Tonight in Unpacks: Netflix continues to run with the ball because it expands its sports activities programming with documentaries on the 2022 World Cup and the Six Nations rugby match.

Other headlines: 

•  NWSL opening up media-rights talks after CBS’s window expires
•  Agency rEvolution acquires content material advertising and marketing store Sine Qua Non
•  SBJ Spotlight: NFL an unequalled viewership juggernaut
•  The NHL continues pondering outside-the-box for marquee occasions
•  TCL is the brand new official TV associate of the NFL
•  MLS lifts grade for range hiring

 

In this morning’s Buzzcast, SBJ’s Abe Madkour appears at how the Cowboys (once more) high the checklist of most-watched NFL video games. Other subjects: USL delays its ladies’s Super League, MLB makes a key media rent and Netflix is about to drop two new sports activities collection.

We are happy to launch SBJ Tech — the brand new residence of SportTechie — the place you’ll find the trade’s main each day content material devoted to the intersection of sports activities and expertise.

Netflix will launch two new docuseries because it continues its push into sports activities programming: one on the World Cup from Qatar being launched this summer time, and one other on the Six Nations rugby match due out subsequent yr, reports SBJ’s John Ourand.

“This is an expansion of the sports category that we’ve had really good returns on,” mentioned Brandon Riegg, Netflix VP/unscripted and documentary collection. “As we’ve grown our sports programming portfolio, it felt important as a global company to have representation across a myriad of types of sports.”

The World Cup docuseries doesn’t have a reputation but, however it can have behind-the-scenes footage from all 32 groups. It was made via a partnership between Netflix and FIFA. Fulwell 73 produced it.

“Six Nations” equally goes behind the scenes of the February-March competitors. “We see the value in those stories. Similarly, the leagues see the value in being on a platform like ours and able to reach current fans and recruit new fans,” Riegg mentioned.

These new collection add to sports-related programming on the streamer just like the tennis collection “Break Point,” the PGA Tour-focused “Full Swing” and F1 collection “Drive to Survive,” which simply dropped the trailer for its fifth season premiering Feb. 24. Later this yr, Netflix could have docuseries on the 2022 Tour de France and Invictus Games, plus a Bill Russell movie and an untitled David Beckham collection.

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman confirmed that CBS’s unique negotiating window for a renewal of their media rights deal has lapsed, saying the league will start conversations with different potential suitors subsequent week, reports SBJ’s Alex Silverman.

Berman, talking forward of tonight’s 2023 NWSL Draft in Philadelphia, mentioned the league and CBS have “each expressed a optimistic sentiment towards a future relationship,” but “we might want to have conversations with the broader market.” Endeavor EVPs Hillary Mandel and Karen Brodkin are repping the league in negotiations. Berman mentioned the three lenses via which the league is assessing potential offers are rights price, time period and attain provided by every potential associate.

The NWSL’s present cope with CBS, reportedly value $4.5 million over three years, is about to run out on the finish of the upcoming season. The bulk of video games both air on CBS Sports Network (which has tonight’s draft) or stream on Paramount+. The 2022 title sport on the CBS broadcast community drew a league-record viewers of 915,000 viewers.

Other information from the press convention:

• Berman expects the league to have an announcement on the outcomes of the league’s enlargement course of within the coming weeks.
• The NWSL is elevating its wage cap for the 2023 season by 25% to $1.375 million per group.
• The league plans to difficulty an RFP to its groups within the coming weeks on internet hosting its 2023 championship sport.
• 2024 is the goal for a full refresh of the NWSL model identification, which might embrace a brand change.

Sponsorship and experiential company rEvolution is increasing its offshore presence with the acquisition of Sine Qua Non, a U.Ok. advertising and marketing store with experience in sports activities sponsorships, tech and PR, notes SBJ’s Terry Lefton.

With the company acquisition, rEvolution doubles its personnel rely to round 50 within the U.Ok. and positive factors one other beachhead in Europe, the place it already has a London workplace. Overall, rEvolution now has almost 200 workers. The Sine Qua Non moniker might be changed by the rEvolution model and SQN CEO Claire Ritchie will grow to be EVP and managing director Now, rEvolution will keep two U.Ok. workplaces, bringing its complete areas to 5.

SQN’s consumer roster contains Hyundai, NetApp and Toyota. John Rowady, president of rEvolution, mentioned Sine Qua Non’s experience in tech and automotive had been particularly alluring: “We liked their culture and believe it gives us a platform for additional expansion overseas, and with some real scale, which can be a challenge for an independent agency.”

