Sports & Entertainment Marketing
Unit Three Outline, 2014-15 School Year
Unit 3:
Introduction to Sports & Entertainment Business Principles
Lesson 3.1
Industry Segments
A. There are many segments of the sports and entertainment business industry
1. Industry segments refer to a grouping of similar types of products or services offered to consumers by businesses within the same industry
B. Sports business segments
1. Sports tourism
2. Sporting goods
3. Sports apparel
4. Amateur and Olympic sports
5. High school athletics
6. Collegiate athletics
7. Professional sports
8. Motor
9. Recreation
10. Outdoor sports
11. Health clubs and fitness facilities
12. Sports marketing firms
13. Event management
14. Sports-governing organizations
15. Venue and facility management
16. Extreme or “action” sports
C. Entertainment business segments
1. Filmed entertainment
2. Television networks (broadcast and cable)
3. Television distribution (station, cable and satellite)
4. Recorded music
5. Video games
6. Radio services
7. Internet
8. Publishing sector (newspapers, books, magazines)
9. Digital media services
10. Broadcasting-satellite services
11. Theatre
12. Casinos and gaming
13. Fine arts
14. Theme parks and amusement parks
* LESSON 3.1 * ACTIVITY IDEA *
Ask students to, either individually or as a class discussion, identify a specific product for each of the segments listed above.
Lesson 3.2
The Financial Structure of Sports Business
* TEACHER’S NOTE *
To listen to a Freakonomics podcast discussing the topic of the business of March Madness, click here. The podcast discusses a number of concepts that tie in with unit 3’s core objectives.
* TEACHER’S NOTE *
To see a breakdown of all the collegiate athletic conference media deals, consider distributing the handout marked “Lesson 3.2 student handout – collegiate athletic conference media deals” now. The file can be accessed from your CD-ROM or online.
A. Team Sports
1. Professional team sports are finding it increasingly difficult to achieve financial success and turn a profit
a. In 2012, Forbes reported that more than 50% of NHL franchises suffered financial losses the previous year (18 of the 30 franchises operated at a loss) 1
i. Because so many franchises were reportedly losing money, the owners chose to lockout the players in an effort to create a new financial plan that would create a healthier economic situation for each NHL franchise, ultimately resulting in the league cancelling half of the 2012-13 season 2
b. Though soccer's popularity is growing in the U.S., Major League Soccer players' average salary is just $148,000. Average player salaries for basketball, baseball, and hockey are about $5.3 million, $3 million, and $2 million, respectively. Yet, reports indicate just half the MLS clubs are currently profitable.3
c. Despite selling out every home game and winning a NBA championship (including 13 home sellout playoff games), Miami Heat owner Mickey Arison told CNBC that the franchise lost money in 2012 4
d. Financial challenges are not limited to major league franchises. According to a report from the local ABC affiliate in Fresno, CA, the city’s minor league baseball team (Fresno Grizzlies) lost over one million dollars. two seasons ago 5
e. A large gap exists in revenues between NHL franchises, something the league hoped to address in negotiations with the NHL Players Association in 2012 in an effort to help more teams achieve profitability (for an in-depth look at the NHL’s revenue model, click here)
f. Last season, nine NBA teams lost money while eleven NHL teams lost money
g. Even the teams that are profitable (aside from NFL franchises) typically enjoy significantly lower profit margins than other for-profit entities such as banks or publicly traded companies
i. Click here to view a chart comparing the profitability of pro sports leagues compared to broadcast/cable companies, banks and publicly traded companies
ii. Click here to read an in-depth comparison of professional sports and other entities
2. Revenue Streams
a. Revenue streams are the means for an organization’s cash inflow, typically as a result of the sale of company products or services
b. As a result of increasing revenue streams, inflated media rights fees and new means for generating revenues in professional sports, overall franchise values have risen exponentially in the past decade, a trend that is expected to continue
c. Sports teams historically relied on several specific streams to generate the majority of their revenue
i. Ticket sales
ii. Sponsorship
iii. Licensing and merchandise
iv. Concessions
