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Versant's US$530m Full Swing buy in a busy summer of sports tech deals
Versant's US$530m Full Swing purchase, SI's Magnifi acquisition and TSC's EventAIQ launch: what SportsPro's summer technology coverage means for sports.
Jim Furyk named lead analyst for USA Sports', Golf Channel's PGA Tour and men's major coverage
Jim Furyk was named Wednesday as lead analyst for USA Sports and Golf Channel’s PGA Tour and men’s major coverage.
Comeback at Colonial: Russell Henley tops Eric Cole in playoff
Eric Cole held the 54-hole lead entering the final round but couldn't gain separation despite a mistake-free back nine on Sunday. Russell Henley took advantage with a surge of birdies down the stretch to force a playoff.
Presidents Cup week begins with U.S. juniors' record rout
The U.S. recorded the largest margin of victory in the Junior Presidents Cup with a 17.5-6.5 victory over the Internationals on Monday at Medinah Country Club.
Scottie Scheffler health update and why Si Woo Kim is paying for Remy's diapers
Scottie Scheffler didn’t reveal until the end of the BMW Championship that he was battling hand, foot and mouth disease, an illness that caused painful sores on his hands and throat.
Presidents Cup 2026: Thursday's fourball matchups, starting times at Medinah
The first session features five fourball matches, the first of which tees off at 12:35 p.m. ET.
The business side of LIV Golf's future
Dominic Chu, senior markets correspondent for CNBC, joins Rex Hoggard on "Golf Central" to discuss the business impact Brooks Koepka's leave had on LIV Golf, and what lies ahead for Bryson DeChambeau
Sports is driving a large part of the entertainment economy, says Activate CEO Michael Wolf
Michael Wolf, Activate Consulting CEO and co-founder, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss Versant's media rights agreement with the WNBA, appetite for live sports, Fox's $22B acquisition of Roku, Paramount-WBD merger, and more.
Fandango Orders 'Bad Girls Club: Unfinished Business' as First Original
Fandango has ordered the two-part special 'Bad Girls Club: Unfinished Business' as the Versant-owned streamer's first original program.
Someone Made a Terrific Deal in the Peacock/YouTube Premium Partnership…But Who?
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) I hope everyone around the world suffering from record heat waves is doing okay. The temperature is already up in Southern California, but obviously not nearly as bad as parts of Europe. With a super El Nińo coming this year, I worry it will get even worse. Yes, we know what’s causing this heat—it’s the carbon, duh—but we really aren’t making enough progress. I’m not “environmental strategy guy”, but if I were, I’d have some ideas of what I’d try. Honestly, for years I’ve been intrigued by the work of the folks at MEER—whose plan, super simply, is to put up mirrors to reflect heat (while continuing the important work of decarbonization)—but I’m frustrated this idea hasn’t made more progress. (Other geo-engineering groups seem to get better press.) With heat like this—cancelling events, hurting economies and, most importantly, killing people—it seems like the time to push solutions! The “mirrors on the ground” solution has barely been tried.1 While entertainment companies may not “feel the heat”, lots of outdoors/experiential industries—concerts, theme parks and so on—will. Even movie theaters could benefit, since mirrors could help lower AC costs, which I imagine is not an insignificant expense, especially in the hotter areas of the country. So I do think the entertainment industry should prioritize this issue. Anyways, let’s get back into the entertainment strategy. I was about to write, “Hey, this week we don’t have any mergers and entertainment news to dive into,” but that’s not really true, since we had more updates on Paramount-Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. But the big story of the week involves a streamer and a Big Tech platform bundling their respective streamers. So I’ll write about the updates on Paramount buying Warner Bros., Versant making some moves, and a whole lot more. But we start with a surprising deal: Peacock licensing their content to YouTube Premium. Let’s dive in! Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Peacock’s Pricey Premium Partnership The story of the week is Comcast’s2 NBC-Universal’s Peacock making a deal with Google’s YouTube’s YouTube Premium subscription product to embed their content. And I’ll say this up front: Someone made a terrific deal. The question is who. And I’ll be honest: I don’t know. Let me explain why, including why this deal exists, the pros and cons for each side, the biggest unknown, and what that says about the streaming wars. Customers Love Bundles (But YouTube Has Its Own Issues) We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Why customers love bundles… But why I’m worried about YouTube’s integration... How Peacock is trading scale for control… And the reason they likely made this deal... The odd budget math for this deal... Whether or not I think the Paramount-Skydance/WBD deal is more likely after the latest settlement... Versant making moves and why that’s good for Hollywood… Another distributor going out of business… ...and a whole lot more! ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.
Bundesliga inks $100 million U.S. TV deal to air on USA Network and Fandango
Versant is adding live sports to a platform that most U.S. fans know best for purchasing movie tickets.
