Amazon leans into alternate NFL broadcasts with “Dude Perfect” stream

The tech giant says the popular YouTubers will host an alternate video stream, attempting trick shots and world records in between plays, with other alternate broadcasts to come.

What's the deal?

Following the success of ESPN’s Peyton and Eli Manning-led “Manningcast” and Paramount’s Nickelodeon-themed NFL playoff game (and its own experience developing alternate audio feeds for NFL games), Amazon is planning a major push into alternative broadcast streams for the upcoming season of Thursday Night Football. The tech giant said that the hosts of Dude Perfect, the popular YouTube and social media trick shot personalities, will host an alternate stream this season.

The Dude Perfect feed will include video of the guys doing challenges and attempting world record tricks in between plays, joined by special guests. The cast members of Dude Perfect include Tyler Toney, twins Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, and Cody Jones. In particular, the Dude Perfect team would seem to appeal to a younger, or at least more family-friendly feed that kids and parents could watch together. This season is the first time that Amazon will have exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football, after having simulcast the games from broadcast partners in recent years.

The bottom line:

The rise of alternative NFL broadcasts comes amid a larger boom for NFL announcers, with names like Tom Brady, Troy Aikman and Joe Buck also among the announcers moving to new TV homes. But the Nickelodeon broadcasts and the Manningcasts changed the game, with every network eyeing their own takes for their NFL packages.

Read: The Hollywood Reporter

Women's Euro final smashes TV viewership records

As England's victorious players gathered Monday with thousands of fans in Trafalgar Square to celebrate their first European soccer championship, the BBC released stunning TV viewership figures that quantified just how much of the nation they'd captivated. England's 2-1 win over Germany in the Women's Euro final, the BBC said, was the most-watched program of any kind in the United Kingdom in 2022, and the most-watched women's soccer game ever in the UK. The peak audience of 17.4 million, plus 5.9 million streams online and on mobile, represented a roughly 34% share of the UK's entire population.

It topped the previous mark of 11.7 million viewers who watched England lose to the U.S. in the semifinals of the 2019 World Cup. The Euro final also set records in Germany. Public broadcaster ARD said that an average audience of 17.9 million watched the match, making it the most-viewed women's soccer game ever in Germany as well. It narrowly topped the 16.95 million fans who watched Germany lose to Japan in the 2011 Women's World Cup quarterfinals.In the U.S., the most-viewed soccer telecast ever remains the 2015 Women's World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan. That was watched by an average of 26.7 million people, and peaked at over 30 million viewers — numbers comparable to the BBC's for last summer's men's Euro final between England and Italy.

Read: Yahoo! Sports

Russell Westbrook gets into ad game with new media venture RW Digital

Basketball star Russell Westbrook is getting into the digital media sector, adding a new division to his business as he enters the advertising industry. The Los Angeles Lakers point guard, who makes investments and signs partnership deals through his Russell Westbrook Enterprises, is linking up with digital marketer Causal IQ to help connect advertisers with multicultural audiences through a new venture called RW Digital.

The business is staffed by dedicated teams from both companies and uses the ad tech firm’s back-end infrastructure. Early clients include PepsiCo Inc., AT&T Inc., American Airlines Group Inc. and A+E Networks. RWE is now involved in several business lines such as real estate, venture capital, insurance, education and fashion line Honor the Gift, which has collaborated with the likes of Nike Inc.’s Jordan brand and the NBA’s players union. Westbrook has also been in media, producing a History Channel documentary that debuted in May.

Read: AdAge

DirecTV, Amazon close in on 'Thursday Night Football' deal

DirecTV will carry “Thursday Night Football” to commercial establishments, including bars and restaurants, this NFL season, sources have told SBJ. Amazon holds the exclusive streaming rights to the NFL package, but it has agreed to have DirecTV carry it to bars and restaurants. Nothing has been signed and specific deal terms have not leaked. News of the pending deal will bring a sense of relief to restaurant and bar owners who were faced with the prospect of having to upgrade their video systems to handle streaming video. Some of the country’s biggest chain restaurants, like Buffalo Wild Wings, sources tell me, are not fully equipped to handle streaming video.

Other bars that have upgraded their video systems have run into latency issues, where it’s hard to sync the video going into different TV sets. As DirecTV walks away from the NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market package, look for the satellite company to focus more on supporting its commercial business for the next several years as bars and restaurants continue to upgrade their video to handle streaming services and Big Tech picks up more exclusive sports rights.

Read: Sports Business Journal

Excel Sports Management appoints Ryan Holcomb as its first Head Of Content

The sports agency Excel Sports Management, representing talent, brands and properties, has hired Ryan Holcomb as its first-ever Head of Content. Holcomb will be LA-based as he join the agency’s media division, Excel Media, which has recently put out docuseries highlighting the careers of two Excel clients, Joe Montana (Peacock’s Cool Under Pressure) and Derek Jeter (ESPN’s The Captain). His brief at the company will be to drive the creation and development of original content and programming for Excel and its clients.

Holcomb joins Excel from the World Surf League, where he served as the Executive Vice President of WSL Studios and led the league’s content division—developing programming, selling concepts and running branded content efforts. He there oversaw ABC’s The Ultimate Surfer, a co-production between the WSL and Pilgrim/Lionsgate, also helping to develop and sell a seven-part series about the WSL’s Championship Tour to Apple TV+, in partnership with Box to Box Productions (Drive to Survive). Holcomb is an exec producer on the series, titled Make or Break, which has been renewed for a second season.

Read: Deadline

EA SPORTS & LaLiga announce expansive new partnership with EA SPORTS FC as title sponsor of all LaLiga competitions

The Details

Electronics Arts Inc. and LaLiga, a leader in football entertainment, announced today they have entered into a one of a kind, multi-year partnership that will allow both parties to deliver groundbreaking experiences for global football fans. Starting in the 2023/2024 season, the partnership between EA SPORTS FC™ and LaLiga will include title naming rights for all LaLiga competitions, a complete rebrand of LaLiga with EA SPORTS including all logos, graphics, fonts and other visual elements, while also delivering new in-game integration, broadcast highlights, and joint commitments to supporting grassroots initiatives. This new partnership will encompass the first and second divisions of LaLiga (Spain’s top professional football competitions), LaLiga Promises (the league’s annual youth tournament) and eLaLiga.

Share today's edition with a friend who needs to look back at some of Vin Scully's best moments.