News: Super Bowl ads, Streameast, Fox Sports and more

NBC sells out of its Super Bowl LX advertising inventory; Streameast has been shut down; and a lawsuit involving various former Fox Sports employees has reportedly been settled. Plus news on Cliff Drysdale, the NBA All-Star Game, Dan Hurley and ESPN.

NBC sells out Super Bowl LX ad inventory

NBCUniversal has sold out of advertising inventory for Super Bowl LX a few months after AdWeek had reported that the price of a 30-second ad climbed to $8 million. The entertainment, finance, CPG (consumer-packaged goods) and alcohol categories were among the top spenders. were among the top categories investing.

NBCU, which has also sold out 90% of its other NFL inventory, announced that the upcoming NFL campaign will mark its highest grossing season to date with revenue increases across all platforms. That comes after NBCU generated a 15% increase in advertising commitments in the news, sports and entertainment genres during the May Upfronts.

There will be over 150 partners embedded within the programming for Sunday Night Football this season, including nearly 40 who are new. NBCUniversal has also “sold out of all key sponsorships” in the NFL lineup, including Toyota as the sponsor for halftime. NBCUniversal will be embarking on a February programming slate that includes Super Bowl LX, along with the Olympic Games Milan Cortina 2026 and the NBA All-Star Game in a 17-day stretch.

Illegal streaming platform Streameast shut down

The illegal streaming platform “Streameast” has been shut down in collaboration with Egyptian authorities, it was announced by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) on Wednesday. The network of 80 associated domains had generated over 1.6 billion visits over the last year, making it the world’s largest illegal live sports streaming operator. Traffic to the domains is said to have primarily originated from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Philippines and Germany. An operation took place on Sunday, Aug. 24 that sought to disrupt the “dominant position” Streameast held in the marketplace, according to a report by Adam Leventhal of The Athletic.

“Today, ACE scored a resounding victory in its fight to detect, deter, and dismantle criminal perpetrators of digital piracy: by taking down the largest illegal live sports platform anywhere,” Charles Rivkin, chairman of ACE and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, said in a statement. “With this landmark action, we have put more points on the board for sports leagues, entertainment companies, and fans worldwide—and our global alliance will stay on the field as long as it takes to identify and target the biggest piracy rings across the globe.”

The platform granted users illegal access to various soccer matches within the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship and CONMEBOL Copa América among other competitions. Furthermore, the platform gave users the unauthorized ability to view matches from European entities such as the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga. The website also provided a means to access other piracy websites illegally streaming American sports leagues, including games within the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, along with pay-per-view boxing, motorsports and mixed martial arts competitions.

“Dismantling Streameast is a major victory for everyone who invests in and relies on the live sports ecosystem,” Ed McCarthy, COO of DAZN Group, said in a statement. “This criminal operation was siphoning value from sports at every level and putting fans across the world at risk. We commend the Egyptian authorities and ACE for their action in bringing down the world’s largest illegal sports streaming operation.”

Settlement reportedly reached in suit filed by former FS1 hairstylist

The lawsuit filed by a former FS1 hairstylist that accused former host Skip Bayless and former EVP Charlie Dixon of making unwanted sexual advances has reportedly been settled. Plaintiff Noushin Faraji was seeking unspecified monetary damages in a suit that also listed former FS1 host Joy Taylor as a defendant and contained a class-action provision. In the original lawsuit, Faraji also alleged that Fox Sports executives Mark Silverman, Eric Shanks and the FOX legal team “worked hard to protect perpetrators by forcing individuals who were witnesses to or targets of misconduct and/or harassment to sign nondisclosure agreements upon separation from employment.”

Faraji has moved to dismiss the claims regarding sexual battery, hostile work environment and retaliation, but her lawyers will continue with the prospective class action pertaining to the “failure to pay minimum wage on behalf of other workers,” according to Winston Cho of The Hollywood Reporter. Terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, and Fox stated that it is “pleased that this matter has been resolved,” adding that there would “be no further comment.”

Bayless denied the allegations in the lawsuit and left the network after his show, “Undisputed,” was canceled last summer. Taylor is no longer hosting on FS1 either as her show “Speak” was cancelled as part of larger lineup changes at the network.

Dixon was named as a defendant in another lawsuit filed by former host Julie Stewart-Binks that was resolved this past July. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported this past April that Dixon was “out at FS1,” and a company spokesperson shared that he was no longer with Fox Sports. Dixon had reportedly been placed on leave in February, according to Katie Strang and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. An attorney for Dixon said that he was let go for violating company policy and that it was “noteworthy that a Fox spokesperson made no reference to the company investigation of sexual harassment claims in announcing Mr. Dixon’s departure.”

Plus: Cliff Drysdale, NBA All-Star Game, HBO Max, ESPN

• Longtime ESPN tennis commentator Cliff Drysdale is retiring following the US Open tournament, concluding his 46-year tenure with the network. Drysdale was part of the first tennis telecast in ESPN history when the United States faced Argentina in the Davis Cup.
• The NBA All-Star Game is reportedly likely to feature a round-robin tournament featuring three eight-player teams (two USA, one World team) playing 12-minute quarters, according to ESPN NBA reporter Shams Charania. Team owners, executives and players are said to have responded positively at a Competition Committee meeting on Wednesday, per Charania.
• University of Connecticut men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley had “very preliminary talks” about moving into television analysis with Fox Sports after last season, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
• ESPN has announced that it has re-signed NFL national reporters Sal Paolantonio and Dan Graziano, continuing their contributions to programming such as “Sunday NFL Countdown.” The company has also reportedly added Vincent Goodwill to its NBA coverage where he will report on the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets while maintaining a national emphasis, according to Michael McCarthy and Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports.