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FanDuel Parent Company Approves Plan For Public Listing in United States

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FanDuel Parent Company Approves Plan For Public Listing in United States

Americans will likely soon be able to own a piece of Flutter, the parent company of the leader in the US sports betting market, FanDuel. Shareholders in the UK overwhelmingly approved a proposal to take the company public Stateside.

The public listing in the United States will be a secondary offering for Flutter. The company is based in Ireland and is primarily traded on the London Stock Exchange. A secondary listing in the United States will not change the tax status of the company overseas.

By listing the company publicly in the United States, Flutter CEO Peter Jackson says the company will have access to deeper capital markets abroad. With investment from Americans, he also hopes it will be easier to recruit and retain US-based talent for FanDuel.

Investors in Europe clearly see the benefits. Flutter needed 75% approval from shareholders to go forward with its plan. It ended up with 99% approval.

Flutter has every reason to want to establish firmer roots in the USA. Jackson says FanDuel held a nationwide market share of approximately 50% in the fourth quarter of 2022. He expects that 2023 will be a full year of profitability for the brand.

Dave Rothenberg Calls Out Mel Kiper Failing to Deliver Promised Draft Night Shout Out

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Earlier this week, DiPietro & Rothenberg made sure a delivery of low fat whipped cream arrived at the home of noted pumpkin pie enthusiast Mel Kiper Jr. The Senior NFL Draft analyst promised a special thank you for the show.

During an appearance on the ESPN New York morning show on Monday, Kiper promised he would work a mention of Rick DiPietro and Dave Rothenberg into the ESPN broadcast of the first round of the NFL Draft. Rothenberg suggested that Kiper do it during the time his favorite team, the New York Giants, were on the clock.

The first round came and went and Rothenberg did not hear his name or the name of the show. He brought it up when Kiper called Friday morning.

“I can’t tell you how many tweets I received last night about ‘Mel didn’t make the mention,’” he said.

Kiper countered that despite what it may look like on TV, there is a lot of structure to the conversations on the dais on draft night. Just because it didn’t work out on Thursday though does not mean the dream is dead.

“It just wasn’t the right time. Tonight’s the second and third rounds. Just keep watching.”

Dave Rothenberg agreed that there is time to make up for the oversight. He was concerned about the prospect of not getting mentioned until Saturday. He worried that it meant that Kiper considers DiPietro & Rothenberg “a fifth-round show.”

“If I go to day 3 and haven’t mentioned you, I’ll be replaced by Todd McShay on this show,” Kiper joked, saying he has never been under so much scrutiny before. “So, I’ve got a lot of pressure on me tonight.”

Bomani Jones: NFL Doesn’t Want Draft Prospects Falling on Camera

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Will Levis was in the spotlight a lot on Thursday night. That is because the Kentucky quarterback went undrafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, despite at one point becoming the odds-on favorite to be the second overall pick.

Cameras for both ESPN and NFL Network checked in on Levis and his family every time a team that could have theoretically used a quarterback decided not to take him.

It isn’t the first time we have seen this happen to a quarterback. Aaron Rodgers and Brady Quinn both legendarily waited to hear their name called considerably longer than expected on their respective draft days. On the latest episode of his podcast, Bomani Jones said it does not seem like the NFL takes any delight in that kind of drama the way it used to.

“They don’t ask you to come unless they think you’re going somewhere around the first round,” Jones said on The Right Time. “Like, they go ask around and stuff like that, but they don’t want you on camera going through all of this.”

Jones added that it wasn’t just on-site. It used to be common for ESPN to cut to prospects at home waiting to hear their names called. Now, viewers tend not to know that there is a camera in a guy’s house until the network shows him celebrating getting picked.

“One thing I’ve noticed that they don’t seem to do nearly as much in the draft is the guy that home that’s falling? No, they’re not showing him all stressed out.”

Domonique Foxworth, who joins Bomani Jones every Friday on The Right Time, didn’t quite see it the same way. He isn’t sure that the networks stopped showing guys in their homes as a matter of courtesy or good taste. It seems more practical.

