NFL playoffs, the action of the NHL, the dynamic plays of the NBA, and pivotal moments in College Football and the PGA Tour. Ready to get the full scoop on January's sports excitement? Visit our blog for this month's sports calendar. #OnlineVideo #Sports #Content

New Post: How to watch Purdue vs. Wisconsin basketball without cable - https://lnkd.in/g4ZskKtJ - Wondering how to watch college basketball this season? Here are your best options: Most affordable Paramount+ with Showtime 7-day free trial, then $11.99/month Get Deal Most channels FuboTV Pro plan 7-day free trial, then $79.99/month Get Deal The Purdue and Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball teams are scheduled to meet in a Big Ten Conference contest at Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin, on Sunday, Feb. 4. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT. Purdue, ranked No. 2 in The Associated Press poll, enters the matchup 20-2 overall and 9-2 in the Big Ten. Most recently, Purdue beat Northwestern 105-96 in overtime on Wednesday. Zach Edey collected 30 points and 15 rebounds in the win against Northwestern. The No. 6-ranked Wisconsin Badgers come into the contest 16-5 overall and 8-2 in the Big Ten. On Thursday, Nebraska defeated Wisconsin 80-72. AJ Storr led the Badgers with 28 points in the loss to the Cornhuskers. SEE ALSO: How to watch college basketball without cable Matt Painter is the Purdue men’s basketball head coach. Greg Gard is the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball head coach. Purdue vs. Wisconsin basketball game time and networkThe Purdue vs. Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball game is scheduled to be broadcast on CBS at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT on Sunday, Feb. 4.  Cable and satellite TV are no longer necessary for enjoying live sports. Consider live streaming options to watch Sunday’s game via services like Paramount+ and FuboTV.Best streaming services for the Wisconsin vs. Purdue basketball gameWatching college basketball requires a streaming service if you don’t have cable or satellite TV. For the Wisconsin Badg

Using a mere few hundred thousand TV viewers as a gauge amidst a potential audience of nearly 400 million, of whom only 83 million demonstrate any real interest in soccer, reveals a glaring discrepancy that demands attention. This discrepancy underscores the evident disinterest of America in the lackluster, exclusive ventures embodied by MLS and USL. These leagues, characterized by their poor quality and dismissive approach to sport development, fail to resonate with a nation yearning for genuine soccer experiences. The failure of the Federation to actively track and address the state of the sport is concerning, as it falls squarely within their mandate. Where is the long-term vision? Where is the strategic planning for the next 5, 10, or 20 years? American soccer languishes in dire need of comprehensive reform, necessitating the removal of gatekeepers who hinder progress and innovation. While competition is undeniably beneficial for the sport, the monopolistic grip maintained by certain entities stifles growth and alienates fans. True progress can only be achieved through fostering an environment where diverse voices and ideas thrive, rather than succumbing to the confines of a stifling monopoly https://lnkd.in/ebGvHtrB

TL;DR: Don't sleep on women's sports Just Women's Sports Newsletter this AM Monday's blockbuster Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and LSU has shattered women's basketball TV ratings records, averaging 12.3 million viewers. 👀 Iowa's big win is now the most-watched women's college basketball game on record, and the most-watched college basketball game on ESPN platforms. 🔥 The game was also ESPN’s highest audience for any basketball game since the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals. 🚀 The broadcast peaked at 16.1 million viewers overall.   💅🏽 Fun fact: UConn's women's team outdrew the UConn men (6.48 million) in their respective Elite 8 games.   🎯 The entire 2024 tournament viewership is up 127% year over year according to ESPN, with games through the Elite Eight averaging 1.5 million viewers. https://lnkd.in/eU8BUxTk

New Post: College Football Playoff to feature select games on TNT Sports in sublicense deal with ESPN through 2028 - https://lnkd.in/d9_gGG6N USATSI TNT Sports has reached an agreement to broadcast 16 College Football Playoff games over the next five years. ESPN, which has agreed to an exclusive contract with the CFP through the 2031-32 season, used its right to sublicense multiple games to Turner. The agreement will give TNT rights to broadcast two first-round CFP games over the next five seasons, through the 2028 playoff. Starting in 2026, Turner will also add a pair of quarterfinal games for the next three seasons. The semifinals and College Football Playoff National Championship will remain exclusively on ESPN services. The first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff will take place on Dec. 20-21 and will be the first CFP games ever played on campus.  "It is exciting to add TNT Sports, another highly respected broadcaster, to the College Football Playoff family," CFP executive director Bill Hancock said in a statement. "Sports fans across the country are intimately familiar with their work across a wide variety of sports properties over the past two decades, and we look forward to seeing what new and innovative ideas they bring to the promotion and delivery of these games." The timing of adding the quarterfinal matchups coincides with the end of the initial 12-year CFP contract, which expires after the 2025 playoff. That could lead to major changes in format. Multiple reports have pointed to a potential expansion of the playoff to 14 teams, which would introduce two additional first-round games at on-campus sites. However, no agreement has been made for the future format of the field.  Turner has a long history with college football. In 1982, TBS became the first cable network to broadcast live college football under a supplemental television contract with the NCAA. Turner last broadcast college football games in 2006, when TBS hosted a number of Big 12 and Pac-10 games that were contracted to Fox, according to Variety.  Stats Sport

“In the early days of baseball, the media—all print all of the time—was the primary means of promoting the game. It delivered everything from the season’s schedule to game results with ball clubs having little if any other ways to reach their fans. Other platforms joined in over the 20th century. First radio and later television. And both provided promotional opportunities as well as challenges for teams. Will broadcasting or televising home games negatively impact attendance? This was a much-debated issue for many years. The impact of the print media remained significant for much, if not all, of the last century. Even as the number of dailies covering Major League Baseball in New York alone dropped from dozens to a handful, they still drove fan interest daily. Even with TV and radio available, a newspaper strike in the 70s was considered disastrous for New York baseball teams. That would not be the case today. As we entered the 21st century, the impact of newspaper coverage began to change as ball clubs now had the ability—with their regional networks and digital platforms—to promote their product. While George Steinbrenner always measured the popularity of his teams by the numbers of back pages in the New York tabloids they merited, that is likely no longer the case.” Newspapers and their digital platforms, especially in New York, still play a role, but it's different today with entire networks now devoted to each team. With their news reporting, they still wield significant power. #Baseball #History #AmericanHistory #NationalPastime #TheNewYorkGame #Education #NYSBaseballHOF #BaseballDigest #DigitalMedia #HistoryOfTelevision

The Varsity 1. Charter has made ad-supported versions of Disney+ and ESPN+ available as part of its packages, but a surprisingly low number of subscribers actually have downloaded those apps. What's going on? 2. Nine games into Roku's MLB deal, I sat down with two of the company's top executives, Joe Franzetta and David Eilenberg, to see how their baseball deal was going, what other sports leagues could learn from that deal and the not-so-surprising fervor of Phillies fans. 3. With all the problems that affected the Copa America tournament this year, some have questioned whether the U.S., Mexico and Canada are prepared for the World Cup in 2026. My sources have no concerns about the World Cup. Rather they place blame squarely on CONMEBOL. 4. Why doesn't MLB hold its annual draft in conjunction with the College World Series every year? That's certain to attract more fans who would follow the event, simply because they better know the players. 5. The reason that the glut of sports documentary series is not going away any time soon? Just look at the most popular shows on all the streamers... Plus, Warner Bros. Discovery is dead serious about matching Amazon’s $1.8 Billion NBA rights “C” package. But it will have to pull it off without YouTube TV, despite the latter’s courtship. https://lnkd.in/eWC2UJ5A