A source said that Facebook is "not bidding" on the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" rights. Facebook "hasn’t shied away from expensive sports rights" in recent years. The source said that its "lack of interest in the NFL Thursday package doesn’t indicate that it’s backing off" other pursuits (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/19).

Meanwhile, Facebook has hired Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton to "drive [its] sports rights push" (TWITTER.com, 1/19).

Pyeongchang Games organizers said that nearly 70% of all available tickets for next month's Olympics have been sold as of Friday, up from about 61% late last month. The pace of sales has improved as the domestic marketing campaign has blanketed South Korea. However, Pyeongchang is still in line for historically poor attendance for an Olympic Games. Even South Korea's most popular sports -- figure skating (62.4% of target sold), short-track speed skating (81.8%) and alpine skiing (82.3%) -- are well short of a sellout. The events with the fewest tickets sold include skeleton (45.2% of inventory sold), Nordic Combined (52.5%) and the Closing Ceremony (55.2%).

For the Feb. 9 Opening Ceremony, 17,512 out of 22,536 tickets have been sold. InviteManager COO Ken Hanscom, whose CRM software firm is in Korea working on corporate hospitality, said there is not much evidence of a last-second push that would lead to sellouts. Hanscom: "So far, I have not seen the indicators I would expect to. Things like lines at ticket booths, low inventory on ticketing and fan-to-fan sites, trains filled up for non-Korean New Year dates (outside Feb. 16). ... There are still plenty of tickets for the Opening Ceremony, which one would expect to be in high demand with North and South marching under a unified flag."

ESPN's Chris Berman and former longtime co-host Tom Jackson will team for a "special 'NFL Primetime'" following Sunday's NFL conference championship games. It will be the "first time the two have done a show together" since '15. Keyshawn Johnson also "will be part of the broadcast." Berman said of Jackson, "I called him after the third quarter of the Falcons-Eagles game on Saturday. We didn’t plan on it, but it was like we were right next to each other. It was just like we were back in the studio" (USATODAY.com, 1/18).

UFC 220 at TD Garden on Saturday will mark BodyArmor's first major PPV event since the brand became the official sports drink of the UFC in October. BodyArmor will provide corner branding of stools, towels and buckets. BodyArmor's "Knockout Punch" drink, which was co-branded and created specifically for the UFC deal, is also now being sold nationwide (UFC).

Billy Joel will play the first concert at Kauffman Stadium since '79 when he "takes center stage ... in centerfield" on Sept. 21. Joel marks the "fourth announced stadium show" in K.C. this year, as Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are all scheduled to play Arrowhead Stadium. Kauffman Stadium "regularly hosted concerts" in the '70s, and the Royals' ballpark has hosted several postgame concerts in recent years (KANSASCITY.com, 1/19).

Danica Patrick said that she is looking to unveil her Daytona 500 ride within the next week, and GoDaddy CMO Barb Rechterman said the company is working on signing Patrick to a full PSA deal beyond the two races it will sponsor her. GoDaddy and Patrick on Thursday announced a reunion for the Daytona and Indy 500, and Rechterman said the company will shoot a non-Super Bowl TV spot with Patrick that will debut at a to-be-determined time, along with promoting her on its digital and social media channels.

Rechterman said that the move is a “perfect alignment.” Rechterman: "(The deal) is for us to obviously sponsor her racing and help her close out her racing career, but it’s also awesome to lead her into this next chapter as a business owner.” Patrick has increasingly started preparing for the next phase of her career by writing a book and launching several business ventures, including in wine and athleisure wear. Patrick’s camp, led by Excel Sports Management’s Alan Zucker, is still searching for associate sponsors and has been said to be looking to raise several million dollars between primary and associate sponsors to fund the two races.

Bellator's World Grand Prix kicks off Saturday at The Forum with an "eclectic collection of eight competitors," highlighted by Chael Sonnen-Rampage Jackson in Bellator 192 (USA TODAY, 1/19). Jackson-Sonnen is the "opening bout of the eight-fighter tournament that will continue at later dates." The new Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV) "will televise the card." The Forum is "close to being sold out" (L.A. TIMES, 1/18).

