Everyone wants live sports these days — and one of the biggest players in the at-home fitness industry is stepping onto the court in a major way.

Peloton will soon offer live NBA and WNBA games from compatible devices via its new entertainment hub, marking the first time it has paired any live sports broadcasts with its product. 

Members with an out-of-market NBA League Pass subscription package will be able to access live and on-demand NBA games and content while working out on the company’s bikes, treadmills, and rowers.

A specific launch date for game-streaming is yet to be determined, but it will begin during this coming NBA season. As part of the multiyear deal, Peloton will also create NBA- and WNBA-themed classes during the leagues’ respective seasons.

The basketball plan follows Peloton’s first college sports deal struck earlier this year with the University of Michigan, which brought the company’s bikes to the Wolverines’ football sidelines and other athletic facilities.

Peloton’s stock currently sits at less than $5 — a stark contrast to its all-time high of more than $160 during the pandemic.

NBA Getting Creative

For the NBA, the Peloton deal increases its broadcast reach and diversifies its potential fan base as the league gets ready to negotiate new media rights deals.

ESPN and TNT are reportedly considering exploring smaller NBA rights deals that could facilitate the entry of streaming partners like Amazon and Apple, should more games become available for bidding.

NEW YORK — The NFL’s 11-year rights deal with Amazon, worth in excess of $11 billion, was partly a bet that streaming audiences would someday look a lot like those on traditional linear television.

That’s a reality now — and in only its second year, the Amazon deal is creating a critical way for the league to adapt to emerging technology.

Amazon is averaging 13.6 million viewers through its first five “Thursday Night Football” live streams — 26% above its comparable average to start the 2022 season and 42% higher than the full-season average of 9.6 million last year. 

Those increases bring Amazon and “TNF” streaming nearer to the NFL’s overall per-game average of 17.3 million so far in 2023 — itself up 4% from last year and the league’s highest mark through week 6 since 2015.

“This is looking closer to broadcast-type numbers,” said Brian Rolapp, NFL chief media and business officer, at fall league meetings. “It hasn’t quite caught up yet, but there’s been significant growth. … It’s not a mystery why we chose Amazon for this package. Everyone here has some interaction with Amazon, and the reach of that platform is gigantic.”

The league’s digital growth also extends to YouTube, in its first year managing NFL Sunday Ticket after years of satellite-based distribution on DirecTV. The NFL didn’t disclose subscriber numbers, but Rolapp said the current total represents a five-year high for the out-of-market game package. 

The early success of both Amazon and YouTube represent important hedges as the NFL, like all leagues, grapples with growing disruption in media while still operating with a reach-based business model.

“This has started to answer the question of whether you can put games on digital and start to get NFL-like numbers,” Rolapp said.

The Milwaukee Brewers won a key stadium renovation vote in the Wisconsin state assembly, likely ending months of uncertainty surrounding the club’s future in MLB’s smallest media market.

With a 69-27 bipartisan vote, the assembly passed a $546 million ballpark financing plan to provide key renovations to the 22-year-old, publicly owned American Family Field and extend the team’s lease through 2050. 

The state will contribute $411 million, while the city and county of Milwaukee will combine for another $135 million, and the Mark Attanasio-owned Brewers will chip in $100 million not included in the public-sector vote.

The measure must still go through the Wisconsin senate, with potential changes to the funding mechanisms with that vote, likely set for next month. But the initial vote represents a key step forward in a months-long saga that included suggestions and then retractions of the team’s relocation.

“Momentum continues to grow for a solution to maintain American Family Field and to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee for the next generation,” said Rich Schlesinger, Brewers president of business operations.

Despite the sizable margin in the assembly vote, the Brewers situation has revived long-standing debates on public financing for pro sports facilities, as well as speculation on the true economic power of a pro team in a local market. 

Some opponents to the bill blasted the measure as another example of corporate welfare, but advocates successfully pointed to the prospect of a largely empty ballpark without the Brewers.

“It’s simple math,” said assembly speaker Robin Vos. “If the Brewers leave, dollars follow … If another employer was being lured elsewhere, we’d be saying we don’t want to lose that employer.”

The NWSL is expanding at a rapid pace — and one NBA team owner wants in.

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group is partnering with another local soccer-focused organization to attract an NWSL expansion club. As of now, Gilbert would not be part of a prospective ownership group, though.

The league currently has 12 teams but will expand to 14 in 2024 with the addition of Bay FC, as well as a revival of the Utah Royals under new ownership. In 2026, A Boston franchise will enter the league, bringing it to 15 clubs.

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman has publicly stated her desire to also enter a 16th team into the league in 2026. Both the Boston and Bay Area ownership groups are paying about $50 million in expansion fees — record figures for the league.

The NWSL — which is in the midst of its playoffs and will crown its champion on Nov. 11 — is also close to sealing a new set of media rights deals. 

Women’s Sports Momentum

The NWSL’s momentum is part of a larger trend of women’s sports seeing new investment in the U.S. and around the world.

Two expansion WNBA teams will enter the league in 2025, with the Bay Area franchise believed to be paying $50 million. And in recent months, women’s sports have been breaking attendance records in both pro and college sports.