SpringFB vs MLS tv ratings

[BattleHawks]

except NHL actually gets paid for it

[laxtreme56]

Disney paid for the XFL rights last year and I’d assume are doing the same for the UFL now. Of course there’s no actual rights fee from Fox since they own the league.

[4th&long]

Disney paid for the XFL rights last year and I’d assume are doing the same for the UFL now. Of course there’s no actual rights fee from Fox since they own the league.


 

From all reports the Disney $ were smallier in 2023 with an escalating contract over 5 year.   Disney has also been determined to be a part owner in XFL/UFL part of the 50% from Disney/Rk/RBC) from SBJ

As far as FOX (Disney too) - with the UFL now a JV, it's possible they are paying a fee, we may never know for sure.  They aren't just going to invest $ without the other 50% matching, and funds to operate have to come from somewhere.  But we really do not know, other than the basic ownership structure from SBJ.  Leveraging RBC/Fox existing backoffice and infrastructure may reduce need for direct funding.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/A ... rce=search

>>(Fox Sports owned all of the USFL at the merger, and Disney, Johnson and Garcia all joined RedBird in the XFL deal. Together, those five entities own the UFL.)

On the revenue front, the UFL has just a few commercial deals to date. It has a uniform and apparel deal with Under Armour, and an off-field apparel deal with MSX by Michael Strahan.

The league will have eight teams of 50 players each, and the total cost of salaries and housing stipends will be about $24 million. The league’s non-player headcount is 260.Fox and RedBird are providing key business services to the UFL, and may continue that indefinitely, Shanks said.

“We’re actually both providing services to this league, so the league itself is more profitable until it does stand on its own two feet, if it ever does,” Shanks said. “You may always get marketing help from Fox, you may always get sponsorship help from RedBird, that might be the right model going forward. We’re starting on second or third base with this thing because the infrastructure RedBird and Fox have, and the media expertise from ESPN and Fox.” <<

[4th&long]

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/0 ... n-tnt-abc/

>>Fueled by a big increase on ESPN, the NHL regular season was the most-watched in eight years — and the most-watched on cable in 30.

NHL regular season games averaged 504,000 viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT, up 8% from last year and the most-watched season since 2015-16 on NBC and NBCSN (505K). ESPN was the driving force behind the increase, as its average viewership increased 25% to 486,000. TNT was up 1% to 363,000 and ABC was actually down 8% to 934,000. <<

Going with SMW viewer #'s as the standard [EDIT: the reason why there was 919k on the other site - thenhlzone - was they weighed every game the same - the SMW figure is game length weighted (ie the actual number of minutes) and may include ESPN+ streaming.  SO both are correct and in actuality the 919k where each game weighted the same seems more common usage]

The TV contract is $625mm total with $400 Disney and $225 WBD (TNT).  Now that includes playoffs and streaming (mostly a benefit for ESPN+) but that in comparison to UFL and other non-Big4 sports NHL is the closest.

More on NHL TV ratings.

WBD for WCF Edmonton vs Dallas:
>>> Wednesday’s Stars-Oilers NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 4 averaged a combined 1.82 million viewers across TNT (1.76M) and truTV (65K), up 15% from Golden Knights-Stars on ESPN last year (1.58M) and the most-watched sporting event of the day. Compared to last year’s conference final on TNT, Panthers-Hurricanes in the East, Game 4 viewership declined 2% from 1.86 million. <<<

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/0 ... -wnba-mls/

Can the UFL regular season compete with NHL Playoffs?  If not fully can it get 70-80% of these numbers.  Granted the inventory of NHL games is larger so they get more games with higher ratings.  But they are paying $225mm a year (which in was signed in 2021) which now looks low especially with general economic and sports programming inflation in the last 3 years.

With the NWSL and WNBA TV deals what is the UFL worth?

[4th&long]

>>   Michael Mulvihill @mulvihill79 WNBA viewership season-to-date, all networks:
Caitlin Clark games - 1.184 mill
All other games - 428k
All games this time last year - 301k
  12:05 PM · Jun 25, 2024   <<

[4th&long]

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2024/1 ... aa-soccer/

MLS:

>> Last Saturday’s Galaxy-Red Bulls MLS Cup averaged 468,000 viewers across Fox and Fox Deportes, down 47% from last year’s edition (890K). English-language coverage averaged 427,000 viewers on the Fox broadcast, down 48% from 815,000 viewers last year (815K). Fox Deportes averaged just 41,000 viewers, down 45% from the 2023 MLS Cup broadcast.During the MLS Cup time slot, the entirety of Apple TV+ averaged just 287,000 viewers — up only slightly from around the 222,000 people that were watching the service the previous Saturday, according to John Ourand of Puck. <<

NHL:

>> Overall, TNT Sports’ NHL season average is currently down 24% vs. last season, but up 2% from the 2022-2023 season. <<

If UFL potentially improves or at least holds its own, it makes them more valuable vs these Sports IP