Hillary Gilmore

🚨BREAKING: The UFC Just Changed the Streaming Game Paramount just struck a seven-year, $7.7 billion deal to bring all UFC events—starting in 2026—to Paramount+ and CBS. Here’s the kicker: No more traditional PPV for U.S. fans. For decades, UFC’s biggest fights were locked behind a $70+ pay-per-view wall. Now, those same marquee events will be available to Paramount+ subscribers (and some on CBS) at no extra cost beyond the monthly fee. Why this matters: • PPV Disruption – The UFC is one of the last sports holding onto the PPV model. This move signals the beginning of the end for pay-per-view as we know it. • Streaming’s Sports Playbook – Exclusive live sports aren’t just about filling the calendar; they’re about subscriber growth, retention, and creating “can’t-miss” moments. • Consumer Shift – Audiences have been trained to expect everything on demand for one price. This deal aligns the UFC with modern viewing habits. For Paramount+, this isn’t just a fight deal—it’s a knockout blow in the streaming wars. For UFC, it’s a chance to reach millions more fans without the PPV barrier. The question now: If Ultimate Fighting Championship can drop PPV for streaming, who’s next? #news #streaming #tv #paramount #UFC

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As sports moments multiply, fan attention is fragmenting across screens, highlights, feeds, and platforms. But Audacy’s new State of Audio: Sports Fandom reveals something clear: while TV still delivers the big moments, sports audio has become the daily home for diehard fans. Check out our latest State of Audio!

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📰Innovation & Technology in Sports for 2025: Key Takeaways from Nielsen Global Sports Report (download 👇) 📺 Streaming & Digital Media: Sports streaming is booming across all age groups, with a 21% increase in fans aged 50+ streaming sports since 2022. Streaming is now a true cross-generational phenomenon, expanding reach and inclusivity of sports content. 🎮 Tech-Driven Formats & Fan Engagement: Hybrid and “phygital” sports formats are on the rise! Leagues like TGL (tech-powered golf) are attracting new, younger audiences—32% of TGL fans are not regular PGA Tour viewers. These innovations blend real-world action with digital interactivity for next-level fan experiences. 🤖 Advanced Analytics & Smart Equipment: AI, computer vision, and connected devices are revolutionizing training and match analysis. From sensor-embedded balls to VR-based coaching tools, tech is delivering real-time insights for athletes, coaches, and fans. 🌐 Immersive & Virtual Experiences: Virtual stadiums and immersive viewing platforms are redefining how fans engage with live events—no matter where they are in the world. 📈 The Bottom Line: Innovation and technology are driving new engagement models, expanding audiences, and unlocking fresh commercial opportunities across the global sports industry.

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EA Sports Acquired for $55 Billion. 🚀 EA Sports is now under new ownership, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners have completed one of the most significant deals in gaming history. The e-gaming and e-sports industry is now a multi-billion dollar opportunity for brands offering powerful sponsorship and activation potential, that can be combined with official football club sponsorships. In this video, I explain how brands can leverage this space, and share how we helped our client ZO Skin Health create a standout sponsorship with West Ham United, featured inside Electronic Arts (EA) FIFA. At Football Media, we secure ROI-focused sponsorships powered by DEANE AI, our proprietary AI agent that delivers data-led insights and strategy. It’s in the game… #FootballMedia #Sponsorship #DEANEAI #EASports #SaudiArabia #Gaming #PIF #CMOInsights #Agency

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ESPN announced that it will stream five out-of-market NFL preseason games on its ESPN DTC app on August 23rd, available to those with the unlimited tier and via select pay TV providers. The app will stream the local broadcast of each game. #espnunlimited #streamingmedia #ESPN #SVOD #disney #sportsnews #NFL

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TV is only 70yrs old (1950 only 9% of households had one). Sports broadcast rights only became a thing in 1960 with the CBS - NFL deal. Distribution is everything. These social platforms are intricate webs of different creator communities/fanbases with loyal viewers. It would be interesting to see if broadcast rights deals will start to include creator-led co-streams of those broadcasts to help increase viewership and boost their numbers. OR some of your larger creator media companies look at this opportunity to launch their own live channels and capture some of these broadcast opportunities for themselves. They have the fans, they have clipping networks, and they have brand partners who have spent 10s - 100s of millions of dollars with them over the past decade. It would be like if NBC, ABC, or FOX, had a loyal fanbase and a sense of community… #creatoreconomy #sports #broadcast #TV #contentcreators #gseworldwide #gsedigital

