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Axios
19-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Sports rights boom lifts media companies beyond major broadcasters
Major sports events benefit media companies beyond the main rights holders, executives from Fox-owned Tubi and Roku Media told Axios at an event in Cannes on Wednesday. Why it matters: The value of sports rights have soared as media companies bid for assets they hope will retain audiences in a competitive landscape. What they're saying: The interest in athletes can drive interest in related programming. "One thing we know about Gen Z audiences is they care as much sometimes about these athletes, the stories behind the athletes — what we call shoulder content and programming — as they do the live event," Tubi CEO Anjali Sud said. Roku can help audiences track down games and their favorite programming as the "front door to television," said Charlie Collier, president of Roku Media. "Before Caitlin Clark blew up, we absolutely made sure that we got our viewers to those games on ION. It wasn't our rights, but it was absolutely our right to elevate that pop cultural moment," Collier said. Zoom in: Tubi is investing more in this type of content with a Naomi Osaka documentary slated for August and a docuseries on NFL No. 1 draft pick Cam Ward. "I think it's just recognizing that beyond the die-hard sports fans, there are people who are in it for the culture, and we access some of that with compelling stories and content and build that momentum," Sud said. What to watch: Sud said Tubi would be interested in acquiring its own live sports rights beyond what Fox already has "if we could make the math work." "But it's very expensive today, and I think it's a hard strategy in this current environment to scale," she said.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fox Weather Taps Sponsors to Help Keep Viewers After Storms Pass
Fox Weather executives know the outlet's audience will tune in when severe conditions hit their region. Now they are working on ways to get them to stick around when conditions are calm. On Wednesday, the broadband outlet will feature a 'Beach House' scene sponsored by lifestyle fashion outlet Tommy Bahama, which is known for its summer clothes and beachwear. Viewers will get to see the retailer's flagship New York store. 'We are continuing to do the show we would have done in the studio,' says Jason Hermes, vice president of marketing and client partnership sales, during a recent interview. 'But we are doing it from a backdrop' that will put viewers in mind of kicking off the summer. More from Variety Martin Scorsese's 'The Saints' Gets Second Season at Fox Nation Let Us Pray: Fox News Opens Interactive Cathedral to Boost Martin Scorsese's 'Saints' Fox Nation Aims to Make Name in Faith-Based Programming With 'God. Family. Football.' This isn't Fox Weather's first foray into weaving advertisers into its programming. Earlier in the year, the outlet tapped outdoors retailer Eddie Bauer to sponsor 'Ski House' settings, and Hermes says there is an effort to focus on football tailgates in the fall that could use a central sponsor. At Fox Weather, part of Fox News Media, the new sponsored segments are seen as something that can keep viewers coming even when news isn't in breaking mode, which may contain worrisome images of severe weather. 'A lot of brands are very skeptical running commercials around news and not being able to control what's going on' says Hermes. 'But there are things we can control that are still editorially driven.' Fox Weather has placed new emphasis in recent months on retaining viewers who first visit due to breaking news, says Sharri Berg, president of the media outlet. The outlet keeps correspondents on the ground in areas affected by weather after winds and rains have stopped, she says, so they can tell the story of how communities rebuild. 'That's been a big differentiator for us,' she notes. 'We don't parachute in and leave.' Fox Weather launched in 2021, a bid to capture the interest of viewers as extreme weather events like hurricanes, tornadoes and heat spikes are projected to become more common. There are plenty of weather-news options for consumers, who have long been familiar with Allen Media's Weather Channel. Fox, however, built Fox Weather with modern media users in mind; the service is available on outlets ranging from YouTube TV to Amazon Fire, as well as a mobile app. At times, Fox Weather is simulcast on Fox-owned TV stations and even Fox Business and Fox News. Neither Tommy Bahama or Eddie Bauer is the biggest of video advertisers, but the four-year-old Fox Weather captured the interest of marketing executives by offering to align their messages