Original Article: Awful Announcing, by Mark J. Burns, December 18th, 2024

Looking ahead to the biggest sports media stories of 2025

Where will sports media go in 2025? We talked to a variety of experts, analysts, and insiders to take stock of what the future holds.

As we near the end of 2024, Awful Announcing wanted to take stock of the sports media industry and see what stories and trends will keep insiders’ attention over the next 12 months.

In 2025, we’ll see the NBA begin its 11-year deal with Prime Video, which has already reportedly started signing talent for its broadcasts. ESPN and MLB reportedly will begin negotiations before the former’s opt-out clause takes full effect. Meanwhile, the UFC is the next major sports property to have its media rights deal hit the market. And will Venu Sports, a joint project featuring Walt Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox, ever launch its service as it battles FuboTV in court?

Let’s take a look at the other major sports media stories to watch in 2025.

ESPN plants the flag on DTC

For Alex Sherman, CNBC’s media and sports reporter, the biggest story of 2025 will be ESPN’s launch of its much-anticipated direct-to-consumer streaming service, Flagship, in the fall. Sherman said he’s paying attention to how many consumers cancel their cable subscriptions for the new service in the first months.

“Is this going to be a watershed event marking the end of the traditional cable bundle or will ESPN learn that the audience for a product of about $25-$35 per month for ESPN actually isn’t that big?” he said.

“And if so, how does the company strategically react to that? Conversely, if there is a swell of interest, all media companies will be affected, because all will lose linear revenue when subscribers cancel cable. You’re already seeing companies like NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery prepare for this potential watershed moment by separating linear cable networks.”

Like Sherman, David Sternberg, Co-Head of Media Consulting at Range Sports, wants to see what effects Flagship has on the cable universe. “Does it accelerate the erosion there or does it wind up being a net-additive because you’re getting cord-nevers and cord-cutters to come back to that content?” he said.

Doug Perlman, Founder and CEO of Sports Media Advisors, is focused in particular on Flagship’s pricing and differentiation along with consumer reaction to the new service, which ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro has previously referred to as one of the more exciting projects he’s ever worked on (via Barrett Sports Media).

“ESPN is still the 800-pound gorilla and what they do has major ripple effects throughout the entire sports industry,” Perlman said.

The future of the regional sports networks

Earlier this fall, Diamond Sports completed an improbable emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The 16 regional networks — now named the FanDuel Sports Network — broadcast 13 NBA franchises, eight NHL teams, and six MLB clubs.

The result? A significant decline in the total valuation of the RSNs combined with a new distribution model for some teams featuring a mix of direct-to-consumer service and free over-the-air broadcasts.

Despite the successful transition, the future of the RSNs is still closely followed by media insiders and experts, especially concerning MLB.

“This has far-reaching ramifications for not only the media networks and teams but the players and baseball union,” said Andrew Marchand, senior sports media columnist at The Athletic.

According to Perlman of Sports Media Advisors, Diamond Sports emerging from bankruptcy was “pretty incredible” but “now they have a business to run” in 2025.

“How does Diamond’s business function moving forward? For those teams who aren’t part of Diamond, how do they manage their own media business and what are their economics? How is it received by fans? What does their viewership look like? That whole space we’re closely following.”

Some media executives like Bron Heussenstamm, Founder and CEO of Bleav, are less than optimistic about the future of the traditional local broadcasting model.

“I believe the current state of baseball seems unsustainable due to the RSNs,” he said. “Smaller market teams, already struggling to compete, are now losing a significant revenue source due to the decline of RSNs. How will baseball address this media issue? Will it pivot to a new broadcasting medium that surely can’t award them the same without rev share?

“There’s a risk that big market teams might become so blinded by their newfound dominance that they fail to see how annihilating their competition could leave no one left to play against. A major overhaul is inevitable, but will MLB manage to get ahead of this, or will it be steamrolled by the changes, much like how the NCAA has been with NIL?”

All hail the creator economy, alt-casts

Andrew Yaffe, former NBA executive and now the first CEO of Dude Perfect, said he’s keeping an eye on the evolution of the creator economy. The five-person group originally started as trick shot and comedy artists, designed for a youth-centric audience, before becoming more mainstream in sports, appearing on ESPN’s College GameDay and hosting alternative-broadcasts for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video.

“You’re seeing from a consumption standpoint and an audience standpoint that the next generation of sports fans is craving new ways to consume and engage with their favorite players, teams, and leagues,” Yaffe said. “The transition of what that means is just getting started.”

According to Courtney Hirsch, Chief Operating Officer of Jomboy Media, “the best sports content often comes from creators on the internet, not major networks.”

Hirsch explained that sports fans don’t want to just watch games anymore — they want to feel like they’re part of the experience. She cited “made-for-content” teams and leagues like the globetrotting Savannah Bananas, TGL, a startup golf league from TMRW Sports, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy and Warehouse Games, Jomboy’s unique spin on competitive sports that can be viewed across YouTube and some FanDuel Sports Network channels.

