Amazon will replace Twitter in live-streaming the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football.” The company will livestream the 10 “TNF” games carried by CBS and NBC as part of a one-year deal that the league announced late Tuesday. Amazon paid $50M for the rights, substantially more than the $10M that Twitter paid for “TNF” streaming rights last season. Amazon beat out Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for the rights, and the deal marks the biggest win for Jim DeLorenzo since he joined Amazon last March to head up the company’s sports division and pick up live sports rights. Amazon has wanted to put sports rights on its Amazon Prime video service, and the NFL deal will allow the company to do that, essentially putting the streams behind a paywall where they will only be available to Amazon Prime subscribers. The NFL already has an existing deal with Amazon for the series “All or Nothing,” which is produced by NFL Films. The NFL wanted to finalize a deal in the spring to give Amazon a chance to sell advertising around it. Amazon’s deal ends Twitter’s one-year run with the league. Both Twitter and NFL executives say they were happy with the streams, which averaged 265,000 viewers on an average minute basis during the season. Twitter was especially happy that the deal allowed it to increase its distribution on connected TVs, while the NFL liked Twitter’s young (70% were under 24 years) and international (25% were from outside the U.S.) audience. But it’s clear that while the NFL was happy with Twitter’s reach, the move to Amazon is largely driven by allowing more digital companies to sample its popular content in the run up to 2021 when its media deals start to expire. When it comes to digital deals like Twitter (2016) and Yahoo (2015), the NFL has opted for shorter deals across multiple platforms as a way to understanding the fast-changing, digital media environment.

CBS Sports today formally announced that Cowboys QB Tony Romo will become its lead NFL game analyst beginning with the '17 NFL season, joining play-by-play broadcaster Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson. CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus in a news release said, "As we welcome Tony, we want to acknowledge Phil Simms who served as our lead NFL analyst for nearly 20 years." McManus called Simms "one of the best analysts to ever call the game" and said, "We are discussing with Phil his future role with CBS Sports" (CBS Sports).

Media reaction to the move so far has been largely positive. ESPN’s Herm Edwards said, “He will be great.” ESPN’s Dan Graziano: “He’s got a little bit of a football nerd in him. ... I would think that would translate to the booth. ... He seems to have the football intelligence that is required to explain what is going on.” ESPN’s Dan Le Batard said the "freedom of broadcasting will allow us to see the more interesting side" of Romo (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 4/4). Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said of the QB's move to TV, "Romo's smart, Romo gets it" (“PFT,” NBCSN, 4/4). NFL Network's Ian Rapoport: “The opportunities for TV were simply too great to pass up, and really there are only a few seats (in broadcasting)” (“Good Morning Football,” NFL Network, 4/4).

Meanwhile, Campus Insiders' Bonnie Bernstein tweeted, "Romo, w ZERO broadcast experience, reportedly replacing Phil Simms. ... No offense. But that's total crap." CBS' Armen Keteyian: "I spent 6 of the best years of my life working with Phil Simms. No finer man/dedicated analyst. If TR thinks NFL is fast, try the A game."

The ’17 NCAA Basketball Tournament averaged 10.83 million viewers across TNT, TBS, CBS and truTV, marking the event’s second-best figure over the past 23 years, when the ’93 tourney averaged 12.7 million viewers. The figure is behind only the 11.3 million viewers seen in ’15, when CBS carried the title game and the semifinals aired on cable TV. This year’s average is up 16% from last year, when the complete Final Four aired on cable TV. The ’14 Tourney averaged 10.5 million viewers.

Last night’s North Carolina-Gonzaga title game finished with just under 23 million viewers on CBS, up 30% from last year, when TNT, TBS and truTV combined to average 17.75 million viewers for the Villanova-UNC matchup. However, UNC-Gonzaga is down from 28.26 million viewers for Duke-Wisconsin in '15.

Did you or someone you know in sports business go to the Final Four? If so, SBJ/SBD wants to hear about your experience. Sign up here and we’ll connect with you this week.

The NCAA today "'reluctantly' lifted its ban on holding championship events in North Carolina, removing its six-month-old prohibition less than a week after the state’s Legislature and governor repealed a so-called bathroom bill that had led to boycotts of the state." With next year’s Final Four to be held in San Antonio, the authors of a Texas "bathroom bill" known as Senate Bill 6, or the Texas Privacy Act, "cheered the NCAA’s decision." But critics of North Carolina's new law "condemned the NCAA" (NYTIMES.com, 4/4).

With the NCAA and ACC lifting their bans on North Carolina events, the NBA is now the "lone major sports holdout." For the NBA, the "question" is whether the state's new law replacing HB2 "does enough to ensure diversity and inclusion to bring back the All-Star Game" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/4).

