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UFC Pay-Per-View Become ESPN+ Exclusives

ESPN is said to be introducing a deal that would allow a new subscriber to receive a year of ESPN+ and one UFC pay-per-view event for $79.99.

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The UFC and ESPN are clearly happy with their relationship. The two sides extended their agreement for two years yesterday. As part of that deal, the UFC is making its pay-per-view events ESPN+ exclusive content.

John Ourand of The Sports Business Journal reports that the deal is believed to be worth somewhere in the range of $300 million. Neither side would comment on how the revenue from the new pay-per-view arrangement would be split, but it is known that Disney and ESPN do not plan to work with companies like InDemand or DirecTV to make UFC pay-per-views available on linear television.

UFC will still be able to sell their events to bars and restaurants. The organization will also handle its own international distribution.

The deal will not work like pay-per-view events on the WWE Network. UFC pay-per-view events will still be an additional cost for ESPN+ subscribers and according to Ourand, neither company is inclined to offer users a discount on the $59.99 rate they are used to paying for pay-per-view events.

ESPN is said to be introducing a deal that would allow a new subscriber to receive a year of ESPN+ and one UFC pay-per-view event for $79.99.

One side effect to pay attention to is how this deal will effect UFC Fight Pass. The UFC’s proprietary streaming service will remain in business, but it does not offer any exclusive fights or original content. Could we see a day where it is absorbed by ESPN?

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Jomboy: We Won’t Get in a Bidding War With WFAN, ESPN New York for Aaron Boone

“Talkin’ Yanks had the best couple months ever while they sucked and I think that’s because we had access to Boone and we started being silly again.

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Jomboy Media

In past years, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone would have guest appearances either on WFAN or on ESPN Radio in New York during the season. This year, the Boone guest spot went from traditional radio to Jomboy Media as Jomboy and Jake had Boone on Talkin’ Yanks every week.

Of course, it was a different year for the Yankees as they will fail to make the postseason. With that being said, the Boone effect did help the show in a big way.

On the latest edition of The Morning Meeting (Building Jomboy Media) podcast, Jomboy said that while sometimes the weekly guest spots got tough toward the end of the season, it was still a worthwhile endeavor.

Talkin’ Yanks had the best couple months ever while they sucked and I think that’s because we had access to Boone and we started being silly again. Boone definitely had a big part of that and just people used the quotes kind of changed it.” 

August was the most viewed month of episodes in terms of average views in the history of the show, which is when the Yankees were starting to fade away from playoff contention.

In fact, Jomboy felt the most recent Boone interview was the best episode they had this year because of the familiarity and looseness they all felt.

“We’ve been having fun. I thought that one felt like the best because there was also some good convos of learning as well as just goofiness.”

As for next year, nothing has been decided as to whether or not Talkin’ Yanks will have Boone on again. While Jomboy is interested in running that back, he knows that if the other radio stations want back in, it will be tough to compete with them.

“If ESPN Radio or WFAN all of sudden realize they want back in and we get into a bidding war, we are not going to really do that.”

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Ryen Russillo Calls Out Dan Le Batard’s Attack on Adrian Wojnarowski

“Man, if you’re gonna pick a fight, pick a fight with somebody who gets shit wrong, not Woj.”

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ryen russillo
Courtesy: The Ringer

The will they/won’t they mystery surrounding Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers is over. Lillard is headed to Milwaukee as part of a three-team trade. Ryen Russillo talked about the deal and some of the narratives about potential moves on the most recent edition of his podcast.

Russillo took people to task for assuming doing a deal with Miami was Portland’s only option because it is where Lillard wanted to be. He specifically called out Dan Le Batard for what Le Batard had to say about Adrian Wojnarowski’s reporting that Portland was not impressed by what Miami could offer.

At the time, Le Batard said that Wojnarowski’s report was “embarrassing” for suggesting that a deal between the two sides was not imminent. He said the ESPN reporter was “agenda-based schilling” and “bought and paid for by Portland”.

“That was on July 17,” Russillo said reading Le Batard’s comments back and reiterating that all Wojnarowski said on his podcast was that Portland did not like Miami’s offer. “’Bought and paid for’? I’m like, ‘Man, if you’re gonna pick a fight, pick a fight with somebody who gets shit wrong, not Woj.’ And here we are, weeks, months later, and it wasn’t Miami.”

Dan Le Batard has never run from the fact that he is a Miami fan above all else. That was on display again this week as he and his colleagues reacted in real time to Stephen A. Smith putting the Dolphins atop his A-List of the best teams in the NFL.

He has also not been above lashing out at other members of the media when he perceives a lack of integrity.

Le Batard’s producer, Mike Ryan, acknowledged on social media that Russillo called the show out by name. He also spent much of Wednesday swearing that the NBA and ESPN were conspiring against the city of Miami.

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Andre Iguodala, Evan Turner Move Podcast From Meadowlark Media to SB Nation

“Basketball is our north star, but our conversations are universal.”

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Point Forward
Courtesy: Vox Media

Former National Basketball Association forwards Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner are bringing their hit podcast, Point Forward, to Vox Media and SB Nation for its third season. The duo will release weekly episodes of the show on various audio distribution platforms in addition to their YouTube channel, which has nearly 60,000 subscribers. The partnership will give fans a look at life as an NBA player on and off the court and how the game has changed over the years with thought-provoking, insightful conversation. Meadowlark Media had produced, monetized and help distributed the podcast for its first two seasons on the air.

“Andre and Evan have reached some of the highest levels of success both on and off the court, and we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to partner with them in bringing Point Forward to the SB Nation family,” Jermaine Spradley, publisher at SB Nation, said in a statement. “We’re always looking for partnerships that allow us to connect influential creators with the most loyal sports fans, and we plan to bring Point Forward to life at the biggest sports moments during the NBA season to engage even further with the community that SB Nation was founded upon.”

Episodes will be released starting in October and will feature discussions between the two co-hosts and special guest appearances. Over the first two seasons of the show, athletes such as Stephen Curry and Sue Bird, along with LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Vista Equity Partners founder and chairman Robert Smith, have appeared on the program for interviews. Whether the discourse centers on sports stories, business advice or motivation, both Iguodala and Turner will grant viewers an exclusive look into the way they think and set themselves up for sustained success.

Point Forward has always been about diving deeper into topics that resonate with our audience, and now with the unparalleled reach and expertise of SB Nation and Vox Media, we’re excited to take our conversations to an even wider audience,” Iguodala said in a statement. “Basketball is our north star, but our conversations are universal.”

“Having been on both sides of the game – as a player and a coach – I’ve come to appreciate the myriad stories that exist within the world of sports,” Turner added in a statement. “Andre and I have always had raw and honest discussions, and now we have a platform that will allow us to reach fans, thinkers, and enthusiasts on an even greater scale. The next season is set to be our best yet, and we’re thrilled to embark on this journey with SB Nation and Vox Media.”

The third season of the show will include presenting sponsor DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sports betting operator of the show. Additionally, there are opportunities to integrate additional sponsors into the program, which has Vox Media and SB Nation assuming sales, marketing and distribution responsibilities as part of the deal.

The business entity will also collaborate with Iguodala and Turner to explore new ways to appeal and entertain the audience throughout the NBA season. With this deal, the show officially joins the Vox Media Podcast Network, which continues to grow and includes premium offerings from luminaries and experts, including Sam Sanders, Preet Bharara and Esther Perel among others.

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