It’s no secret the NFL, and other sports leagues, were surprised, and not in a good way, by the unveiling of the streaming venture among ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery in early February. 

Now, the NFL’s top media executive is questioning the business logic behind the initiative (also known as “Spulu”), echoing what many observers immediately asked: Why would consumers pay possibly $50 a month for roughly only half the sports programming out there?

Brian Rolapp (above), the NFL’s chief media and business officer, narrowed that critique to his own sport, the NFL. The yet-to-be-named streamer, which is expected to launch this fall carrying 14 linear networks, would have NFL games from ESPN and Fox but be missing games aired by CBS, NBC, and Amazon.

“So I’m trying to understand the value proposition,” Rolapp said in an interview during a break in this week’s NFL owners meetings in Orlando. “You are missing more than half of football. I’m not sure how comprehensive of a sports bundle it is.”

But Rolapp also allowed that in the messy transition from linear to digital, experimentation is not necessarily a bad thing, suggesting the NFL is at least sympathetic to the venture. Satisfying fans who are cord-cutters, or are cord-nevers, while at the same time feeding the still valuable linear system is a balancing act all media and sports are trying to pull off. 

“Having said that, the fact that they’re going in and trying to do something different, really trying to figure out this model is that’s always it, because you need to sort of be proactive in this environment, because it’s changing so much. I think that’s good.”

The NFL did not appreciate the surprise announcement during Super Bowl week, and there are some concerns that the streaming venture itself could collectively bid on games in the future. Currently that is not the plan, but if Fox and ESPN were to jointly bid for NFL games, then that hypothetically could reduce the number of bidders for games (the NFL’s TV contracts run through 2030, so this is hardly a short-term worry).

Earlier this month, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch projected the new service would reach five million subscribers by 2029, a fairly conservative goal. The streaming venture recently announced Pete Distad as its first CEO.

NFL Media’s Future

Rolapp also says the NFL is not currently in discussions about bringing on a partner for NFL Media, a goal the league has sought for the last two years.

“It’s almost two years ago, we were pretty clear, pretty public about the mission of NFL Network and the mission of our own operating assets,” Rolapp says. “And for that, we also realized that the landscape is completely changing, and that there’s probably areas where we’re going to need partners, and that we were going to be patient and see if any deal with any potential partner makes sense. We haven’t seen one yet.”

With more and more nefarious stories around sports betting emerging seemingly every day, the NCAA wants to ban prop bets on college sports nationwide.

Already, college prop bets are not allowed in every state, but on Wednesday, NCAA president Charlie Baker in a statement said that they “threaten the integrity of competition” and are “leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed.” The NCAA will be contacting officials in states where college prop betting is in place to push for the removal of said wagers across all markets.

It’s likely no coincidence that the NCAA’s announcement comes just days after the NBA began investigating Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter due to multiple instances of irregularities surrounding the prop bets on the player recently. “Issues across the country these last several days show there is more work to be done,” Baker’s statement added. Earlier this month, gambling watchdog company U.S. Integrity alerted casinos about unusual wagering surrounding a Temple-UAB men’s basketball game. And, of course, there’s the ongoing Shohei Ohtani sports betting scandal.

Now What Happens?

The head of the NCAA calling for a ban on prop bets is certainly a big deal. But will it be taken seriously? For years, NCAA executives and college administrators have been pleading for federal legislation to better govern name, image, and likeness rules in college sports. But nearly three years into the emergence of NIL, progress on any nationwide laws has been minimal.

States with major Division I programs like Ohio and Maryland don’t allow prop bets on any college sports, while others like New Jersey and Illinois don’t allow prop bets on schools within those states. However, large markets like Michigan and the recently launched North Carolina have no such restrictions. Prop betting continues to gain popularity, too, so it’s fair to wonder whether state gaming officials across the country would be willing to give up potential revenue from taxes on that growing market.

One of sport’s most remarkable—and unlikeliest—stories in years is now unfolding, and a trio of North American media companies are poised to be among the primary beneficiaries. 

Ukraine qualified for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly known as the Euros, late Tuesday with a dramatic comeback victory over Iceland. The win clinched the country’s first qualification to a major soccer tournament since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in early ’22. A potential qualification by Ukraine to the World Cup that year fell just short with a playoff loss to Wales.

Because of the ongoing war, Ukraine’s national team has not played a home game in more than two years, staging games over that time in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia. The win carries additional resonance for Ukrainian citizens, as the Euros qualification arrives amid renewed bombing in the country by Russian forces.

“Whenever Ukrainians face difficulties but do not give up and continue to fight, Ukrainians certainly win,” the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, posted on X. 

Ukraine’s appearance in the Euros—expected to be a large-scale display of national pride—starting in June gives even more prominence to the event, which will be carried in English in the U.S. by Fox Sports and sublicensee Fubo, and in Spanish on TelevisaUnivision platforms. Currently ranked 24th in global FIFA standings, Ukraine will compete in the tournament’s Group E with Belgium (4th), Romania (45th), and Slovakia (48th). 

“Both before and after the [final qualifying] matches, we said that these victories are for our country, [our] people, the defenders who defend our freedom,” said Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov. “Everyone understands how important this victory is.”

Prize Money

Ukraine’s national team is also in line for a meaningful payday with the Euros qualification. UEFA finalized its prize distribution for the tournament late last year, keeping the same overall $360 million pool as the pandemic-delayed 2020 Euros. 

The country, like any other qualifier, will receive a minimum of $10 million, and could earn up to $30.5 million by winning the entire competition.