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☆ Carissa Moore: Before stepping away from surfing, Olympic champion has a showdown with ‘big, intense, scary’ Teahupo’o
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Carissa Moore remembers the first time she surfed Teahupo’o, the barreling wave located off the island of Tahiti. “I was so out of my league,” recalls Moore, who has surfed the famous break numerous times throughout her career. “It’s those waves that scare you the most that end up being the best,” Moore tells CNN Sport. Moore waits for a wave at Teahupo'o during the Tahiti Pro event on August 11 last year. “Maybe I return, maybe I just focus on Moore Aloha and free surfing and doing film projects.

Persons: CNN — Carissa Moore, surfed Teahupo’o, Moore, ”, “, Teahupo’o, ” Moore, “ It’s, ’ ”, Red Bull, Ben Thourad, I’ve, I’m, “ I’m, “ There’s, Brent Bielmann, what’s Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, Tahiti Pro, Tahiti, Getty, International Surf Association, Surf League, surfing's, Moore Aloha Locations: Tahiti, Polynesia, Hawaii, AFP, Japan, Paris

☆ Sebastian Steudtner says he has surfed the ‘unsurfable’ after drone technology measures 93.7-foot wave as world record
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —German surfer Sebastian Steudtner may have broken his own record for riding the biggest wave in history earlier this year. The monster wave in the famed surfing sport of Nazaré, Portugal was provisionally measured at 28.57 meters (93.72 feet), pending ratification. If confirmed, the wave would eclipse Steudtner’s current record of 26.21 meters (86 feet) set in 2020, also in the fishing village of Nazaré. Steudtner holds the record for the biggest wave ever surfed. “We were, for the first time, surfing the biggest waves in stormy conditions which were considered unsurfable.

Persons: Sebastian Steudtner, Steudtner, ”, “, Team Steudtner, Marcus Schmelz, Gigantes de Nazaré, Lucas “, ” Steudtner Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, ” Porsche, Team, Porsche Engineering, Surf League, Quattro, Siemens Locations: German, Nazaré, Portugal

☆ Gabriela Bryan: ‘Magical’ moment as surfer shares wave with pod of dolphins as she wins first world championship tour event
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-21 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Gabriela Bryan won her first world championship tour event at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro on Sunday and in a “magical” moment in the final, the Hawaiian surfer shared a wave with a pod of dolphins. It’s insane, I just won,” Bryan said on the World Surf League (WSL) broadcast. It was magical.”Gabriela Bryan celebrates her first world championship tour win. In the men’s event, Australia’s Jack Robinson won, beating two-time world champion John John Florence, who had scored a perfect 10 in the semifinals. “That was the final I wanted, I wanted to throw everything at it.

Persons: CNN — Gabriela Bryan, Australia Margaret, Bryan, Sawyer Lindbald, I’m, ” Bryan, ” Gabriela Bryan, Beatriz Ryder, Australia’s Jack Robinson, John John Florence, Robinson, “, John, we’re, ” Organizations: CNN, Australia Margaret River Pro, Surf League, Getty Locations: Australia, Florence

☆ Surfing great Kelly Slater hints at end of glittering, decades-long career
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( James Legge | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The 52-year-old American, an 11-time world champion, missed the World Surf League’s mid-season cut after losing to compatriot Griffin Colapinto – a man 27 years his junior – in the round of 32 at the Margaret River Pro. This time “feels like the end,” Slater told World Surf League Monday. Slater’s era of dominance began in 1992, when, at age 20, he became the youngest ever men’s world champion, a record he still holds. “It’s been an incredible lifetime of memories,” Slater said at Margaret River on Monday. But it’s been the best times of my life.”And though his storied surf career is coming to an end, Slater added it feels like “the start of something else, the start of the rest of life.”

Persons: CNN — Kelly Slater, compatriot Griffin Colapinto –, Margaret River, ” Slater, ”, Pamela Anderson, “ Kelly Slater’s, Kelly Slater, Australia Margaret, Australia Margaret River Pro, Beatriz Ryder, Slater, “ It’s, “, it’s Organizations: CNN, Margaret, Surf, Australia Margaret River, Fiji Locations: Western Australia, Florida, United States, Australia

☆ Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore: Two of the greatest female surfers stepping back from the sport
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Amy Woodyatt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Surfing is about to experience a seismic change in 2024 as two of the standard-bearers of the sport are stepping away from the board and waves. Eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore is taking a break from competitive surfing – for a year, at least. Australian Gilmore, widely regarded as the greatest female surfer of all time, announced that she won’t be competing in the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour season, instead focusing on enjoying other things in life. Carissa Moore still plans to compete in Oahu and Tahiti for the Olympics before stepping away from the sport for good. Ryan Pierse/Getty Images/File“All those wins, the competitive part that’s so much of my identity, I’m taking that away, and I’m facing myself this year,” Moore told the Times.