with seasonal events to help drive sales. Media outlets that have yet to reach full maturity often have the capacity to test things for sponsors that more established venues would not. In 2005, for example, a cable network once known as VH1 Classic hooked consumer-products giant Procter & Gamble by letting it run both vintage and modern adds for its Pepto-Bismol during a program that featured both old and current videos from pop musicians. The network, then owned by Viacom, let kosher foods manufacturer Manischewitz sponsor a Passover-themed program that featured Jewish rock stars sitting around a Passover Seder table. The early days of a media outlet can often be the ones when longstanding advertising alliances are formed. Marketers who get in early with nascent media properties can often win favorable rates or hard-to-secure integrations, and a relationship built in the first years of existence can develop into something bigger as time marches on. Fox Weather's Hermes says he had a long list of potential clients to call for the Summer House concept. Tommy Bahama was the first. By the time he had finished making an initial outreach to one of the company's marketing executives, he says, he knew he wouldn't have to call anyone else. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Conservative outlet says WNBA denied them press passes to games
Anti-trans 'activist' Riley Gaines and the Fox-owned sports news outlet OutKick claim they are being unfairly targeted by the WNBA. Gaines and OutKick insist they were denied press credentials for two recent Atlanta Dream games and allege that the WNBA is trying to suppress their reporting. Advertisement Gaines, who never became a professional swimmer after leaving college, rose to fame among Republicans after publicly targeting trans former NCAA swimmer Lia Thomas and now has an OutKick podcast where she frequently talks about trans athletes in women's sports. Recently, she has been laser-focused on the WNBA's Brittney Griner, claiming that the Atlanta Dream star center called Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark 'trash' and a 'f*cking white girl' based on Gaines' lip-reading from footage of the game where Griner's statements couldn't be heard. Gaines also implied that Griner didn't deserve to be rescued from a Russian prison back in 2022, Them reported. It's this allegation that Gaines says the WNBA is trying to cover up by keeping her from attending games as press. In an Instagram post over the weekend, Gaines claimed that the WNBA was 'self-imploding' and was attempting to 'suppress any uncomfortable inquiries.' Advertisement Sports writer Jemele Hill disputed Gaines' version of the game, writing on X that Clark wasn't even part of the play Griner was seemingly frustrated by, and that she was actually talking about the referee and said 'trash' and 'f*cking wack call.' 'I get that your whole personality is caught up in stuff like this, so you don't care about spreading misinformation,' she wrote. Gaines and OutKick, which is owned by the Fox Corporation that also owns Fox News, claim that the WNBA is targeting them because they are the only ones reporting on the supposed things Griner said about Clark. The meritless claims about Griner made by Gaines and OutKick have fueled the flames of hate that Black players like Griner and Angel Reese have experienced from right-wing commentators, social media, and even WNBA fans who have been heard making racist comments at a game . Advertisement OutKick attempted to gain press credentials for the Dream's game against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 27 and a second game against the Connecticut Sun. The outlet told Fox News that they were denied access in an email from the Sun, where they were told, "Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate your request for a media credential for Connecticut Sun vs. Atlanta Dream on Friday, June 6. Due to very limited space, priority is given to those that are associated with outlets that have consistently covered the organization for previous seasons." Gaines has turned her ultra-conservative views into a career, becoming a paid 'culture war' speaker. According to GLAAD , Gaines' anti-trans hate is well-documented. She has declared a 'Real Women's Day' holiday, was part of a lawsuit to challenge trans eligibility in college sports, launched the Project BOYcott campaign to 'celebrate' female athletes who refuse to compete against trans women and girls, and travels nationwide speaking at panels advocating against trans people. She is also currently embroiled in a controversy with Simon Biles, after Biles defended trans athletes in the face of Gaines' misgendering and criticizing a trans high school athlete.
