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Roger Goodell Appears at YouTube Upfront To Discuss Sunday Ticket & More

BSM Staff
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Roger Goodell Appears at YouTube Upfront To Discuss Sunday Ticket & More

YouTube held its annual Brandcast event for advertisers on Wednesday at the Lincoln Center Theater in New York City. Some significant innovations to its popular video sharing and social media platform were revealed.

Nielsen Media Research data says that YouTube reaches over 150 million people on connected television in the United States, and its latest Gauge Report divulges YouTube (excluding YouTube TV) as having the largest share of the streaming audience (8.1%), with its usage increasing by 1.5%. As a result of the data, YouTube is introducing 30-second non-skippable advertisements to YouTube Select, giving users one experience instead of consecutive 15-second advertisements and implementing artificial intelligence technology into its software. The company also outlined plans for NFL Sunday Ticket, the property with which it struck a seven-year deal worth $2 billion annually, and its growing partnership with the NFL.

“The fact is, millions of football fans are on YouTube to catch all things NFL,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell while appearing at the event. “This partnership will build on the success we’ve seen on YouTube’s platforms with our most sought-after content.”

Viewership of NFL content in 2022 increased 27% in its watch time and amassed a total of 1.9 billion views. Now as NFL Sunday Ticket moves away from DIRECTV, YouTube and the NFL will seek to profit and transform the landscape of sports media as currently constructed.

Pricing for the annual package is $349 – although it is being discounted by $100 until June 6 – and is also available in a variety of bundles including NFL RedZone and YouTube TV. Current YouTube TV users have the ability to add it to their ongoing subscription package, and there may be mid-season and late-season packages offered later on; it is to be determined for now.

Goodell called NFL Sunday Ticket “only the beginning” of the partnership, as YouTube creators will have unparalleled access to NFL players, personnel and games. Its goal is to have the league reach more fans than ever, as evidenced by a variety of creators attending the 2023 NFL Draft and having a chance to interview Goodell.

At the Brandcast, YouTube and the NFL also announced a new original series on YouTube Shorts, NFL Creator of the Week, which will commence following the start of the regular season. A mic’d up Game Day All Access series was also unveiled. Through NFL Sunday Ticket and additional programming, both entities seek to capture the attention of younger demographics and broaden interest in football. Creators will be able to go on the sidelines, in the locker rooms and other exclusive locations, and, in exchange, have the ability to use NFL branding and game footage in their content.

The company is reportedly trying to use its deluge of young influencers to attract advertisers away from cable television, an insight supported by a prerecorded video of Mr. Beast, its most popular creator, played at the event regarding NFL coverage. Viewers of the league’s YouTube channel average an age of 37. Conversely, NFL television viewers are an average of 55 years old, according to NFL Vice President of Digital Media Business Development Blake Stuchin.

The NFL regular season kicks off on NBC with a primetime Thursday night matchup between the Detroit Lions and defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. YouTube hopes the exciting slate of NFL games, combined with NFL Sunday Ticket, can reverse steady losses in advertising revenue for the last three fiscal quarters.

ESPN Reportedly Preparing Direct-to-Consumer Launch

BSM Staff
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ESPN Reportedly Preparing Direct-to-Consumer Launch

It has been discussed for years, and now it is reportedly in the process of finally happening. ESPN is preparing to sell its linear television channel directly to consumers (DTC), according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

This drastic, yet inevitable shift means ESPN could soon no longer require a cable subscription to view as cord-cutting continues in the United States and abroad. In a recent study, 93% of American adults currently access streaming platforms, while 40% have an active cable or satellite television subscription service.

ESPN collects $9.42 from the average cable television bill through collecting fees from cable companies. However, the dwindling share of cable subscriptions has seemingly necessitated this move.

The move has long been in the making, with ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro recently stating that it would happen when it made sense for the business and bottom line. Although ESPN+ is a direct-to-consumer OTT streaming service that launched five years ago and has drawn about 25 million subscribers, it does not give users access to the linear channel.

This new DTC plan, reportedly titled “Project Flagship,” will aim to transition the cable channel to be streamable, but it will not eliminate the linear option entirely.

The Walt Disney Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Bob Iger, stated at the Morgan Stanley TMT Conference earlier this year that ESPN will transition to become “a direct-to-consumer business,” and he believes the company is in an opportune position to find success.