In this new SBJ Spotlight video, our Austin Karp has just a few key takeaways from the ultimate NFL common season viewership numbers, explaining whereas the general viewers was down barely, it was a “very impressive season for the league, and they have to be happy at HQ in New York.” The NFL “maintained its position as the dominant entertainment property out there.”

Karp additionally talks about how Amazon Prime Video and ESPN can elevate their numbers subsequent season, saying Amazon is “definitely going to work with the league to try getting better matchups and a more appealing package” for “Thursday Night Football.”

It’s been almost 20 years because the NHL hosted its first outside sport in Edmonton, and it continues to seek out methods to innovate tentpole occasions such because the Winter Classic, Stadium Series and Heritage Classic, writes SBJ’s Alex Silverman.

For this yr’s Winter Classic, the league took full benefit of the storied Fenway Park, altering the rink’s format to showcase the Green Monster and tapping into the Red Sox’s over 100 years of historical past by outfitting the Bruins and Penguins in classic baseball uniforms.

The NHL doesn’t simply look to the previous for these occasions. The Feb. 18 Stadium Series matchup between the Hurricanes and Capitals heads to N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium, the place the league could have a standing room space for as much as 10,000 followers, mimicking the infield of an auto race or the Kentucky Derby. It all matches the motto of NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer: “Let’s make the next one bigger and better than the last one.”

The NHL made positive the Green Monster obtained loads of play on the Winter Classic

DraftKings is counting on greater than Hart for its Super Bowl marketing campaign, enlisting corridor of famers and different stars for a 30-second spot that’ll air within the first quarter, writes SBJ’s Terry Lefton.

The likes of David Ortiz, Julius Erving, Lisa Leslie and Ludacris will be part of DraftKings pitchman Kevin Hart as A-listers attending a fake Super Bowl occasion that Hart’s internet hosting. The spot is a collaboration between DraftKings’ in-house group and Hart’s HartBeat Productions, and so they inform us to anticipate extra advertisements down the road.

The SBJ Marketing e-newsletter additionally covers:

• FBS colleges averaging $8.6 million take for soccer sponsorship income
• CFP sponsors lead in TV publicity throughout Georgia-TCU telecasts

ESPN used 12 feeds, counting on greater than 100 cameras and microphones positioned all through SoFi Stadium, to present viewers causes to maintain the TV on throughout Monday’s CFP Championship rout, writes SBJ’s David Rumsey within the debut of the weekly SBJ Tech e-newsletter.

One of the most well-liked MegaCast feeds was the Field Pass with the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN2, which turned out to be additionally one of many hardest to provide — for the group and the expertise. “It’s challenging because, especially as Georgia went up and down the field, those guys are trying to position themselves where they could see the action on the sidelines, get up and down the field and also be able to see replays.” ESPN Coordinating Producer Bryan Jaroch mentioned. “It’s a technical problem. It turns into a bodily problem, too.”

This week’s SBJ Tech additionally covers:

• Candy Digital bullish on digital collectible tech amid bear market, Fanatics’ divestment
• The Lions’ partnership with Wallaroo.AI
• How Vixi Live put over 1 million individuals on stadium jumbotron

• Consumer electronics model TCL is the brand new official TV associate of the NFL in a multiyear partnership. TCL will get rights to make use of the NFL’s marks and work with the league’s groups/gamers in advertising and marketing supplies.

• MLS lifted its grade for general range hiring within the newest TIDES report, reports SBJ’s Liz Mullen. The league’s gender hiring elevated considerably, and its racial hiring dipped barely in 2022. Its general grade improved from a B to a B+.

• The NWSL chosen Greenfly and its AI-enabled software program to handle its workflow of digital media belongings, whereas offering its athletes with pictures and movies they’ll publish to their private social media, reports SBJ’s Joe Lemire.

• Gaming Society is partnering with UNLV’s International Gaming Institute to check ladies sports activities bettors, in addition to feminine followers’ opinions on sports activities wagering, notes Mullen.

• MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” is hitting the street to broadcast remotely from the four-day Dream Series in Tempe, Ariz., beginning tomorrow at 9am ET, reports The Big Lead. The occasion, run by MLB and USA Baseball, goals to develop and diversify the beginner baseball ranks. Chris Young and Harold Reynolds co-host the present.