Hudson2
Well-known member
Then it runs out and we should get a huge deal.
Official 2022 Offseason Moves Thread
- Thread starter bravesfanforlife88
- Start date
Then it runs out and we should get a huge deal.
chop2chip
Well-known member
The Braves’ local television revenue will increase significantly beginning in 2023, according to figures presented at an investors conference held by team owner Liberty Media on Thursday.
The Braves currently receive slightly more than $80 million per year from Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Bally Sports for local TV rights, but that will surpass $100 million in 2023 and approach $120 million in 2027, the final season of the Braves’ 20-year TV contract.
“We were recently able to lock in 2023 through 2027 at a higher per-game rate,” Braves President and CEO Derek Schiller told the investors in a video presentation.
The escalation isn’t the result of a new contract, but of a renegotiation years ago of some of the team’s TV rights.
Also at Thursday’s conference, held in New York, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei was asked in an interview with CNBC’s David Faber if this would be a good time to consider selling the Braves, coming off a World Series championship.
“We are not sellers,” Maffei answered. “First of all, just starting with the structure we have, while (the team) sits in a (tracking stock), really it would be very unattractive from a tax perspective (to sell). Unlikely to do that. Could we, somewhere down the road, do different things to create optionality around that asset? Surely.”
Possibilities, as has been speculated for years, could include a spinoff of the Braves by Liberty Media into a stand-alone publicly traded company, which potentially could facilitate an eventual sale.
Maffei told Faber that Liberty has had “a heck of a run” with the Braves, which the company acquired as part of a larger transaction with Time Warner in 2007. “Improved TV deal, new facility down there at Truist Park, The Battery (Atlanta) around it, improved on-field performance,” Maffei said, “it has been a pretty good run.”
He said a recent transaction involving another Liberty Media holding, satellite radio provider SiriusXM, created an “active trader business” and therefore “more flexibility and optionality” for further moves. He said the company has “no plan or intent” for a specific near-term move and “will look at the opportunities as they arise.”
Maffei has described the Braves’ local TV deal as “good but not great” in comparison with other teams. Over the years, Braves fans often have criticized the deal and blamed it in part for the team’s player payroll not being higher. A more recent concern is that the Bally Sports networks aren’t available on increasingly popular streaming services such as YouTube TV and Hulu.
“We continue to believe that direct-to-consumer (TV) is critical to our future,” Schiller said, “and we are actively engaged with Major League Baseball in developing what the future of streaming looks like.”
Schiller’s comments regarding the TV deal were part of his upbeat presentation to investors about the Braves, who continue to bask in the World Series afterglow.
“Entering the 2021 season, there was a lot of uncertainty about how fans would return to baseball (amid the pandemic),” Schiller said. “We were very optimistic, and our attendance numbers still exceeded our high expectations.”
He said the Braves’ average ticket price ($44.91, up from $36.67 in 2019) and average gate receipts per game ($1.32 million) were the highest in franchise history for the regular season.
The Braves’ corporate sponsorship revenue also was strong at about $80 million this year, according to a slide presentation shown at the investors meeting.
“We’re very bullish about expanding our already strong (sponsorship) revenue stream,” Schiller said. “In addition to the opportunities a World Series championship presents, we also see opportunities in gaming, technology and new assets like player uniform patches.”
The Braves currently receive slightly more than $80 million per year from Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Bally Sports for local TV rights, but that will surpass $100 million in 2023 and approach $120 million in 2027, the final season of the Braves’ 20-year TV contract.
“We were recently able to lock in 2023 through 2027 at a higher per-game rate,” Braves President and CEO Derek Schiller told the investors in a video presentation.
The escalation isn’t the result of a new contract, but of a renegotiation years ago of some of the team’s TV rights.
Also at Thursday’s conference, held in New York, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei was asked in an interview with CNBC’s David Faber if this would be a good time to consider selling the Braves, coming off a World Series championship.
“We are not sellers,” Maffei answered. “First of all, just starting with the structure we have, while (the team) sits in a (tracking stock), really it would be very unattractive from a tax perspective (to sell). Unlikely to do that. Could we, somewhere down the road, do different things to create optionality around that asset? Surely.”
Possibilities, as has been speculated for years, could include a spinoff of the Braves by Liberty Media into a stand-alone publicly traded company, which potentially could facilitate an eventual sale.
Maffei told Faber that Liberty has had “a heck of a run” with the Braves, which the company acquired as part of a larger transaction with Time Warner in 2007. “Improved TV deal, new facility down there at Truist Park, The Battery (Atlanta) around it, improved on-field performance,” Maffei said, “it has been a pretty good run.”
He said a recent transaction involving another Liberty Media holding, satellite radio provider SiriusXM, created an “active trader business” and therefore “more flexibility and optionality” for further moves. He said the company has “no plan or intent” for a specific near-term move and “will look at the opportunities as they arise.”
Maffei has described the Braves’ local TV deal as “good but not great” in comparison with other teams. Over the years, Braves fans often have criticized the deal and blamed it in part for the team’s player payroll not being higher. A more recent concern is that the Bally Sports networks aren’t available on increasingly popular streaming services such as YouTube TV and Hulu.
“We continue to believe that direct-to-consumer (TV) is critical to our future,” Schiller said, “and we are actively engaged with Major League Baseball in developing what the future of streaming looks like.”
