Laura Correnti

✅🖥️ WSJ (4/25): “Interest is high in the league’s next round of packages, which kick in after the 2024-2025 season. Disney, which pays around $1.6B a year for TV rights, and Warner, which pays about $1.2B a year, are in discussions to pay substantial increases under a new pact while airing fewer games than they do now, say people familiar with the conversations. The robust pricing expected in the deals shows how valuable live sports are to traditional media companies at a time when cord-cutting is shrinking overall TV viewership. Many households maintain cable subscriptions because it is the only way to watch their favorite teams’ games. Under their current deals, Disney and Warner carry roughly 165 games combined. Games taken from those incumbents would help the NBA create a new package for a streaming player with nationally televised regular-season games and some playoff contests. The league also could draw on a catalog of locally aired games. Amazon’s Prime Video, which airs NFL games, has been aggressive in pursuing the streaming package and is viewed by league and media executives as the front-runner. YouTube is also in the mix, those executives say. The streaming package would give a tech giant the right to show games in markets around the world.” ⬇️🏀 #livesports #streamingtv #ctvadvertising https://lnkd.in/eYK3qmFY

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A welcome reminder on the limitations of programmatic advertising despite its incredibly widespread use. The lack of transparency regarding where ads are displayed and the quality of placements remains a significant issue. Also, programmatic platforms may not always ensure brand safety, with ads appearing alongside inappropriate or harmful content. On top of that, relying solely on programmatic channels can limit the control advertisers have over ad placements and targeting parameters. And this is before we get to the demise of the 3rd party cookie. Interesting article to read and not surprised Bloomberg switched to a clean, direct-sold model. #DigitalAdvertising #Programmatic #Monetisation #OnlineAdvertising

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Here is a thought exercise: What if Warner is right about the NBA? Warner is getting dragged through the mud right now for letting NBA rights slip out of their fingertips. But what if they’re right? What if it’s not worth the $2.5B that NBC is forking over? If you think about it, the bear case becomes clearer. For starters, the NBA has a long season, and more and more of their young fans are watching highlights on YouTube and TikTok over regular season games. That makes monetizing those games on TV harder as fans can just keep up with the games elsewhere. Further, there is more allegiance to players over teams at this point. So it’s not like all 30 teams are must watch TV - instead, it’s more like 10-15 players. Plus, the NBAs stars are aging up and out in the next few years - LeBron, KD, Curry, etc. The new crop is strong, but not to the levels of these players. Just look at NBA playoff ratings - without these players in the mix, playoff ratings are down 11% YoY through the 2nd round. A year ago, LeBron, KD and Curry were all in the mix in the 2nd round, and LeBron made it to the conference finals. Finally, look at the NBA ownership trends. Mark Cuban just sold his stake in the Mavs, along with MJ. When smart people and owners start signaling they think the valuations have peaked, pay attention. I’m not saying Warner is making the right move to not retain the rights - but it’s possible they are right that the NBA rights are being overvalued. Time will tell who is right. (Post inspired by Joe Pompliano great podcast this weekend with Alex Sherman. Check it out!)

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✅🖥️ NScreenMedia (Podcast; 6/27): “In this exclusive, must-listen interview, Top Wall Street media analyst Michael Nathanson dives into the major issues driving the TV and streaming industries. — Run Of Show — Top-line conclusions from the U.S. Advertising: Competition is Healthy…and Hard Report (1:00) Amazon Prime Video had an enormous impact on the AVOD market in the first half of the year. The impact of Prime Video (5:00) Nathanson explains how Amazon Prime Video’s entry into the AVOD market impacted ad sales and discusses the big losers from Prime Video’s ad market blitz. Ad growth accelerates (8:40) The company is expecting ad growth to reach 33% this year. YouTube’s impact on the market (9:30) YouTube is already the leading streaming service on connected TV in the US. Michael explains the service’s overall strategy and heaps praise on YouTube TV. Why has TV lost so much share of advertising (14:00) The report says TV’s share of overall ad spending, including AVOD, in the US was 32% but will fall to 21% this year. I asked him why. He shares his forecast for YouTube TV subscribers and market position in 2026. We also discuss why YouTube is such a threat to traditional television providers. The FAST market (22:30) The FAST market seems to be cooling slightly, but Michael cautions against falling ad rates. Broadcasters and the DTC market (26:30) Why broadcasters are having such a tough time in the direct-to-consumer market, and what to do about it. Broadcaster managers didn’t act soon enough with streaming (32:00) Is streaming future supported by ads? (34:50) Can bundles change broadcaster’s DTC success (35:30) Big tech and the television industry (39:40) The biggest surprise in the next year (41:30)” ⬇️ #upfronts #streamingtv #ctvadvertising #cordcutting #fast #avod #svod #smartv

