Game, set, unmatched
From The GIST Sports Biz (hi@thegistsports.com)
Sending love to LA
As deadly wildfires continue to spread across the Los Angeles area, local sports teams are shifting to safer locations. Tonight’s NFL playoff game between the LA Rams and Minnesota Vikings was moved to neighboring Arizona, while U.S. Soccer moved its January USWNT training camp to Florida.
Media
📺 Off the Venu
The GIST: Venu Sports — the bundled, sports-focused app created by Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery — was shelved Friday without ever hitting the market. After a year of legal battles, the premise of Venu continued to raise antitrust concerns, even after Disney dissolved its contentious lawsuit with FuboTV.
- Venu Sports’ parents may have sidestepped monopolistic concerns for now, but the app’s failure to launch leaves questions around how and even if sports streamers will be able to bundle up and reach cord-cutters.
The bundle: The trio — which owns the rights to over 60% of all live sports content in the U.S. — proposed the joint platform last February, with competing sports streamer FuboTV filing an antitrust lawsuit soon after. In August, a U.S. district judge sided with FuboTV and granted a preliminary injunction to block Venu, which was affirmed by the DOJ and 17 state attorneys general.
- FuboTV dropped its lawsuit as part of its 70% stake sale to Disney last week, but Disney’s purchase of its former foe reportedly raised eyebrows at the DOJ and other media companies. Drama.
The market: Demand for sports has kept cable alive in the streaming era, but it was uncertain how Venu would play out for the 118M Americans set to stream sports in 2025. The bundle’s selling point was access to 14 linear networks for a low(er) monthly price, but aggregating sports content could limit consumer choice and raise prices due to a lack of competition.
The future: Streamers pose a unique opportunity for sports — and advertisers — to reach global audiences beyond the traditional cable model. Leading worldwide streamer Netflix has seen success with its sports offerings: Its Mike Tyson–Jake Paul fight drew 108M live global viewers, and its Christmas Day NFL broadcasts averaged 26.5M viewers after selling out ad inventory.
- Still, fragmentation will continue to be a problem on both cable and streaming. Offering sports all in one place, like streaming device Roku does, certainly helps, but something like Venu is sure to field antitrust concerns. Still, never say never.
Tennis
🦉 What a hoot
The GIST: Yesterday, NYC–based investment firm Blue Owl Capital built on its unique US Open advertising strategy with a marquee tennis sponsorship spanning all four Grand Slams. The company will focus on partnering with lower-ranked challengers to optimize its bets for outsized ROI, while also leveling the endorsement playing field court. Game, set, unmatched.
The approach: Unlike typical season-long sponsorships, Blue Owl supported players on a match-by-match basis at the US Open last August. The firm analyzed the best opportunities for on-court upsets and teamed up with the underdogs, pasting its logo on a jersey patch for prime TV exposure. And if the player lost or the next match wasn’t as exciting, Blue Owl didn’t extend the deal.
- Rather than banking millions on big names, Blue Owl spent about $500K on jersey patches on 20 lower-ranked players. Its bets paid off when ATP world No. 186 Li Tu faced No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the first round and when No. 28 Alexei Popyrin defeated reigning US Open champ Novak Djokovic in their third round primetime match.
The expansion: In 2025, Blue Owl plans to spend an estimated $2M on jersey patches for men and women players across more than 100 Grand Slam matches. Plus, the company is following up its US Open advertising at NYC’s Grand Central Terminal and Times Square with adverts at Melbourne transit hubs to boost awareness in Australia and the Pacific region.
The why: Financial brands have long aced tennis marketing, but Blue Owl was able to reach customers at a low price point in prime matchups for maximum exposure. Hedging its bets isn’t just a smart way to save on sponsorship, but also flexes the company’s investment expertise.
- And in backing rising stars, this type of sponsorship allows athletes of all rankings to have a chance at brand endorsements in their biggest moments, which can only help level the sponsorship field for athletes in individual sports like tennis. Who doesn’t love an advantage?
💸 Australian Open sets financial tone for Grand Slams in 2025
Total prize money for the Melbourne tournament is up 12% YoY to a record $59.4M, more than double its prize money mark from 10 years ago. This continues the annual prize increase trend across all four majors, led by the 2024 US Open with a record $75M purse last August. Trendsetter.
⚖️ Title IX legislation remains vulnerable to impending Trump policies
On Thursday, a federal judge rejected the U.S. Department of Education’s proposal to make gender identity and sexual orientation protected classes under Title IX. This was the Biden administration’s latest attempt to expand Title IX protections to LGBTQ+ students, giving them legal recourse to combat discrimination and assault in schools.
- But Republican lawmakers have been adamant about stopping the legislation, with the House blocking the bill last July. And unfortunately with a Trump presidency on the horizon, the tide is expected to turn — the House already fast-tracked a bill to change the statute’s language to only refer to biological sex.
🏒 Yesterday’s Minnesota Frost–Montréal Victoire game set a new U.S. attendance record for a pro women’s hockey game when 14K fans showed up to the PWHL’s Takeover Tour’s Denver stop. Icy style tournaments.
💼 Meta named UFC chief and Trump ally Dana White to its board of directors and dissolved its DEI programs, marking a policy shift ahead of a Trump presidency.
📱 TikTok parent ByteDance saw a 150% surge in December downloads for its lifestyle app, Lemon8, ahead of the potential TikTok ban scheduled to take effect January 19th.
🚫 The U.S. government skipped its $3.6M annual payment to the World Anti-Doping Agency, which could impact Salt Lake City’s eligibility to host the 2034 Winter Olympics.
👀 Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner highlighted how Unrivaled’s ability to gather resources quickly — including key partnerships and $35M in funding — could put pressure on the WNBA. Hmm.
🏛️ The National College Players Association requested to withdraw its unfair labor practice charge against USC, the Pac-12, and the NCAA as student-athlete unionization efforts cool in anticipation of Trump’s presidency.
💼 Just Women’s Sports named Courtney Burgess as head of brand partnerships and Ryan Cole as director of social media.
💰 Sports betting platform DraftKings is piloting a premium subscription service in New York. Cha-ching.
Recs from our roster!
💚 What can help you relax
Cycling Frog’s Wintergreen THC Mints. With only 1mg of THC but 5mg of therapeutic CBD, these little guys are the perfect way to explore cannabis microdosing. Plus, they come in the cutest tin.*
⚽ Who’s hanging out
USWNT legends in a playful showdown. Kelley O’Hara posted a hilarious hanging challenge featuring Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, and more retired stars. Her advice? Only suggest games you know you can win.
📊 How to help your workflow
With Notion. Favored by The GIST for its organizational prowess, it’s a great tool for streamlining tasks and optimizing efficiency.
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