Cavs Legion Gaming Club, Dan Gilbert's entry in the new NBA 2K League, “hopes to drum up excitement for the upcoming season this weekend with a series of events” ahead of the team’s spring launch. The team on Saturday will “host a group of gamers” at Quicken Loans Arena for Thunder-Cavaliers. Cavs Legion GM Anthony Muraco said that the “primary goal of this weekend isn’t to scout potential players” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 1/18).

Meanwhile, Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans has agreed to become a presenting sponsor of 100 Thieves, the esports organization owned by Gilbert. The centerpiece of the deal is naming rights to a 6,000-square-foot luxury team house in Venice, Calif., where the team lives and practices (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).

The NHL Panthers on Friday will honor original team owner Wayne Huizenga with an on-ice ceremony prior to the team's game against the Golden Knights at BB&T Center. The team will retire No. 37 in honor of Huizenga (he was born in '37). Huizenga's health is "expected to keep him away" from the festivities, though his family "will be represented." Current Owner Vinnie Viola, longtime team exec Bill Torrey and former players John Vanbiesbrouck, Bill Lindsay and Ed Jovanovski also will be present. Huizenga owned the Panthers from '93-'01 (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 1/19).

Hockey Day Minnesota, FS North’s annual programming stunt, kicks off Saturday morning at 9:00am ET. Over 14 hours, the RSN will produce two high-school hockey games, two outdoor college hockey games and the Lightning-Wild NHL game. FS North also will provide multiple camera angles and 180-degree views from the outdoor games via Fox Sports’ VR app. The outdoor games can be streamed nationally on Fox Sports Go.

The White House has indicated that President Trump “will not take part" in a pregame interview prior to Super Bowl LII as "has become custom" for presidents in recent years. Trump last year talked to former Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly when Fox broadcast the game (VARIETY.com, 1/19).

Gold Medal-winning U.S. skier Julia Mancuso "will not compete in Pyeongchang but will serve as part of NBC's broadcast crew" (USATODAY.com, 1/19).

The CFL BOG has approved MLSE's purchase of the Toronto Argonauts. As part of the acquisition, Toronto FC President Bill Manning will add the title of Argos President (MLSE).

The Single-A Florida State League Lakeland Flying Tigers "will extend the protective netting system for all games played at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium this season" (FREEP.com, 1/19). The venue also is the home for Tigers' Spring Training (THE DAILY).

“I started to feel dizzy. ... I felt that I could faint at any moment. Playing in this condition is of course very dangerous” -- Tennis player Alize Cornet, on extreme heat during her third-round Australian Open match on Friday (AP, 1/19).

“I understand we’re trying to get in the Northeast. We could be playing Ohio State in front of 13,000-14,000 people on Saturday. And instead we got to go to New York City. I love New York City. I love Madison Square Garden, but I just don’t get it" -- Minnesota men's basketball coach Richard Pitino, on the team playing Saturday at MSG -- its third straight Big Ten game away from home (STARTRIBUNE.com, 1/19).

After an investigation, NFL determined that the Raiders complied with Rooney Rule in their hiring of HC Jon Gruden, per source. No discipline.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2018

Not sure what Aly Raisman is going to do with the rest of her life but fairly confident those gold medals she won will be the least of her accomplishments. Her statement was incredible.

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) January 19, 2018

MLS president Mark Abbott paid a visit to the @sonsofben and told them that if they didn't knock off the #SaveTheCrew chants, they'd be asked to leave the hall.

Soon thereafter, Don Garber told the hall's head of security to let them speak as long as they keep it expletive-free.

— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) January 19, 2018

Didn’t think it was possible to outdo Finchem’s Taj Mahal (the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse) but Monahan is not playing. https://t.co/vYyhyYNlhg

— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) January 19, 2018

FRIDAY

Acura Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Rick Taylor will ring the NYSE Closing Bell in advance of the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona on Jan. 27.

The NASCAR HOF Induction Ceremony will take place in Charlotte. Broadcaster Ken Squier is among the inductees.

80,505 -- The number of tubs of popcorn Delaware North Sportservice sold to NFL Giants and Jets fans in '17 at MetLife Stadium (TWITTER.com, 1/19). 