Persons: Stephanie Gilmore, Australian Gilmore, “, ” Gilmore, haven’t, –, Carissa Moore, ”, Gilmore, Moore, Ryan Pierse, ” Moore Organizations: CNN, League, USA, Paris, New York Times, Times Locations: Australian, Oahu, Tahiti, Shore

☆ Laura Enever: Australian surfer officially breaks world record after taming giant wave
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Ben Church | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Australian surfer Laura Enever can finally celebrate officially breaking a world record for the largest wave ever paddled into by a woman. Guinness World Records and the World Surf League (WSL) have now verified the size of the 13.3-meter (about 43.6-foot) wave that she successfully surfed in Hawaii on January 22. “Andrea Moller held this record before me and it’s an honor to hold that record and keep pushing big wave surfing. Video Ad Feedback He loves giant waves, hates being underwater 01:30 - Source: CNNShe has since entered into WSL Big Wave events where she continues to push herself to the limits. Germany’s Sebastian Steudtner owns the record for the biggest wave ever surfed, riding a 26.21-meter (about 86-foot) whopper in 2020.

Persons: Laura Enever, “, ” Enever, Andrea Moller –, ”, I’m, Enever, “ Andrea Moller, Laura, Jessi Miley, Dyer, “ Laura, Aaron Gold, Germany’s Sebastian Steudtner Organizations: CNN, Guinness World Records, Surf League, Junior, Big Locations: Australian, Hawaii, Enever

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Australian Laura Enever has surfed her way into the record books after stroking into a giant four-story wave in Hawaii earlier this year, the World Surf League and Guinness World Records said on Wednesday. Enever, 31, was surfing at an outer reef on Oahu's North Shore in January when she caught a huge blue wall measured at 43.6 feet (13.3m), breaking the world record for the biggest wave ever paddled into by a woman. "I came up from that wave, and there was a huge, huge wave behind that took out the whole lineup, and I just saw boards flying everywhere. When I got to the inside, I was almost laughing - I just couldn't believe I'd caught that wave but also escaped that crazy, huge wave behind mine." The biggest wave ever ridden was a 26.2m monster at Nazare, towed into by Germany's Sebastian Steudtner in 2020.

Persons: Laura Enever, Enever, I'd, Aaron Gold, Gabeira, Germany's Sebastian Steudtner, Lincoln, James Redmayne, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Surf League, Guinness World Records, Thomson Locations: Hawaii, Enever, Shore, Waimea, Maui, Nazare, Portugal, Sydney

☆ Caroline Marks: How surfer capitalized on a ‘special connection with the ocean’ to win her first surfing world title
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Marks celebrates winning the world title at Lower Trestles in California. Pat Nolan/World Surf League/Getty Images“I feel like I had a special connection with the ocean already that day, and my board felt amazing,” says Marks. But for Marks, winning the world title was the culmination of years of hard work, a goal that had formed in her mind even before she became the youngest surfer to qualify for the Championship Tour aged 15. But this year’s world title, Marks says, was even more satisfying after last season’s four-month absence from competitions. “The world title to me was my biggest goal ever,” says Marks, who won the Tahiti Pro event in August.

Persons: Caroline Marks, Marks, Carissa Moore, Tyler Wright –, ” Marks, idolize Moore, Moore, Pat Nolan, ”, “, Caitlin Simmers, Wright, Kelly Slater, Marks “, Ryan Pierse, –, I’ve, that’s, “ I’d, She’s, Mike Parsons, “ She’s, Marks hasn’t, there’s, Matt Dunbar, She’ll, gunning Organizations: CNN, CNN Sport, women’s, SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro, Tokyo, Kyodo, Tokyo Games, Tahiti Locations: Trestles, Southern California, Florida, California, Melbourne Beach, Tahiti –

☆ Caroline Marks: American surfer wins her first surfing world title, defeating Olympic champion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —American surfer Caroline Marks won her first world title on Saturday, defeating Olympic champion and five-time world champion Carissa Moore. On her way to the World Surf League final, the 21-year-old defeated fellow American Caitlin Simmers and Australia’s Tyler Wright before taking on Moore in the gold-medal match. “There’s definitely going to be a massive party after this and everyone is invited!” Marks told the WSL afterwards. Pat Nolan/World Surf League/Getty ImagesMarks became just the fourth women’s world champion in the last 15 years, after Moore, Wright and Stephanie Gilmore have dominated the sport. Marks also qualified for the 2024 Olympics with her world title win, securing the final spot available for the USA through the WSL Championship Tour.