The exact release date and pricing have yet to be determined, but ESPN is purportedly communicating with cable providers to gain increased flexibility in deals. It is doing similarly with professional sports leagues and has been granted the necessary flexibility from at least two of those leagues.

It should be noted that The Walt Disney Company is expected to explore making a bid to maintain its NBA media rights once they expire following the 2024-25 season.

A variety of regional sports networks either have or are close to releasing a direct-to-consumer product of their own, including YES Network, NESN, MSG Networks, and Bally Sports – and the list is only growing. The latest Nielsen Media Research Gauge Report demonstrates 34.0% of P2+ streaming content, while 31.5% consume media through cable and 23.1% through broadcast mediums.

Glenn Beck: Fox News ‘Used to Actually Care About the Center of the Country’

BNM Staff
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Fox News continues to catch criticism in conservative media circles for the decision to fire popular host Tucker Carlson late last month. Yesterday, Glenn Beck joined the foray, questioning the future of the network.

Newsmax’s Eric Bolling — a former Fox News employee himself — said a report from Drudge Report about the network’s new primetime lineup was like shuffling the lineup “around like deck chairs on the Titanic”, before saying “Americans won’t buy it”.

During his guest appearance on Bolling’s show, Beck agreed.

“Fox News, when I left, was very healthy,” Beck said. “Fox News, when Megyn (Kelly) left, was healthy. When (Bill) O’Reilly left, it was still healthy, but it needed a star.

“They found Tucker. He clicked with the audience. He worked with the audience. Now, I think that’s their last straw because they watched Fox over the years and have seen you are not the Fox of Roger Ailes that used to actually care about the center of the country.”

Beck hosted at the network from 2009 until April 2011. He then launched TheBlaze TV.

The claim from Drudge Report alleges that Sean Hannity would step into the timeslot vacated after Carlson’s exit. The proposed lineup would also see Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld move into primetime. The move would see Laura Ingraham without a primetime program on the network for the first time since 2017.

However, a Fox News spokesperson has denied that a decision has been made on the primetime lineup and pushed back against reports that Ingraham would be subsequently fired.

David Zaslav: New TNT, NBA Deal Will ‘Look a Little Bit Different’

BSM Staff
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The NBA’s media rights deal with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Discovery is set to expire at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, and speculation has already begun regarding which companies will be involved and what provisions will be contained in the next contract.

Earlier this year, Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav expressed that the company did not have to do a deal with the NBA, and that if it did, it would need to position the entity well for the future. This week at the SVB MoffettNathanson Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, Zaslav divulged his thinking on a pact with the NBA going forward.

“I’m hopeful we get a deal done with the NBA,” he said, “but it will probably look a little bit different.”

Warner Bros. Discovery is on the precipice of releasing its new Max streaming service, implying that a future media rights deal could include games exclusively on the platform. Aside from airing games on TNT , the company is also responsible for the league’s digital properties such as NBA TV, NBA League Pass and the league’s official website.

Last October, the company inked the cast of Inside the NBA – Ernie Johnson; Charles Barkley; Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Shaquille O’Neal – to long-term contract extensions, geared towards a future with coverage of the league.

There have been reports of palpable interest from other media properties for a share of the NBA rights, including Apple, Amazon Prime Video and NBCUniversal/Comcast. Yet one company that will likely not be part of the bidding is FOX Corporation, as its CEO Lachlan Murdoch recently disclosed during the conference.

“I hate to disappoint [the league], but we are highly unlikely to bid on the NBA,” Murdoch said. “We look at our sports portfolio and try to balance it overall, and in doing so, I think it’s highly unlikely that we would bid on the NBA.”

Mark Shapiro: ‘Whatever Scott Van Pelt’s Deal is, He is Underpaid’

BSM Staff
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When Mark Shapiro was running ESPN, news was still the network’s main attraction. SportsCenter was as iconic as any brand on television, and if you were one of the show’s standout hosts, you were a household name amongst sports fans.

In a recent appearance on Richard Deitsch’s podcast, Shapiro, who is now the President and COO of Endeavor, said that in that era of SportsCenter, hosts like Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann were the network’s highest-paid talent. It was the result of doing the most shows and having the most name recognition. He added that those distinctions eventually went to people like Stuart Scott, Rich Eisen, Kenny Mayne and others.

