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Morning Buzz

Published

5 months ago

August 20, 2025

Start your morning with Buzzcast with Austin Karp: ESPN DTC rolls out plans for NFL at launch; the Smiths look to create destination in downtown SLC; WNBA Cleveland gets its first team president; and could MLB.tv be headed to ESPN?

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run — A new batch of MLB rights deals is “close to being done,” according to sources. MLB Photos via Getty Images

A new batch of MLB rights deals is “close to being done,” but “things could still change,” according to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Kendall Baker on X. NBC/Peacock could be “in” for Friday and Sunday exclusive games as well as the Wild Card round, Netflix may be getting the Home Run Derby and MLB.TV could be “sold to ESPN” for a “boatload” of money. The deals are not “finalized.” There are some components of the deals — such as Apple TV+ possibly being “fully out” and NBC/Peacock being in for those Friday night exclusive games (that currently stream on Apple TV+) — that “are still more up in the air.” Apple “is a bit of a mystery” in the talks (X, 8/19). MLB declined comment (SBJ).

Starling Marte #6 of the New York Mets steals second base and avoids a tag from Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees — Yankees games on YES are averaging just under 292,000 viewers to date, whereas the Mets are just above 259,000 on SNY. Getty Images

Viewership of Yankees games on YES Network this season is now topping Mets games on SNY in the N.Y. market by 12%, according to updated measurement figures from Nielsen. After April, data showed that the Mets were on top, but that original data was not representative of total viewership figures for the Yankees’ RSN in the same way it likely was for the Mets RSN.

Yankees games on YES are averaging just under 292,000 viewers to date, whereas the Mets are just above 259,000 on SNY. YES Network games are also up 5% compared to Yankees games at the same point last season (just over 277,000). Almost half (49%) of games on YES Network have hit 300,000 viewers (it was 33% at this time in the 2024 season). Meanwhile, Yankees games on YES within the Gotham Sports app are seeing an 84% year-over-year increase.

The Yankees both sit in second in their respective divisions and both are 5.5 games back of first place (and would be Wild Card teams).

Tom Dundon, left, owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Charlie Ebersol, of the Alliance of American Football, speak to media before an NHL game against the New York Rangers. — A “target date of March 31, 2026, has been set for the close” of the sale of the Trail Blazers to Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon. Getty Images

A “target date of March 31, 2026, has been set for the close” of the sale of the Trail Blazers to Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon. A source said that Dundon’s group is “in the process of negotiating documents,” but “all major points have been agreed upon.” Dundon reached an “exclusivity agreement with Paul Allen’s estate, which means there will be no negotiations with other interested buyers.” The “hope is to have a purchase agreement signed in September.” Once a purchase agreement is reached, the NBA will “set a date for its Board of Governors to vote on the sale.” If the sale is “approved by the scheduled closing date of March 31, the new owners will take over with six games remaining in the 2025-2026 season.” The estate expressed a “desire for the team to stay in Oregon,” and the source said that the team “will remain in Portland.” However, the future of the Moda Center “is unclear.” The team has “signed a lease to continue playing its games in the arena through 2030, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has stated a new arena will likely need to be built” (THE ATHLETIC, 8/19).

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 07: An aerial view of the Delta Center on October 07, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) — The new indoor music venue is part of Smith Entertainment Group’s plans for a sports and entertainment district adjacent to the Delta Center. Getty Images

Smith Entertainment Group and Live Nation Entertainment have partnered to build a new indoor music venue in downtown Salt Lake City that is expected to host 200 events annually, including 100 concerts. The approximately 6,000 capacity venue is part of SEG’s plans for a sports and entertainment district between Delta Center and the Salt Palace Convention Center (SEG). SEG exec Mike Maughan said that the “demolition of portions of the Salt Palace Convention Center will begin in the first quarter of 2027.” The construction for the venue “will come after that, but SEG didn’t announce a timeline, other than noting the complex will be built in phases.” SEG bought a “chunk of the Salt Palace Convention Center at the end of April,” claiming “12 parcels of land — including the Salt Palace’s largest exhibit hall, a smaller exhibit hall and a connected parking garage” — for around $55.4M (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 8/19).

The downtown district will be “built with a combination of private and public funds,” with SEG to put $3B into “redeveloping a three-block area in the city center.” Salt Lake City “approved creation of the district, including raising sales tax in the city to help pay for downtown development.” The Delta Center will “continue to host concerts and other entertainment events for 12,000 to 19,000 attendees” (DESERET NEWS, 8/19).

Top brass from the Phillies, MLB and the Philadelphia government will meet today at Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication to “discuss the need for investments in youth baseball.” The “Dialogue on the Diamond” discussion will include Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski; former MLBers Jimmy Rollins and Doug Glanville; Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson; pioneering sportswriter Claire Smith and more. The coming of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game “could bring sorely needed repairs to city ballfields.” MLB “typically donates several million dollars to the host city of the All-Star Game for field renovations and events.” Investment “also could come from The Players Alliance,” a nonprofit group of 150 Black major-league players “who have sought to improve racial equity in baseball” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/19).

Nashville Stars Managing Partner John Loar details their business model rooted in real estate expertise, emphasizing venue and ballpark development for success in the Music City. Focusing on real estate opportunities, the model aims to create venues that drive revenue.

The first show airs Oct. 25, and the monthly editions will cover the sport from the youth level up to Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Getty Images CNBC will begin airing “The Fencing Show” in partnership with USA Fencing starting in October, giving the national governing body a regular media presence in season as well as advertising and sponsorship inventory during the broadcasts.The first show airs Oct. 25, and the monthly editions will cover the sport from the youth level up to Olympic and Paralympic athletes. USA Fencing will produce the show, which will focus on storytelling around those athletes, competition recaps and commentary on tactics of the sport.Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.Gamified fan engagement platform WIT Sports has acquired sports gaming platform Tally, a move that enhances WIT’s future ability to create real-time experiences around live games. Financial terms of the deal were not provided to SBJ. No outside firm was used by WIT during the acquisition.

WIT works with a majority of NFL teams (including the Ravens, 49ers and Browns) and 200-plus partners globally, producing more than 40 products now for first-party data acquisition and fan engagement.

WIT CEO Vaidhy Murti said he came across the former competitor in 2022, noticing a Tally predictive product that “was one of the most well-made games I had ever seen.” Former Tally CEO Bradley Vettese joins WIT as its chief growth strategist, an addition that Murti feels will help the startup continue its growth, specifically in the European, South American, and Australian markets from Vettese’s network in those regions.

Co-founded by Giants QB Russell Wilson in 2018, Tally uses free-to-play prediction and trivia games to help collect consumer data for teams, leagues, broadcasters and sportsbooks. They have worked with NFL teams like the Bills, as well as the Lakers and Sabres. Vettese is the only addition coming from Tally, Murti added, with most of Tally’s previous workforce consisting of contractors. WIT is based in N.Y. with a 40-person headcount of full-time employees.