“I do think if they put a camera in your house, there is an understanding. ‘Oh, we’re not gonna do you like that.’ Because somebody’s gonna knock that goddamn camera over,” Foxworth said. “In the green room? You’re fair game.”

He added that he experienced his own version of the at-home frustration in 2005. Foxworth expected to be drafted in the second or third round coming out of the University of Maryland. He ended up being taken late in the third round, which at that time would have been the very end of the first day of the event.

Craig Carton Enlists Brandon Tierney’s Son as Fill-In For Tardy Evan Roberts

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Craig Carton Enlists Brandon Tierney’s Son as Fill-In For Tardy Evan Roberts

Thursday was Bring Your Kids to Work Day, and that situation worked out well for WFAN and Craig Carton.

Evan Roberts was late to the program, so Carton opened the afternoon show by welcoming a fill-in co-host, the son of WFAN midday host Brandon Tierney.

“I’ve got a buddy of mine replacing Evan until he shows up, and he’s a big Knick fan, which is the way I like,” Carton said. “Here’s my main man named Colt. He’s a one-name guy.”

“That’s my nickname, Colt. I’m Colton Tierney,” the eight-year-old said.

“Don’t tell ’em your last name! Your dad doesn’t know I’m doing this,” Carton joked.

He then asked the younger Tierney how he felt about the Knicks’ victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, and his dad felt about the injury to Julius Randle.

“My dad was so upset. He was like ‘Ahh, great’. I saw it when he rolled it, I was so upset,” Colton Tierney admitted.

After revealing that he has taken money out of his father’s wallet while he’s in the shower, Tierney’s co-hosting tenure ended when Roberts made it to the studio.

“Evan just showed up and is probably gonna take his job back. Is that ok with you? Or do you just want to say for the whole four hours with us and we’ll take you home after the show? Do you wanna just sit here until 6?” Carton asked.

The second grader had to decline due to a prior commitment at baseball practice.

“Thank you for having me,” Colt said before grilling Roberts about which NBA players are better than his favorite player, Jalen Brunson.

Carton told Tierney he did a great job and will be a future host on WFAN.

Keith Olbermann: Tucker Carlson’s Twitter Video Was Shot At Rupert Murdoch

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Keith Olbermann: Tucker Carlson’s Twitter Video Was Shot At Rupert Murdoch

The firing of Tucker Carlson by Fox News remains the biggest story in media circles, and podcaster Keith Olbermann wonders just how much legs the story will continue to have.

During his Countdown with Keith Olbermann podcast, the former cable news host believed that the recent Twitter video from Carlson was a sly ploy from the ex-communicated Fox News host, aimed directly at the company’s founder, Rupert Murdoch.

“That Twitter video was something of a shot across Murdoch’s bow, and I suspect Murdoch shot back. I think some legal type at Fox had already been in touch with Carlson’s representatives, and mentioned those three magic words ‘Forty’ and ‘Million’ and ‘Don’t’,” Olbermann said.

Fox News is expected to pay Carlson the entirety of his contract, which is a reported $20 million per year. However, Olbermann noted, the terms of Carlson’s contract would forbid him from doing “any form of political commentary from which he derives income”, and depending on the wording in his contract could be forbidden from “making any appearances in any medium that could be considered competition to Fox News” without the network’s consent.

Olbermann added that we could have already seen the last of Carlson’s Twitter videos.

“It will be interesting to see if there are any more Twitter vids filled only with buzzwords. Carlson had long since moved on from MAGA to QAnon, and the great thing about servicing the Q’s is you don’t have to say anything. They’ll find something like which direction the grain in the wood paneling behind his head was going in was his secret message to them. Like life is a decoder ring.”

Olbermann continued the discussion by questioning just how long Carlson’s termination will dominate the news cycle, noting that the way cable news operates doesn’t lend itself to the topic continuing much longer.

