A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman, which brings you the biggest news and exclusive interviews from the worlds of sports business and media. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. I'm live from Radio Row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center this week, as the sports business world descends on The Big Easy to talk about the biggest event in sports … the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis ! Yes, the NBA got a little bit of revenge this week after the NFL infringed on the NBA's Christmas Day territory with two new Netflix-broadcast games this season. This week – always known for Super Bowl hype – the most interesting sports story has been basketball's stunning Doncic-Davis trade, and Wednesday night's Golden State Warriors trade for Jimmy Butler might be second. Of course, that will dissipate by the weekend, when the world's attention turns to the most important U.S. sporting event. With all due respect to Howard Stern , the NFL is the true king of all media. Seventy-two of the 100 most-watched broadcasts of 2024 were NFL games. Sunday's Kansas City Chiefs-Philadelphia Eagles game will likely set new viewing records for the most watched Super Bowl ever – especially because Nielsen favorably changed its viewing metrics – though I couldn't quite get NFL chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp to make a firm prediction. "I don't know. It's got a chance, considering the last time they met two years ago, it was the second most watched Super Bowl," Rolapp said to me during an interview on Radio Row. "So if the game is close, I think it's got a chance." I asked Rolapp about the legacy sports media industry's biggest fear – that after the 2029-30 season, the NFL will opt out of its current media deal and shift Sunday packages from Fox, NBC and CBS to technology behemoths like Netflix, Amazon and YouTube, given the strength of their balance sheets and global reach. This concern has only picked up steam in recent months after the NFL reached a deal with Netflix to exclusively distribute two Christmas games through 2026. "I can't classify it as a logical fear," Rolapp said. "Fifteen of our games are on Amazon. Two of our games are on Netflix, and so we'll see what the world looks like, right?" That probably won't put too many legacy media executives at ease. Based on current trends, the world will look increasingly favorable to Netflix and Amazon relative to legacy media. Still, Rolapp noted that NFL viewing on broadcast TV has held up quite well. "Linear television is still delivering really good numbers for live events, and specifically the NFL. If that changes, then maybe we look at it differently," said Rolapp. "You look at the types of numbers we've had, and you know, the death of peak TV, as far as viewership on NFL and sports, has been greatly exaggerated." Still, NFL ratings actually fell 2.2% domestically for the 2024 regular season. For context, it's also the second most-watched season the NFL has had in ten years. But there's at least a chance the league's viewership has reached a plateau. Rolapp said he isn't "overly concerned." "It's almost like a stock price, right?" Rolapp said. "There's going to be fluctuations week to week, year to year, but as long as it's moving in the right direction, and we think it is, that's where we spend more time." My full interview with Rolapp can be found here . *** A note for loyal CNBC Sport readers: All of our CNBC Sport videocasts are now available in audio-only podcast form! I know some of you have expressed your desire to listen to our weekly videocasts on the go. Well, now you can! All of our back episodes are now available at cnbc.com/sportpodcast . From now on, all of our weekly interviews will be available as podcasts. It's the CNBC Sport podcast! And this week's guest is … Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt. On the record With Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt ... The Kansas City Chiefs have been the class of the NFL, and arguably all of professional sports, for the past six years. They've won three of the last five Super Bowls and could snag another championship on Sunday. And yet, when CNBC Sport released its annual NFL valuations in September, Kansas City clocked in at …18th overall. Even the Houston Texans were ranked higher . Chiefs owner Clark Hunt sat down with me on Radio Row. I asked him if that bothered him at all. "The valuations are fascinating to look at, but it's not something that our family really focuses on," said Hunt, who is chairman of the NFL's finance committee. Hunt was instrumental in changing NFL rules last year to allow private equity ownership of up to 10% in NFL teams. He hasn't sold a stake in the Chiefs yet, but he also told me, "I won't say never." Hunt acknowledged he's begun thinking about stadium renovation plans – or possibly even replacing the iconic Arrowhead Stadium with a new arena. Revamping the stadium could dramatically increase the Chiefs valuation, as the ownership and value of a team's venue plays a huge role in its value. "We're going through a process right now on figuring out what the future is for the Chiefs," Hunt said. "From a stadium standpoint, that could be another big renovation of Arrowhead, or potentially it could be the construction of a new stadium – perhaps even a dome stadium somewhere else in the community. We're having great discussions right now with community leaders on both sides of the state line, and hopefully sometime this spring, we'll have a little bit of direction in terms of where we're headed." I also asked Hunt if he'd consider selling a stake in the Chiefs to a private equity firm, how Taylor Swift has affected his company's bottom line, and if he's irritated by all those fans who say the referees are helping the Chiefs win games. Watch the full interview and follow and listen to the new CNBC Sport podcast. CNBC Sport highlight reel The best of CNBC Sport from the past week: It's downright un-American to imagine a world where the Super Bowl isn't available for free on TV screens around the country. But as the world