v. Parking
d. Teams operating today have several additional, often very lucrative, revenue streams
i. Luxury suite sales
ii. Premium and club seating sales
(a) Often times the lack of suites or premium seating options within a venue or facility will prompt a sports franchise to lobby for a new stadium (or facility expansion and renovations)
(i) Since 1990, 125 of the 140 MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL and NHL teams have built or rebuilt arenas, at a cost of $33.8 billion -- and the public has picked up 54 percent of that tab, according to research by Robert Baade and Victor Matheson, economists at Holy Cross 6
(ii) Tom Chuckas, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, said in an interview with The Associated Press: "I believe there's an opportunity for the Preakness to generate additional income, which in turn would flow through the rest of the year and improve the condition of the Maryland Jockey Club. To do that, there has to be additional amenities at Pimlico. Churchill Downs has 65 skyboxes that they sell to corporate partners and corporate sponsors. At Pimlico, I don't have any amenity like that." 7
(iii) In Chicago, the relationship between the Chicago Cubs ownership and their neighbors (affectionately known as “Wrigleyville”) soured when the team announced in 2013 plans to renovate the stadium. Proposed renovations would include a 6,000-square-foot video board in left field, a 1,000-foot advertising sign in right, a new hotel and more night games, an “open-air plaza” and an office building with retail space, all in an effort to create new revenue streams for the franchise. 8
(iv) According to a report in the San Jose Mercury News, the San Francisco 49ers sold $138 million worth of luxury suites before construction on the new Levi’s stadium was even completed.9
iii. Television contracts
(a) TV contracts provide big money for franchises in the game of sports business, now accounting for a major portion of a team’s overall annual revenue
(i) In 1973, the NBA signed a contract with CBS, yielding $27 million in revenue over 3 years 10
(b) In 2006, the NBA inked a deal with ABC/ESPN worth $2.4 billion through 2008 (the contract was extended in 2007 to run through the 2015-16 season but terms were not disclosed) 10
(c) The Pac-12 conference agreed to a 12-year television contract with Fox and ESPN worth about $3 billion, allowing the conference to quadruple its media rights fees and start its own network
(d) The contract, which will begin with the 2012-13 season, will be worth about $250 million per year, guaranteeing each of the 12 schools in the conference about $21 million each per season (in 2010 the entire conference generated just $60 million in rights fees) 11
(e) Although the terms were not disclosed, the Sports Business Journal revealed the Los Angeles Dodgers’ plans to launch their own regional sports network worth an estimated $7 billion over 25 years.
(f) According to the book The Cartel: Inside the Rise and Imminent Fall of the NCAA by Taylor Branch: “In 2010, despite the faltering economy, a single college athletic league, the football-crazed Southeastern Conference (SEC), became the first to crack the billion-dollar barrier in athletic receipts. The Big Ten pursued closely at $905 million. That money comes from a combination of ticket sales, concession sales, merchandise, licensing fees, and other sources—but the great bulk of it comes from television contracts.”12
(g) As competition for rights deals for live sports increases (NBC, CBS and Fox have all created sports networks to challenge ESPN), rights deals will likely continue to increase exponentially
(i) According to businessinsider.com, last year ESPN paid$15.2 billion over 10 yearsfor the rights to Monday Night football, a 73% annual increase over the previous deal
iv. Additional media contracts and rights fees (satellite, radio, Internet)
(a) In 2007, Sirius Satellite Radio reached an agreement to broadcast NASCAR races and related events over a five-year period for $107.5 million (the deal was extended in 2012 through 2016 but terms were not disclosed) 13
(b) CBS paid $6 billion for the rights to broadcast the NCAA Tournament (March Madness) over an 11 year period, a deal that ends in 2013 that also included the right to stream games over the Internet (the online broadcasts generated an estimated $60 million in ad revenue with its March Madness on Demand package in 2012) 14
