The NHL’s return to ESPN after 17 years is supercharging advertising sales for Disney, which has nearly sold out commercial time for the 2021-22 season.

The entertainment giant expects more than $100 million in NHL-related ad sales this season, sources tell Front Office Sports.

“We are very, very well sold,” said Rita Ferro, president of Disney advertising sales, who declined to comment on numbers but noted significant demand across ESPN, ESPN+, and Hulu. “We have a couple of positions left, mostly in the playoffs and Finals.”

NBC’s 16-year run of NHL coverage came to an end after its Stanley Cup broadcast in July. Disney has picked up many of the network’s former advertisers.

• A dozen official league partners have come aboard, including Apple, Verizon, and EA Sports.
• Lexus, Fidelity, and Subway are among presenting, in-game, and studio sponsors.
• Expedia will present 25 games on ABC and ESPN; New Amsterdam Vodka will present 75 games on Disney’s streaming platforms.

ESPN is paying a reported $400 million annually to serve as the league’s lead TV partner — part of a seven-year, $2.8 billion contract — while Turner Sports is paying an annual $225 million for the “B” package.

The deal looks well worth it for Disney. “Our business is on fire,” Ferro said.

Endeavor and Silver Lake are looking to purchase minor league baseball teams — and it looks like they’re buying in bulk.

The two companies are teaming up to offer very competitive bids, seeking to buy up to 12 teams in the near term, with the potential to own 40 or more down the road.

• Endeavor, owner of the UFC and agency WME, hired two former Excel Sports Management agents to build out its MLB representation in September. Excel is suing Endeavor over the matter.
• That same month, Endeavor agreed to acquire sportsbook and gaming firm OpenBet for $1.2 billion in cash and stock.
• Silver Lake is one of the major private equity forces in sports, with investments in Manchester City owner City Football Group, Fanatics, Madison Square Garden, and Endeavor.

In 2016, the top 20 minor league teams had an average value of $37.5 million. A Minor League Baseball contraction in 2020 brought the number of teams down from 160 to 120.

According to The Athletic, purchasing 12 teams would cost “at least a few hundred million dollars in outlays,” not including stadium improvements and other capital investments.

Sportsmap Tech Acquisition, a SPAC focused on sports technology deals, announced a $100 million initial public offering on Tuesday, offering 10 million units at $10 each.

Led by Gow Media founder and CEO David Gow, the company began trading on the Nasdaq on Wednesday.

Gow Media is the largest privately owned media company in Texas. The offering is expected to close Thursday.

Sportsmap Tech reportedly filed confidentially with the SEC in July, with plans to focus on sports technology companies built around fan engagement, health and wellness, esports, fantasy sports, and sports gambling.

SPACs eyeing sports-related companies have been incredibly active over the past year.

• RedBall Acquisition Corp. announced a merger with ticketing platform Seat Geek earlier this month in a deal that values the combined entity at $1.35 billion.
• In April, Sports Entertainment Acquisition Corp entered an agreement to merge with Super Group and bring the international company’s massive online sports betting and gaming business to U.S. public markets.
• Bull Horn Holdings, which is targeting leading sports and entertainment companies, completed its $75 million IPO in November 2020.

After purchasing the website CultureMap in 2017, Gow Media branched off to build sports radio network SportsMap. It also owns FM stations ESPN 97.5 & 92.5 in Houston.

Legalized online sports betting is coming to New York, but operating in the state may come with a hefty price tag.

New York estimates that online sports betting could generate roughly $482 million annually in state tax revenue, as operators must offer to pay the state at least 50% of their revenues.

New York first legalized sports betting in 2013 but limited action to casinos. A federal ruling in 2019 expanded betting to retail sportsbooks, but now New Yorkers will be able to indulge online from mobile devices.

In April, a tentative agreement backed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was reached to allow online sports betting in New York, but through a model that is lottery-run and limits the number of sportsbooks.

• New York’s plan is inspired by the system in New Hampshire, which pocketed $13.3 million in revenue from online sports betting between July 2020 and June of this year.
• New Hampshire takes 51% of the gross gaming revenue from online sports betting in the state.

New York will award licenses based on a sportsbooks’ track record and plans.

FanDuel and DraftKings could be frontrunners to operate online sports betting in the state.