Is Sport the Future of Media?

It’s hard to tell whether we are living through the ‘sportification’ of all media or the ‘mediafication’ of all sport. Or both. In 2023, 93 of the 100 most watched TV shows in the United States were NFL games. None of the others were scripted TV shows. Not long ago, new episodes of popular sitcoms or dramas provided American society with so-called “water cooler” moments – aggregating audiences of 20 million+ viewers. Now the only “Must See TV” (at least must see together) appears to be sport, particularly the NFL. Sport is indispensable not only to legacy linear TV, but also to new streaming services like Peacock and Netflix, which streamed two NFL games globally on Christmas Day.  

What does this mean for the role and value of sports properties in our society?  And how will sport hasten the adoption of new forms of mass media (as it has in the past, from radio to satellite TV) and help shape their development going forward? As we all get ready to gather around our sets to watch Super Bowl LIX, join New America’s Future Tense partnership with Arizona State University and ASU’s Great Game Lab to consider these questions with two leading sport and media thinkers and deal makers.

Speakers:

Shirin Malkani

Firmwide Co-Chair, Sports Industry Group

Perkins Coie 

Joe Ravitch

Partner & Co-Founder

The Raine Group LLC

Moderator:

Andrés Martinez 

Co-Director of Great Game Lab &

Future Tense Editorial Director