“For a sports media company in 2025, it’s about deeply understanding what fans like, and giving them options,” said Hirsch, who mentioned that sometimes the consumer might “gravitate toward content that embraces the sillier side” of the sports world. “We see this trend accelerating as fans demand more substance and creativity.”

In 2025, Josh Santry, Head of Media Talent at Excel Sports, wants to see if another network or sport can “crack the code” to create an alt-cast, such as the “ManningCast” with Peyton and Eli Manning, that can consistently sustain a significant audience. Both Mannings continue to make headlines and draw attention with not only their football analysis but quick wit, silly humor and brotherly banter.

“There will (and should) be more iterations over the next year, but it seems more likely that the Mannings are unicorns given their place in the game, chemistry, and respective personalities,” Santry said.

Creative Artists Agency’s Matt Kramer, Co-Head of Sports Media, said traditional sports media networks licensing shows from external creators, podcasters, and personalities — for example, ESPN licensing The Pat McAfee Show — is a trend that he and his colleagues are monitoring over the next 12 months.

“What are the next two or three shows being created and produced by non-traditional sports television networks that will end up being licensed out to traditional media companies?” said Kramer. He added that traditional sports media entities appear more focused on spending time, energy, and financial resources on producing the live game product.

Licensing shows that first appeared on YouTube, X, or other digital platforms could serve as a cost-cutting mechanism, in part, as networks search for alternative shoulder programming, whether it’s live or on-demand, to reach new audiences.

“Especially as we move towards a more streaming era, the concept of a traditional Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. schedule, is totally different now,” said Kramer, who also noted he’s keeping tabs on who will be the breakout athlete(s) to create engaging content on YouTube, similar to what LIV golf star Bryson DeChambeau accomplished in 2024 as the platform “changed his life.”

“The younger generation, which is a social-first, not cable-first generation, is turning to podcasts as their new TV,” remarked Dan Porter, CEO of Overtime. “If television has traditionally been about sports talk shows, news shows, and late-night shows, that shift is now moving towards video podcasts. Brands are going to have to figure out how to become engaged in that in an impactful way.”

Personality-driven media companies

Logan Swaim, Chief Content Officer at The Volume, and Colin Campbell, Head of Development at Omaha Productions, expressed similar sentiments toward top-tier athletes, entertainers, and celebrities trying to replicate what actor Ryan Reynolds executed with his production company Maximum Effort or what sports media personality Bill Simmons accomplished with The Ringer.

In other words, both executives could envision the creation of more personality-driven media and production companies in 2025 and beyond.

“It’s remarkable to think that it wasn’t that long ago that Colin Cowherd primarily hosted a radio show and Bill Simmons primarily wrote a sports column,” Campbell said. “Today, they each run companies with dozens of podcasts with millions of downloads and YouTube subscribers. … As we move into 2025, I’d bet heavily on top-tier personality-led outlets continuing to distance themselves from the competition. The demand for premium talent and networks will only grow stronger.”

Added Swaim: “It’s incredibly difficult to succeed in that space, but when the athlete or celebrity gets it right, it can literally become a billion-dollar company.”

The wild, wild west of college athletics

Meanwhile, Mark Floreani, Co-Founder and CEO of FloSports said more broadly that the future health of college athletics is one of the most important stories in sports business and media as 2025 approaches.

“The change in economics thanks to NIL and revenue sharing will make it harder for non-FBS or basketball programs to survive,” said Floreani of college athletics, which has seen discussions of private equity investment in recent months, in addition to reports of possible realignment outside of the major power conferences. “There will need to be innovation in this space to create more revenue opportunities while cutting costs, otherwise sports will be cut and programs will go under. Fortunately, I see today’s leaders realizing the problem they face and an openness to new ideas that we have rarely seen in college athletics.”

The Name, Image and Likeness bonanza, which allowed student-athletes to become paid endorsers and monetize their individual brands, has remained a scrutinized topic ever since its implementation in 2021. Earlier this fall, the proposed House vs. NCAA settlement terms received preliminary approval from Judge Claudia Wilken, with players moving one step closer to being paid directly by their universities.

“College sports will continue to evolve with huge issues to resolve: what happens with big-time football, Title IX and women’s sports, Olympic sports in general?” said John Kosner, former ESPN executive and President of Kosner Media.

Bleav’s Heussenstamm asked, “If major broadcasters like Fox and ESPN can agree on a 50/50 partnership for the UFL and bundle their networks together, could they also collaborate on college football conferences like the SEC and Big Ten?

“Could this lead to forming a super league with about 70 teams? How would revenue be distributed in such a scenario? Is it feasible to regulate the NIL to create a somewhat leveled playing field while still allowing athletes to capitalize on their market value?”

Mark J. Burns has been writing about sports business and media for about a decade. He most recently worked at Morning Consult as a sports analyst and Sports Business Journal where he covered the business of hockey and soccer.