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Fan Fact
Demand for WNBA NFTs on the NBA Top Shot marketplace has surged in recent months. The Dapper Labs-owned platform found that 58% of collectors believe the launch of WNBA digital collectibles on the platform has caused them to become more interested in the league.
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There will be one more game together (FIFA 23) and then the two parties will go their separate ways. EA Sports will keep the game, FIFA will keep the name. But what happens next?
What's the deal?
EA Sports moved first, announcing the start of the ‘EA Sports FC’ brand, under which its future games will be released. It was also quick to address the question that immediately popped into the mind of every worried gamer: Will it still be able to use real club and player names? CEO Andrew Wilson’s carefully-written press release makes mention of EA Sports’ many “partners” in the first, second and fifth of its five paragraphs, before pointedly quoting those aforementioned partners as they lined up to swear fealty to the brand.
World football’s governing body announced it had “diversified” its gaming rights, that it had new “non-simulation” games planned for the crucial pre-World Cup finals third quarter of this year and that it was “engaging with publishers, studios and investors on the development of a major new simulation football title for 2024.”
The bottom line:
EA is believed to be making a third of its $5.6 billion annual revenues from this game alone, and FIFA apparently wanted a much bigger slice. Given the cost, both in resources and time, of building an entirely new gaming franchise, this may prove to be an extremely expensive error.
Read: The Athletic
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Tom Brady will join Fox Sports as its lead NFL analyst when his playing career ends. Fox did not disclose terms of Brady's deal, but the New York Post reported that the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback has agreed to a 10-year, $375 million contract -- the most lucrative in sports broadcasting history.
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced the news Tuesday during a corporate investor call. Brady will call games alongside lead play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and will work as an "ambassador" for Fox with a focus on "client and promotional initiatives." Murdoch said it's "entirely up to" Brady when he decides to retire from football and join Fox. Brady, who turns 45 in August, becomes the latest superstar quarterback to pursue a post-retirement media career.
Read: ESPN
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Coverage of Sunday's Formula One Miami Grand Prix on ABC averaged 2.6 million viewers, marking the largest U.S. audience ever for a live F1 telecast, ESPN announced. The previous record for a live race telecast was 1.744 million for the 1995 Brazilian Grand Prix on ESPN. The live telecast peaked at 2.9 million viewers.
The only Formula 1 race to score better ratings in the United States than the Miami Grand Prix was a tape-delayed broadcast of the 2002 Monaco Grand Prix. F1’s number of U.S. races will expand to three in 2023 with the addition of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. F1’s new races in the U.S. come amid rapid viewer growth. The Miami race was undoubtedly the biggest event in sports over the weekend as well. Celebrities like Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, David Beckham, and others were in attendance as F1 raced on a temporary circuit built around the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium.
Read: The Athletic, Yahoo Sports
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Do you ever wonder how brands always seem to chime into the cultural conversation at the right time with scroll-stopping branded graphics that both fans and brand partners?
We know the secret.
Smart software integrations like the PhotoShelter + Slate integration allow creative teams to be more, well, creative, while simultaneously giving social media creators the autonomy to create on-brand content to post anytime.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how the PhotoShelter + Slate integration works:
- Brand designers or social media creatives create graphic templates and elements (icons, logos, etc.)
- Branded templates and graphic elements are uploaded to the brand’s Slate account.
- From there, a social media manager or community manager can browse their PhotoShelter media library within the Slate app.
- Then they can choose an asset and add a custom template or some branded elements to complete the visual.
- Lastly, they can seamlessly post customized content to their social media accounts.
PhotoShelter’s SVP of Marketing, Scott Fedonchik sat down with Eric Stark, Slate’s Co-Founder and President, to discuss Slate’s innovative product journey and the power of possibility in smart product partnerships. Watch the full session or scan the highlights by clicking below.
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Pepsi is teaming with Yum Brands chains Pizza Hut and KFC for activations related to soccer star Paul Pogba as the UEFA Champions League competition nears its close. Together with Pizza Hut and production firm Tool of North America, the soft drink marketer developed an augmented reality mobile game in the runner genre that puts players in the shoes of Pogba as he dribbles the ball and slides under obstacles to obtain points in the form of Pepsi and Pizza Hut icons. “Score with Pogba” can be accessed by scanning QR codes on select products, points of sale and through a microsite.
Participants who rack up points in “Score with Pogba” have the chance to land on a leaderboard and create a custom player card showing off their stats to share on social media. The experience is available in 20 countries and accessed through special packaging and in-store collateral, bridging mobile and real-world marketing elements.
Read: Marketing Dive
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Twitter’s biggest news was a new partnership with Fox Sports, which will produce and distribute exclusive content on the platform for all matches in the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 tournaments. The company also announced new and expanded deals with E! News, the WNBA, Condé Nast, Essence, and Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Revolt for the expanded lineup of newly announced programming.
Under its deal with Twitter, Fox Sports will for the first time present in-match previews, near real-time highlights, and live pregame shows for the World Cup matches in 2022 and 2023 exclusively for Twitter via @FOXSports and @FOXSoccer. The productions will feature analysis from Fox Sports personalities, including interactive Q&As and weekly live audio events in Twitter Spaces.
Read: Variety
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- BUSINESS: Arctos Sports Partners closed their investment into global consulting firm Elevate Sports Ventures.
- GEN Z: NHL is now accepting applications for the fourth straight year for their youth advisory board for fans ages 13-17.
- NFTs: DraftKings teamed up with NFT company Metabilia looking to continue capturing the rising demand for digital sports collectibles.
- VIEWERSHIP: Turner Sports and ESPN has grown female NHL viewership numbers 73% and 56%.
- MEDIA: SportsBubble launched the WatchSports app to help users find professional and college sports as well as esports at any time of day.
- PUBLISHERS: The New York Times acquisition of The Athletic brought them 1.1 million subscribers and has added 16,000 net subscribers in the two months since its acquisition, but profits are a problem.
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UKG, National Women’s Soccer League announce historic multi-year partnership to help close gender pay gap
The Details
UKG, a leading provider of HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions for all people, and the National Women’s Soccer League announced a historic, multi-year partnership, making UKG the first-ever title sponsor of the NWSL Challenge Cup, increasing the Cup bonus pool tenfold in 2022, and the total pool will more than double again in 2023. The 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup will be the first-ever women’s professional soccer tournament to achieve pay equity with its U.S. peers in the men’s game.
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Share today's edition with a friend who wants Doris Burke to call the NBA Finals.
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Emily Black
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5 min read