George Pyne’s Bruin Sports Capital is getting into the video streaming business, having bought Italy-based deltatre, which provides streaming tech for leagues and TV networks and has deep ties in international soccer. Financial details are not publicly available. deltatre CEO & co-Founder Giampiero Rinaudo will remain CEO of the company. He and co-Founder Luca Marini also will retain a “significant minority investment,” the execs said. With clients like UEFA, FIFA and the EPL, the 30-year old deltatre has developed a strong sports media business in Europe, in particular. The company of about 500 employees has offices in Asia and Australia as well.

In addition to streaming, deltatre also designs websites, video players and mobile apps, as well as graphics for broadcasts on TV and scoreboards. With an influx of investment dollars from Bruin Sports, deltatre hopes to reach “the next level of growth,” Rinaudo said. A major priority will be growth in the North America, where it would compete with companies like MLBAM, NBC Sports Group's Playmaker Media and Turner's iStreamPlanet. Pyne said Bruin is attracted at the potential of being in the middle of the sports media business as it transitions from linear TV to digital services like video streaming and over-the-top TV.

Pyne: "Media is changing, and media consumption is changing. We’re always trying to find growth segments. We see deltatre as a platform to build other businesses with.” In addition to expanding further into the U.S. and Asian markets, Pyne said deltatre can be integrated with some of WPP's businesses and clients. WPP is a significant investor in Bruin Sports. deltatre’s other sports clients include the ATP, BBC, BT Sport and Fox. Pyne: "They have a great business as it is."

The deltatre acquisition, about nine months in the works, is the sixth major move in Bruin's 18 months as an operating company. Significant investments in On Location Experiences, Anthony Travel and Jon Bon Jovi's Runaway Tours gave Bruin a strong hospitality and sports travel play, while Engine Shop was Bruin's big move into marketing services. Earlier this year, Pyne partnered with Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert and WPP to create Courtside Ventures, a $35M venture investment firm with a focus on technology start-ups.

The California Supreme Court late yesterday "temporarily blocked a March lower court ruling that said tax increases like the Chargers stadium initiative need approval from a simple majority instead of two-thirds of voters." While the decision to review the previous ruling "doesn't necessarily mean it will get overturned, it's a blow to the Chargers initiative." The lower hurdle of a simple majority "would certainly have boosted the Chargers' chances of success." Many believe two-thirds approval "is nearly unattainable for the team, especially with significant opposition already emerging" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/30).

A series of "seismic" roster moves in the NHL yesterday "appear to have turned Friday's July 1 opening of the free-agent market into an anti-climax before it even begins." The Lightning re-signed C Steven Stamkos; the Canadiens traded D P.K. Subban to the Predators for D Shea Weber; and the Oilers traded LW Taylor Hall to the Devils on what is "a traditional sleepy day in the league calendar" (N.Y. POST, 6/30). The trades and re-signings began at 3:34pm ET, and what followed was the "craziest bleeping 23 minutes in NHL history" (TSN.ca, 6/29). It was "one of the most dramatic half hours in NHL transaction history" (ESPN.com, 6/29).

Stamkos re-signing with the Lightning for eight years makes yesterday the "second-best day in franchise history," topped only by June 7, 2004, when the team won the Stanley Cup. The Lightning did "whatever it could to keep perhaps the greatest player in franchise history," with the "team and its superstar showing each other and their fans that they are committed to winning" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 6/30).

Bill Simmons last night "took aim" at Knicks Owner James Dolan in the second episode of his HBO show "Any Given Wednesday." Simmons "proceeded to pummel Dolan in the show's middle segment, which ripped apart the Knicks for a series of poor personnel moves and a philosophy of signing expensive stars who are well past their primes." Save for Simmons' "awkward opening and closing monologues, the second episode of 'Any Given Wednesday' might go down as this show's launching pad moment." The episode was "very good" and "light years better than the premiere" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/29).

Last night's decisive third game of the College World Series finals between Arizona and Coastal Carolina "was postponed" until today "because of stormy weather." First pitch is set for 1:08pm ET on ESPNU. Rain and lightning in the area "forced a delay of 2 hours, 23 minutes" before the postponement was announced. The CWS being extended to June 30 is the "latest date in the event's 70-year history" (ESPN.com, 6/30).

The baseball committee "was good with the game starting as late as" 9:00pm CT. But NCAA Managing Dir of Championships & Alliances Ron Prettyman said, "We kept getting single hits of lightning, which led to more 30-minute delays." He added that ESPN "doesn’t have input on whether a game is called off, 'but they certainly have input on start times'" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 6/30).

A total of 61 golfers starting today "will gather in Akron" for the PGA Tour Bridgestone Invitational, leaving the event "with its smallest field" since '01 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/30). Because Bridgestone was moved up on the calendar to accommodate golf’s inclusion in the Olympics, European players "were put in a tough position of having to choose between playing the Bridgestone or playing in the European Tour’s French Open." To "strengthen the French Open field, the European Tour decided to not sanction Bridgestone and instead offered double Ryder Cup points for the French Open." Rory McIlroy "opted to skip the Bridgestone because of it" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 6/30).  

