The Stars are taking a novel approach to distribution of their local broadcast rights, partnering with a technology company to launch a free ad-supported streaming service called Victory+ Sports Network that will be the primary home of their in-market telecasts.   
 
Victory+ is jointly owned by the Stars and A Parent Media Co. (APMC), an over-the-top streaming and ad technology company behind children’s content platform Kidoodle.TV and sports influencer group Dude Perfect’s streaming channel. The two parties signed a seven-year agreement. Specific financial terms were not disclosed. 
 
The only Stars games that will air on linear television within the team’s local broadcast territory -- at least for the time being -- are those carried by the NHL’s national media partners, ESPN and WBD Sports. The team is weighing the possibility of bringing “a small package” of local games to a linear network in the region, but nothing is imminent on that front.  
 
Stars fans in the Dallas region won’t have to pay to stream games via Victory+, which will be entirely ad-supported and available on a wide range of connected devices. 

APMC President & CEO Neil Gruninger said he expects to add additional sports properties to Victory+, as he is having conversations with several teams in the NHL and beyond. 

Paramount Global has "officially agreed to merge" with David Ellison’s Skydance Media in a "complicated deal that ends the Redstone family’s involvement with the Hollywood company." Skydance and its investors have agreed to spend more than $8B to acquire National Amusements, the family company that controls Paramount, and "invest in the new iteration of the iconic company." The deal "gives the beleaguered entertainment giant an injection of cash" at a time when the traditional media landscape "is in decline." The deal comes after a special committee of Paramount Global directors agreed to the merger. Under the agreement, Skydance will buy National Amusements in a deal with an equity value of $1.75B, then "merge with Paramount." The merger is "expected to take months to close" as regulators review the deal (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/8).

Ellison is "set to run Paramount" as its chair and CEO. Former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell, who’s now a RedBird Capital exec, will "help manage the operation" as president. It’s "unclear whether the Skydance team will keep on the three division heads who are now running Paramount" -- Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins, CBS President & CEO George Cheeks and Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios President & CEO Chris McCarthy (L.A. TIMES, 7/7).

Playfly and NYRA have agreed to a three-year deal in which Playfly will serve as NYRA’s agency of record for sponsorship and premium hospitality sales, as well as ticketing consulting for the revitalized Belmont Park. A nonprofit, the NYRA operates Aqueduct Racetrack, Saratoga Race Course and Belmont Park, which is the home of Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes, and is undergoing a two-year, $455M renovation. The two parties first worked together last year when Playfly assisted NYRA in its preparations for moving the Belmont Stakes to Saratoga for the Belmont project’s duration. 

“We had a really comfortable working relationship with them and were happy to be able to expand it,” said NYRA VP/Sales, Hospitality Kevin Quinn. 
 
The Belmont Park renovation designed by Populous will decrease the size of the main venue by 78% down to 275,000 square feet but capacity for the Belmont Stakes will remain the same at roughly 50,000 people thanks to new flexible seating, suites and standing room-only areas that will be built during the week of the race. Following demolition of the existing structure, which is underway, the new building will begin taking shape in early 2025 and should be completed in time for the 2026 Belmont Stakes.
 
Over the three-year period, Playfly will provide NYRA services including commercial strategy, valuation of the new venue, marquee asset sales representation (inclusive of naming rights), and hospitality strategy and sales representation, one of the broadest scopes of work it’s had for a client. 

Fans -- and "once again, rain -- flooded downtown Chicago" yesterday for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, as "thousands took in the race between lengthy delays sparked by intermittent downpours for a second year." Rain "fell hard to delay the race’s start and picked up again early into the competition," which led to thousands of NASCAR fans leaving Grant Park as the race "came to a temporary halt." The race "resumed later, but was cut short as daylight faded." The "shrunken crowd cheered as drivers suddenly pressed for time muscled for position." Driver Alex Bowman, who "cruised" to victory, "praised Chicago’s cityscape racetrack as 'super fun' after the win." The race day "got off to a hope-inducing start," as "sunny, warm weather filled the early afternoon" and the full-festival race and concert offerings "were up and running for most of the weekend." The event is "expected to return next season," but the future of the weekend -- a "combination of racing and music that is designed more for NASCAR newcomers than its traditional fans -- is unclear beyond 2025" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/7).

The rosters for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game feature 32 first-time All-Stars and 19 players under the age of 27, a "fitting snapshot for a sport skewing younger and younger." Pirates P Paul Skenes became the "first player to be named an All-Star the season after being selected first overall in the draft," while Padres CF Jackson Merrill, 21, was the "youngest player chosen on either roster." Orioles SS Gunnar Henderson, 22, is the "youngest player on the AL team after being elected a starter by fans." Neither roster has a player with double-digit All-Star appearances (ESPN.com, 7/7).

