Highlight Reel: Disney pays $1.5 Billion to Enter Games and Entertainment Universe 🌎
Plus, is YouTuber Golf the new YouTuber Boxing? And Unofficial Partner asks what if Netflix ran sport?
Welcome to Sports Pundit, the sports business newsletter delivering insights from across the industry.
In today’s email;
Fortnite meets Disney 🤝
Introducing the Good Good Desert Open ⛳️
What if Netflix ran Sport? 🍿
Thanks to Mihir for being the latest guest to come on the podcast. And thanks to everyone who has listened to the episode, as well as those who have been so kind as to provide feedback.
⏰ Remember if you’re one of the 50 subscribers who joined the Rugby Predictor Game supported by Veo in-time, you don’t have long left to get your guesses in for this week’s Six Nations fixtures 🏉 Congrats to Poz, who currently leads the way.
Andy 😊 🙏
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A NEW WORLD
Disney pays $1.5 Billion to Enter Games and Entertainment Universe 🌎
Disney has announced an incredible $1.5 billion move into video games, striking a deal for a minority stake in Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite.
And what's the grand plan?
Imagine a universe where the Avengers, Jedi, and your favourite Pixar characters all hang out. Yes, Disney's plotting to weave its magic into a ‘games and entertainment universe’ that'll have fans geeking out in new, immersive ways.
Rich Johnson suggests that we could have perhaps seen this coming based on past comments… However, now that it has come, he argues that we (as sports rights-holders and brands) really can’t afford not to act.
What he said:
‘Fortnite is a game, but please ask [me] that question again in 12 months’
This response [that] Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney gave to a random Twitter thread back in 2019 has always stuck in my mind…
My thought was that he was hinting he viewed Fortnite as a social environment and world vs just a game.
And with the news last night that Disney is taking a stake in Epic Games it's clear they do to.
Many companies are starting to place gaming at the core. And gaming is becoming central to community and shared experience.
Why? Well something like [Epic Games’] Fortnite or Roblox offer:
A place to hang out
Brand storytelling and lore building
Commerce
I've been banging this drum for a while. But it's critical sports rights-holders and brands consider strategies in these worlds.
Not just building your own mini games and worlds, but can you listen and show up in moments that matter and ways users care about.”
P.S. Another important piece of news picked up by Tom Parry (Head of Umi Games), is that thanks to the introduction of the NPC spawner device, every brand can now create their own characters in Fortnite, from mascots, to athletes, to ambassadors.
The Sports Pundit Social Club (SPSC) was designed to enable you as readers to hang out with one another without the heavy cost that often goes with traditional sports industry events.
To see upcoming events in Feb and reserve your place follow the link below 👇
HIGHLIGHTS
Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery, three of America’s biggest buyers of live sports rights, have announced a plan to create a joint sports streaming platform 📺
Disney CEO has confirmed that ESPN’s full DTC launch will happen by autumn 2025 (and will be unaffected by the recently announced joint venture) 📲
The Springboks (South Africa Rugby) are close to a deal for a $75 million investment from Ackerley Sports Group 🏉
The NBA is to rename it’s In-Season Tournament the ‘Emirates NBA Cup’ after airline’s sponsorship 🏀
West Indian cricket-legend, Chris Gayle is set to captain the Telengana Tigers in the inaugural Indian Veteran Premier League 🏏
The Premier League is to inject £20m into elite women's football as part of a deal to accelerate the sport's commercial development ⚽️
GOOD GOOD TIMES
YouTuber Night Golf Event was Lit, Literally ⛳️
At 7pm (MST) on Wednesday, on the eve of the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, a cast of celebrities, pro athletes and content creators took to Grass Clippings, a fully lit golf course in Arizona, to take part in the first Good Good Desert Open.
The 14-hole competition, with a line up consisting of 26 two-person teams, was broadcast live on Peacock, the first time a creator-led golf event has ever been broadcasted on a major streaming service.
For those of you who missed it, Chris Sarandos (Chief Marketing Officer, Swag Golf) provided a comprehensive recap which provides plenty of positivity for future content-creator led golf events.
