The NBA’s Year-Round Content Play, An Ambitious New Plan for ESPN and Cricket’s American Dream

Each week, we sift through a ton of content and then debate it ad nauseam at FEVO HQ. And since good content, like the mind, is a terrible thing to waste, we are also sharing it here with you, our fans, in the form of this weekly blog post on e-commerce, media and life on the internet.

CBS: A new cricket league is underway in the busy US sports market

An upstart organization known as Major League Cricket is betting that the wildly popular game outside of the U.S. can find an audience stateside. The league currently has $120 million in funding and a handful of Indian Premier League owners helping to run the clubs, and they’re also paying competitive salaries that have successfully lured a number of big-name players. It will be interesting to see how the league is marketed, whether it will be positioned as a leisure game or an exciting sport, and what the youth initiatives will be to drive young fan participation. With social media, new sports are only a few viral hits away from kickstarting lasting interest.  

CNBC: ESPN held talks with NBA, NFL and MLB in search for strategic partner

As Disney looks to unbundle ESPN from cable via its own standalone streamer, the sports behemoth has been having conversations with major leagues to possibly take an equity stake in the brand. This would allow ESPN to guarantee it has a connection to premium content from an in-demand league, but it could also cause issues with other broadcast partners. Keep an eye on how this goes, because it could change the face of sports television and cable as we know it.  

Front Office Sports: The NBA wants your attention all year long

The National Basketball Association already has a mighty long season that stretches from late October to early June. But as the league continues to grow, they’re looking to make NBA fandom a year-round affair. Buoyed by having some of the most charismatic and recognizable athletes in sports, the NBA aims to give the fans as many moments to connect with their teams and favorite stars as possible with things like NBA Experiences, which puts on experiential pop-ups and meet-and-greets. Combine that with the likes of the more-promoted-than-ever Summer League, NBA Con and the new in-season tournament, and the NBA is getting in front of their diehard fans as well as new ones via more channels than ever.  

And a few more nuggets of assorted internet wisdom …

How the Tour de France became a $100 million business (Huddle Up)

The rise of crypto betting in the world of sports (Cryptopolitan)

New Roku partnership to help fans watch women’s sports ahead of World Cup (AdWeek)

A history of the superstars who came to the MLS before Lionel Messi (The Ringer)

Super Bowl ads selling fast despite weak TV market (Variety)

Tom Brady buys team in electric race boat series (Reuters)

New land at Universal Orlando will have DreamWorks Animation theme (Travel Weekly)

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