Persons: Caroline Marks, Carissa Moore, Caitlin Simmers, Australia’s Tyler Wright, Moore, “ There’s, ” Marks, Marks, Pat Nolan, Wright, Stephanie Gilmore Organizations: CNN, Olympic, Surf, Getty, USA Locations: American, Florida, California

☆ 13 Hollywood production companies making brand films that streamers like Netflix and Apple want to buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

said Marc Gilbar, who runs the brand division at Imagine Entertainment. Some are also looking to brand films to offset some of the revenue they're losing in the dual Hollywood strikes. (Brand films are often unscripted and thus aren't governed by the Hollywood unions.) They also see brand work being a positive for below-the-line workers who are idled by the work stoppage. Led by EVP Kate Oppenheim, Tribeca Studios' projects have included "We Could be King" (ESPN2) for Dick's Sporting Goods and P&G's Queen Collective series (BET).

Persons: Ben Silverman, Issa Rae's Hoorae, Kevin Hart's Hartbeat, Julian Jacobs, we've, Marc Gilbar, Samuel L, Jackson, Emma Stone, Zac Ryder, Olivia Wilde, Laurene Powell Jobs, Caitlin McGinty, It's, James Gay, Rees, Paul Martin, Kevin Hart's, Hart, Hartbeat, Brian Price, Chase Sapphire, Procter, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Fairbourn, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Ron Howard's, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gilbar, Rocco DiSpirito, General Mills, Rupert Maconik's Saville, Werner Herzog, Barry Levinson, Sugar23, Oscar, Michael Sugar, Trevor Noah's, he's, Kennedy, Matt Rotondo helms, Sugar, Mike Beck, Alexa Conway, Trevor Noah, Kate Oppenheim, HBO Max, Paul McCartney, Mary McCartney Ventureland, Kerstin Emhoff, Paul Hunter, John Battsek, Stacy's Pita Chips, Will, Jada Pinkett, REI, Gargi Organizations: Hollywood, Brands, Mattel, Netflix, Apple, UTA, Imagine Entertainment, Producers, Adobe, IBM, Anonymous, HP, Afghan Girls National Soccer Team, Showtime, Pepsi Boardwalk Pictures, Relativity Media, Super, Pepsi, REI, Unilever, Marriott, Surf League, Major League Soccer, Sam's, Gamble, Weinstein Co, Hulu, Imagine, Paramount, Saville Productions, Disney, Time Studios, Procter & Gamble, Anheuser, Busch, InBev, CAA, Studios, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, Tribeca Studios, Dick's Sporting Goods, HBO, CNN, Mobile, Stacy's, Everest, Vice Studios, Westbrook Media, Meta, Logitech, Samsung Locations: Hollywood, Subway, Magnolia

☆ Inside Netflix's growing M&A machine, who's leading it, and what insiders think the streamer could buy next
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It then delved further into M&A to kickstart its games business. And the streamer hasn't completely abandoned its build-from-within strategy, as it also announced plans last fall to build its own gaming studio in Finland. He recently was elevated to the Lstaff, a group of 25 Netflix business heads who debate its biggest initiatives. (Netflix ended up doing a partnership in 2019 with that company, Studio Dragon, and its parent CJ ENM.) But leadership has been steadfast that Netflix's M&A mantra hasn't changed.

Persons: Here's, Reed Hastings, It's, it's, who's, what's, Roald Dahl, Dahl, Peter Rabbit, Spry, Harry Potter, execs, Spencer Wang, Michael Porter, Spencer Neumann, who'd, Neumann, Wang, Greg Peters, Ted Sarandos, Bela Bajaria, Scott Stuber, Mike Verdu, Jay MacDonald, Digiday, Ana Milicevic, Hastings, Sarandos, CJ ENM, Mario Organizations: Netflix, stoke, Paramount, Night School, Spry Fox, Disney, Warner Bros, DC Comics, Digital Capital Advisors, MLB, Surf League, Street Journal, Microsoft, Sparrow Advisers, MGM, Amazon, Mario Bros, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, UBS Locations: Finland, New Jersey, Hollywood

☆ Rio Waida: He grew up with the world's best waves but pioneering Indonesian found surfing success the hard way
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Aaron Hughes/World Surf LeagueDespite Indonesia’s reputation as an iconic surf destination, Waida is the first person from the southeast Asian country to compete on the Championship Tour. “In Indo, we have the best waves and every day is good waves. I lost a lot before I qualified [for the Championship Tour]. However, disappointing results in Australia at the Rip Curl Pro and the Margaret River Pro saw Waida drop down the rankings. It’s tough, surfing against the best surfers … I have to give everything, there’s no easy road.