(c) The Yankee’s YES Network struck an agreement with Major League Baseball to make their games available on the Internet within the New York area. The franchise now gains a significant new revenue stream, from the millions of broadband users in the market who are not sitting in front of their televisions but are in offices and other locations with a laptop or a wireless device. 15
v. Additional revenues
(a) The Green Bay Packers renovated Lambeau Field in 2003 with the goal of creating an added revenue stream by building an atrium that could host events (from corporate outings to weddings) year round. Thanks in large part to the number of events hosted in the atrium, Lambeau is enjoying its busiest years ever and the franchise is generating record profits. 16
(i) Thanks to record profits, the team was able to invest $140 million in atrium expansion and renovations in 2013 (work is expected to be completed in 2015) without turning to taxpayers to help with funding the project
(b) The Boston Red Sox created Fenway Sports Group, a marketing firm that creates businesses that are built on the team’s community, firm and business relationships. They use their connections with media, charity, retail and entertainment firms to develop publicity campaigns for such organizations as Boston College, create online ads, manage events and much more. The company also owns equity in other properties like Red Sox Destinations and Roush Fenway Racing. They were profitable in their first year, and brought in more than $200 million.17
(i) Click here for an interesting, in-depth analysis of Roush Fenway Racing’s business model and financial structure as it relates to the Red Sox organization
(c) In 2014, the Kansas City Chiefs allowed fans to use the suites in Arrowhead Stadium as draft central for fantasy football leagues by charging $85 per person (minimum 8 people)
(d) According to a Forbes report, the money that all MLB teams made from the $450 million sale of the Montreal Expos in 2006 was invested in hedge funds that are now worth more than $1 billion
3. Costs/expenses could include:
a. Facility rental/leasing arrangements
b. Staff and player salaries (payroll)
i. Also includes retirement and health care benefits
ii. In professional sports, player salaries are most often the biggest expense to a franchise
(a) The driving issue for NHL owners as it related to the last lockout wasn't revenues but expenses as many small market teams were unable to achieve profitability thanks in large part to high player salaries
(b) Last season the Brooklyn Nets lost a reported $144 million with a player payroll of over $90
(i) Click here for a breakdown of the Nets’ (and other NBA teams) profits, losses and payrolls
c. Marketing
d. Investment in the customer
e. General operating expense
f. Stadium/venue/facility financing
g. Information management/research
h. Team expenses (travel etc.)
i. Maintenance and security
B. A sports franchise’s basic financial model
1. To gain a better understanding of the financial structure of sports business, let’s review the NFL’s Green Bay Packers’ financials
a. Click here to see a graphic from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that provides a breakdown
2. Packers’ revenue 19
a. Packers’ total revenue in the 2013-2014 season: $324 million
b. Primary revenue streams
i. National revenue from the NFL: $187.7 million
ii. Local revenue: $136.3 million
(a) Includes ticket sales, suite sales, premium seating sales, sponsorship etc. and enjoyed an increase from the previous season in large part because of the addition of 7,000 seats which boosted ticket and concession revenues
3. Packers’ expenses
a. Green Bay Packers total expenses for 2013-2014: $298 million (an 18% increase from the previous season)
b. Primary expense (cost)
i. Player payroll cost (includes team expenses): $171 million
4. Net income and profit
a. The overall net income was $25.3 million
b. Green Bay Packers profit from operations for 2013-2014: $25.6 million, down from $54.3 million last season due in large part to a significant increase in player salaries
C. Franchise Valuation
1. Unlike industrial or financial business, which is generally valued on cash flow and assets, sport franchises are valued on their revenues for two reasons:
a. For the long term, the operating expenses within each league are about the same for every team 20
b. Franchise revenues most closely measure the quality of a team's venue and track athletic performance, ultimately the two most critical elements in the evaluation of team’s overall value 20
2. Professional sport team values have risen over the past decade and are expected to rise to unpredictable levels for the next few years