Disney’s sports empire is growing, and so are the possibilities for how it will combine its unique package of rights and channels. 

The media giant’s sports properties will spread beyond ESPN, according to Variety, with ESPN+, ABC, and Hulu playing an increasingly prominent role.

ABC will start airing “Sunday Night Baseball” games in August. With the NHL coming back to ESPN on a seven-year, $2.8 billion deal, some games will be available on Hulu.

After securing a 12-year extension with Wimbledon on July 9 that includes broadcasts on ABC and ESPN+, Disney’s sports media rights cover the landscape:

• NFL games from 2023-2033 for $2.7 billion per season
• MLB games from 2022-2028 for $4 billion
• NBA games through 2024 at around $1 billion per season
• LaLiga matches from 2021-2028 for $1.4 billion
• PGA Tour rights, beginning in 2022

The biggest chance to showcase the Mouse’s reach will come in 2026, when Disney airs the Super Bowl. The conglomerate could broadcast the game on multiple platforms, and even leverage properties like Star Wars and the Marvel Comics Universe to augment coverage on certain channels.

The shift is emblematic of the broader one from cable to streaming. ESPN and ESPN2 are seeing subscriber declines, while 40% of Disney’s recent upfront ad commitments came from its streaming services, namely Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu.

Disney+ had over 103 million subscribers as of April 3. Hulu had 41.6 million and ESPN+ had 13.8 million.

Digital soccer collectibles platform Sorare is expected to announce that it will receive $532 million in funding, valuing the Paris-based company at more than $3.8 billion, according to Business Insider. 

The funding, led by SoftBank, would mark the largest round ever in the French technology sector. 

The platform has several high-profile investors including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Barcelona FC forward Antoine Griezmann, and VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuk. 

Sorare raised $50 million in February during a Series A funding round led by VC firm Benchmark.

Collectibles are continuing to be a hot commodity for investors. 

• Dapper Labs, the company behind NBA Top Shot, a NFT marketplace where users buy, sell, and trade short highlights called “Moments,” was valued at $7.5 billion after completing a $305 million funding round in March. 
• Rally, a pioneer in fractionalized sports collective investments, has raised more than $50 million since its launch in 2017, including a $30 million Series B round in May, led by VC firm Accel. 
• Mythical Games, an NFT games startup, raised $75 million in Series B funding last month. The round led by WestCap, included a contribution from Gary Vaynerchuk’s VaynerFund. 

Sorare offers players from over 130 football clubs and its goal is reportedly to add the top 20 leagues globally. A Cristiano Ronaldo collectible went for $102,000.

Nintendo is increasing the price of its latest Switch console as it prepares to hit the market in October.

The move, which is a departure from traditional industry norms, is expected to boost the company’s profit margins.

In the past, console makers — like Sony and Microsoft — have tried to increase sales by reducing prices. 

Nintendo’s net sales reached $15.9 billion for the year ending March 31, a 34.4% increase year-over-year. The Switch accounted for $15 billion, or 98%, of those sales. 

The company hopes to ride the wave of that success by increasing the price of the new model to $350 — a jump from its $300 standard model. 

The Switch was released in 2017 and lifetime sales have reached more than 84 million units. It has been the top-selling video game console in each of the past two years.

Nintendo generated $3.2 billion in revenue in its fiscal Q4 with the help of 4.73 million Switch units sold during the quarter. The company expects to sell another 25.5 million by March 2022.

The eye-popping salaries make headlines, but behind the scenes, many athletes struggle to manage their finances. An athlete-led startup is looking to change that.

“What really motivated us was seeing athletes struggling financially,” The Players Company cofounder Amir Carlisle told FOS. “This is a problem that has persisted for decades.”

Carlisle, a former receiver with the Arizona Cardinals, started the company with cornerback Richard Sherman and Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Sheldon Day. LeBron James’ business partner Mav Carter, Disney executive chairman Bob Iger, and Bleacher Report founder Dave Finocchio serve as advisors.

The Players Company connects athletes to financial advisors and investment opportunities. The company currently partners with:

• Accel Partners
• Sequoia
• GC
• Lightspeed
• TRG
• The Admiral Capital Group

Its membership of roughly 200 athletes is currently around 85% NFL players, but it’s looking to get into a cycle of recruitment during each league’s offseason.

“Especially in the NFL, you have many athletes coming from low-income environments, potentially living check-to-check,” Carlisle explained. “You don’t have the base financial knowledge to handle $100, let alone $1.5 million.”

He also noted the issue of player churn: The average NFL career lasts 2.5 years, after which many players are cast into the wider economy with little work experience outside athletics.

The startup is in the midst of a $3 million fundraise, primarily from athletes.