What he said:
“The broadcast was a perfect blend of creator content meets pro golf coverage.
Camera work leveraged the stationary camera angles and graphic overlays you see on PGA Tour coverage while also incorporating moving handcams. Commentary from Golf Channel’s Blair O’Neil and Foreplay’s Riggs was a great mix of shot analysis meets humorous color commentary.
Commercial time was almost exclusively focused on Good Good products and partner plugs and featured members of the Good Good team. The “sponsored content” approach was a nice departure from traditional commercials you see in pro golf coverage.
Most importantly, the tournament served as a massive source of content for all the creators who were playing. My social feed was filled with shots and moments the broadcast didn’t pick up. I felt like I didn’t miss a single thing.
Producing a live golf event is hard, let alone doing it at night and with less than favorable weather. I think the Good Good team did an amazing job executing the event and leveraging the platform they’ve built, and it shows in the viewership numbers. The YouTube stream alone had 100,000+ concurrent viewers.
I’m looking forward to more of this style of creator content in the future.”
FURTHER READING
If Netflix ran Sport By Richard Gillis with Erin Ruane and Claire Kelly, Unofficial Partner Podcast 🍿
Letter from the YouTube CEO: 4 Big bets for 2024 By Neal Mohan, YouTube
“Rugby is one of the greatest sports, but it must adapt to maintain relevance” By Charlie and Harry Stebbings with David Buttress, Business of Sport Podcast 🏉
Delving into visibility and fandom of women’s sport in 2023 By Women’s Sports Trust ⚽️
Costco-like Seat Club bringing transparency, savings to ticket resale market By JohnWallStreet 🎟️
Could flag football one day leapfrog tackle football in popularity? By Josh Woods, The Conversation 🏈
Explaining how player equity in PGA Tour Enterprises will work By Adam Woodard, Golf Week 🏌️♂️
THE PODCAST
Want to hear more from my conversation with Mihir?
We discuss launching the MLS Innovation Lab, applying innovation across the MLS ecosystem, sourcing investment opportunities, areas of focus for MLS Innovation Labs’ future cohorts, TOCA and opportunities around live experiences, and whether the MLS could create their own consumer products.
Listen to the full podcast via the link below - and I’d love to hear what you think!👇
The Sports Pundit Social Club (SPSC) was designed to enable you to hang out with other readers (i.e. exceptional folk from across the industry) without the heavy cost that often goes with traditional sports industry events.
To see upcoming events in Feb in places like London, Manchester, New York, and LA, and to reserve your place, follow this link below 👇
JOIN ME!
Sports Pundit (Andy Marston) is excited to be part of What The Footie’s Athlete Investor Summit on Friday 22nd March.
The event will feature panels and fireside chats from speakers including recent Sports Pundit Podcast guest Matt Gentry, as well as:
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill: Olympic Gold Medallist & Co-Founder of Jennis
Chris Smalling: Professional Footballer, Athlete Investor & Investor in the Players Fund
Eric Dier: Athlete Investor & International Footballer
Fergus and Ruari Bell: Managing Partners of the Players Fund
Stuart Duguid: Co-Founder & CEO at EVOLVE Agency and Hana Kuma & Agent to Naomi Osaka
Toby Wakefield: Brand Director for Jesse Lingard & MD of Jlingz Esports
JOB BOARD
HR Coordinator - Recruitment - Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team (Brackley, UK)
Partnerships & Business Development Manager - Goal Click (Remote, UK)
Commercial Growth Lead - British Cycling (Manchester, UK)
Manager Business Ops, Championship Management - PGA TOUR (Florida, US)
New Partnerships Manager - Tennis Australia (Melbourne, Australia)
Apply via MLS Talent
Manager - Sponsorship Strategy - Sports (UK)
Director - Sponsorship Strategy - Sports (UK)
Business Director - Music/ Gaming (UK)
Do you have a job you’d like to promote to the amazing readers of this newsletter? Email me 📩
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