Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports
Royal viewership, Dick's Sporting Goods reports earnings and Roger Federer returns
In today’s newsletter, I discuss viewership of the royal interview from this past weekend, the earnings report from Dick’s Sporting Goods and Roger Federer’s return.
MEDIA: Royal Viewership
Viewership of Oprah Winfrey’s interview Sunday night on CBS of Prince Willian and the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle topped 17 million, according to multiple news reports that cited Nielsen data.
That will likely make it one of the top non-sports — and non-football — broadcasts of the year.
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By comparison, NBC’s NFL Sunday Night Football viewership averaged 17.4 million viewers per game this past season.
That made Sunday Night Football the top-rated regular primetime television show again this past year.
It shows just how much of a juggernaut the NFL is on television as an average Sunday night regular season game pulled in roughly the same number of viewers as a one-off, global news event like the royal interview.
MONEY: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Dick’s Sporting Goods, the biggest sports retailer in the United States today reported solid earnings for the fourth quarter and for all of 2020. (Click here to read the company’s earnings press release.)
Notably, the company, which has more than 700 retail stores, reported that its e-commerce sales grew 100% in 2020.
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Additionally, the company reported that for the 52 weeks ending January 30, 2021, e-commerce accounted for 30% of overall net sales, compared to 16% for the prior 52 weeks.
Dick’s Sporting Goods is the latest example of just how much traditional retailers have embraced e-commerce during the coronavirus pandemic.
That trend of traditional retailers augmenting their traditional business with e-commerce appears likely to continue, even after the pandemic recedes.
SPORTS: Federer Returns
Roger Federer, considered by many as the greatest men’s tennis play of all time, returns to the court tomorrow after more than a year away due to injury.
Federer will play the UK’s Dan Evans, currently ranked 28th in the world, in the Qatar Open tournament in Doha.
Federer appears to be gearing up to play Wimbledon and the US Open later in the year where he looks to add to his 20 grand slam titles.
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Federer and Rafael Nadal currently share the record for most major titles at 20 while Novak Djokovic, currently the top ranked player in the world, has 18.
Federer, who turns 40 later this year, might struggle to win another major in his career while Nadal, 34, and Djokovic, 33, each could capture a few more.
When all is said and done with the careers of all three players, I suspect that Djokovic will win the most career grand slam titles, and stake his claim as the greatest player of all time.
Jeremy Pink is currently COO of Geniecast, a leading virtual content and experience company. He is the former CEO of private-equity backed Broadcast Sports International where he helped lead the company to a successful sale and exit during his tenure there. He is also a former CNBC television executive in New York, London and Singapore.
The information contained in this communication is strictly for general informational and entertainment purposes and is not meant to be construed as financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. This communication is not a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. I am not a financial advisor or offering professional advice of any kind. Users should not act upon the content or information found within this communication without first seeking professional advice appropriate for their individual situation. Decisions based on information contained in this communication are the sole responsibility of the user, and use of this communication and its contents constitutes an explicit understanding and acceptance of the foregoing disclaimers.
(Newsletter Editor: Karina Pink)