Potential partners should Disney add investors in ESPN; PAC-12 commissioner on league's media rights and new Commanders' owner Josh Harris reveals plans as he takes over the team.
Well, if you have never been, put the Ojai Valley in on your bucket list. An incredible resort about 90 minutes north of Los Angeles, and it was a fantastic venue for a fantastic week for our Thought Leader Retreat and SBJ'S Thought Leader Retreat around tech leaders, both the events at Ojai Valley last week. Great discussion, great networking, and again, that is one resort you want to put on your hit list. And this is your Morning Buzzcast for Monday, July 24th. Good morning, I'm Abe Madkour. Thanks for listening to the Buzzcast.
A report late Friday originally from CNBC noted that Disney's CEO, Bob Iger, and ESPN President, Jimmy Pitaro, have held early talks about bringing professional sports leagues on as minority investors in ESPN. That includes Major League Baseball, the NFL and the NBA. Remember, this comes as Disney is considering a strategic partner for ESPN and sources said that ESPN has held preliminary discussions with both the NFL and NBA about a variety of new investment structures and possible partnerships. Now talks with the NFL have occurred in conjunction with the NFL's own desire for a company to take a stake in its media assets, including the NFL network and RedZone. The NHL may also want to get involved in any deal. So this is certainly interesting and noteworthy, but when you think about it, it's not that surprising. The leagues certainly want a very healthy ESPN, and Disney selling a steak in ESPN could give the company the capital and the cash it would need as it continues to acquire sports rights, including an upcoming renewal negotiation with the NBA, which is surely going to be a very big price tag. But ESPN, Bob Iger, Jimmy Pitaro, and Disney, having early talks about having sports leagues come on as minority investors in ESPN.
We saw a number of college conference media days last week, and today, Monday, the ACC will begin its media days here in Charlotte. SBJ's Michael Smith reports that the ACC has hired Wasserman to serve as its marketing and branding agency after a review of more than 15 agencies that submitted proposals. Now this won't result in any changes to the ACC's marks or logos, but Wasserman will help the ACC's brand strategy going forward, that could include creative executions like TV and radio ads. Now this hiring of Wasserman, of course, comes as the conference is moving its headquarters from its longtime home in Greensboro to Charlotte, beginning really in August. So the ACC began this process in January with a request for information, internal staff at the conference selected four final agencies to move forward from the 20 plus agencies that submitted. Wasserman has already worked with the ACC on a research and data collection effort to provide a deeper insight into the conference's brand and brand attributes, so expect to see some of the results of that and some of this new creative to roll out with the start of the football season.
Meanwhile, you had Pac-12 Commissioner, George Kliavkoff, meeting the media on Friday and said, while he had no news of a new media deal, he did say the longer the conference waits for a deal, the better options they see. He claimed that the media market has actually come back to the conference, and the conference has bidders at the table who weren't at the table as recently as three or six or nine months ago, and he said that the deals that the conference is seeing have gotten better the longer the conference has waited. He added that the Pac-12 is focusing on finalizing its media rights deal, having the schools agreed to a grant of rights, and then the Pac-12 will look at the possibility of expansion.
Let's move on. I have to give credit to new Commanders owner, Josh Harris, as he is saying and doing all the right things as he took over the team on Friday. During an event in front of more than 5,000 fans on Friday, Josh Harris acknowledged that changing the culture and turning around the organization is not going to be easy, but he noted his roots in the area, he noted his love of the team, and he introduced his stellar ownership group who promised to improve the club from the bottom up. Josh Harris said they are focusing on changing the culture of the Commanders, and while he did not rule out a change of the team's name in the future, he said that wasn't one of the team's top priorities. Now this ownership group is strong. They know what they are doing, and they are going to be one of the top stories to watch in sports business.
How amazing was Friday night for Major League Soccer and Inter Miami as Lionel Messi's debut was almost the stuff of a Hollywood movie script? A standing room only of more than 20,000 fans saw him score the winning goal. It was, like I said, a total storybook ending. Now, he played only 36 minutes, but it was the ending that had everybody talking, and the New York Times called his debut surreal, but also quite fitting. Now you'll see Messi's role and influence on not just the Miami marketplace, but also the entire, I think, southeast region, and on MLS, and it will be quite significant. Friday night was also a must attend event, and you had a handful of boldfaced names and celebrities at the stadium watching Messi's debut, including LeBron James, Serena Williams, David Beckham, and his wife, Victoria Beckham, musician Becky G, and many others. But boy, MLS could not have scripted a better start for Lionel Messi in Miami.
Staying with soccer, in what is considered not a surprise, PayPal Park in San Jose will be the initial home of the new NWSL team, Bay FC. Now, while the team does plan to build its own stadium at some point in the future, it has signed an agreement to spend at least its first five years at PayPal Park. Now that is an 18,000 seat facility, and of course the San Jose Earthquakes play there. Bay FC does plan to invest about $3 million to build a standalone facility adjacent to PayPal Park, that will include the team's offices, locker rooms, and more. Bay FC opens its inaugural season next spring.
Staying with more soccer, the Premier League has opened a business office in New York. Now this is the second international office, the EPL opened its first international office in Singapore in 2019. Now, the goal of the US office is obviously to build the EPL brand in the United States, look for this office to establish events, sell corporate partnerships, create content, all with the hope of amplifying the EPL brand and that of its teams. It has named a US managing director to lead the New York office, and this comes as the EPL kicked off its summer series with six clubs playing matches across five east coast cities. The early attendance numbers have been very strong. Manchester United kicked off the tour with a win over Arsenal at MetLife Stadium on Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of more than 82,000 fans. Meanwhile, there was also the first of three matches in Philadelphia on Saturday as Chelsea edged Brighton at Lincoln Financial Field in front of more than 65,000 fans. So early returns for the EPL Summer Series, quite healthy.
And finally, if you read one story over the weekend, read the Chicago Tribune's strong profile of New Chicago Bear CEO, Kevin Warren, as it gives a very good look at his style and approach. Now Kevin Warren has made it his goal, starting with his first day on the job, April 17th, to meet with every staffer of the Chicago Bears for 30 minutes, and this will continue through the end of the summer. Warren wants to learn everything he can about the Bear's organization from the people who work there. He believes that if he can take one important nugget from the more than 260 discussions he has with the employees, the organization will be able to make big gains. He says he's just looking for information through an employee's eyes. Through the end of June, Kevin Warren had completed more than 100 of the employee interviews, and his goal is finishing them before the season kicks off September 10th. Again, a good read on the leadership style of New Bears CEO, Kevin Warren, in the Chicago Tribune.
And that is your Morning Buzzcast for Monday, July 24th. I'm Abe Madkour. Thanks for listening to the Buzzcast. Stay healthy, be good to each other. I'll speak to you tomorrow.