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☆ Fanatics to start livestreamed shopping of trading cards, collectibles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Ian Thomas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Washington Post | Getty ImagesFanatics is moving into livestreamed shopping around collectibles and trading cards, hiring a former Snap and Alphabet executive to launch its new business later this year. Fanatics Live, which will have a standalone app and a coinciding website, plans to launch in the second half of 2023. Only 31% of U.S. adults have even heard of live shopping, with just 22% saying they've participated in a live shopping event, according to a December poll by Morning Consult. Ebay, which said it saw trading card sales increase 142% in 2020, acquired trading card marketplace TCGPlayer for $295 million in August. While Fanatics Live could move into other forms of entertainment and collectibles over time, it will solely focus on trading cards initially.

☆ Premarket stocks: Will the Fed end the 2023 market rally?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

So will Fed Chair Jerome Powell dampen expectations and reiterate that the fight against inflation still has a way to go, or will the Fed show signs that they’re ready to ease up on rate hikes? Wall Street analysts also expect the Fed will stop hiking altogether by the spring. This will leave the market hanging on the future of how many rate hikes we will see.”He’s preparing for a volatile market reaction. But now, investors may be a bit too eager to end treatment, even as Fed officials warn that doing so would be premature. Stocks close out a jubilant JanuaryThe greatest comebacks of all time: Rocky Balboa, JNCO jeans, Apple and now… the US stock market.

☆ Apple is looking for a top sales executive to spearhead a giant advertising push in sports and streaming. Here are 16 execs who could score the job.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Netflix also conducted a search before hiring two Snap executives, Jeremi Gorman and Peter Naylor, to lead its new ads business. XandrLesser, a longtime digital ad executive, has extensive experience working on issues around the future of digital marketing. McDonald has a ton of other digital ad sales and publishing experience. She helped launch Modi Media, ad buying giant GroupM's addressable TV business, before joining TV adtech startup Cadent. UnivisionValentino runs Disney's digital ad business as EVP, client and brand solutions.

☆ Gareth Bale: Former Wales, Tottenham and Real Madrid forward retires from football aged 33
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former Wales, Tottenham and Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has retired from professional football aged 33. Bale, who spent last season at LAFC in MLS, was part of Wales' squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Bale has described the decision to quit international football as "by far the hardest of my career". Bale said: "After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football. "To my previous clubs, Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid and finally LAFC.

☆ Saudi Arabia's new love for soccer could cause ripple effects across the sports world
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo poses for a photo with the jersey after signing with Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr Football Club in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 30, 2022. Al Nassr Football Club / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesSoccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Saudi club Al-Nassr, and the kingdom's growing investments in the sport, could have ripple effects across Europe and the U.S., experts have told CNBC. The former Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus star earlier this week contended that the "unique contract" was befitting of his status as a "unique player." The Financial Times reported in October that the Saudi PIF had committed more than $2 billion to sponsorship deals over the first eight months of 2022, most of which was directed toward domestic soccer competitions. The Saudi PIF's takeover of Newcastle United was met with criticism across the soccer world — deemed an effort to launder the country's reputation against the backdrop of a poor human rights record.

"And I think when you ask around the world now about our team, the world sees us in a complete different light. Gio Reyna, 20, later confirmed in an Instagram post that Berhalter was talking about him. read moreGio is the son of Claudio Reyna, who played alongside Berhalter for the U.S. team at the 2002 World Cup and is now sporting director for MLS side Austin FC. "And it's a loving relationship, a devoted relationship and we have four amazing kids to show for it." Berhalter led the squad to the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar where they were knocked out by the Netherlands.

☆ From Amazon to The Trade Desk, experts predict these companies will be the most active acquirers of advertising businesses next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

There's a strong interest from acquirers in hot trends like commerce media and data consultancy. Experts predicted the companies most likely to be acquirers of advertising businesses in 2023. Many industry observers expect advertising industry M&A deal volume and value to be down next year due to volatile macroeconomic conditions. Experts across the advertising industry — from consultants, to agency executives, analysts, investors, and adtech leaders — named the companies likely to be active in the advertising M&A market in 2023 and why. Apple could make an under-the-radar adtech acquisition for its sleeping giant advertising businessIndustry insiders predict Apple has big plans for its $5 billion-and-growing advertising business next year.

YouTube TV will pay roughly $2 billion a year for the rights of the Sunday Ticket package, according to people familiar with the matter. Amazon secured the rights to “Thursday Night Football,” making it the first streaming-only platform to air NFL games, paying about $1 billion per year. YouTube TV is an internet bundle of broadcast and cable networks that mirrors a traditional linear pay-TV operator. The company has been expanding its sports footprint for its Apple TV+ streaming service. DirecTV is interested in delivering Sunday Ticket games in a similar capacity, people familiar with the matter have said.