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Fanatics and OBB Media announced the launch of Fanatics Studio kicking off with star-studded projects including ESPN, LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games, Tom Brady, Fox Corporation, Major League Baseball (MLB), WWE. It raises an uncomfortable but important question: Does the world really need another sports studio? At first, it feels late to the party. We already have leagues producing content. Broadcasters doing docus. Streamers chasing sports-adjacent IP. Athlete-led media companies everywhere. So why does this matter? My guess is, Fanatics isn’t entering content as a media company. It’s entering as a fan infrastructure company. If we look at what Fanatics already controls — merchandise, data, collectibles, betting, live events, athlete relationships and in the last 5 years, they have also launch Fanatics Sportsbook, Fanatics Casinos, Fanatics App and Fanatics Market — content becomes less about “shows” and more about shaping the fan journey end-to-end. I'd like to this that the real opportunity isn’t just documentaries or scripted series. It’s content that: ✅ Turns athletes into long-term IP, not campaign assets ✅Blurs the line between commerce, culture, and community ✅Is built with conversion, loyalty, and fandom in mind — not just ratings Fanatics is doubling down on its moat — using athlete-origin stories that span retail, live events, and digital, creating always-on fan engagement rather than one-off releases, and turning cultural moments into identity and belonging🎥✨ 📈The signal to the industry is clear: Sports content is no longer just about distribution. It’s about ownership of the relationship, and in this case, building fandom that make eventually convert into customers. This isn’t Fanatics trying to be Netflix. It’s Fanatics trying to make sure no one else fully owns the sports fan narrative.

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SXSW is a wrap. It was great. And while I’m tired, I learned a lot and connected with so many people. We had 5 Creators on panels. Alexis Ramos, our Head of Sports and Partner, spoke on two panels. I also moderated and spoke on two panels. And Lighthouse Studios launched Lyrical Lemonade TV, a media network for a new generation. A few of my observations: 1) Creators and Hollywood are merging, but also separate! Panels and activations were more creator-packed than I can remember. IP ownership. Business models. What I found most interesting is that both sides need each other - just for different reasons. Some Creators still crave the validation that Hollywood represents. Hollywood needs Creators to stay culturally relevant. But here’s my actual take: Hollywood needs to take bigger bets and move faster. And Creators need to start building real prestige IP that leads to longevity. Both sides will keep merging. But Creators are also just fine on their own. That part gets overlooked. 2) Go to the dinners and intimate gatherings. Skip the parties. People go to the parties to say they went. That’s it. No real business happens. No real relationships form. Everyone’s orbiting the same room, waiting in long lines for a drink. The dinners and curated events were different. Smaller rooms. Actual conversation. People who can finish a thought without having to yell. Food has a way of bonding people that a 200-person open bar simply cannot. I left those dinners with real relationships, which almost never happens in a free-for-all concert. And I left the smaller parties, like the Lyrical Lemonade party, having truly bonded with people. 3) AI has a new publicist or sentiment is slowly changing. Every conference runs an AI panel or 20 now. But the tone felt different this time. The “AI is taking our jobs” panic has quietly shifted to “this makes me better at my job.” For Creators, the realization is setting in that authentic voice is the differentiator. The people winning with AI aren’t replacing creators. They’re using it to lean into comedy, science, pop culture - things that still need a real human perspective to land. The doom narrative didn’t disappear. But it definitely got quieter. 4) Panel etiquette is apparently optional now. I moderated one panel, spoke on another, and went to a dozen. All were great, except for the people loudly having full conversations while speakers were presenting. Audience members. And at times, the people throwing the event and their staff. I’ve spoken at a lot of conferences and I’ve never seen this before. I’m loud. If I’m having trouble hearing myself, something has gone very wrong. These speakers are unpaid. They’re giving you their time and their thinking. The least you can do is act like you want to be there or leave. And next time I’m on a panel and the person who asked me to be there is having a full conversation in the front row, I’ll take that as my cue to wrap early and let them take it from here.

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