Same old story

The GIST: On Friday, Sportico broke the news that the NWSL and its players’ union, the NWSLPA, had quietly agreed on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in effect through at least 2030. It’s a smart play for both sides as the NWSLPA pushes for improved conditions and the league looks to get ahead of labor demands as it expands. It’s just good business.

The details: Specific details aren’t available yet — league and union representatives are waiting for players to share on their own terms — but sources revealed a few vague aspects of the deal. The new CBA will follow the current one once it expires after the 2026 season, although some parts of the deal will kick in sooner.

• The new agreement reportedly includes increased pay for players and more freedom in player movement, a positive development for a league still learning from its free agency system instituted only two years ago.

• Notably, the new CBA will cover the league when it negotiates a new media deal in 2027 — one that is expected to surpass the historic $240M deal secured last year. Without a CBA in place in 2027, NWSL players could potentially hold out until terms are met — and if the league is making millions more, it would be tougher to argue against new CBA conditions.

The growth: As the NWSL grows in value, so does the NWSLPA’s leverage. And although the league has started to pass on its gains to players with moves like doubling its salary cap this January — which resulted in several record player contracts — it's critical to use that leverage to get things in writing.

Zooming out: The NWSL may be new to the CBA game after signing its first one in 2022, but it’s made strides in a few short years. Coming back to the negotiating table preemptively is something other leagues could learn from, especially the WNBA, which just signed its own massive $2.2B media rights deal and the WNBPA able to opt out of its CBA this November. Studying the tapes.

The GIST: One thing that seems to get better with time? NBCUniversal’s viewership numbers during the 2024 Paris Olympics. On Friday, NBCU shared metrics through the previous 14 days of programming, with the latest data proving that Team USA primetime victories are always a ratings winner. Same old story.

👀 NBC’s 14-day primetime viewership averaged 31.6M viewers. Starting with the Opening Ceremony on July 26th, which drew an audience of 28.6M, the average viewership during Paris and U.S. primetime periods over 14 days of competition was up 77% from Tokyo’s 17.8M during comparable times.

📱 Peacock led a historic 20.3B minutes of streamed coverage in Paris. These numbers are up 21% from Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 combined. Previous Olympics drew a total of 16.8B minutes across NBC’s digital platforms, but it’s worth noting that Peacock has only been leveraged in Olympic coverage since 2021.

💪 NBC finished last Thursday strong with 28.5M viewers across its platforms. That’s nearly double the viewers for the comparable Thursday of competition in Tokyo, which drew 14.5M. Thursday’s Olympic events included plenty of track and field, along with 13.5M viewers tuning in for Team USA’s close men’s basketball semifinal win over Serbia.

📈 Team USA women athletes drove the gold medal count and NBC viewership. Around 12.7M fans tuned in for Simone Biles and her teammates on July 30th, while track and field wins from hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall headlined NBC’s Thursday highlights.

• And with Team USA’s women’s soccer and basketball gold medal wins over the weekend, expect big viewership numbers driven by NWSL and WNBA stars. The women’s hoops team won its eighth straight gold medal, while the USWNT’s gold medal game against Brazil boasted 26 total NWSL stars. Talk about free advertising.