Versant In Flux As It Diversifies Business, Strategy Taking Shape In Q2
Versant saw revenue and profit dip as it retools its assets base in a transitional quarter that included the divestiture of SportsEngine and the acquisition Full Swing.
Shane Lowry seizes Irish Open lead after course-record 62
Shane Lowry scorched the links at Doonberg to take the lead on Day 2 at the Amgen Irish Open.
Media Mogul Tom Rogers sees trouble in Disney's ad business
Tom Rogers, Versant Media senior advisor, joins 'Fast Money' to talk Disney earnings and AI usage in Hollywood.
Wyndham Championship 2026: Jason Day playoff streak snapped with MC
After 18 consecutive trips to the postseason, Jason Day is heading home following a missed cut at the Wyndham Championship that will have him finish outside the top 70 in FedExCup points.
Sarah Schmelzel details 15-year health battle with plans to return to LPGA in 2027
Sarah Schmelzel fought a 15-year battle for a diagnosis of Stage IV endometriosis and after multiple surgeries, the 31-year-old LPGA Tour player is looking to return to the game she loves next year.
World Team Tennis Announces Broadcast Partnership with Versant’s USA Sports
A global media and technology company.
U.S. Walker Cup team finalized for September matches in Ireland
The U.S. Walker Cup team was finalized Sunday evening. This year’s match is scheduled for Sept. 5-6 at Lahinch in Ireland.
Netflix wins long form entertainment and that's where the game is, says Media Mogul Tom Rogers
Tom Rogers, Versant Media Senior Advisor, Fmr. NBC Cable President and CNBC Founder, joins 'Fast Money' to talk Netflix quarterly results, what's ahead for the Netflix's bid for WBD, and more.
Presidents Cup 2026: Day 3 foursomes matches, starting times
The U.S. and International teams will compete in four foursomes (alternate shot) matches Saturday afternoon at Medinah.
Explaining The Comcast and NBCUniversal Divorce
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) I hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July in America, celebrating the country’s 250th birthday. Frankly, I am bummed the 250th wasn’t a bigger celebration, but that’s a different topic for a different Substack. While it was generally a quiet week on the entertainment/streaming/media business fronts, we still had some interesting news stories. Actually, that kinda undersells one of the stories, a huge, huge, huge divestment that could upend the entertainment landscape... So let’s get right to it. In today’s column, I’ll cover Comcast spinning off the rest of NBCUniversal, an entertainment company investing in an LLM company and an LLM-owner investing in a movie studio, the latest round of threats of digital tariffs, and more. Let’s dive in. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Most: Comcast/NBCU Breakup!!!! If I had to describe my reaction to Comcast spinning out NBCUniversal, it feels like a relationship ending, either breaking up or divorcing. Comcast’s decision to spin off the rest of NBCUniversal, after spinning off some of its cable assets into Versant last year, really does feel like a family breaking up under “irreconcilable differences”. Of my stereotypes of the entertainment moguls, my go-to for Comcast CEO Brian Roberts—heir to the Comcast fortune, but a man who’s been at the helm for 24 years now, and president for twelve years before that—is that he likes building empires. He cut his teeth acquiring cable rivals in the 1990s and tried to buy Disney repeatedly, then settled for NBCUniversal after a long court battle. (Contrast this with Rupert Murdoch, a man who also loved to buy, but would also sell when the price is right. Murdoch made Fox out of nothing, but then sold 20th Century Fox to Disney, arguably at the top of the market. So I understood why he sold.) But I don’t understand Roberts’ motivation to sell now. I have some explanations but no single, super-satisfying explanation. Strategically, it would just make more sense to have kept NBCUniversal in-house, especially for a one-time empire builder like Comcast. Yet one powerful force—arguably the decider in modern capitalism—likely overwhelmed all other considerations. At first, I thought I’d arrange my thoughts as a “Five Why” analysis, digging through each layer of the puzzle. But instead, I found myself asking, “But…why?” (And I only ended up with four sections.) So let’s look at Comcast from that angle. Then, at the end, I’ll give my biggest strategic recommendation for every company in Hollywood. It’s obvious, but sometimes, the obvious strategy is the most ignored. But…Why? The Stock Market, Conglomerations, and Sum of the Parts Analysis We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Why Comcast could never get a “tech company” valuation The not-so-secret motivation for Comcast What Versant has to do with all of this The key strategic advice I think every entertainment exec should follow (though it’s really obvious) Some big AI investment news… Whether we’ll see digital tariffs… And more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.
Three golfers named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People in Sports list
On Tuesday, Rory McIlroy, Nelly Korda, and Jeeno Thitikul were named to TIME's 100 Most Influential People in Sports list for 2026.