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) is in the final stages of media rights negotiations, formalizing written contracts with The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal and Amazon this week. Sources report that these negotiations may lead to legal action from incumbent Warner Bros. Discovery. Industry insiders predict that ESPN will pay around $2.6B-$2.8B annually for the league's "A" package, while NBCUniversal's proposed "B" package is expected to be worth between $2.5B and $2.6B annually. Amazon's deal is likely to be worth between $1.8B and $2B, including the Emirates In-Season Tournament, the SoFi Play-In Tournament, first-round playoff games, the WNBA and international rights. Stay tuned for more updates as the NBA finalizes these contracts with major media companies. Sounds like the 2024-2025 will be the last year of Warner Bros. Discovery - "Inside of The NBA", with Ernie, Charles, Kenny, & Shaq. Via Sports Business Journal #NBA #mediarights #sportsbiz #nbc #amazonprimevideo #disney #media #sportsmarketing #sportsmedia #sportssponsorships #sponsorships #brandedcontent #ai #mensio #hive

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Money talks in all forms of media and sports media is no different. Well, for these past few years, and especially this year for women’s basketball, money revenue has been powerful. Women’s advertising revenue and overall revenue have skyrocketed. Viewership is up in a big way thanks to stars like Caitlin Clark and recording-setting attention is being delivered. Glad we are seeing women’s sports receive the attention they deserve. After seeing Caitlin Clark's rookie contract value last night, here's to hoping this revenue potential begins to positively influence WBNA earnings in the same way. #WomensSports #Sports #Advertising

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A week of explosive acquisitions, partnerships, and announcements 🤯 National Basketball Association (NBA) finalizes massive $76B rights deal. Live sports is the tipping point for convergent TV and streaming 🏀 Skydance merges with Paramount Global. Another sign that Silicon Valley tech and money are all in on media💰 Live Joe Rogan comedy special is coming to Netflix. Streamers are expanding live events beyond just sports to differentiate and capture more viewers 🎙️ Lowe's Companies, Inc. ONE platforms expands to in-store audio. There’s no digital channel that RMNs can’t touch 🎧 Well done John Storms RMNs get a boost with Criteo & Microsoft Advertising partnership. Using data and commerce media to unify a fragmented RMN space. BlueConic acquires Jebbit. CDPs manage 1PD and now are looking to also create it💡 Never a dull moment 🎢

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Prime Video & Amazon Studios are reportedly finalizing a deal that could change the game for sports media, and putting pressure on Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal According to executives with direct knowledge of the talks, the streaming service is set to become a major home for the league’s games. Prime Video's package is expected to include significant regular season and postseason games, and possibly even some conference finals. The contract is anticipated to be for at least a decade and slated to begin during the 2025-2026 season. Article via The Athletic #NBA #AmazonPrimeVideo #SportsMedia #sportsbiz #sportbusiness #sportsmarketing #streaming #marketing #media #sponsorships #sportssponsorships #ai #mensio #hive

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I'm a data geek which makes me super excited to share today's launch of the Sports Momentum Index from Allison Worldwide & Harris Poll. The Index is a monthly snapshot of the hottest emerging and legacy sports, according to fans. Get a nice rundown of the initial results via the Allison Sports podcast here: https://lnkd.in/gcgYJZm6 #sportsmarketing #sportsdata #sponsorship #WNBA #PWHL #PR #Marketing #podcast

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As a GroupM alum I've often used TYNY data and applied it to sports for industry analysis. I found the latest mid 2024 report interesting. A key takeaway being that the sports sponsorship industry is 'upside down' compared to the overall media industry trends. Namely, TV is a low growth area for media overall and retail media networks (i.e. where companies [doesn't have to be retail] use their 1P data to become ad networks) is the highest growth area but in sports, media value is still heavily skewed for TV and not for 1P data. There's an opportunity here for sports to modernize sponsorships.