A source said that Facebook is "not bidding" on the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" rights. Facebook "hasn’t shied away from expensive sports rights" in recent years. The source said that its "lack of interest in the NFL Thursday package doesn’t indicate that it’s backing off" other pursuits (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/19).

Meanwhile, Facebook has hired Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton to "drive [its] sports rights push" (TWITTER.com, 1/19).

ESPN's Chris Berman and former longtime co-host Tom Jackson will team for a "special 'NFL Primetime'" following Sunday's NFL conference championship games. It will be the "first time the two have done a show together" since '15. Keyshawn Johnson also "will be part of the broadcast." Berman said of Jackson, "I called him after the third quarter of the Falcons-Eagles game on Saturday. We didn’t plan on it, but it was like we were right next to each other. It was just like we were back in the studio" (USATODAY.com, 1/18).

Pyeongchang Games organizers said that nearly 70% of all available tickets for next month's Olympics have been sold as of Friday, up from about 61% late last month. The pace of sales has improved as the domestic marketing campaign has blanketed South Korea. However, Pyeongchang is still in line for historically poor attendance for an Olympic Games. Even South Korea's most popular sports -- figure skating (62.4% of target sold), short-track speed skating (81.8%) and alpine skiing (82.3%) -- are well short of a sellout. The events with the fewest tickets sold include skeleton (45.2% of inventory sold), Nordic Combined (52.5%) and the Closing Ceremony (55.2%).

For the Feb. 9 Opening Ceremony, 17,512 out of 22,536 tickets have been sold. InviteManager COO Ken Hanscom, whose CRM software firm is in Korea working on corporate hospitality, said there is not much evidence of a last-second push that would lead to sellouts. Hanscom: "So far, I have not seen the indicators I would expect to. Things like lines at ticket booths, low inventory on ticketing and fan-to-fan sites, trains filled up for non-Korean New Year dates (outside Feb. 16). ... There are still plenty of tickets for the Opening Ceremony, which one would expect to be in high demand with North and South marching under a unified flag."

UFC 220 at TD Garden on Saturday will mark BodyArmor's first major PPV event since the brand became the official sports drink of the UFC in October. BodyArmor will provide corner branding of stools, towels and buckets. BodyArmor's "Knockout Punch" drink, which was co-branded and created specifically for the UFC deal, is also now being sold nationwide (UFC).

Billy Joel will play the first concert at Kauffman Stadium since '79 when he "takes center stage ... in centerfield" on Sept. 21. Joel marks the "fourth announced stadium show" in K.C. this year, as Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran are all scheduled to play Arrowhead Stadium. Kauffman Stadium "regularly hosted concerts" in the '70s, and the Royals' ballpark has hosted several postgame concerts in recent years (KANSASCITY.com, 1/19).

Danica Patrick said that she is looking to unveil her Daytona 500 ride within the next week, and GoDaddy CMO Barb Rechterman said the company is working on signing Patrick to a full PSA deal beyond the two races it will sponsor her. GoDaddy and Patrick on Thursday announced a reunion for the Daytona and Indy 500, and Rechterman said the company will shot a non-Super Bowl TV spot with Patrick that will debut at a to-be-determined time, along with promoting her on its digital and social media channels.

Rechterman said that the move is a “perfect alignment.” Rechterman: "(The deal) is for us to obviously sponsor her racing and help her close out her racing career, but it’s also awesome to lead her into this next chapter as a business owner.” Patrick has increasingly started preparing for the next phase of her career by writing a book and launching several business ventures, including in wine and athleisure wear. Patrick’s camp, led by Excel Sports Management’s Alan Zucker, is still searching for associate sponsors and has been said to be looking to raise several million dollars between primary and associate sponsors to fund the two races.

Bellator's World Grand Prix kicks off Saturday at The Forum with an "eclectic collection of eight competitors," highlighted by Chael Sonnen-Rampage Jackson in Bellator 192 (USA TODAY, 1/19). Jackson-Sonnen is the "opening bout of the eight-fighter tournament that will continue at later dates." The new Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV) "will televise the card." The Forum is "close to being sold out" (L.A. TIMES, 1/18).