Jim Furyk named lead analyst for USA Sports', Golf Channel's PGA Tour and men's major coverage
Jim Furyk was named Wednesday as lead analyst for USA Sports and Golf Channel’s PGA Tour and men’s major coverage.
'Feels like you hit your funny bone': Brooks Koepka updates health status ahead of U.S. Open
Brooks Koepka would like a little bit of pain. At least then, he said, what he’s dealing with in his left hand would make sense.
Phil Mickelson out of first two LIV Golf events because of family health matter
Mickelson announced his decision on Sunday morning, citing the need for he and his wife, Amy, to stay in the U.S. because of a family health matter.
Curtis Cup team filled out for the Americans
Stanford senior Kelly Xu will cap off her college career with her first appearance in the Curtis Cup.
Chick-fil-A wants to stay a family business even as it expands in the U.S. and abroad
Chick-fil-A has been expanding into new international markets and growing its menu under CEO Andrew Cathy.
Travelers Championship 2026: Scheffler, Spieth headline final signature event field
TPC River Highlands gets ready to host the Tour's final signature event of the season. Here are the notable names in the field.
Versant, Owner of MS NOW, in Talks to Acquire Vox Media’s Podcast Division
Versant, the parent company of CNBC and MS NOW, is looking to continue expanding its business beyond cable TV.
Versant Entertainment Boss on What’s Next for USA, E!, Oxygen and More Networks After NBCU Split: Procedurals, Live Events and Lots of Crime
Versant Entertainment president Val Boreland reveals her plans for USA, E! and Oxygen, among other networks, as they split from NBCUniversal.
Europe must consider retaliating against Trump's tariff ‘blackmail,’ business leaders tell CNBC
European business groups have called for the EU to consider countermeasures in response to U.S. tariff threats.
Is the news stressing you out? MS NOW partners with Calm
MS NOW wants to offer news viewers a break when they feel overwhelmed. The Versant-owned progressive-leaning news outlet announced Tuesday that it has entered a partnership with Calm, the San
Versant reports first-quarter revenue decline, with bright spots in platforms and licensing
Versant, the portfolio of TV networks spun out from Comcast, reported earnings from its first quarter as an independent company.
Why Versant Media is Betting Big on Women's Sports
NBCUniversal spinoff Versant Media has made the strategic decision to invest in female-led sports as it leans in to trends in media and culture.
Play suspended late on back nine in Travelers Championship
Play was suspended at 5:57 p.m. ET in the final round of the Travelers Championship because of threatening weather.
Sports is driving a large part of the entertainment economy, says Activate CEO Michael Wolf
Michael Wolf, Activate Consulting CEO and co-founder, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss Versant's media rights agreement with the WNBA, appetite for live sports, Fox's $22B acquisition of Roku, Paramount-WBD merger, and more.
Marco Penge announces he's stepping away to focus on health
Marco Penge, second in the Race to Dubai on the European tour to earn a PGA Tour card, is stepping away to attend to his health.
Presidents Cup 2026: Sunday singles matches, starting times
The 16th Presidents Cup will conclude with 12 singles match on Sunday at Medinah Country Club.
Versant Revenue and Profits Revealed in First Earnings Report
The company reported a decline in revenues and profits in 2025 owing to its exposure to the pay-TV business, but is launching with a dividend and share buyback program to entice investors.
How Anthropic's AI business risk could become existential in battle with Trump administration
Anthropic AI is growing rapidly in usage among companies, but with the Trump administration declaring economic war on the company, existential risk is real.
LIV Golf not the only sports property affected by Saudi Arabia's investment reboot
The billionaires in Saudi Arabia are pulling the plug on LIV Golf. It won’t be the first mega sports project they’ve given up on recently.
'It’s an honor': Jacob Bridgeman on competing for Team USA
Presidents Cup rookie Jacob Bridgeman described the gravitas of playing for Team USA at Medinah this week.
Versant earnings show digital growth, buyback strategy
Turning cable TV businesses like MS NOW and CNBC into something else is difficult task.
Wie West's journey back ends with missed cut at Riviera
2014 U.S. Women's Open winner Michelle Wie West carded a 75-74 in her two rounds at Riviera putting her behind the projected cut. Here are some other notable names not making it to the weekend.
LSU's near-record, 'unbelievable' day keeps Tigers' season alive
LSU rallied from 17 shots back of the top 15 to not only make the 54-hole cut Sunday at the NCAA Championship, but the Tigers are just three behind eighth after an 18-under day.
Influence 125: Mark Lazarus, Turner Entertainment Group/NBCUniversal/Versant
Mark Lazarus of Turner Entertainment Group, NBCUniversal and now Versant, was honored in SBJ's Influence 125, which named the most influential sports business figures of the past quarter-century.