In 2023 though, becoming a star through SportsCenter is not easy.

“I think if you go into most focus groups, and there’s no slam at any SportsCenter anchors because there’s so many good ones, but there’s a lot of them and there’s not a lot of name recognition,” Shapiro told Deitsch.

Not easy does not mean impossible though. Mark Shapiro says that SportsCenter still has one megastar host and the network knows it. That’s why they put him on in the iconic 11 PM slot every night.

“Scott Van Pelt should be getting paid a lot of money. I don’t know exactly what his deal is. Whatever it is, I guarantee you he’s underpaid.”

Shapiro acknowledged that the economics of the sports media are changing. There was a time when SportsCenter anchors with a certain level of name recognition and a history with the company could expect to make in the low seven figures. Now, ESPN values personality. Research has shown that is what audiences respond to and Shapiro says it is the only path a talent can take and expect to make real money.

He is impressed that Scott Van Pelt has found a way to thread that needle.

“He’s entertaining. He’s a personality,” Shapiro said. “He’s got a point of view, terrific commentaries, great writer, but he’s also a personality, right? I mean, that’s what he is, and he gives them the consistency that they desire. So, you can still get paid if you’re in that vein. That’s a true unicorn.”

Katie Couric: Audiences Want to See Prominent Figures ‘Fall From Grace’

BNM Staff
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Katie Couric: Audiences Want to See Prominent Figures ‘Fall From Grace’

There have been several high-profile media exits in recent weeks, but former news anchor Katie Couric hasn’t been happy about any of them.

During an appearance on Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast, Couric explained that media audiences enjoy watching prominent figures “fall from grace”, but that doesn’t mean the situations spark joy for her.

“There’s a certain sadness. Maybe you don’t like Tucker Carlson. Maybe you don’t like Don Lemon. In Tucker’s case, to lie to the public, you can’t really be rehabilitated from that,” admitted Couric. “But I don’t think anybody should take a lot of joy from seeing people’s downfalls.”

She added that Carlson is likely lucky that more leaks of his text messages and behind-the-scenes videos haven’t been made public, because the contents could lead to more damage.

“There was probably more embarrassing things that would come out, apparently some gross communiques between Tucker Carlson and some of his co-workers,” she believed.

Couric spoke extensively about the downfall of NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell, who was ousted after he was accused of sexual harassment by CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble.

“I was so shocked that Jeff Shell would do this. What is it, the power dynamics, they’re so surrounded with yes people that the rules don’t apply to them?” questioned Couric.

She continued to share her bewilderment that Shell would conduct himself in such a manner unbecoming of a CEO.

“It just amazes me that a powerful executive like that would be so dumb, just be so stupid and reckless,” said Couric. “I think reckless is the word. You can see how it happens, but I think you have to be smart and disciplined and know that unless you tell your supervisor, and unless you’re not a direct report, that having a relationship with a colleague isn’t cool,” she concluded.

Nexstar CEO: College Conferences, Motorsports Exploring Deals With The CW

BSM Staff
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Nexstar CEO: College Conferences, Motorsports Exploring Deals With The CW

After Nexstar Media Group agreed to a multiyear media rights deal with LIV Golf to broadcast several of its matches, other sports entities have become interested in doing the same. At this week’s SVB MoffettNathanson Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, Nexstar CEO Perry Sook conveyed that ever since the company was willing and able to program sports games on the weekends, various properties have explored partnerships with the network. Among them are various conferences comprising the Power Five, along with motorsports groups.

While an agreement could be struck as early as this fall, Sook said that more enticing options are not available until 2026.

The Pac-12 is at the conclusion of a 12-year contract with ESPN and FOX Sports, but has yet to find a match for a new contract. Washington State University President Kirk Schulz hopes a deal can be struck “in the next few weeks to a month,” perhaps leading to conference expansion. After conversations between the Pac-12 and Nexstar Media Group were reported and subsequently repudiated last month.

The deal The CW has with LIV Golf is a revenue-sharing agreement without a lump sum rights fee paid for the first two years. It has been viewed as somewhat polemical because of the backing the league received from the Saudi Arabian government, which the public associates with terrorism and human rights violations. The moderator of the conversation described the agreement as something that “fell into [their] lap,” a description Sook refuted.

