Latest news with #Ourand
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Why the NFL's desire for a new media deal hurts the rest of the Big 4
The NFL has made no secret that it sees itself above rival leagues like the NBA, NHL and MLB. It's currently in the process of snatching Christmas Day away from the NBA, it holds the NFL Draft right when the NHL playoffs begin and it (rightfully) assumes everyone will turn off baseball once the regular season kicks off in September. That doesn't include the NFL turning the schedule release into a months-long drawn out process, either. So it's no surprise to see reporting from Puck's John Ourand this week that the NFL is considering renegotiating it's media rights deals. The league reportedly believes it will be better positioned by acting before their 2033 expiration to jump the line ahead of the other Big 4 North American leagues. According to Ourand, the NFL has an opt out in it's current media rights package in 2029 that many in the industry expect will be used. But there's another scenario that could create more trouble for the rest of the Big 4. Per Ourand: According to my sources, the league could approach the networks before the 2029 opt-out and try to renegotiate new deals. In this current configuration, the NFL would waive any opt-out provision and extend the current broadcast deals, which expire in 2033, for another year or two. A lot has to happen before the NFL actually moves forward with this kind of plan—starting with the closing of the Skydance-Paramount merger. But it would make a lot of sense for the league, allowing it to bring its rights to market before MLB and the NHL, whose rights deals come up in 2028. By cutting the line, the NFL could proposition streamers and legacy media companies before they spend their treasure on other sports rights. In other words, this plan would require networks to figure out how much they want to bid on rights packages for the NFL before allocating funds for MLB, NHL and NBA deals rather than the other way around. As for what this means those of us who just want to watch the games: Fans who are sick of having to pay for a billion (rough estimate) streaming services and extra channels just to watch their favorite non-NFL teams won't get much of a break if the NFL goes through with this plan. If the legacy networks shell out even more for the NFL, the other sports have to look for revenue elsewhere. The NFL sees the rest of the Big 4 getting ready to enjoy a nice, refreshing milkshake and The Shield plans to drink it up first. It's a ruthless move, but the kind we've come to expect from Roger Goodell's tenure as commissioner. The NFL is on top of the North American sports world and will do whatever it must to stay there.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL's global competition includes cricket
The NFL wants to become a global force. And the primary competition is soccer. But there's another sport that is more popular than our most popular sport, too. As noted by John Ourand of Puck, the Indian Premier League's final match generated 169 million viewers. That's more than 30 million more than the Super Bowl, and the most-watched cricket event in Indian history. Advertisement India's population exceeds 1.4 billion. That's more than three times the size of the United States. So there's greater saturation of the American market by American football. Still, as strange as it sounds, there are bigger sporting events than the Super Bowl. Ourand raises the question of whether it's time for cricket to make a dent in the American market. But the broader reality for the NFL is that there's plenty of work to do to take a dent out of other sports that currently generate far more interest beyond our borders. If the NFL can pull it off, a billion-dollar business will become a trillion-dollar business.
NBC Sports
18-06-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
NFL's global competition includes cricket
The NFL wants to become a global force. And the primary competition is soccer. But there's another sport that is more popular than our most popular sport, too. As noted by John Ourand of Puck, the Indian Premier League's final match generated 169 million viewers. That's more than 30 million more than the Super Bowl, and the most-watched cricket event in Indian history. India's population exceeds 1.4 billion. That's more than three times the size of the United States. So there's greater saturation of the American market by American football. Still, as strange as it sounds, there are bigger sporting events than the Super Bowl. Ourand raises the question of whether it's time for cricket to make a dent in the American market. But the broader reality for the NFL is that there's plenty of work to do to take a dent out of other sports that currently generate far more interest beyond our borders. If the NFL can pull it off, a billion-dollar business will become a trillion-dollar business.
NBC Sports
13-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC Sports
NFL explains its Saturday "Kids Zone" activation at National Mall
Well, at least we know they're still paying attention. After getting no response to three different emails sent this week regarding the hidden 61-page ruling in the collusion grievance, we heard from the NFL on Friday afternoon in response to an item posted based on a report from John Ourand of Puck. Ourand explained that the NFL will sponsor a 'Kids Zone' activation on the National Mall before Saturday's military parade. Citing the festival map, Ourand pointed out that the NFL is the only brand mentioned. The NFL has contacted PFT in response to the item that was posted on Friday morning regarding the proverbial minefield through which the league is tiptoeing. Here's the full content of the email: 'The NFL joins more than 30 companies in supporting the celebration of the Army's 250th anniversary tomorrow on the National Mall and our planning with the Army and USAA, a longtime NFL partner, has been underway for several years. 'The NFL's area will be a Salute to Service 'Kids Zone' activation, providing younger participants and military families the opportunity to engage in football drills and skills. The area will be open from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The parade begins at 6:30 p.m. ET. 'Other organizations on site include: USAA, Walmart, T-Mobile, GE Aerospace, Boeing and nonprofits like Gary Sinise Foundation and Wounded Warrior Project.' For whatever reason, only the NFL is mentioned on the map. For a very good reason, the NFL is sensitive to the potential impression that it is aligning itself with a polarizing administration. However, the NFL also must be careful not to alienate the administration.
NBC Sports
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
The CW says so long to Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL is on the outside looking in, again. A must-watch highlights repository in the days before the Internet, Inside the NFL has struggled in recent years. John Ourand of Puck reports that the show will be on the move, again. The CW held the rights to the weekly program for the past two years. It has decided not to renew the show. After an extended run at HBO, Inside the NFL spent 13 years at Showtime before a brief run at Paramount+. It's unknown where it will land in 2025. As Ourand notes, there aren't many options. Ourand adds that the league has opened talks with 'several interested parties,' but no announcement is imminent. Some network may view buying the show as a price to be paid to otherwise have a good relationship with the league. Still, the overriding question is whether anyone will watch. It never creates news, never moves the needle. Even with Bill Belichick on the show in 2024, it was a tree that fell in an empty forest. (Indeed, the only news it made last year came from the hiring of Belichick.) If the show is going to survive, it needs to be ripped down and reimagined. Highlights are everywhere. Debates are everywhere. Interviews are everywhere. Inside the NFL needs to come up with a fresh approach that gives the audience something that it wants — and something that it can't get anywhere else. In an ever crowded landscape of NFL media options, it's entirely possible that this is impossible. And the inescapa ble conclusion could be that there's no longer a seat at the table for Inside the NFL.
