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Apple Inc. is making an aggressive push to obtain the digital rights to the NFL's Sunday Ticket out-of-market package, according to sources, and could also try to obtain the league's mobile streaming rights currently held by Verizon Communications Inc. The tech giant has also reportedly had serious talks with MLB recently about acquiring a package of midweek games and is said to be in the mix for MLS' entire slate of national and local games, all of which would likely be distributed via its Apple TV+ subscription service. (New York Post) NBCUniversal said its group of six regional sports networks plans to debut its own direct-to-consumer offerings later this year, though it revealed few details. The Comcast Corp.-owned media group is a smaller player in the RSN space than Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc., which has also announced plans to go direct to consumer this year, but has footholds in large markets such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. (Awful Announcing) The National Women's Soccer League and its players' union agreed to their first-ever collective bargaining agreement, which runs through 2026 and introduces free agency beginning in 2023. The contract also raises the minimum salary for players by 60 percent to $35,000 and includes 4 percent annual increases, along with a range of health and wellness benefits. (ESPN)

BEIJING OLYMPICS NBCU Assigns Sports-Advertising Chief Dan Lovinger to Focus on Olympics Brian Steinberg, Variety Lovinger will oversee all efforts aimed at getting advertisers to sponsor NBCUniversal's Olympics and Paralympics broadcasts, a pillar of the company's programming strategy representing hundreds of hours worth of some of TV's highest-priced inventory. Peacock Looks to Beijing Winter Olympics for a Second Chance Lillian Rizzo, The Wall Street Journal NBCUniversal is looking to avoid disappointing anyone planning to give Peacock a try for the 2022 Winter Olympics, which are to begin in Beijing later this week. The company said that this time, the entirety of its Olympic broadcasts would be available live on Peacock's premium tiers, which cost $4.99 a month with ads, or $9.99 without. NBC announces broadcaster lineup for Winter Olympics, headlined by Rebecca Lowe, Maria Taylor, Mike Tirico Joe Lucia, Awful Announcing Craig Melvin will host Today from Beijing, and will host on-site when Mike Tirico is in Los Angeles at the Super Bowl. On USA, hosts include Jac Collinsworth, Lindsay Czarniak, Ahmed Fareed, and Jimmy Roberts, while CNBC hosts include Carolyn Manno and Kathryn Tappen. U.S. bobsled star Elana Meyers Taylor tests positive for COVID-19 Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times U.S. bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor, one of Team USA's best hopes for a medal, tested positive for COVID-19. According to China's Olympic COVID-19 protocols, Meyers Taylor must isolate, including from her son Nico, who was born with Down syndrome in 2020 and is still nursing.

MEDIA Early TV numbers look good for AFC/NFC title games John Ourand, Sports Business Journal Local ratings numbers suggest that AFC and NFC Championship games on CBS and Fox both will see viewership gains from last season. Sources are projecting that CBS should see a double-digit rise and Fox should see an increase in the mid-single digits. Super Bowl Alert: Two Mayos, One Baby And A Lot Of Teasing Jeanine Poggi, Ad Age Hellmann's is the latest brand to drop a teaser for its Big Game campaign. DraftKings also revealed its teaser and its new spokescharacter on Monday morning. LPGA Tour announces behind-the-scenes documentary mini series Zephyr Melton, GOLF The LPGA Tour today announced the premiere of a behind-the-scenes documentary mini series about the 2021 CME Group Tour Championship. The documentary was filmed at the tour's final event of the 2021 season and will feature many of the stars of the women's game.

NFL Tom Brady Says He Hasn't Reached Retirement Decision Jenny Vrentas, The New York Times In his first public comments since ESPN reported that he would be retiring, Brady said on Monday night he was "still going through the process" of making a decision on his future. NFL Teams Up With Meta for Custom Super Bowl Avatars Shlomo Sprung, Boardroom Facebook, IG, and Messenger users can now take their football fandom into virtual worlds in the run up to Super Bowl LVI via profile pictures, posts, stickers, and more. Fans will be able to outfit their on-platform 3D avatars with digital t-shirts featuring the Rams, Bengals, or the Super Bowl LVI logo on Facebook, IG, Messenger, or on VR. Joe Theismann Appears to Leak the New Washington Football Team Name Two Days Before the Reveal Brandon Contes, Mediaite "I think the Commanders is a name that is going to be one that hopefully people like going forward," Theismann told CBS Sports Radio host Damon Amendolara Monday morning. COLLEGE SPORTS NCAA rules committee exploring changes to limit faked injuries in college football Nicole Auerbach, The Athletic National coordinator of officials Steve Shaw told The Athletic on Monday that faking injuries is going to be "a big topic" at the next meeting of the NCAA Football Rules Committee on March 1. Michigan athletic department: $47.6 million deficit for 2021 fiscal year Michael Cohen, Detroit Free Press Michigan's athletic department reported a deficit of more than $47.6 million during the 2021 fiscal year, according to a financial report. The department generated $101,236,069 in total operating revenues and $148,862,376 in total operating expenses. --Morning Consult GBO Ma

 

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