Disney reported fiscal second-quarter earnings today that "beat analyst estimates" after "narrowing streaming losses." Disney’s total segment operating income jumped 17% as Disney’s entertainment streaming applications -- Disney+ and Hulu -- "turned a profit" in the quarter for the first time. When combined with ESPN+, the streaming businesses lost $18M in the quarter, "much narrower" than the $659M loss the division reported a year earlier. Entertainment streaming revenue (excluding ESPN+) rose 13% in the quarter to $5.64B, and operating income was $47M after a loss of $587M a year prior. Disney+ Core subscribers increased by more than six million in the second quarter to 117.6 million global customers. ESPN+ subscribers fell 2% to 24.8 million. While ESPN’s revenue rose 3% to $4.21B, operating income dropped 9% to $799M. The decline was led by a "drop in cable subscribers, and higher programming costs attributable to the College Football Playoff." ESPN advertising "rose to offset the cable subscriber decline" (CNBC.com, 5/7).

The PGA Tour has secured a new title sponsor for its Charlotte event, with Truist expected to be taking over for Wells Fargo, sources said.

The tour in a note to players on Monday afternoon said a new, unnamed sponsor had come on board while also thanking Wells Fargo for its sponsorship of the tournament, the sources said.

SBJ first reported in March that TIAA was the other final bidder for the deal alongside Charlotte-based Truist. The PGA Tour had been seeking as much as $25M annually for title sponsorships for signature events. It’s unclear what Truist would be paying or what the tournament would be called.

Wells Fargo decided not to renew late last year after sources said it made an offer north of $20M. Despite dropping off after this week’s tournament at Quail Hollow Club, sources expect Wells Fargo to still spend money with the tour in some capacity, just not at the title level.

There had been some question as to whether or not the tour would stay in Charlotte once Wells Fargo exited, but SBJ reported in March that both TIAA and Truist were committed to keeping the tournament there. Quail Hollow has already hosted a PGA Championship in 2017 and the Presidents Cup in 2021. It will host the PGA Championship again next May.

While not fully agreed to, sources said the Tour’s Championship Management arm is working with club chairman Johnny Harris to potentially help run the tournament. Florida-based Pro Link Sports has managed the event since 2018.

The PGA Tour declined to comment for this story. Truist did not respond to a request for comment before deadline. 

 

David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO who at times has seemed ambivalent about retaining NBA media rights, effusively praised the league in a public appearance yesterday while doubling down on the value of live sports broadcasts.

Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, Zaslav said, "We continue to be in constructive negotiations with the NBA. It's a great league. The TNT team does a terrific job, and we love the NBA."

The comments caught some sources off guard, considering Zaslav had previously told the Wall Street Journal "We don't have to have the NBA," and considering non-league sources said his attitude bordered on indifference early in WBD's exclusive negotiating window with the league this spring. However, those same industry sources said he acted more conciliatory toward the league late in that same spring negotiating window -- and yesterday's comments are a likely carryover.

At Monday's Milken Conference, though, Zaslav emphasized the reach and sphere of NBA broadcasts. "Sports is a big deal because ... it's a shared experience," Zaslav said. "It's a positive experience. We're all watching the Knicks and the Pacers tonight. We're all watching the Super Bowl together. [Sports] reminds us that we have so much in common than what differentiates us."

A pair of major players in the group licensing and NIL spaces are joining forces, as OneTeam Partners and Altius Sports Partners (ASP) are set to announce a multiyear agreement today. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

The partnership will include ASP educating school partners and athletes on group licensing opportunities available through OneTeam, which currently includes the opt-in process for the coming EA Sports college football game. ASP will also leverage its expertise to enhance strategy services for OneTeam and advise OneTeam on growth opportunities within the college space.

OneTeam, which was launched as a joint venture between the NFLPA and MLBPA in 2019, has operated heavily in the college and professional space working to maximize the value of athletes' rights by way of group licensing, marketing, media, and venture investing.

ASP advises more than 40 Division I athletics departments through consulting services and its on-campus GM Program. ASP Brands also facilitates collaboration between brands and athletes via national NIL campaigns on behalf of blue-chip brands like Powerade and Shake Shack.

Nike's new commercial "heralding the release" of Spurs C Victor Wembanyama's first signature shoe "opens in a vast crop circle and closes with an echoey voiceover: 'Aliens are real and hoop among us.'" The 25-second spot features a cameo from the same fan who "went viral for a stupefied reaction" to a Wembanyama play in January. The fan "stands amid the gigantic alien-shaped crop formation wearing that exact expression as an unseen narrator lists some of the Spurs rookie's historic accomplishments." Nike is "building up hype" with the 20-year-old's first retail shoe, the "G.T. Hustle 2 Victor Wembanyama," set to go on sale May 15. A few hours after the ad dropped, Wembanyama was named the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 5/6).

The Chicago Sky's preseason game against the N.Y. Liberty at Wintrust Arena tonight will be streamed on the WNBA League Pass following "outcry from fans and players" that the game would not be available anywhere. Preseason broadcast access "quickly became a contentious topic" for the WNBA as momentum around women's sports grows. After the app "incorrectly stated" the entire opening slate of preseason games would be available via WNBA League Pass, fans "began to take the issue into their own hands." Minnesota Lynx fan Alli Schneider livestreamed "the entirety of Friday’s game" against the Sky on X, earning more than 250,000 active viewers. Providing livestreams or broadcasts of preseason games is a "relatively new venture" both for the WNBA and the Sky. While the entire NBA preseason is broadcast through local affiliates and League Pass, the WNBA selected two preseason games to offer in 2023 -- its annual exhibition game in Canada and the first preseason game of the No. 1 draft pick. There were no preseason games streamed in 2022 (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/6).

