Media & Sport 4/8

Morning Buzz Catch - Wednesday, April 8

Overview

The broadcast begins with Abe Van Horn introducing the morning segment, emphasizing a series of sports updates and insights, particularly focusing on women's college basketball and professional sports expansion, as well as the upcoming Masters Tournament.

Women's College Basketball Viewership Growth

  • The interest in women's college basketball has been notably increasing.
  • UCLA's victory over South Carolina in the championship game attracted nearly 10,000,000 viewers.
        - This viewership represents a 1515% increase compared to last year's championship that featured Yukon and South Carolina.
  • Historical Context: Prior to 2023, the women's basketball title game had only once surpassed a viewership of 5,000,000.
  • The statistics show average viewership for the championship game has now approached 10,000,000.
  • Additional Statistics:
        - The semifinal round also garnered significant viewership, drawing 5,200,000 viewers during South Carolina's win over Yukon.
  • The strong viewership numbers, particularly for major schools and brands, are promising for women's basketball and will influence future strategies of the NCAA and ESPN to cultivate and maximize this trend.

NBA Expansion Discussion

  • Discussion of potential NBA expansion, with a focus on Seattle.
  • The executive expressed more optimism regarding Seattle's market than Las Vegas, indicating belief in a strong fanbase and corporate support.
  • Concern was expressed about the saturation of sports teams in Seattle, questioning the ability to support additional teams amidst existing competition.

T-Mobile Arena's Significance

  • T-Mobile Arena's opening ten years ago is credited as a turning point for professional sports in Las Vegas.
  • Gary Bettman played a pivotal role in establishing the arena and the success of the NHL’s Golden Knights there.
  • Bill Foley, owner of the Golden Knights and partial stake holder in T-Mobile Arena, is exploring ownership of an NBA expansion team, which could involve a $300,000,000 renovation of the facility to accommodate NBA standards.
  • T-Mobile Arena is well-equipped to host an NBA team quickly given its original design considerations.
  • There's potential for further development of an NBA-specific facility in Las Vegas, acknowledging T-Mobile's capacity to host such events.

MLB's YouTube Strategy

  • Importance of developing a strong YouTube strategy was highlighted.
  • Major League Baseball is launching a new youth-focused initiative called MLB Clubhouse aimed at introducing baseball to younger audiences.
  • Content included within MLB Clubhouse consists of animated series, educational material, as well as highlights from games.
  • The Youth Strategy Rationale:
        - The goal is to attract the younger demographic, with the MLB's YouTube channel witnessing a 16% growth in subscribers last year, adding almost 1,000,000 new subscribers.
  • Organizations are advised to deeply understand teams' YouTube strategies as they engage with younger audiences.

WNBA Jersey Patch Inventory

  • Jersey patch deals have become crucial revenue drivers for teams.
  • Examples of Recent Deals:
        - The Dallas Wings secured a sponsorship with CBS, marking their largest average annual value deal in history, reflecting their growing revenue streams, including a reported 115% increase in ticket sales from the previous year.
        - The Las Vegas Aces partnered with Ipsy, a beauty subscription service, emphasizing the alignment between fashion and the contemporary youth demographic that the brand targets.
  • There is a noted saturation in the jersey patch market, but the importance of negotiations and securing high-value sponsorships remains critical.
  • The NCAA has allowed schools to sell jersey patches for regular season games, though complexities around postseason patch legitimacy persist due to conflicting sponsorships.
  • NCAA President Charlie Baker mentioned optimism for a resolution addressing jersey patch conflicts before summer's end.

England's Women's Super League Innovation

  • The league will be the first to utilize match balls with embedded sensors to collect data.
  • Sensors will provide tactical and technical insights, tracking elements like ball speed and player trajectory.
  • This data collection could enhance fan experiences and engagement through sponsored activations.

Key Takeaways

  1. Continued viewership growth in women's basketball is beneficial for broadcasting networks and the NCAA, though not reaching Caitlin Clark's peak days.
  2. Seattle shows potential for NBA expansion, while Las Vegas may also have an ample market, contingent on facility upgrades and interests.
  3. Emerging technologies in sports, such as sensor-embedded soccer balls in England's Women’s Super League, will continue to evolve the way sports data is gathered and utilized.

Upcoming Events and Segments

  • Abe Van Horn will be at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, providing coverage and insights ahead of the major golf event.
  • The Par 3 Tournament at Augusta National is highlighted as a family-friendly event that acts as a warm-up before the major golf tournament takes place, historically noting that no winner of this contest has ever gone on to win the Masters.
  • Coverage will include platforms like Amazon Prime and CBS to ensure extensive reach for those interested in following the tournament this weekend.