Hedge fund manager Steve Cohen is set to be the new majority owner of the New York Mets in a deal that values the team at $2.42 billion. Cohen has reached an agreement with the Wilpon and Katz families following roughly two weeks of exclusive negotiations.

It’ll be the highest-valued North American team purchase in history, beating the $2.275 billion that David Tepper paid to purchase the Carolina Panthers in 2018. The highest deal previously for an MLB team was $2.15 billion for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012.

Cohen will have 95% ownership of the team, with the Wilpon and Katz families retaining 5%. Cohen already owns 8% of the team. SportsNet New York, which broadcasts the team’s games and is majority owned by the Wilpons, was not included in the deal.

Of MLB’s 29 other owners, 23 must approve the deal for it to go through. A vote is likely to take place in November.

Mets And Cohen Timeline:

2002: Wilpon family acquired controlling stake in Mets for $391 million.

2012: Cohen acquired 8% of the team.

Dec. 2019-Feb. 2020: Cohen attempted to purchase up to 80% of the team in a deal that valued the Mets at $2.6 billion. The deal fell apart.

Feb.-April: Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez expressed a desire to buy the Mets, and secured JPMorgan Chase for a bid.

June: The owners of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, joined the fray.

July: Cohen was back in the mix, placing a $2 billion bid, besting A-Rod and J.Lo’s $1.7 billion offer and a similar bid by Harris and Blitzer.

Aug. 28: Cohen entered exclusive talks to buy the team.

NFL’s Thursday and Sunday primetime games this past week saw viewership dips compared to 2019. 

While some pundits might blame the drop on the league’s support of social and racial justice activism, it should be noted the weekend was unusually full of sports. Thursday’s game — which saw a 13% viewership decline — occurred alongside a Los Angeles Lakers playoff game, NHL playoffs, and a Serena Williams US Open match.

Opening Weekend Primetime Viewership:

• Thursday Night’s NFL Kickoff Game: Viewership was down 13% from 2019 with 19.3 million viewers. Out-of-home viewing, a new Nielsen metric, eventually did bump the total up to 20.5 million viewers. 
• NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”: Early reports suggest the game drew 15.2 million average total viewers, but the fast-national ratings don’t include major West Coast markets, including Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Rams played the Dallas Cowboys. The viewership was 21% down from the 2019 Sunday night debut. 

While viewership dropped, Fanatics reported a 35% year-over-year online sales increase during opening weekend. At the top of the list: Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey. Cam Newton’s New England Patriots jersey was just 50 units behind Brady’s heading into the weekend, according to Fanatics founder Michael Rubin.

Fanatics Opening Weekend Top-Selling Jerseys: 

1. Buccaneers QB Tom Brady
2. Patriots QB Cam Newton
3. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes 
4. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
5. 49ers DE Nick Bosa

ESPN continues to expand its sports betting partnerships and coverage. The network signed co-exclusive deals with DraftKings and Caesars Entertainment’s betting provider William Hill.

The deals are expansions of partnerships already in place with the two sports betting operators. ESPN recently opened a studio in Las Vegas at Caesars Entertainment’s The LINQ Hotel + Experience.

Deal Details: 

• Caesars-William Hill: Exclusive odds provider and sportsbook link-out provider; Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill will sponsor ESPN fantasy products.
• DraftKings: Exclusive daily fantasy sports provider and sportsbook link-out provider; power integration across content including segments on studio shows.

With the news of the deals, ESPN said it would also be expanding its betting coverage. Along with the “Daily Wager” program on ESPN, it announced a three-night-a-week digital show called “Bet” and said it will launch a YouTube channel dedicated to sports betting content.

ESPN is throwing a lot behind its betting coverage. But it appears while sports betting is taking off across the U.S., the studio shows have yet to reach core content viewers. 

On Tuesday, Sept. 8:

• Traditional talking heads show “Pardon the Interruption” averaged 311,000 viewers at 5:30-6 p.m.
• “Daily Wager” averaged 92,000 viewers from 6-7 p.m.

Anheuser-Busch InBev is reportedly set to cut its expansive sponsorship portfolio by 25%. The cuts won’t just affect sports, but the music and entertainment industry as well. More than 100 companies will be trimmed from the 400 on its partnership roster.

The company won’t cut spending however, as it seeks to regain exclusivity deals. AB InBev currently has deals with many major leagues — like the NFL, NHL, MLB and NBA — as well as partnerships with at least 20 teams in each league.

Recent Deals: 

• AB InBev announced yesterday a TV campaign in the U.K. for Budweiser Zero as part of its English Premier League partnership.
• Earlier this month, the brand signed Lionel Messi for a Budweiser campaign.

Flat Celebrations:

Budweiser might see its marketing value from MLB dwindle this fall as the league is looking to make celebrations dry — and remain outdoors. The league is reportedly finalizing a memorandum on the use of alcohol in postseason celebrations to avoid any spread of COVID-19.