Axios
13-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Free TV is booming
David Letterman, Chuck E. Cheese and 50 Cent are all promoting their own TV channels with one crucial common denominator — they're free. Why it matters: "This is the new default TV experience," Sarah Nelson, global head of strategic partnerships at Samsung TV Plus, told Axios. "People are abandoning linear. Subscription services have sort of reached saturation. People are really looking for premium content and experience that's super lean back, frictionless, easy to access and at no cost to them," Nelson said. Driving the news: Streamers have grown their reach and revenue by embracing ads. Amazon said the ad-supported tier of Prime Video reaches 130 million U.S. customers on Monday at its Upfront presentation for advertisers. Later today, Netflix — once famously anti-advertising — will host a formal Upfront. But free TV dominated the sales pitches during last week's NewFronts, the annual advertising event for digital-focused companies. Samsung touted its free, ad-supported television (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus including from Letterman, the Jonas Brothers and Billboard. Other TV makers like LG and Vizio presented their FAST services along with content providers like Vevo, Revry and Dr. Phil's Merit TV. During Fox-owned Tubi's event, actor Noah Beck credited the "lack of paywall" to why his movie, "Sidelined: The QB and Me," went viral across social media. "Anyone's able to just jump in and watch a show or a movie, and I think that alone just helps to spread. It's so easy to watch," he said. By the numbers: FAST isn't new, but the number of channels and viewership is rising. An estimated 1,755 FAST services are available in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Canada, as of May 5, up 17% since June 2024 and 67% since June 2023, according to Gracenote. Nielsen said Pluto TV, Paramount's FAST service, was the first to appear in The Gauge, its monthly analysis of TV consumption, in August 2022. PlutoTV viewership is up 15%, Tubi's up 21% and The Roku Channel's up 67% since April 2024, per Nielsen. Yes, but: YouTube captures the most streaming viewership on TVs, per Nielsen. Building a FAST channel can be a significant investment — more so than uploading new or old programming on YouTube or social channels. How it works: FAST's value lies in the scaled audience, curation and control, where publishers and brands can lean into fandom. "We've been doing Facebook. We've been doing YouTube. That doesn't change. This is just another place for us," Billboard CEO Mike Van told Axios. " More so than ever, people's attentions are fragmented. We need to be meeting them everywhere they are." "There's a lot more control that you have in [a FAST] environment, which you own and operate, versus a YouTube," Vikrant Mathur, CEO of Future Today, a streaming channel provider that's supporting Chuck E. Cheese's FAST launch, told Axios.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
4 Dead in Mother's Day Apartment Fire in Milwaukee, Residents Jump from Building to Escape: Officials
Four people died after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Milwaukee on Sunday, May 11, authorities have said "We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire that occurred," the Milwaukee Fire Department wrote in a Facebook post The fire department confirmed that people jumped from the residential building in an attempt to escape the blazeFour people have died after a fire broke out at an apartment building in Milwaukee on Mother's Day, authorities have confirmed. On the morning of Sunday, May 11, the blaze tore through a four-story residential building in the city's Concordia neighborhood, the Milwaukee Fire Department confirmed in a Facebook post. The American Red Cross, which is helping those displaced or in need of support following the tragedy, said in a Facebook post that the incident happened near 27th Street and Highland Boulevard. "We are deeply saddened by the tragic fire that occurred," the MFD wrote. "Four lives were lost, and many others have been displaced and deeply affected by this heartbreaking event. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this tragedy," the fire department added. The MFD's post included, "We also extend gratitude to the first responders dispatched from additional municipalities who responded to assist and act quickly with courage, compassion, and integrity." In a media briefing, Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski confirmed the fire department responded to the blaze just before 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, per a clip shared by Fox-owned local station WITI's Fox 6 Milwaukee. He added that four people had been transported to the hospital in critical condition; approximately 30 people were rescued. Lipski said that the building, which was built in 1968, did not have a sprinkler system, per the Associated Press. It had been constructed before it was legally required to have one installed, the news agency stated. 'If we had sprinklers in the building, we would have stopped the fire very, very small. We would not of had to have people jumping out of windows,' he said, AP noted. "We would not have had to [pull] people out of windows. We would not have had to have dragged people down hallways to rescue them and we would have not had four fatalities today." Multiple other residents were treated for lesser injuries in the blaze, which has left the building "completely uninhabitable," Lipski said, per the Fox 6 Milwaukee clip. The fire chief estimated around 200 people could have been displaced from the 85-unit building amid the fire. The firefighters who initially arrived on the scene were 'far, far outmatched' by the flames, the AP reported, citing Lipski. "Our firefighters, ascending from the second floor to the third floor were fighting fire blowing down the stairwell at them. If you know anything about fire, it doesn't normally travel downward," Lipski added, per Fox 6 Milwaukee. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. One of the building's residents, James Rubinstein, recalled escaping from the fire. "There was so much smoke. I climbed out the courtyard with my cat in my backpack. [I] jumped to the ground floor and ran out," Rubinstein said, according to the outlet. An investigation is underway, and the fire's cause is yet to be announced. "We stand with our Milwaukee community in this time of grief and healing," the MFD concluded in its Facebook post. The MFD didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. Read the original article on People
