John Ourand

As talk of a new suite of NFL deals cools, analyst Steven Cahall predicts a bruising rights fight that will reshape media economics, while casting doubt on blockbuster M&A scenarios for NBC and Fox.

With the overperforming World Cup headed into its final (and probably thrilling) stretch, FIFA is seemingly in the catbird seat in negotiating rights deals for 2030 and 2034.

Fanatics Fest has evolved from a collectibles convention into the closest thing sports has to Comic-Con, with enough gravitational pull to drag the ESPYs—and much of the industry—to New York this week.

John Ourand Welcome to The Varsity from a smoke-filled New York City. I attended the ESPYs last night for their cross-country, Lincoln Center debut. The show had a bit of a New York vibe, from the hometown Knicks cleaning up to performances by De La Soul and Ghostface Killah. (The Knicks have really seized on […]

After decades of false starts, U.S. Soccer C.E.O. J.T. Batson believes the World Cup finally gave the U.S. the momentum and corporate support to become a true soccer nation.

The latest round of ESPN casualties represents the latest act in the remaking of sports media: The network has shed half of its households in the past 15 years as the costs of broadcast rights have skyrocketed. How’s a linear sports network supposed to compete?

John Ourand Welcome to The Varsity. I’m John Ourand, bursting at the seams with some big news! We’re hosting our second annual sports business conference, In the Arena, in partnership with MoffettNathanson. The event will take place on October 1 in New York. And, like last year’s sold-out conference, it will feature an all-star group […]

As the unpredictable post-linear media landscape enters a period of particular uncertainty, as evidenced most recently by the great WarnerMount pause, the streamers seem poised to make deeper runs on the sports rights market.

With salaries for A-list talent skyrocketing and its audience ever declining, ESPN is slowly but surely squeezing out the mid-tier talent that suddenly has nowhere else to go. In this week’s town hall, newly christened E.V.P. Mike Foss shared a vision for ESPN talent that’s less combative and more social.

John Ourand Welcome to The Varsity. I’m John Ourand, with a quick public service announcement: You have a short window to reply to me with any grievances or feedback pertaining to this issue, because I will be blissfully spending a long weekend on a Virginia golf course with my phone on silent. You can forward […]