The stars were out in Indianapolis last night for the world premiere of Manning's new series, "Full Court Press." The four-part series chronicles the journey of Indiana Fever G Caitlin Clark, Chicago Sky C Kamilla Cardoso and UCLA G Kiki Rice during the 2023-24 women's college basketball season. Manning and Clark attended the premiere at Newfields, "along with a galaxy of stars" from the WNBA and college basketball, including HOFer Tamika Catchings and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley. The series premieres this weekend on ESPN+ (WTHR.com, 5/6). With this docuseries, Clark said, fans "will get a better look at what happens in their lives; more than the on-court action or news conferences online." It will "show both sides of the national championship game," as well -- Cardoso won the championship with South Carolina, while Clark and Iowa fell short (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/6).

The overlap between sports and fashion is "spectacularly strong in popular culture right now," and that was no more evident than last night when a host of sports figures were spotted on the red carpet at the Met Gala in N.Y. Sports and fashion "have long found common ground" at the Met Gala, and that trend continued last night (VOGUE, 5/6).

Some of the sports luminaries spotted on the red carpet last night were former No. 1 women's tennis players Serena Williams and Venus Williams, F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, Sky F Angel Reese, Texans WR Stefon Diggs, Basketball HOFer Dwyane Wade, Nets F Ben Simmons, former No. 1 women's tennis player Maria Sharapova, Dolphins WR Odell Beckham Jr., LPGA Tour player Nelly Korda and former NFLer Nnamdi Asomugha (USA TODAY, 5/6). 

Reese is the first WNBA rookie to attend the event and second WNBA player overall. Mercury C Brittney Griner attended in 2023 (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 5/6). Korda received "a rare invitation for an LPGA player" (GOLFWEEK, 5/6).

Tickets for the June 20 "Tribute to the Negro Leagues" game between the Cardinals and Giants at Rickwood Field in Birmingham went on sale via a lottery system for Alabama residents only at 10am CT yesterday, and "less than 40 minutes later, nearly all of the more than 5,000 available tickets were gone" (AL.com, 5/6).

SeatGeek has extended its deals with Minnesota United and Portland Timbers, two of the first MLS clubs to partner with the ticketing company back in 2017. Both will continue to use SeatGeek, which has eight MLS club clients, primary ticketing technology (Bret McCormick, SBJ).

The Blackhawks "will host another preseason game in Milwaukee" in the fall, as their game against the Blues on Oct. 5 will be held at Fiserv Forum. The Blackhawks visited the arena for a preseason game against the Wild in October 2022, which was dubbed a "big success" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 5/6).

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says the city is "exploring potential public viewing opportunities" for the Canucks' second-round playoff series against the Oilers. Up until now, "some fans have gathered around Rogers Arena" on game days, while others have "purchased tickets and brought their white towels to watch the game inside the arena" (CP, 5/6).

The Basketball Tournament’s semifinals and championship games "will be back in Philadelphia" in August, as Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center will host the games for the second consecutive season (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 5/6).

Premier League club Nottingham Forest's appeal over a four-points deduction for a breach of financial rules "was rejected" today after an independent commission upheld the initial sanction from last month (London TELEGRAPH, 5/7).

Puma Golf has released the 2024 Volition America collection of patriotic apparel, footwear and accessories -- designed to honor U.S. military veterans. A portion of all proceeds from the Puma Golf x Volition America line will go directly to Folds of Honor Foundation, which supports the families of fallen American military and first responders (Puma).

THE ATHLETIC looks at the tenuous situation up in Winnipeg under the header, "Are there enough fans to keep a team in the NHL’s smallest market?" Winnipeg is Canada’s seventh-largest city, but with a population of 758,000, it is the NHL’s smallest market. The prairie hub "proudly leans into its reputation as a large 'small town,'" and the region "boasts a rich history in the game -- and a passionate fan base." But Winnipeg is "often overlooked by players," and the Jets appear with great frequency on the "no-trade" lists of many contracts. When the ownership group True North announced in 2011 that it was purchasing the Atlanta Thrashers and moving the team to Winnipeg, Jets love "was rekindled." The NHL’s return "kicked off a revival so fervent that the franchise nurtured a waiting list of several thousand people willing to purchase season tickets should a seat ever open up." For years, the Jets "boasted constant sellouts and one of the loudest fan bases in the league." But over the past couple of seasons, the Jets have had "only a handful of sellouts," a "reminder of an underlying anxiety shared by many fans old enough to remember the first time the team left town." 

Also:

• James Briggs: Indy is killing Eleven Park so its MLS dream can live.

#NFL Commish Goodell threw star studded retirement party Monday night for 46-yr NFL senior exec Pete Abitante. Goodell & ex-Commish Tagliabue spoke to crowd of 200 (including several owners) before Abitante stole show w/memories of his career starting under late Pete Rozelle

— Joe Browne (@JBeonTheHill) May 7, 2024

The Celtics creative team is on a historic run this year. pic.twitter.com/oCK1zKnHNh

— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) May 7, 2024

Rory at 16, with @ShaneODonoghue. Fascinating to look back at the Tiger comps then — and to hear how his accent’s shifted over time pic.twitter.com/EKpaYcFtwE

— Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) May 7, 2024

What a moment!

Following his MLB debut with the @CleGuardians, Kyle Manzardo was greeted by his family and friends on the field, and there plenty of hugs and pats on the back were handed out.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/ZFOnVCbKYB

— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) May 7, 2024

"Like their uniform, the flag of this group created in 1506 has stripes of red, blue and yellow, the colors of the Medici family."

"What is the Swiss Guard?"