Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports

Amazon and the NFL, laptop computer sales and an NBA Christmas

In today’s newsletter, I discuss Amazon and the NFL, laptop computer sales and a marquee NBA game on Christmas. I hope everyone has a peaceful and healthy holiday.

MEDIA: Amazon and the NFL

When the Arizona Cardinals host the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL game Saturday afternoon, the game won’t be particularly notable except for one reason — the national telecast of the game will appear on Amazon Prime Video and Amazon-owned Twitch, not on any traditional broadcaster.

(Note: viewers in the local markets of Phoenix and San Francisco will be able to watch the game on television, and the game will be available for streaming for mobile users via Yahoo! and the NFL.)

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Amazon’s telecast will be an early look to see just how large of an audience an NFL game will pull in when it’s offered nationally only via streaming services, and it could have implications when it comes to the next round of negotiations for NFL broadcasting rights.

Most NFL rights deals expire in the next couple of years, and I suspect the vast majority — if not all — broadcast rights to these NFL games will be retained by traditional broadcasters.

However, big tech, including companies like Amazon, will definitely be players in those negotiations particularly if the telecast of Saturday’s game is successful.

MONEY: Laptop Computers

The laptop computer market appears to be a beneficiary of the work-from-home trend created by the coronavirus pandemic.

Counterpoint Research, a global research firm, expects laptop unit sales around the world this year to grow to a record level this year — up 9% compared to last year.

That would translate to 173 million units and $132 million in total sales in 2020, according to Counterpoint.

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Demand for smartphones and tablets has increased, and that undoubtedly has impacted laptop sales negatively in the past few years.

However, the work-from-home trend, which looks durable at least for the foreseeable future, should continue to give laptop sales some support.

In fact, Counterpoint projects laptop unit sales to hover around 175 million through 2025, well above of pre-pandemic levels that averaged around 160 million units from 2015 to 2019.

SPORTS: NBA’s Christmas Presents

If you’re a fan of the NBA, Christmas Day just might be one of the best days of the year as five marquee games will be telecast nationally tomorrow.

Perhaps the most interesting game, not surprisingly, is the primetime contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, which will air on both ABC and ESPN.

It pits the defending champion Lakers and the best player in the NBA, LeBron James, against the Mavericks, and arguably the top young talent in the league, in Luka Doncic.

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While it is only one game in a regular season where each team plays 72 games, it could take on additional importance for the league as a whole.

If the game draws a large audience, that bodes well for viewership of the NBA for the rest of this season.

If it struggles to capture an audience, it could indicate that viewer interest in professional basketball might be waning — that’s not a good sign for a league that already is seeing some declining viewership and lower revenues due in part to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Jeremy Pink is COO of Geniecast, a leading virtual content and experience company, and he is also currently an advisor to companies in the media and financial tech sectors. Jeremy 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, and 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)