☆ 6 predictions for Apple's growing ad business in 2023 — from ads on Apple TV+ to building and buying adtech
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Its App Store search ad business is growing at a clip and Apple has begun pitching advertisers Major League Soccer ad packages. Here's what experts think Apple might have in store for its advertising business next year, from TV ads to further privacy interventions. Prediction 2: Ads will be placed on Apple TV+Apple's 10-year, $250 million-a-season deal to broadcast Major League Soccer on Apple TV will air its first game in February 2023. It could become the key entry point for advertisers looking to reach Apple users across its portfolio of apps and services. "Apple is about to find out how difficult it is to serve TV ads," he added, referring to its MLS telecasts.

☆ After this week’s Fed rate hike, where are mortgage rates headed?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Mortgage rates have run up so far and so fast this year that many would-be homebuyers can no longer afford to buy a home. By fall, mortgage rates had more than doubled, eventually topping 7% in October. When Treasury yields go up, so do mortgage rates; when they go down, mortgage rates tend to follow. “We have to remember mortgage rates come down much slower than they go up,” said Cohn. “Volatility increases the level of mortgage rates, compared to Treasury rates, because of the prepayment option,” said Chester Spatt, professor of finance at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.

☆ DC United owner Jason Levien accused by MLS team's former top lawyer of dodging millions in taxes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jason Levien is CEO of DC United and owns part of Swansea City and the Brisbane Bullets. Levien denied wrongdoing and said he filed New York taxes. The lawsuit was brought by Christopher Deubert, who until last year was the top lawyer for Levien's DC United soccer club. In a statement shared with Insider, Jon Bouker, a lawyer for Levien, said his client paid all the taxes he owed and filed taxes in New York, contrary to Deubert's claims. December 14, 2022: This story has been updated to include comments from Levien's lawyer and a person close to Levien.

☆ First Gen Z congressman, Maxwell Frost, says he was denied an apartment in DC over bad credit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Kayla Gallagher | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gen Z Congressman Maxwell Frost tweeted Thursday he got denied from a DC apartment for bad credit. "Just applied to an apartment in DC where I told the guy that my credit was really bad. He's not alone: Credit card balances have been on the rise, especially for Gen Z, as the cost of living keeps soaring. But as Insider's Kevin L. Matthews II reported, there's a "credit gap" between Black and white borrowers, further powering the racial wealth gap. That can further the gap in homeownership rates between Americans of color and white Americans.

☆ What next for US soccer after an inspiring World Cup?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But the talented, telegenic and multiracial Americans left fans with soaring hopes before the US, Canada and Mexico host the 2026 World Cup. Often, the World Cup and Olympic gold medal-winning US women’s soccer team gets more attention than their male counterparts — although their pay is only just beginning to catch up. The idea of an unexploited market of soon-to-be-soccer fans has long beckoned to FIFA’s marketing teams, especially during the 1994 stateside World Cup, but has never been fully realized. US soccer fans are also increasingly sophisticated, glued to NBC’s Premier League coverage reportedly worth more than $2 billion. The beautiful game’s place in the country’s sports scene could be cemented if the US makes noise in the next World Cup.

☆ Honolulu Spec House With 75 Feet of Beach Frontage Asks $26.995 Million
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sarah Paynter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A beachfront spec house in Hawaii is asking $26.995 million, making it one of the most expensive homes on the market in Honolulu, said listing agent Beth Chang of Coldwell Banker Realty. If it sells for the listing price, it would become the most expensive homes to trade on the MLS in the city of Honolulu, beating the $19.6 million sale of a neighboring home in March, said Ms. Chang.

☆ Retired NBA Player Michael Redd Ties Local Record with Sale of Ohio Home
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Sarah Paynter | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Be the first to know about the biggest and best luxury home sales and listings by signing up for our Mansion Deals email alert. Retired NBA player Michael Redd has sold his Ohio home—which has a basketball court, naturally—for $4.5 million, according to the local MLS.

☆ 13 behind-the-scenes executives leading Apple's $5 billion advertising division
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Right now its roughly $5 billion-in-revenue ads business largely consists of search ads sold within the App Store. It's been a big year for Apple's ad division. We asked more than a dozen advertising industry insiders and former Apple advertising staffers to identify the most important executives building Apple's advertising business. Teresi's ascent coincides with the explosive growth of Apple's ad business in recent years. A digital advertising veteran — having held senior roles at Yahoo, Quantcast, and Adobe — Teresi joined Apple in 2012 as vice president for its iAd division.