“It didn’t drop in our lap,” Sook said. “We had to go get it and we had to do a lot of selling, but we did get it. They were willing to take a chance with us. We were willing to take a chance with them. I think both parties are pleased.”

Sook claims that CW affiliates did not express pushback to the pact with LIV Golf, stating they were “100% for it.” Yet eight CBS-owned CW affiliates, along with several others owned by Scripps Media and Sinclair Broadcast Group, either declined or did not immediately agree to broadcast the golf tour.

Since March 2023, sales around LIV events have steadily improved with every tournament. Sook says it demonstrates to prospective advertising clients the effectiveness of doing business with Nexstar and The CW.

“We’re very pleased at taking this from signing the contract two weeks before we went on the air [and] not a lot of promotion to steady growth. That’s really what The CW is all about from this point forward – steady growth.”

The golf tour, however, recently announced it will cease releasing viewership information going forward after reportedly lower-than-anticipated ratings. It believes data from Nielsen Media Research, which is measured for network broadcast windows only, is not completely representative of its viewership. Certainly, that will be on the minds of other, more established leagues and promotions as they enter into conversation with Nexstar.

David Faber: Elon Musk Said Nothing Was Off Limits in CNBC Interview

BNM Staff
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Billionaire Elon Musk sat down for a nearly hourlong interview with CNBC host David Faber earlier this week, which raised eyebrows after Musk’s long-running feud with the network. Faber gave the Twitter owner credit for the way he approached the sit-down.

“No handlers, no PR people, nobody coming into the room with him, nobody saying anything. And him, to his credit, saying nothing is off limits,” said Faber while discussing the interview with Chris Jansing Reports on MSNBC Wednesday. “It’s just a unique approach in every way that this man seems to have.”

Faber questioned if Musk is aware of the impact his statements have on the likelihood that potential advertisers would place buys with the social media platform.

“I don’t know that he really, fully thinks through the influence he has and the impact that this communicating he does can have on it. But again, you heard it. He does not care,” Faber admitted. “He’s going to say what he feels he has to say, and that’s it.”

The Squawk on the Street host asked Musk about his influence during the interview, specifically about his conduct in regard to questioning certain events with a conspiratorial lens. After sitting in silence for 12 seconds, Musk defended his actions and said he will continue to do so even if it costs the company potential revenue.

Fox News Denies Laura Ingraham Latest Network Star on Chopping Block

BNM Staff
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A report from Drudge Report yesterday claimed Fox News had settled on a new primetime lineup that no longer included Laura Ingraham. After originally refuting the entire claim, a network spokesperson has now additionally denied that Ingraham’s show is on the chopping block.

Drudge Report alleged that Fox News had decided to shift Sean Hannity’s program to the 8:00 PM ET timeslot previously occupied by Tucker Carlson Tonight. Additional moves would see Jesse Watters and Greg Gutfeld fill the 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM hours, respectively, leaving Ingraham without a primetime slot.

Fox News has denied that a revamped primetime lineup is imminent, saying that there are “multiple scenarios under consideration”.

However, the network has now specifically denied that Ingraham’s show will be moving.

“Reports based on various tweets by left-wing activists are wildly inaccurate — Laura Ingraham, the top-rated woman in cable news, is now and will continue to be a prominent host and integral part of the Fox News lineup,” a network spokesperson said.

Ingraham has hosted The Ingraham Angle, which airs at 10:00 PM ET, since 2017.

Hillary Howard Departing WTOP

BNM Staff
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Hillary Howard Departing WTOP

WTOP afternoon anchor Hillary Howard has announced she will leave the station early next month.

In a letter shared with colleagues Thursday morning, Howard said the timing is right to leave the Washington D.C. news station.

“After 18 years at WTOP, I’m remodeling my life. It’s a work in progress born of hunger for new experiences and learning,” wrote Howard. “I can’t wait to see where it leads. But it’s also born of timing. WTOP is making a change that allows me the rare opportunity to pursue unexplored avenues.”

She added that changes in the media industry brought forth the move.

“The world is changing. As is our industry. And each brings its own challenge. But, working with a team that laughs as easily as it offers shoulders and open arms makes it easier,” Howard said.

Her final day with the station will be Friday, June 2nd.

Howard has worked at 1010 WINS, in addition to working in television roles at WAVY in Norfolk as well as FOX5, WUSA, and WJLA in Washington D.C.

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