Persons: Rio, Waida, ”, “, Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning –, Aaron Hughes, I’ve, ” Waida, Slater, Gabriel Medina, John John Florence, Lisi Niesner, Curl, Margaret River, He’s, …, Brent Bielmann, Waida prioritizes Organizations: CNN, Olympics, Surf, Waida, Indonesia –, Tokyo, Paris, Reuters, Billabong Pro Pipeline, Curl Pro, City El Salvador Pro Locations: Indonesian, Bali, Indonesia, California, Europe, Japan, Australia, Brazil, United States, Hawaii, Curl Pro Portugal, Oahu

[1/5] Portuguese surfer Teresa Bonvalot smiles after winning her heat in the Sydney Surf Pro on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Australia, May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Lincoln FeastMay 22 (Reuters) - When Portugal's Teresa Bonvalot qualified for the Tokyo Games in 2021 as a then 21-year-old, she had barely a month to prepare for surfing's Olympic debut and the biggest event of her life. Now, more than a year out from the Paris Games, Bonvalot has again booked an Olympic ticket and is relishing the extra time to ready her mind, body and equipment. "That was unbelievable to get the news to mark my spot there," Bonvalot said during a competition in Australia last week. A total of 24 women's places are available, with the International Surfing Association's World Surfing Games in El Salvador this month providing the next qualification spots.

☆ The top 7 podcast companies helping social-media influencers like Rhett and Link produce and make money from shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new wave of podcast networks has emerged to help creators make content and earn money. Here's a breakdown of seven leading podcast networks that work with social-media influencers. "We are creator-led 100%," Faucett, now executive producer at TMG Studios, told Insider. "To expand podcast reach and earnings, we can also help implement additional strategies tailored to the creator — anything from Snapchat distribution to podcast clip services." Here are the top seven podcast networks for influencers, listed in alphabetical order by company name:

☆ Eliminated Slater handed wildcard to continue on WSL Championship Tour
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 11-times world champion will be able to surf and earn ranking points at the remaining events in 2023 and for the first half of the 2024 tour, the WSL said. "Slater's ranking points will also give him the opportunity to compete for provisional qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024," the WSL said. Slater was knocked out by Australian Liam O'Brien early in the Margaret River Pro last week, which left him below the mid-season cut line. Some surfing media criticised the wildcard decision, saying it was motivated by commercial considerations and made a mockery of the WSL's ranking system. France's Johanne Defay was also awarded a wildcard to continue on the Women's Championship Tour after falling well outside the mid-season cut.

☆ The 'world's coolest dictator' rounded up 60,000 people in a supposed crackdown on MS-13. A shrimp farming community is fighting back.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Danielle Mackey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

SISIGUAYO, EL SALVADOR — On the morning that Walber Rodriguez was arrested last May, he was just two minutes from his home in Sisiguayo, El Salvador. Outside El Salvador, Bukele is best known for adopting Bitcoin as a national currency. All around them in Sisiguayo and the surrounding Bajo Lempa valley, people were arrested with no satisfactory explanation. Residents of the Bajo Lempa who'd been touched by the arrests had begun meeting weekly at a nearby retreat center. A meeting of the Bajo Lempa families on June 17, 2022.

☆ The 'world's coolest dictator' rounded up 60,000 people in a crackdown on MS-13. A shrimp farming community is fighting back.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Danielle Mackey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

☆ Netflix explores investing in live sports, bids for streaming rights- WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) is exploring investments in live sports broadcasting and has recently bid for the streaming rights for sports leagues, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The company recently bid for the streaming rights for the ATP tennis tour for some European countries, including France and the U.K., but dropped out, the report said. The company also discussed bidding for other events, including U.K. rights to the Women's Tennis Association and cycling competitions, and was in talks late last year to acquire the World Surf League, the WSJ said. Streaming platforms are also looking at live sports to gain market share in an already saturated market. read moreReporting by Shreyaa Narayanan and Vansh Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Women athletes now have their own sports network
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Kaitlin Balasaygun | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The first-ever network to focus on female athletes, the Women's Sports Network, launched Wednesday, offering 24/7 streaming of original programming, competitions, documentaries and a daily studio show "Game On." The Women's Sports Network is a free, ad-supported network featured on streaming services including Amazon.com 's Freevee, Fox Corp .'s FuboTV and Tubi, along with smart TVs. The Women's Sports Network has partnerships with the Women's National Basketball Association, Women's Football Alliance, Ladies Professional Golf Association, U.S. Female athletes at the collegiate level are also proving to be winners in the NIL era, garnering deals with brands including Nike now that college athletes can be paid for their name, image and likeness. "The Women's Sports Network is exactly what athletes, fans and sponsors have been asking for," Mollie Marcoux Samaan, commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, said in a release announcing the network launch.

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