Cavs Legion Gaming Club, Dan Gilbert's entry in the new NBA 2K League, “hopes to drum up excitement for the upcoming season this weekend with a series of events” ahead of the team’s spring launch. The team on Saturday will “host a group of gamers” at Quicken Loans Arena for Thunder-Cavaliers. Cavs Legion GM Anthony Muraco said that the “primary goal of this weekend isn’t to scout potential players” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 1/18).

Meanwhile, Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans has agreed to become a presenting sponsor of 100 Thieves, the esports organization owned by Gilbert. The centerpiece of the deal is naming rights to a 6,000-square-foot luxury team house in Venice, Calif., where the team lives and practices (Ben Fischer, Staff Writer).

The NHL Panthers on Friday will honor original team owner Wayne Huizenga with an on-ice ceremony prior to the team's game against the Golden Knights at BB&T Center. The team will retire No. 37 in honor of Huizenga (he was born in '37). Huizenga's health is "expected to keep him away" from the festivities, though his family "will be represented." Current Owner Vinnie Viola, longtime team exec Bill Torrey and former players John Vanbiesbrouck, Bill Lindsay and Ed Jovanovski also will be present. Huizenga owned the Panthers from '93-'01 (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 1/19).

Hockey Day Minnesota, FS North’s annual programming stunt, kicks off Saturday morning at 9:00am ET. Over 14 hours, the RSN will produce two high-school hockey games, two outdoor college hockey games and the Lightning-Wild NHL game. FS North also will provide multiple camera angles and 180-degree views from the outdoor games via Fox Sports’ VR app. The outdoor games can be streamed nationally on Fox Sports Go.

The White House has indicated that President Trump “will not take part" in a pregame interview prior to Super Bowl LII as "has become custom" for presidents in recent years. Trump last year talked to former Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly when Fox broadcast the game (VARIETY.com, 1/19).

Gold Medal-winning U.S. skier Julia Mancuso "will not compete in Pyeongchang but will serve as part of NBC's broadcast crew" (USATODAY.com, 1/19).

The CFL BOG has approved MLSE's purchase of the Toronto Argonauts. As part of the acquisition, Toronto FC President Bill Manning will add the title of Argos President (MLSE).

The Single-A Florida State League Lakeland Flying Tigers "will extend the protective netting system for all games played at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium this season" (FREEP.com, 1/19). The venue also is the home for Tigers' Spring Training (THE DAILY).

“I started to feel dizzy. ... I felt that I could faint at any moment. Playing in this condition is of course very dangerous” -- Tennis player Alize Cornet, on extreme heat during her third-round Australian Open match on Friday (AP, 1/19).

“I understand we’re trying to get in the Northeast. We could be playing Ohio State in front of 13,000-14,000 people on Saturday. And instead we got to go to New York City. I love New York City. I love Madison Square Garden, but I just don’t get it" -- Minnesota men's basketball coach Richard Pitino, on the team playing Saturday at MSG -- its third straight Big Ten game away from home (STARTRIBUNE.com, 1/19).

After an investigation, NFL determined that the Raiders complied with Rooney Rule in their hiring of HC Jon Gruden, per source. No discipline.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2018

Not sure what Aly Raisman is going to do with the rest of her life but fairly confident those gold medals she won will be the least of her accomplishments. Her statement was incredible.

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) January 19, 2018

MLS president Mark Abbott paid a visit to the @sonsofben and told them that if they didn't knock off the #SaveTheCrew chants, they'd be asked to leave the hall.

Soon thereafter, Don Garber told the hall's head of security to let them speak as long as they keep it expletive-free.

— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) January 19, 2018

Didn’t think it was possible to outdo Finchem’s Taj Mahal (the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse) but Monahan is not playing. https://t.co/vYyhyYNlhg

— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) January 19, 2018

FRIDAY

Acura Team Penske drivers Helio Castroneves and Rick Taylor will ring the NYSE Closing Bell in advance of the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona on Jan. 27.

The NASCAR HOF Induction Ceremony will take place in Charlotte. Broadcaster Ken Squier is among the inductees.

80,505 -- The number of tubs of popcorn Delaware North Sportservice sold to NFL Giants and Jets fans in '17 at MetLife Stadium (TWITTER.com, 1/19).