“What kind of shelf life does the firing of Tucker Carlson actually have? Politics and culture wars and the rest of that has always brought with them an incredible turnover in American media and American society,” Olbermann concluded.

Steven Crowder Accused of ‘Emotional Abuse’ After Video of Confrontation With Estranged Wife Revealed

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Steven Crowder Accused of ‘Emotional Abuse’ After Video of Confrontation With Estranged Wife Revealed

Earlier this week, conservative video host Steven Crowder revealed he had been involved in a “increasingly horrendous divorce” since 2021, and lobbed threats at Candace Owens for what he called “extortion”. A now-released video claims to show emotional abuse between Crowder and his now estranged wife.

Journalist Yashar Ali shared a three-minute video captured by a Ring security camera that appears to show Crowder berating his then-wife for not fulfilling her “wifely duties”. He added that she “wasn’t committed” to anything or anyone, and told her to “watch it” when confronted by the abuse accusations. He told his wife that she refuses to show “discipline and respect” to him during the argument, before saying he doesn’t love her and has never received love from her.

According to Ali, the video ended before Crowder shouted “I will f— you up!”, causing his wife, who was nearly eight months pregnant with the couple’s twins, to leave the home in a panic.

Crowder’s wife contends there was no physical abuse or sexual infidelity in their marriage, but claims she was subjected to mental and emotional abuse before leaving the conservative commentator in 2021.

The Louder with Crowder host spoke about his ongoing divorce for the first time Tuesday, and alerted attorneys that he would do so. The attorneys representing his soon-to-be ex-wife advised him not to speak publicly on the matter. However, Crowder did so anyway.

“The truth is that Hilary spent years hiding Steven’s mentally and emotionally abusive behavior from her friends and family while she attempted to save their marriage,” a statement from an attorney for Crowder’s estranged wife read. “She was the one who was asking to work on their relationship to keep the marriage intact for their unborn children.

“We hope that Steven will cease speaking publicly about these personal matters in an untruthful manner,” the statement continued. “We also look forward to there being full transparency in the legal process so there is fairness and accountability for the actions that caused the divorce, and to ensure the outcome is what is in the best interests of the young children.”

Dana Bash Takes Exception To Headline Calling Her ‘Ex-Wife’ of John King

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Dana Bash Takes Exception To Headline Calling Her ‘Ex-Wife’ of John King

Yesterday, CNN announced longtime chief political correspondent Dana Bash would replace John King as the host of Inside Politics. Bash shared her displeasure with the way the move was covered by the Los Angeles Times.

Bash and King were married from 2008 to 2012. In its headline on the news story, the Times wrote “John King exits CNN’s Inside Politics’ for new role. His ex-wife Dana Bash will succeed him”.

In a tweet, Bash noted that “In this context, I am not an ‘ex-wife’, I am a veteran journalist with decades of experience who worked hard for this role. Do better please”.

She added that she and King “share a wonderful son together” and “are now friends” after their divorce.

After Bash’s tweet, the publication changed the headline, which she thanked them for.

In the announcement of Bash taking the role currently held by King, she said “John built an extraordinary show that has attracted a loyal audience of political junkies, and I am looking forward to leading its next chapter.”

King called his new role covering the 2024 presidential campaign his “back to the future dream assignment”.

Vice Media Eliminating Vice News Tonight

BNM Staff
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Vice Media Eliminating Vice News Tonight

Vice News Tonight has been canceled by parent company Vice Media as part of ongoing layoffs at the company.

The cuts are “part of the wider ongoing restructure of Vice Media Group and the result of tough financial realities which continue to challenge the business in the midst of the sales process and changes to our funding model,” according to a memo from Vice News Vice President Subrata De.

The program debuted in 2016 on HBO and recently celebrated its 1,000th episode. Vice News Tonight garnered more Emmy nominations than any nightly newscast since its inception. In 2019, HBO declined to renew the deal, which led to the program moving to Vice’s cable channel in 2020. After dropping to a four-day-a-week schedule, the program ultimately became just a weekly show at the beginning of this year.