In Pittsburgh, Tim Benz writes NL manager Torey Lovullo "needs to do the right thing as well and name Skenes the starter." Benz: "How great would it be to see Skenes versus Aaron Judge?" With "all the traction MLB got out of Skenes battling NL All-Star Shohei Ohtani" when the Dodgers came to town earlier this season, Skenes facing Judge "on a national stage in the MLB All-Star Game would be even bigger." Skenes is the "next big thing in baseball" (TRIBLIVE, 7/8). In Pittsburgh, Jason Mackey wrote it’s "the job of MLB to grow the game and market stars," and Skenes "fits the description" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 7/7).

Former NBA exec Bill Marshall, who grew NBA licensing from an afterthought to a multi-billion-dollar retail business, died Saturday at a Westchester County, N.Y. hospital from liver complications. He was 73.

Marshall’s innovations across the licensing business were profound enough that he’s widely acknowledged not only as the father of NBA consumer products, but as a cornerstone figure of the sports licensing boom he helped create in the late 1970’s with Larry Bird T-shirts at Jordan Marsh stores.

“He was the godfather of sports licensing,’’ said NHL Sr EVP/Marketing & Chief Branding Officer Brian Jennings, a 33-year employee of the league with a deep history in the licensing business.

Marshall was one of the key lieutenants of former NBA Commissioner David Stern helping to grow the league’s business to unforeseen levels through the 1980s and 90s. During Marshall’s first 15 years with the league, when he was group vice president and general manager at NBA Properties, league licensing saw spectacular growth, skyrocketing from $10M in retail sales in 1981 to more than $3B in 1996.

Marshall is survived by his wife Betty; three children: John, Sarah, and Claire; and three grandchildren. No immediate public service is planned, but a celebratory tribute later this summer is being considered.

The Comcast NBCUniversal SportsTech accelerator has added Notre Dame as a program partner. SportsTech, which is operated jointly by Comcast and Boomtown, pairs an annual class of ten sports startups with a group of advisor companies either owned by or partnered with Comcast and its subsidiaries. Notre Dame is the first collegiate partner, and it joins a roster that includes NASCAR, NBC Sports, the Premier League, the PGA Tour and WWE. NBC has broadcast Notre Dame home football games since 1991.

Comcast VP/Startup Partnerships Jenna Kurath, who leads the SportsTech program, said Notre Dame had initially reached out to former NBC Sports Chair Pete Bevacqua when SportsTech was first announced in January 2020, and that Bevacqua, who earlier this year took over as Notre Dame’s AD, was an early champion for the program. 

“The university is very, very focused on athlete and player performance, team and coach success, any of those technologies that can really make sure they’re meeting the students where they are,” Kurath said of Notre Dame’s objectives in joining the SportsTech partner roster. 

John Wagle, Notre Dame’s Associate AD for Sports Performance, will oversee the university’s involvement and already served as a mentor during a recent event where participating startups showcased progress on their pilot programs. Notre Dame will also now join the selection process for the fifth SportsTech cohort for next year; Kurath said the program has already received more than 1,500 applications.

Kurath noted that there’s not much room for additional program advisors, but that the NBA is at the top of her wishlist. The NBA operates a similar program with sports startups, NBA Launchpad.

“There is a lot of crossover [in the areas of] predictive analytics and creating more of that fantasy engagement experience around sports,” said Kurath, who added that SportsTech and NBA Launchpad have previously worked with some of the same startups. “So I’d say from an ethos standpoint and a strong culture invested in innovation, that would be my ideal other partner should something work out.”

NFL Network writer and personality Gregg Rosenthal has confirmed that the "incredibly popular 'Around the NFL podcast' has been canceled." Rosenthal, along with hosts Dan Hanzus and Marc Sessler, have recorded the podcast "every week for the past 11 years, quickly becoming the NFL's most popular podcast with hundreds of thousands of listeners with over a million followers across their social media platforms." The show first began in 2013 and continued through to May 2024, when the show had, "out of nowhere, stopped posting episodes." Rosenthal confirmed why yesterday (THE MIRROR, 7/7). Hanzus and Sessler are leaving NFL Media (PROFOOTBALLTALK, 7/7).

A new podcast titled “NFL Daily” with Rosenthal will debut tomorrow. For this week, there will be new episodes tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Beginning July 15, new episodes will be released 5 days a week. Various NFL Media talent will appear regularly on the show, with names such as Colleen Wolfe, Patrick Claybon, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and NFL Network’s roster of Insiders and reporters. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic will be a regular guest on the show, starting with tomorrow’s debut episode. The debut episode will feature Rosenthal, Claybon and Rodrigue. Also, ESPN's Mina Kimes will be a guest on Thursday, July 11 (NFL).

