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On the latest episode of La Previa, hosts Asli Pelit and Boris Gartner discuss some of the week’s most important sports business news, including Sportico’s latest Major League Soccer (MLS) valuations and Netflix‘s WWE deal.
First, the hosts discuss the latest MLS valuations from 2023, starting with the most significant: Inter Miami FC. The South Florida franchise moved from 10th place in 2022 to third last year. It is currently valued at $1.02 billion, more than doubling its revenue from $55 million to $127 million since 2022.
Meanwhile, league heavyweights Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy and Atlanta United have again maintained their spots in the top four.
“Look at how that consistency is being recognized,” Gartner said. “These teams have been consistent year by year, both in the business part and in the fandom they have created.”
Next, the hosts discuss Taylor Swift and the economic impact of her NFL wardrobe. The bespoke Chiefs puffer jacket Swift wore to Kansas City’s playoff game against the Miami Dolphins two weekends ago stole the spotlight on NFL’s Wildcard weekend, bringing half a million new social media followers to jacket’s designer Kristin Juszczyk, wife of 49ers’ fullback Kyle Juszczyk. In an interview with Sportico, the league acknowledged that it is in talks with Juszczyk to turn her hobby into official merchandise.
Juszczyk is not the only winner. The NFL and its media partners have also enjoyed the storyline and new eyeballs Swift brought to the league and its coverage. “It’s Taylor Swift, and this is the biggest thing that can happen,” Gartner said. But we’ll see how, even post-Taylor Swift, they’ll try to incorporate more of the fashion culture theme into the storytelling.
Lastly, the hosts discuss WWE’s move to Netflix. After 31 years with USA Network, WWE’s Raw moved to the streaming platform in a deal valued at $5 billion for the next 10 years starting January 2025. Netflix can opt out after the initial five years and extend it for 10 years. Sources say WWE’s five-year deal for U.S. rights to Raw with NBCUniversal is worth approximately $250 million to $260 million annually.
With an audience of mostly the critical 18-49 demos, Raw has been the USA Network’s most-watched series since 2016. “I think the important part of this ad is that Netflix is officially in the live sports business,” said Gartner. “It’s always speculated that Netflix is seeing what Amazon was doing. And then we saw how they came out, for Thursday Night Football, paying, if I’m not mistaken, $1.3 billion per season. Seeing what Apple did with MLS. And I think it was Netflix’s turn.”
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