Mollie Cahillane

The influence of the institutional investments in sports was undeniable in 2024. Across multiple leagues and nearly two dozen teams, these investments provided an infusion of cash into sports that has been building for years and became a tidal wave this year. It propelled The Private Equity Investor to the top of SBJ’s Most Influential People in Sports Business list for 2024.

So what caught my eye on the media side in 2024? Women's sports had an incredible year.

First, my most important prediction is that Northwestern men's basketball will be dancing in March for the third year in a row.

FAST Studios' Women's Sports Network added its last missing tier-one distributor, launching Wednesday on TV Plus.

Connected TV platform Roku is expanding its live sports portfolio, inking a deal with the X Games.

The ESPN production team is gearing up for one of its biggest efforts yet -- pulling off the expanded 12-team CFP matchups at venues across the country.

FIFA has sold the U.S. media rights for the Women's World Cups in 2027 and 2031 to Netflix in a deal that marks the streamer's most significant foray yet into live sports.

FIFA has sold the U.S. media rights for the Women’s World Cups in 2027 and 2031 to Netflix in a deal that marks the streamer’s most significant foray into live sports yet and marks the first time the U.S. rights to the women’s event have been sold on their own.

In a big upcoming sports weekend, Fox may score the most-watched women's college basketball event of the season with the 8pm ET Saturday matchup of Paige Bueckers and UConn against JuJu Watkins and USC.

The top media rights deals of 2024 were headlined by a landmark $77 billion package that saw Warner Bros. Discovery get boxed out and welcomed Prime Video and NBC Sports, beginning next season.