“For nearly seven years, VNT has been a lynchpin for us – a guiding light to so many, and an industry leader in awards and storytelling,” De continued.

The cancelation is the latest in a long line of changes for Vice Media. The company’s President and CEO have each departed since the start of the year. Late last year, the company mandated cost-cutting of 15%, and had instituted a hiring freeze.

The final Vice News Tonight is scheduled for Thursday, May 25th.

Phoenix Suns Leaving Bally Sports Arizona, Moving to Local TV Stations

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Phoenix Suns Leaving Bally Sports Arizona, Moving to Local TV Stations

The Phoenix Suns have announced plans to move its television broadcasts to local TV stations, leaving Bally Sports Arizona in the process.

In a deal with Gray Television, the Suns TV broadcasts would air on stations owned by the company in Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma. Additionally, Suns broadcasts will be available for fans to stream on the Suns website and app.

The franchise has aired its games on Bally Sports Arizona since 2003, when it was known as FOX Sports Net Arizona.

The Suns claim the move will make games “available to nearly 2.8 million households in Arizona”, which would more than triple the current reach of Bally Sports Arizona.

“We’re not focusing on money. We’re focusing on winning, success, and taking care of fans, taking care of the community,” new team owner Mat Ishbia told ESPN. “What happens is you always end up making money. It always works out.

“We’re going to have more fans than ever before. We’re going to have more people who will have eyeballs on Devin Booker and Deandre [Ayton] and Kevin Durant, Chris [Paul] and cheer the team on. And more people buying merchandise because they’re bigger fans.”

“At the end of the day, what local viewers watch in patterns is local news and local sports,” Gray Television CEO Pat LaPlatney told Sportico. “To get back into the local sports business, that’s huge for us.”

According to several reports, Bally Sports Arizona believes it has a clause in its contract with the franchise that allows it to match any offer the team receives for its local television rights. However, as parent company Diamond Sports Group undergoes bankruptcy proceedings, it remains to be seen whether or not the company will exercise that option. Diamond Sports Group was late on its payment to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and was ordered to pay at least 50% of its rights fee to the club by a court mandate.

Games played by the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, also owned by new Suns owner Mat Ishbia, would also air its broadcasts on local television in the Phoenix, Tucson, and Yuma markets.

Stephen A. Smith: ‘Don Lemon’s Fate Was Sealed The Moment He Moved To Morning TV’

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Stephen A. Smith, “Know Mercy” podcast host, reacted differently to the news of Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon’s firings. Smith was surprised by Carlson’s departure from Fox News but wasn’t shocked by Lemon’s dismissal from CNN. He admitted to having favorite news personalities that he follows regularly, and while Carlson was not one of them, Lemon was someone he admired.

“Don Lemon has interviewed me on several occasions; he is not the dumbest man on television like former President Donald Trump always calls him; I respect Don Lemon, I like his work, he’s been a professional at CNN for 17 years, I am not here to disrespect Don Lemon.” 

Smith suggests that if the public had access to the complete quote from Don Lemon regarding GOP presidential nominee Nikki Haley, their perception of the mainstream media’s narrative might have been different.

“My retort to those who have said that, including myself, is, but you said it,” Smith said. “In a world of soundbites, you may not have known the magnitude of how that situation was going to go, but damn it, you know a soundbite could get you caught out there. You’re too professional and experienced to find yourself in a situation where you’re on a morning show with Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow. You sit up there and say a presidential candidate aged 51 is over her prime.” 

According to Smith, Lemon was sharing the thoughts of other people about when a woman is considered too old instead of stating his own opinions on the subject.

“The fact of the matter is, he said what he said, and that soundbite is what everybody held on to. In my mind, that moment sealed his fate,” he added. “Not because that moment was worthy of sealing his fate, because people make mistakes; when you’re talking live on television with no seven-second delay, you’re going to say stuff sometimes that makes you say I should’ve caught myself. I thought it sealed his fate because I thought it was sealed from the moment he moved to morning television.” 

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