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According to Nielsen YouTube made up nearly 10% of all viewership on connected and traditional TVs in the U.S. in May. Netflix ranked second, claiming 7.6% of viewership. One more time… ➡️ YouTube made up 10% of all viewership on CTV and Traditional TVs in U.S. ⬅️ #youtube #ctv #bigscreen

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Faster. Higher. Stronger. I imagine that’s exactly what brands will be aiming for during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. We’re already seeing brands jump in on the build-up with sports-centric messaging – from inspiring to comedic, we’re about to see a surge of creativity in ad form.

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📣 New Dan Rayburn Podcast Episode Alert: The Latest in Sports Media and Streaming! This week, Dan and I dig into the ever-evolving world of sports media, streaming, and entertainment. Here's what we cover: 🏆 Sports News Roundup: We highlight the latest developments from FIFA, FOX, Disney, NHL, WBD, and ITV. Get the scoop on the biggest moves in the sports media landscape. 🏈 NFL Sunday Ticket Trial: We break down the NFL's decision to appeal the ruling in its ongoing legal battle. This move could potentially extend the case until 2026, with significant implications for the league and its broadcast partners. 🎬 Paramount Global Updates: Hear our take on the latest rumors surrounding Paramount Global and get the details on their new Paramount+ pricing structure, set to take effect on August 20th. 📊 Viewership Numbers: We analyze viewership figures from recent major events: - Stanley Cup Finals Game 7: 7.7 million viewers (peak: 10.3 million) - England vs. Slovenia on ITV and ITVX: 9.2 million viewers - CNN's presidential debate: 8.7 million on pay TV, 2.3 million concurrent streaming 💰 Tech Investment: Twelve Labs recent funding success - $50 million in series A after $17 million in seed round closed- and the need for Multimodal AI that understands videos like humans. Dan questioned how the tech will be monetized and whether $50mm sets a steep expectations hill for the company to climb. I am more optimistic as the ability to enable human-like video understanding for a large content library has many practical known cases for search, retrieval and recommendations, but I also believe all new use cases will be created. 🚀 Tata Consultancy Services: Dan shared insights from a day-long visit with Tata Consultancy Services - North America Media & Entertainment Business Unit, highlighting their impressive work in data, advertising, and AI. Don't miss this packed episode! Tune in for expert analysis and insider perspectives on the latest trends shaping the future of sports media and streaming. Listen here:🎙️ https://lnkd.in/gfaCxrZW #SportsMedia #StreamingMedia #NFLTrial #ViewershipData #MediaTech #AI

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The National Basketball Association (NBA) is on the brink of lucrative media deals with NBCUniversal, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios and The Walt Disney Company/ESPN, potentially bringing in a staggering $76 billion in revenue over 11 years, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. NBCUniversal is set to pay an average of $2.5 billion annually to showcase about 100 games per season, with half airing exclusively on Peacock. Amazon's deal, valued at $1.8 billion, includes regular season and playoff games, an in-season tournament, and "play-in" games. The Walt Disney Company, on the other hand, is expected to pay about $2.6 billion each year to continue broadcasting the NBA Finals, receiving fewer games but expanding coverage to ESPN's forthcoming direct-to-consumer platform. These agreements, encompassing WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) telecasts, are slated to commence post the 2024-2025 season and could hike the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s annual fees to nearly $7 billion, marking a notable 2.5 times increase in average fees. 🏀 📺 💻 📱 #nba #disney #espn #nbcu #peacock #amazonprime #primevideo #mediarights #sportbiz #sportsbusiness #sportsmedia #sponsorships #sportssponsorships #marketing #media #NBAfinals #brandedcontent #ai #mensio #hive

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CTV Weekly Insights: sports viewership and advertising are continuing their metamorphosis. Amazon and YouTube are bidding on National Basketball Association (NBA) streaming rights, moving more games away from linear TV. If linear TV rights are expected to be more than $1.2billion per year, what is the value of having multiple broadcasts to multiple audiences across multiple devices for the same game? #CTV #livesports (#DonteDiVincenzo) https://lnkd.in/eG8mJ--5

