2026-01-06
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Finance & Investments
The total purse rose 16% to nearly $75M, the largest amount in the tournament's history.
Singles champions will each earn roughly $2.8M, while first-round participants receive $100K to support career sustainability.
American Ventures LLC, an investment group tied to the Trump family, purchased $3M in stock to fund MMA.Inc’s digital growth.
The deal includes an option for the investors to buy an additional $20M in shares, potentially raising the total commitment to $23M.
Backed by UFC star Conor McGregor, MMA.Inc builds digital tools for the fight world, including apps for finding gyms, training online, and connecting fans.
Boston growth equity firm Silversmith Capital Partners provided the funding, joining the NBA as a key investor.
SkillCorner uses AI to track player performance stats from standard broadcast video without needing expensive stadium sensors.
The capital supports expansion beyond soccer into US basketball and football markets for professional and college teams.
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Media, Broadcasting & Sponsorships
This marks the first time Apple has broadcast live sports in its specialized 3D video format.
The tech giant uses specialized cameras to simulate a courtside seat for headset owners.
Cable provider Spectrum will make the games available to local subscribers on the Apple Vision Pro.
The broadcaster failed to pay 13 NBA teams for January, triggering legal default notices from the league.
The firm owes teams roughly $180M this season while facing losses of nearly $200M in 2025.
A potential sale to streaming platform DAZN is stalled over demands for lower fees and digital rights.
The Spanish soccer giants ended the three-year agreement less than two months after signing it.
Legal teams acted after discovering the blockchain firm is partially owned by controversial figure Andrew Tate.
Barcelona also distanced itself from an unauthorized digital token launched by the company to protect fans.
The Vikings-Lions matchup averaged 27.5M US viewers, officially becoming the most-streamed NFL game in history.
Streaming giant Netflix now broadcasts the top three digital-only NFL games ever, validating its major push into live sports.
Hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg’s halftime performance peaked at 30M viewers, significantly boosting social media buzz for the event.
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Teams & Leagues
The 3-on-3 women’s league is fueled by a six-year, $100M partnership with broadcaster TNT Sports.
The league recently secured a $340M valuation and over 75% of players signed equity deals.
Competition expanded to four weekly game days after drawing 186K average viewers last season.
The league currently fields six teams but plans to add franchises in three major cities by 2027.
A new partnership with USA Network adds weekly Wednesday games to existing coverage on sports giant ESPN.
Over 30 brands sponsor the season, which has financial backing from the owners of the Spurs and Texans.
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Miscellaneous
The sequel drew nearly 47M streaming minutes in its opening weekend, setting a platform record.
Fans watched over 6.2B minutes total, making it the year's second most-watched movie.
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