Schiller’s comments regarding the TV deal were part of his upbeat presentation to investors about the Braves, who continue to bask in the World Series afterglow.
“Entering the 2021 season, there was a lot of uncertainty about how fans would return to baseball (amid the pandemic),” Schiller said. “We were very optimistic, and our attendance numbers still exceeded our high expectations.”
He said the Braves’ average ticket price ($44.91, up from $36.67 in 2019) and average gate receipts per game ($1.32 million) were the highest in franchise history for the regular season.
The Braves’ corporate sponsorship revenue also was strong at about $80 million this year, according to a slide presentation shown at the investors meeting.
“We’re very bullish about expanding our already strong (sponsorship) revenue stream,” Schiller said. “In addition to the opportunities a World Series championship presents, we also see opportunities in gaming, technology and new assets like player uniform patches.”
chop2chip
Well-known member
Here is the link to the article: https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-...n-2023-and-beyond/PABXB62WMZEUHJPTTAFPXUAAAI/
If you are able, give it a click. Tim Tucker does great work with the AJC in giving fans visibility to team finances, so would be great to support him.
“We’re very bullish about expanding our already strong (sponsorship) revenue stream,” Schiller said. “In addition to the opportunities a World Series championship presents, we also see opportunities in gaming, technology and new assets like player uniform patches.”
Bleh - Pass
Bleh - Pass
Sinclair's on the verge of declaring bankruptcy - John Adcox found this article in The Athletic and sent it to me. We've both had problems finding streaming services in our respective markets that we like that carry the Ballys RSNs.
https://theathletic.com/2952789/202...pens-if-sinclairs-rsns-go-bankrupt-next-year/
Let's not spend that projected revenue just yet.
If they go bankrupt then the Braves will sell their rights for even more I'm betting.
So that's a $10-$15M bump in payroll in 2023, and another similar bump in 2027.
Assuming $160M this year, that's approaching $190M by 2027.
I still don't see how they could afford Verlander plus Freeman plus LF/CF this year though. Maybe the short term WS bump in revenue allows for a $170M+ payroll before the new TV revenue hits in 2023? Maybe AA can go $180M+ this off season...who knows?
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striker42
Well-known member
Not how bankruptcy works. They could restructure in which case the entity that emerged from bankruptcy would keep the contract. They could also liquidate in which case the contract would be sold to another broadcasting company.
That contract is a valuable asset and assets aren't just thrown away by a bankruptcy court.
Thats very fair and sounds 100% reasonable to me.
UNCBlue012
Well-known member
Gal is perfection
chop2chip
Well-known member
Everyone, including me, has complained about Liberty Media and for valid reasons. But the advantages of corporate ownership have born fruit the last few years. New stadium and Battery have been huge successes (does a public facing owner risk the backlash moving to the suburbs?), renogiated TV deal, steady payroll (never hear the Braves “needing” to cut payroll like some other teams), AA has full autonomy, etc.
It would be great to have someone like Illitch, Lerner or Cohen come in and spend past the luxury tax, but Braves are probably in one of the best ownership situations in the league otherwise.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
I'm not Jewish, but I would convert.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
I'm not going to bark about it and there will be plenty of room after non-tenders and DFAs when free agents are signed, but if they weren't going to use Strider during the post-season, why was he brought up and put on the 40-man during the last week of the season? I'm not one who is constantly wringing my hands about the state of the off-season 40-man roster, but it just seemed like a dumb move.
Here’s a list of unprotected guys in the organization: https://twitter.com/knockahomantn/status/1461497334278369284?s=21.
Hard to see us losing anyone from that list.
Hard to see us losing anyone from that list.
The Freeman contract feels similar to when St. Louis let Albert walk. He got ungodly money….had a few more great years and then declined drastically. I really hope they sign Freddie back, but at the same time….I hope Freddie doesn’t just squeeze them for every penny. Granted, they should pay him nicely, but we are not the Yankees or Dodgers. We can’t pay him big money in declining years.
If I “really” wanted to stay with a team, I would take big money…they would have to PAY me…but not “record breaking” money. I would want to play on a team that had flexibility (like with the Acuna injury), to still be competitive. Chipper did this.
All in all, we just won a World Series without our best player. As much as I want Freddie back, I’m thinking the longer it goes…the more likely he doesn’t sign with us. That’s sad, but if he just wants the biggest payday…he has chosen the wrong team to attain it from (no matter how
much they want him back). AA will not blink…he won’t.
If I “really” wanted to stay with a team, I would take big money…they would have to PAY me…but not “record breaking” money. I would want to play on a team that had flexibility (like with the Acuna injury), to still be competitive. Chipper did this.
All in all, we just won a World Series without our best player. As much as I want Freddie back, I’m thinking the longer it goes…the more likely he doesn’t sign with us. That’s sad, but if he just wants the biggest payday…he has chosen the wrong team to attain it from (no matter how
much they want him back). AA will not blink…he won’t.
50PoundHead
Hessmania Forever
ramadon101
Danville Rookie
Actually in a 363 sale, the trust can reject certain executory contracts - if a contract is rejected, the counterparty is free to contract elsewhere. However that contract is valuable (ie, in the money)- so there is no way it would be rejected so it’s just a theoretical exercise.