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I had a fab time at the AdTech Economic Forum as we brought together some of the best minds from advertising and finance to share valuable insights and best practices. Big shout out to Michael Farmer and Sabrina Traskos for chatting it up with me on stage about the economics of creative. As we discussed, the creative renaissance really is about creative intelligence and data that is driven by more robust, AI-empowered media planning. I also want to put the spotlight on some of the other leaders at yesterday’s event! Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder & Executive Chairman of S4 Capital Group, shared that personalization at scale is one of the biggest opportunities for generative AI when it comes to creative. Brian Wieser, CFA, Principal at Madison and Wall, expressed that the minority of brands that are proactive about investing in better creative will actually find greater success during economic uncertainty. Finally, Rishad Tobaccowala put it best: “It’s not about the pipes, it’s about the poetry!” How brilliant! All this is to say, we need to get the right, personalized creative in front of the right audience at the right time to drive the right outcome. And please let’s reduce the waste!! #AdTechEconomicForum #Advertising #XRExtremeReach #AI #MediaPlanning #GenAI XR Extreme Reach

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Investing in Women's Sports advertising is a win-win for brands looking to align with values of diversity and inclusion. Not only does it offer access to a growing and engaged audience, but it also enhances brand visibility. By supporting the growth and visibility of Women's Sports, brands contribute to a more equitable sports industry. Join the movement towards a more inclusive future and invest in Women's Sports advertising today. #WomenInSports #DiversityandInclusion #EquitableSportsIndustry #ctv #ott #programmatic #Sports #womenssports #Olympics #advertising #media

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NBA Agrees to $76 Billion in Media-Rights Deals, but TNT Still Looms - The National Basketball Association (NBA) has finalized its long-rumored media deals, ‘The Athletic’ reported Wednesday. - TNT Sports has not made its final decision about how to handle the reported deals. Welcome back, “Roundball Rock.” Farewell, Inside the NBA? The National Basketball Association (NBA) has agreed to long-rumored media-rights deals with NBCUniversal, Amazon, and ESPN, The Athletic reported Wednesday. The deals cover 11 years and are worth $76 billion in total, as has long been reported. According to The Athletic, though, TNT Sports may still try to use contractual language to keep its rights. At the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav told reporters, “We have a matching right.” The Athletic wrote, “If Zaslav goes through with that, he is expected to target Amazon’s package.” Right now, though, sources have told Front Office Sports that TNT has no contacts in front of it to match yet. At that point, Zaslav’s TNT will have roughly five days to match one of the offers—or wave the NBA goodbye after a 40-year relationship. The new deals represent an enormous increase from the league’s agreements, which paid $2.7 billion annually. Starting in 2025–26, the league will broadcast games across ESPN—the lone incumbent outlet to retain its rights—along with NBCUniversal and Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, the latter of which is a streaming deal. Article via Front Office Sports #nba #espn #nbcu #amazon #sportsrights #sportbiz #sportsbusiness #sportsbusiness #marketing #media #sportsmarketing #sponsorships #sportsponsorships #brandedcontent #ai #mensio #hive

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✅🖥️ The Verge (podcast; 6/17): “…the company just announced that it has 80MM MAUs monthly and according to Nielsen, it had an average of a million viewers watching every minute in May 2024, beating out Disney Plus, Max, Peacock, and basically everything else save Netflix and YouTube. All of those streaming service price hikes are driving people to free options, and Tubi is right there to catch them. Tubi’s model is different: it licenses content that’s already made, lets people watch it for free, and supports itself with advertising. But that means it’s competing for ad dollars across the attention economy online: not just Netflix, but TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and everything else. I wanted to know how (their CEO) was thinking about that, especially since the social platforms don’t spend any money on content at all. CEO Anjali Sud’s plan is to make Tubi feel like a more premium home for better work from all of those creators. It just launched something called “Stubios,” which allows fans to vote on creator projects that Tubi will fund — basically setting up a YouTube- or TikTok-to-Tubi pipeline. But all of that costs money, too: CEO Anjali Sud recently said that Tubi isn’t yet profitable, “but it could be,” and we really took a deep dive into that.” ⬇️ #podcast #fast #streamingtv #ctvadvertising #upfronts #canneslions https://lnkd.in/eRDJXkCX

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