I\u2019ve previously said I\u2019d put down big money that Brady will not finish his 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox, given all his various business interests away from broadcasting, including ownership<\/a>. That remains true. The safer prediction would be that Brady walks away from his Fox deal after three or four years. But I\u2019m going bold and saying Brady gets deeper involved with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason and decides to go all in with NFL ownership and his production company by the start of the next NFL season.<\/p>\n 2. WNBA<\/a> viewership will go up in 2025<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t a moment for women\u2019s sports; it\u2019s been a movement for some time. Game 5 of the WNBA<\/a> Finals \u2014 a 67-62 overtime thriller won by the New York Liberty<\/a> \u2014 averaged 2.15 million viewers, the most-viewed WNBA Finals game in 25 years. The finals averaged 1.6 million viewers, up 115 percent over last season. It capped a fantastic year of viewership for the league \u2014 and this is where we absolutely mention that the catalyst for the viewership explosion was interest in Caitlin Clark. Overall, there were 32 WNBA television windows among its media partners that topped 1 million viewers during the 2024 season, including the WNBA Draft. That crushed the previous record of 15.<\/p>\n Beginning with the 2026 season, you\u2019ll see new partners NBC and Amazon Prime Video as part of a long-term TV rights deal, and you should expect them to invest serious marketing dollars. Under the new agreements, Disney, NBC and Amazon will distribute more than 125 regular-season and playoff games nationally each season, including a minimum of 25 regular-season games on Disney platforms, 50 regular-season games on NBCUniversal platforms and 30 regular-season games on Amazon Prime Video. The league will also get a bump from a new franchise (Golden State Valkyries)<\/a> and more offseason exposure for star players thanks to the new 3-on-3 women\u2019s basketball league<\/a>, Unrivaled, launching in January 2025.<\/p>\n Clark\u2019s star will continue to rise, and if you think bad-faith actors knocking her for culture-war points are going to have an impact on viewership, I\u2019d refer you to those who predicted NFL viewership was forever done. It\u2019s arrow up for the WNBA.<\/p>\n 3. ESPN Flagship will be an immediate hit<\/p>\n ESPN\u2019s<\/a> direct-to-consumer streaming service, code-named \u201cFlagship,\u201d will allow consumers to access the entire suite of ESPN networks without a traditional pay-TV subscription. That includes the full programming lineup of ESPN+ and what currently airs on linear ESPN. There will also be integration with ESPN Fantasy and ESPN Bet. Reports indicate a starting price of between $25 and $30 per month, and the price point is what I think will attract consumers initially. I think early subscriber numbers will exceed expectations, especially given recent big increases at YouTube TV.<\/p>\n The research firm MoffettNathanson, which provides trends in media, communications and technology to institutional investors, put out a note this month projecting that \u201cafter an initial investment of $75 million in FY (fiscal year) 2025 to get the service up and running (anticipating a launch at the tail end of FY 2025 in time for the start of the NFL season), we project an initial one million paid subscribers in FY 2026, driving subscription revenues of just over $200 million and ad revenues of $20 million.\u201d I predict that number is higher by FY 2026.<\/p>\n 4. Kevin Harlan will call NBA<\/a> games for Amazon Prime Video<\/p>\n Ian Eagle has an agreement in place as one of Amazon\u2019s lead broadcasters, and I predict Harlan joins him. A 1-2 game-calling combination featuring Eagle and Harlan will give the streamer massive instant credibility in the live-game space.<\/p>\n
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