Artificial intelligence outfit Automated Insights has struck a three-way deal with MLBAM and the AP to develop automated game stories for Minor League Baseball games. The expanded MiLB coverage – powered by Automated Insights’ Wordsmith platform and using MLBAM-supplied data – will appear on AP’s local coverage, as well as the MLBAM-supported MiLB.com and individual minor league club websites. Financial terms were not disclosed. Automated Insights was acquired last year by Stats LLC and parent company Vista Equity Partners

The deal builds in part upon a relationship Automated Insights and the AP have around automated earnings stories for publicly traded U.S. companies. “The Associated Press proved the value of automated journalism with earnings stories, and their expansion into Minor League Baseball shows the demand for expanded news coverage from media outlets across the country,” said Automated Insights CEO Robbie Allen.

Sources said that AT&T Stadium has "emerged as a finalist" to host the Sept. 17 Canelo Alvarez-Liam Smith boxing match that was announced last week. The "major competition to host the fight" is MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. A decision is "expected any day" (DALLASNEWS.com, 6/29).

UFC today is launching its first digital trading card app, Topps UFC Knockout 16. The app will be available to download for free on select iOS and Android devices via the Apple app store and Google Play (UFC).

ESPN salutes Mike Tirico as he "concludes his final assignment" following 25 years with the net. Tirico today hosts Euro '16 coverage before transitioning to NBC (ESPNFRONTROW.com, 6/29).

"The first thing is we need to improve the prize money at Futures level. ... It's stayed the same since the 1980s, but the cost of everything has gone up massively since then, so it's impossible to stay at that level for more than a couple of years" – Tennis player Andy Murray, who was recently voted onto the ATP Player Council (GUARDIAN, 6/30).

"It's very sad for me, who is passionate about the Olympic Games, but in the end of the day, if it makes it easier for me to become a Gold Medal winner, I'm fine with it" – Golfer Martin Kaymer, on many top players skipping the Rio Games (GOLFWEEK.com, 6/29).

"We've had a lot of discussions, a lot of progress. There's a long, long way to go but the arrows are pointing positively. We hope that will continue in the short term" – FleishmanHillard Global Sports co-Lead & Senior VP Jim Woodcock, who is part of the MLS2STL group that seeks to bring an MLS team to St. Louis (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 6/30).

"It's the exact same show. Now here's what I feel bad about. I feel bad that people my age, who I know listen to me ... are too stubborn to even learn how to do a podcast, so they won't change" – ESPN's Tony Kornheiser, whose DC-area radio show will be replaced by a podcast hosted on his own platform (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 6/29).

The Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL notes Saturday's Coke Zero 400 will mark NBC's "first Sprint Cup Series broadcast of the year." It is "hard to forget the challenges NBC Sports faced in this race last season," which marked the start of its latest NASCAR rights deal.

The DETROIT NEWS writes Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert, whom the Wall Street Journal dubbed "King of the Rust Belt," has a "fast answer when asked why someone who made billions in the mortgage business would take on the far less lucrative enterprise of rebuilding two of America's most broken cities." Gilbert says, "Because we can."

Also:

• Sam Hinkie finally breaks silence on controversial tenure with 76ers.
• Trail Blazers' C.J. McCollum conducts Q&A with Adam Silver.
• Vice Sports offers a behind-the-scenes look at the NHL Draft.
• Today's NBA one-and-dones should thank Spencer Haywood.
• Wichita State faces big costs, challenges to starting FBS program.
• Peter Kratsios' GolfMatch app helps players find each other.

Love when @NFLPA just laughs off adding one game. That's the problem right there. Get rid of 2 preseason games. More time off. More $$. Deal

— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) June 30, 2016

Having digested it, I'm still struggling to understand why Montreal couldn't or wouldn't make it work with Subban. He's a forever star, IMO.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) June 30, 2016

U of L wants Papa John's Cardinal Stadium expansion done by start of 2018 season, according to project RFP https://t.co/FzVxnWPFXE

— Steve Jones (@SteveJones_CJ) June 30, 2016

My new blog is online at https://t.co/jVrnVhpfIn. So far it's only in Spanish but it will eventually be translated. Thanks!

— Manu Ginobili (@manuginobili) June 30, 2016

Mavericks F Perry Ellis yesterday "shared on social media that he has a new sponsorship deal with … the Perry Ellis clothing brand" (KANSASCITY.com, 6/29).

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “U.S. State Geography.”

“Of the contiguous states, these two coastal states have elevation changes within them of more than 14,000 feet.”

WWE personality John Cena, who is hosting this year’s ESPY Awards on ABC, appeared on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and gave a speech endorsing host Jimmy Kimmel for Vice President (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 6/29).

“What are California and Washington?”