WWE's Money in the Bank premium live event on Saturday at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena became the highest-grossing WWE arena event in Canada in company history. Saturday’s show became the most-watched Money In The Bank of all time, with viewership up 46% from last year’s record-setting number. In partnership with Fanatics, merchandise sales were up from last year’s record, with the Canadian-themed Money In The Bank briefcase grabbing the top spot as the best-selling item of the weekend. More than 45,000 fans attended the four events running Thursday to Sunday, which included Friday Night SmackDown, Money In The Bank and NXT Heatwave at Scotiabank Arena (WWE).

The late Baseball HOFer Willie Mays will be honored with a "public celebration of life" at Oracle Park today, with gates opening at 3pm PT for the 4pm ceremony. The Giants said there is "no charge or registration," and entry into the ballpark "will be through the Willie Mays Plaza gates" at Third and King streets (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/7).

The DALLAS MORNING NEWS goes with the header, "Why MLB’s All-Star game is undoubtedly the best in professional sports." We spend so much time "on what we perceive baseball gets wrong," and we "don’t spend nearly enough time on what it gets right." No, "make that perfect." As the All-Star Game comes to Arlington on July 16, it’s "worth remembering" that MLB "invented the idea of the All-Star Game 90 years ago and it still holds the patent." Every other sport "has tried and failed," but "baseball gets it right." From the "moment Babe Ruth homered in the first one to Mariano Rivera pitching a perfect ninth 80 years later" in his final All-Star Game. The game "doesn’t need tweaking."

Also:

• Young tennis stars rolling the dice by passing up allure of playing in Paris Olympics.
• Summer League 20th anniversary: How Las Vegas became the center of the NBA offseason.
• UConn course, with lessons on building a brand, creating content and more, empowers student athletes in NIL ventures.

MONDAY

• The NBA's 2024 Salt Lake City Summer League takes place at Delta Center. The tournament will feature the Jazz, Grizzlies, Thunder and 76ers (3 days).

TUESDAY

• Peyton Manning will make an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."
• Serena Williams will make an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."

WEDNESDAY

• USA Basketball will host a USA Basketball Showcase against Canada in Las Vegas at 10:30pm ET. The game will be broadcast on FS1.
• The National Basketball Retired Players Association will host its annual Legends Summer Getaway in Las Vegas. The event will feature nearly 200 NBA, WNBA, ABA and Harlem Globetrotter Legends taking part in networking events at the Fontainebleau Hotel. Attendees will be treated to the Emerging Opportunities panel discussion, Health Summit presented by Endeavor Health, Mental Health & Wellness panel, an outing at TopGolf Las Vegas and the Bali Hai Golf Club, USAB vs. Canada game action and an exclusive NBRPA hosted party at LIV nightclub (3 days).

FRIDAY

• MLB will host The HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile & powered by the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation, an annual All-Star experience for the top 50 baseball student-athletes from D-I programs at HBCUs to showcase their talent on a national stage. The event will be held at Globe Life Field and will be broadcast on MLB Network beginning at 8pm ET. 
• The NBA 2K25 Summer League will take place in Las Vegas (10 days). 

SATURDAY

• MLB All-Star Saturday kicks off All-Star Week with the All-Star Futures Game and brand new Futures Skills Showcase, which begins at 4:10pm ET. 
• MLB All-Star Saturday continues with the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game presented by Corona at 8:45pm ET. 

SUNDAY

• The first round of the 2024 MLB Draft presented by Nike will take place at the Cowtown Coliseum in the heart of Fort Worth Stockyards beginning at 5pm ET . The event be open to the public and will also be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN+ and MLB Network (3 days).

   

Have an event we should feature? Send an email to malongi@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

Actually the mayor is now wearing a firesuit on pit road, if you were wondering about his enthusiasm for NASCAR in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/SLNbBpV4u5

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) July 7, 2024

Did a little research during the rain delay…..we’ve been cursed this year. @raceweather pic.twitter.com/oh1vlcDCWy

— Matt Lewis (@MLew1sWXEMA) July 7, 2024

A skill not all possess… Who on the #USABMNT can spin a ball on their finger? 🤔👀🏀 pic.twitter.com/mRwKDfJOKO

— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2024

"The flag of Aruba features a four-pointed star symbolizing its four major languages: the local Papiamento and these three imported ones."

"What are Dutch, English & Spanish?"