ESPN today announced that Michelle Beadle will be the new full-time host of the "NBA Countdown" on ABC and ESPN. She will work NBA pre-game and halftime shows, including for the NBA Finals on ABC. She also will host ESPN and ABC studio coverage throughout the NBA playoffs. Sage Steele had been serving as "NBA Countdown" host. The change takes effect for the remainder of the regular season. Beadle will continue to co-host "SportsNation" weekdays on ESPN2 (THE DAILY).

The lawsuit between Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard and the USTA is back on after mediation failed. Bouchard sued the USTA over a concussion she suffered at the '15 U.S. Open after slipping in an allegedly unstaffed section of the locker room. The sides earlier this year agreed to mediation, which occurred March 29. In a note on the federal court’s website, Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom wrote, “Unfortunately, the parties' private mediation that took place on March 29, 2017, did not resolve the instant matter.”

Bloom then proceeded to set a variety of deadlines, adding, “The parties are strongly encouraged to continue discussing settlement.” Bouchard, currently ranked 56th in the world, contends the USTA is at fault for her fall and should reimburse her for lost income from prize money and endorsements.

The “growing influence” of Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones among NFL owners was discussed on ESPN’s “OTL” today. Jones in an owners-only meeting last week in Phoenix pushed to limit the penalties for marijuana use and off-field legal issues, including limiting off-field investigations. ESPN’s Andrew Brandt said for Jones to “throw that out, maybe it’s an opening salvo for the next negotiations” with the NFLPA. But ESPN’s Bob Ley said the NFLPA is “going to want something more of substance being discussed” than just marijuana. Brandt: “They want to see marijuana as a health and safety issue, like concussions, something they don’t have to bargain. But Jerry Jones, if he’s going to give up marijuana, he’s going to want something in return.”

Brandt said the legacy of Roger Goodell will be as the “Conduct Commissioner,” because that issue is the “commissioner’s baby.” Brandt noted Jones could be pitching more owners-only meetings with the thinking that Goodell “works for us … (and) we control the collective bargaining topics that we’re going to negotiate” (“OTL,” ESPN, 4/4).

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association, along with resort operator Powdr, is proposing a two-year agreement for Vermont's Killington Resort to again host the Audi FIS Ski World Cup (Killington).

The NBA, FIBA and the Bahamas Basketball Federation announced that the ninth edition of Basketball Without Borders Americas will be held in Nassau, Bahamas, on July 5-8 (NBA).

The cover of SI this week will highlight North Carolina's NCAA men's basketball championship run: "Redeem Team" (THE DAILY).

"Yeah, I didn’t change my mind, and I won’t" – Capitals LW Alex Ovechkin, on his plans to play in the '18 Games regardless of whether the NHL chooses to participate (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/4).

“One of the reasons we’re doing this is because our merchandise sales were so successful last year. ... We’re responding to customer demand” – USL club FC Cincinnati President & GM Jeff Berding, on the team opening an expanded standalone retail store in downtown Cincinnati (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/4).

One thing becoming very clear at ESPN. If Connor Schell likes you (or your representation).... you are getting paid.

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) April 4, 2017

Sport is one of the most powerful drivers of social change in this world. For change to happen, leagues and governing bodies can't buckle.

— Alicia Jessop (@RulingSports) April 4, 2017

30 years since I last hosted the Champions Dinner at #themasters. I look forward to reconnecting with champions, old and young, this evening pic.twitter.com/S7Ssqqvr29

— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 4, 2017

#tblightning Anton Stralman on #NHL decision. "All they really care about is money. A few billionaires trying to make an extra buck."

— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) April 4, 2017

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com

Real recognize real. Thanks for letting us crash at your place in March. We had a blast. 🔵😈🏆 pic.twitter.com/dvJfL3sVDD

— Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 4, 2017

Upper Deck will unveil Grandeur, a coin collection featuring 20 former and current NHLers, in an event from 6:00-8:00pm ET at the Hockey HOF in Toronto. Upper Deck President Jason Masherah and NHLPA Exec Dir Don Fehr will be in attendance.

The Univ. of North Carolina posted this video of fans celebrating the school's NCAA men's basketball championship at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium and on campus in Chapel Hill.

TNT's Ernie Johnson will be a guest on CBS' "The Late Show" at 11:35pm ET.

UFC fighter Paige VanZant, free agent LB LaMarr Woodley, retired figure skater Dorothy Hamill and fencer Mariel Zagunis will compete against one another on tonight's episode of "Chopped" on Food Network at 9:00pm ET.

$129 – Amount that Big Ten Network charged HBO/Vice Media per second of game action from a Rutgers-Michigan football contest. The footage was used in a report on the concept of amateurism in college athletics ("Vice," HBO, 3/31).