The Sports Advisors Podcast: TV Bundle Economics and the Future of National Rights
Sign up for the newsletter at Thanks to our partners at ASL Productions! -- In the latest episode, The Sports Advisors discuss The USTA & U.S. Open and offer up some free, unsolicited advice to new USTA CEO Craig Tiley. Nick Kelly, Shripal Shah, John Brody, Pat Crakes, and host Corey Leff explain how the decline in local media rights values to nearly zero for many MLB, NBA and NHL teams —and shrinking spending on entertainment programming— seemingly offers a preview of what a highly consolidated, lower-margin video distribution business is most likely to yield for national sports rights in the years ahead. We then discuss a multitude of ways for challenger properties to replace the lost revenues. Chapters: 0:00 Welcome & Introductions 3:01 The RSN Collapse and National Rights Outlook 8:19 Big Tech, AI, and Sports Spending 12:00 Alt-Casts and Parallel Content Streams 20:30 The Bucks' NBA Bet 23:38 Realistic Expectations for Tier 2 & 3 Properties 26:07 Strategies for the Next Round of Deals 28:39 Data, Broadcast Formats, and New Inventory 33:27 The Sponsorship Reality Check 38:00 Mixed-Use Real Estate and the Fan Experience 45:18 Parting Shots The Advisors: - Nick Kelly: CEO of Encore Sports & Entertainment, former Carolina Panthers CEO, former Verizon VP of Sponsorship - Shripal Shah: Chief AI & Innovation Officer at Next League, former Washington Commanders Chief Strategy Officer - John Brody: Founder of DIRIGO Advisory, former Learfield CRO, former WWE Global Head of Sales & Partnerships - Pat Crakes: President of Crakes Media, former Fox Sports SVP of Programming, Research and Content Strategy --------- The Sports Advisors is a biweekly roundtable for sports decision-makers, hosted by JohnWallStreet founder and CEO, Corey Leff. Actionable intelligence from operators who have built, bought, sold, programmed, monetized, and scaled sports businesses. Listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Want to talk to one of the advisors? Reach out to Info@JohnWallStreet.com
