Welcome back, Aston Martin — it’s been a while.

On Wednesday, the luxury carmaker announced its return to the Formula One World Championship after 61 years, unveiling its new racer, the AMR21. 

The reveal was boosted by Aston Martin partners Tom Brady and “James Bond” actor Daniel Craig, who cheered on the team with video messages.

“Today is a truly historic moment for Aston Martin, as we return to the pinnacle of motorsport for the first time in more than 60 years,” said CEO Tobias Moers. He noted that the racing spotlight will have “far-reaching positive effects” on the brand.

The carmaker sees the event as a turning point after a dismal 2020 in which its stock price dropped 82%.

While the pandemic caused the 2020 slump, the previous year was even tougher for Aston Martin. It reported net losses of $145.2 million after struggling to stir up interest in its pricey vehicles.

The company saw glimmers of hope with a healthy first-quarter earnings report, led by strong demand for its new $223,000 SUV.

Things are looking up for Verizon Media Group, and sports betting has a lot to do with it.

In Q4 2020, the unit reported $2.3 billion in revenue, up 11.4% year-over-year. It was the first growth quarter for Verizon Media since it acquired Yahoo in 2017 — two years after buying a dying AOL.

The Yahoo and AOL acquisitions together cost Verizon Media $9 billion, and led to a $4.6 billion write-off in 2018 after both properties had notoriously underperformed. But now, Yahoo Sports is beginning to show its value.

Former Alibaba executive Guru Gowrappan took over Verizon Media in 2018 with hopes of reviving the unit. One of Gowrappan’s first successes was Yahoo Sports’ partnership with BetMGM, a joint venture between MGM Resorts and British gambling company Entain.

The partnership allows Yahoo users to bet on sports in eight states where BetMGM operates, within a connected ecosystem. It’s been live since 2019, and results have been tremendous for a Verizon Media looking to rebuild.

• Yahoo Sports sent over 1 million people to BetMGM’s registration portal in 2020, per Sportico.
• The average Yahoo Sports bettor places wagers on BetMGM at a rate that would amount to $6,000 in bets each year, according to Digiday.

BetMGM isn’t the only entity that believes in Verizon.

In February, it was revealed that, last quarter, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway invested $8.6 billion in the telecom giant’s stock.

NBA legend and business mogul Earvin “Magic” Johnson is everywhere when it comes to business. 

The five-time NBA champion and entrepreneur has been appointed to the board of directors of Fanatics, a global leader in licensed sports merchandise. 

Johnson will be one of three independent directors, joining Mindy Grossman, CEO of WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and Gerald Storch, former CEO of Toys R Us. 

Fanatics is another addition to the long list of Johnson’s leadership and investment moves.

In 2012, he was part of the ownership group that bought the Los Angeles Dodgers and its minor league affiliate. He also led the charge to purchase the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks in 2014.

Both ventures were made possible through Johnson’s investment conglomerate Magic Johnson Enterprises, which he started in 1995 after an investment in an L.A. movie theater. Johnson also has ownership stakes in LAFC of MLS and esports franchise Team Liquid.

Outside of teams, Johnson is an investor in sports tech startup ShotTracker and The Marvel Experience, a touring theme park powered by private venture capital fund Hero Ventures. Johnson is involved in the energy sector as well, investing in Uncharted Power last year. 

The appointment of Johnson comes after the announcement of Fanatics China last week.

Currently valued at $6.2 billion, Fanatics secured $350 million in a Series E funding round in August 2020. Major League Baseball and the NFL invested a total of $150 million in the company in 2017.

DISH customers will now be able to bet on sports through their TV provider.

DraftKings and DISH Network announced that they are the latest companies to partake in a sports betting and media partnership. The TV provider will “bring DraftKings’ sportsbook and daily fantasy experiences directly to DISH customers nationwide.”

“This is a unique opportunity for fans to watch games and engage with our real-money products while the technology also allows for further innovation ahead,” said Paul Liberman, co-founder of DraftKings. 

DISH will begin offering the DraftKings sportsbook and daily fantasy apps on its Hopper platform and extend across DISH’s portfolio of brands, but it’s not the first one to this game.

FuboTV, which recently completed its acquisition of gaming company Vigtory, emphasized its dedication to sports betting in its earnings report this week. The company had its first quarter exceeding $100 million in revenue and plans to build its own sportsbook by the end of 2021.

In August, PointsBet became the official sports betting partner of NBC Sports. Comcast-owned NBCUniversal also took a 4.9% equity stake in the sportsbook in a five-year, $500 million deal, per Sportico. Fox launched the Fox Bet platform in 2019.

DraftKings reaches an average of 1.5 million unique paying users each month, and last month increased its 2021 revenue forecast from $900 million to $1 billion.

JPMorgan predicts that the U.S. sports betting market will grow to $9.2 billion by 2025.