☆ PHOTOS: Inside the $3 million DC townhouse where FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's brother hosted parties for his COVID-19 nonprofit
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The organization, aimed at preventing another pandemic, was partly funded by SBF. The move to the US capital was meant to send the message that the FTX founder "and his network were in DC to stay," according to a report from Puck. Living room in the townhouse owned by Gabe Bankman-Fried's nonprofit. Bright MLSSource: Puck

☆ We are fit with nothing to lose, says Canada coach Herdman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

AL RAYYAN, Qatar, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Back in the World Cup for just the second time and the first time in 36 years, underdog Canada will head into their opener against second-ranked Belgium 100% fit and with nothing to lose, coach John Herdman said on Tuesday. Davies, who will play on the wing for Canada, only joined his team mates on Friday after staying back in Germany for treatment. Herdman had said Davies would be assessed when he arrived in Doha and on Tuesday pronounced the 22-year-old good to go. "You've got ask the question, if not the first game what's the risk, what's the second game risk but at the end of the day Phonzie is fit now. Having not been in the World Cup since 1986, Canada's players have never experienced the pressure of such moments and that says Herdman could be a positive.

☆ America’s First World Cup Test: Stopping This Welshman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Andrew Beaton | Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Qatar—Right after Los Angeles FC won the most dramatic MLS Cup in the history of the league this month, coach Steve Cherundolo had a sobering realization about the player who had just saved his team. Gareth Bale had scored the 128th-minute goal, deep into stoppage time of extra time, to tie the game, send the match into a penalty shootout and tee up LAFC’s victory. It was exactly the kind of moment that Bale, the former Real Madrid star, was signed to deliver. And it didn’t take long for Cherundolo to remember that Bale’s next game wouldn’t be in an LAFC shirt. Bale would be wearing a Wales uniform, and lining up against the U.S.

☆ I've refereed World Cup soccer games. You have to avoid social media or it will ruin your life.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Andy Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Mark Geiger is a former math teacher turned soccer referee who's presided over World Cup games. Doing under-eight matches back then, I never expected I'd be going to a World Cup. Since 2018, I've been the director of senior match referees, basically overseeing the MLS referees, assistant referees and video match officials. Before my very first World Cup match in Brazil in 2014, I asked myself: am I ready for this? There's always that little bit of nervousness going into each World Cup match because of the stage and the millions of people watching.

☆ A real estate investor who owns more than 100 rental units says that investors should be 'a lot more excited to buy this year than last.' Here's his 4-step process for finding a great deal.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Start by deciding where you want to buy property and learn everything about that market. Then, figure out what an "average deal" is in your area so you can score great deals. If you're going to be a buy-and-hold investor in a new area, get a buy box and make it hyper-focused." "The more you know your buy box, the better your chances at finding a great deal," he said. I'm willing to write lots of offers and I will close on every great deal."

☆ Streaming enters a new reality with a boom in sports and drive for profitability as fresh voices continue to break through with innovative storytelling on new platforms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Big entertainment players face pressure to make streaming profitable and satisfy diverse audiences. 100 People Transforming Business is an annual list highlighting people across industries who are changing the way the world does business. As streamers feel the limits of subscription growth, free, ad-supported TV streamers like Tubi have grabbed market share. While many in Hollywood fear that marginalized voices could get sidelined in a tougher market, 2022 has seen more storytelling and content elevating previously excluded communities. As CEO Ken Kim told Insider, "It's not just professional creators — they are from all over the world."

That’s what you work so hard for … That’s why you play,” Rooney reminisces. The club went into administration after debts spiraled and it failed to play players their wages. “He was great to play for, he’s the reason I signed for Manchester United to play for him. Then Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson congratulates Wayne Rooney after his final Premier League title win in 2013. While Rooney was in Dubai, goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes gave the Manchester club a dominant victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

☆ Apple's ad business is quietly expanding into streaming ads and sponsorship, as it pitches $4 million packages for Major League Soccer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple's advertising empire is extending into its Apple TV service. Apple's advertising empire is set to expand beyond the App Store when Apple TV begins broadcasting Major League Soccer for ten seasons beginning February 2023 — a global deal that is costing Apple $250 million per season. The next tier comes at $3 million and the last tier was described by one person familiar as more "a la carte," in which advertisers can cherry-pick a smaller number of specific placements. The Apple TV app will host an exclusive MLS streaming service, and Apple TV+ customers and MLS season ticket holders will be able to access it for free. Today, that business is mostly focused on search ads in the App Store, as well as ads within its News and Stocks apps.

[1/6] Nov 5, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles FC forward Carlos Vela (10) celebrates with the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy after defeating the Philadelphia Union in the 2022 MLS Cup championship game at Banc of California Stadium. With the win LAFC have delivered on the high expectation that came when they joined MLS in 2018. "The reason why I came here was to try and help the club win the MLS Cup," said Bale, who will captain Wales in the Qatar 2022 World Cup that kicks off later this month. It's important for this club to go to the next level, and I think by winning this trophy, it shows that we are. Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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