Advertisers for “Thursday Night Football” should expect smaller viewerships than in recent years.

Amazon, which purchased exclusive rights to “TNF” for $1 billion per season, reportedly expects 12.5 million viewers to tune in when the games start next month, per Ad Age.  

• Last year, the most-watched “TNF” game — not including Thanksgiving Day games — reached 20 million viewers, with the lowest-watched bringing in 10 million.
• NFL games averaged 17.1 million viewers across TV and digital last season and represented 48 of the top 50 TV broadcasts, per the NFL.

With smaller audiences comes lower ad prices. One ad buyer reportedly claims that a 30-second ad spot is going for around $500,000. Last year, Fox averaged $635,439 per 30-second spot.

“I think many marketers are waiting to see how successful this new space will be for the NFL before going all-in on sponsorships,” one executive from a media buying agency said.

Amazon has 80 million active Prime Video households in the U.S. and will produce 15 weeks of “Thursday Night Football” for the next 11 seasons.

Prime Products

The commerce and media giant is reportedly working with sponsors to integrate NFL ad buys into its wider e-commerce ads platform.

“The ‘TNF’ digital broadcasts give brands new ways to connect with fans at scale through interactive features, Twitch, and alternate feeds,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “And a unique combination of first- and third-party metrics enable advertisers to reengage ‘TNF’ audiences.”

The parent company of mixed martial arts brand One Championship is making structural changes, including its plans to go public.

Group One Holdings is now exploring an initial public offering after previously making plans for a SPAC merger, according to Bloomberg.

• The company is also reportedly relocating its legal home base from Singapore to the Cayman Islands.
• Previously, One Championship had linked with Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs on a potential SPAC merger.
• The MMA company raised $150 million from Guggenheim Investments and the Qatar Investment Authority in December 2021 at a $1.35 billion valuation.

Primed to Go

One Championship has been fighting for the North American audience.

The company secured a multiyear streaming rights deal with Amazon Prime Video, which kicks in on Aug. 26.

“They have 200 million subscribers,” said One Championship vice president Rich Franklin. “This is going to open up the U.S. and Canadian audience for us coming to the U.S., so this is Phase 1.”

The deal calls for Amazon to stream at least 12 events each year.

“They’re the home of ‘Thursday Night [Football],’ and so this was a no-brainer for us,” Franklin added.

One Championship has been hosting all its fights at Singapore Indoor Stadium, but has plans to bring events to the U.S.

America’s Team is ramping up its efforts to be Mexico’s Team. 

The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a multifaceted deal with TelevisaUnivision that includes both media rights and a commercial agreement.

• The Spanish-language network will have exclusive broadcast rights to the team’s preseason games in Mexico. 
• It will also create supplementary content before and during the season, including training camp reports, interviews, and behind-the-scenes access.
• The three-year deal began on Saturday with the Cowboys’ preseason game against the Denver Broncos shown on the media company’s streaming service, ViX.

TelevisaUnivision will also help the Cowboys further develop their brand presence and grow sales in Mexico.

Marco Liceaga, TelevisaUnivision’s senior vice president of sports growth enterprises, called the Cowboys “the most popular NFL team in Mexico.”

Mega-Merger

Televisa and Univision closed their $4.8 billion merger in January. 

The combined company saw revenues grow 11% year-over-year in the second quarter to $1.1 billion, but took a $7.5 million loss. Part of the reason for the loss was heavy spending on ViX, which launched in March. 

The network, which calls itself the “home of soccer,” holds rights to UEFA’s Euro 2024 and 2028 tournaments, MLS, La Liga, Liga MX, Copa America, and Copa MX.

Naomi Osaka is the latest professional athlete to invest in the college sports name, image, and likeness space. 

The star has signed five college athletes from multiple sports to promote her suncare brand KINLÒ, which was created specifically for melanin-rich skin. 

They include:

• UCLA soccer’s Reilyn Turner
• Michigan track and field’s Ziyah Holman
• UNC basketball’s Deja Kelly
• Kentucky basketball’s Robert Dillingham
• Stanford beach volleyball’s Xolani Hodel

Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“As young, influential voices in the space, they are the perfect fit to help champion such an important initiative and as a brand, we couldn’t be prouder to empower and support NCAA athletes,” Osaka said in a statement.

In June, Osaka launched a media company, Hana Kuma, in partnership with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s The SpringHill Company. It has already collaborated with the New York Times and Amazon-owned cable channel Epix.

Back to School

Osaka, who did not attend college herself, joins a select group of elite athletes who are giving back to their college counterparts. 

Steph Curry invested in NIL with a partnership with UConn’s Azzi Fudd. Tom Brady inked partnerships with multiple players for his apparel brand. Candace Parker is heading up a mentorship group as part of Adidas’ NIL program.