SPORTS & MEDIA
John Ourand
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July 26, 2024
How Zaz Lost the NBA
The inside story of testy dealmaking and re-trading: the missed signals, the Spulu trigger, the Zaz-Silberwasser good-cop-bad-cop routine, and all the slights that now point to a litigious endgame.
Dylan Byers
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July 25, 2024
The Biden Bump
Somewhat ironically, an election cycle that has been defined by age has benefitted a bunch of legacy media outfits, all of whom are presumably hoping to embrace the lesson of past presidential races: eyeballs are ephemeral, but business models and strategies last a lot longer.
Eriq Gardner
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July 23, 2024
White Party Down
For years, Fanatics C.E.O. Michael Rubin has created a nouveau riche fantasy life, best encapsulated by his Hamptons summer “all-white” party, based on his sports merchandising juggernaut. Now, a series of legal headaches threaten Fanatics’ I.P.O., and the industry, itself.
John Ourand
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July 23, 2024
Zaz Goes Full ‘Matching Rights’
Unsurprisingly, Warner Bros Discovery C.E.O. David Zaslav has had his lawyers and dealmakers attempt to match Amazon’s $1.8 billion ‘C’ package bid for NBA rights—even if the league appears eager to jettison cable for streaming.
Dylan Byers
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July 20, 2024
Remembrance of R.N.C.s Past
News and notes on the conservative media scene, and its metaphorical resonance, in Milwaukee and beyond.
John Ourand
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July 19, 2024
Iron Manfred
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred expounds on the pitch-clock, the multiplatform problem, and the challenge of getting Gen Z to love the game.
Dylan Byers
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July 18, 2024
Morning Joe in America
News, notes, and fresh updates on the micro-scandal stemming from the show’s bizarre one-day hiatus amid a generational political crisis.
John Ourand
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July 15, 2024
Zaz & YouTube’s Failed NBA Marriage
Warner Bros. Discovery is dead serious about matching Amazon’s $1.8 Billion NBA rights “C” package. But it will have to pull it off without YouTube TV, despite the latter’s courtship.
John Ourand
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July 12, 2024
The Cliff Path of No Return
News and notes on the Diamond Sports crying rooms.
Dylan Byers
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July 10, 2024
Curious George Stephanopoulos
News and notes on the media inside conversation amid the continuing Biden fallout: George’s man-on-the-street confession, Karine’s credibility crisis, and lessons from 2016.
John Ourand
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July 9, 2024
For Whom Shell Tolls
CBS Sports executives are optimistic about the new Ellison-RedBird deal for Paramount. Not only is the endless deal process finally over, but president Jeff Shell “has a history of using sports content as a way to drive the core business,” as one person put it.
Dylan Byers
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July 3, 2024
The Brady Room Rater
Less than a week after the disastrous Biden debate, the White House press corps is pissed—furious at the White House, annoyed at each other—and ready to take the gloves off.
John Ourand & Eriq Gardner
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July 2, 2024
NFL Sunday Ticket Aftershocks
Alas, the league’s $15 billion antitrust bill is just the beginning for a sports media rights reckoning a decade in the making.
Dylan Byers
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June 28, 2024
‘Post’ Script & CNN’s Debate Hangover
News and notes on the two biggest stories in Washington media: the latest beats in the WaPo crisis and the post-mortem on CNN’s big night in Atlanta.
John Ourand
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June 28, 2024
Big East of Eden
The inside story of how NBC and WBD negotiated with Fox to land Big East basketball. In the modern sports media business, one company’s “nice-to-have” content is another’s “need to have” package.
Dylan Byers
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June 26, 2024
Wet Hot British Summer
News and notes on America’s two most-discussed British media executives: Mark Thompson, who is gearing up for Thursday’s debate; and Will Lewis, who is holding on for dear life on K Street.
John Ourand
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June 25, 2024
The Stephen A. Plot Thickens
ESPN’s biggest star doesn’t simply covet McAfeebucks—he also wants a McAfee-style deal structure that would pay him out like he’s running his own production company. What should Pitaro do?