shifts to a streaming-first distribution mechanism, that means the game will need to be shown on free, ad-supported services. For the first time, Fox will stream Super Bowl 59 on Tubi, its free ad-supported service. CNBC's Lillian Rizzo has the details. More news from Fox, this year's Super Bowl broadcaster: the company is developing its own streaming service. Just five years later than the competition! While details are still sparse, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said during his company's conference call this week that, for the first time, Fox will put its linear programming on a direct-to-consumer subscription service. The timing relates to the shut down of Venu, which was going to be Fox's streaming home for its sports content. Disney's ESPN had a strong quarter. The sports division reported year-over-year revenue growth of 8%, reaching $4.81 billion, and operating income that climbed 15% from the prior-year period to $228 million. More earnings details here. New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft stopped by "Squawk Box" and weighed in on the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade from the perspective of a sports team owner . "There are things going on here that we don't know," Kraft said. "One thing you've got to learn is don't get lost in the headlines, because usually there's depth behind it." Kraft said he didn't know any specifics, but he did know that private information drives deals like this rather than what's on the surface. The National Women's Soccer League agreed to a settlement with three attorneys general after past athletes made accusations of sexual misconduct and emotional abuse from coaches. The settlement includes a $5 million fund for players who experienced past mistreatment. CNBC's Jess Golden has more details. If you live in Dallas or LA, do yourself a favor and check out a Cosm, the "shared experience" dome venues that simulate being at the game for fans with immersive screens. Cosm will broadcast the Super Bowl this year and is even lending camera angles to the main Fox telecast to showcase its technology. I spoke with the company's CEO here. A CNBC Sport exclusive: Sports media and entertainment brand Boardroom is working with Fanatics on a professional development program designed specifically for athletes. It's a three-day event called "Chapter: Next." The first program will occur June 18 to 20 in New York, leading right into Fanatics Fest, which will take place at the Javits Center from June 20 to 22. There will be a second three-day program in December for athletes in sports with a winter offseason, such as the WNBA, NWSL and MLB. The big number: $2,930 Last week's big number ($11,991.48) showed how expensive the average Super Bowl ticket is. But this week, something strange happened. The price of the cheapest Super Bowl ticket has plummeted. The "get-in" price for the least expensive Super Bowl ticket is $2,930, as of Wednesday afternoon, according to StubHub. That's 49% lower than the cheapest ticket prices last year at this time. The average ticket price has also fallen this week. It's down to about $7,300 — 16% lower than last year at this time. "The average price of tickets sold is lower this year right now, which can be attributed to a few factors – among them include economics of the host city, stadium size and team matchups," said Adam Budelli , a spokesperson for StubHub. "For example, Las Vegas's Super Bowl last year attracted people willing to spend extra money on the game, the 49ers fan base is close to Nevada and Allegiant Stadium is a smaller venue than the Caesars Superdome." Of course, even at $2,930, it's still insanely expensive to buy a Super Bowl ticket on the secondary market – and nearly impossible for the average American family to attend the big game. I asked the NFL's Rolapp about that. The NFL is supposed to be America's game, and fans can't afford to attend the league's biggest showcase. "It's something we talk a lot about," Rolapp told me. "We do always hold off a section of the tickets that are more moderately priced. If you look at the secondary market compared to what the face value of the tickets are, it's always a gigantic difference. We could price these tickets a lot higher than we actually do, and we make a conscious decision not to. So it's an event we wish more people could get to. But it's also the story of the NFL, where, you know – we're talking about our media strategy – only a million people can see an NFL game on any given Sunday. We have many multiples more than that watching at home and television. So we try to make it accessible." Quote of the week "Yeah, I mean, these Super Bowl rings are filled with them." – Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to CNBC's Contessa Brewer when she asked him if diamonds are a good investment. Brewer then asked Kelce if he's in the market to buy a diamond. He said he liked earrings and necklaces. He did not mention engagement rings. Around the league The NFL used its week in the sun to announce a multiyear commitment to play regular season games in Melbourne, Australia beginning in 2026. The L.A. Rams will play in the first-ever Australia game. Their opponent, and the exact date of the game, will be announced later. The trading platform Robinhood made headlines Monday announcing it had launched event contracts to allow customers to wager on the outcome of the Super Bowl. The announcement was short-lived. The company announced Tuesday it had abandoned the effort upon receiving a request from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Sports betting is only legal in certain states. Robinhood said it had rolled out the product to 1% of its customers and those who already placed the trades will get the option to close their positions or take them to resolution. The MLS and U.S. Soccer both scored a big victory in court this week. A federal jury decided the two organizations didn't violate antitrust law or illegally conspire against the now defunct North American Soccer League. The NASL can still appeal the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, as Sportico reports.
