Disney and NBA Reach Major 11-Year Deal

 by Ray Keating

News

July 24, 2024 

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The Walt Disney Company and ESPN announced today an agreement with the NBA that will extend their agreement for 11 years.

Read the full article at DisneyBizJournal.substack.com.

Anyone Surprised That NBA Experience at Disney Springs Not Reopening?

 by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

August 16, 2021

 

My response to hearing the news today that the NBA Experience at Disney Springs will not be reopening was, quite frankly, a shrug of the shoulders, and a declaration that I wasn’t exactly surprised.

 

But then again, I’m not an NBA fan. Major League Baseball fan? Absolutely. Go Reds! The NFL? I shout “Skol!” as a Vikings fan. NHL? The Sharks are my team. But the NBA never really did it for me.

Apparently, though, the NBA Experience didn’t do it for NBA fans either. 

 

On the Disney NBA Experience website, the attraction was characterized: “Enter an immersive world where all of your basketball dreams are just a layup away. Inside this impressive venue inspired by modern-day NBA arenas, you can enjoy 13 unique experiences that merge the magic of Disney with the thrills of the NBA. Step through the Player Entry Tunnel—welcomed by the roar of an excited crowd—and embark on the full player journey, from training to competitions to championships and beyond.”

 

When it opened, MyNews13.com described the NBA Experience as follows: “On the ground level, visitors will find an exhibit featuring NBA and WNBA players, the Combine experience and the NBA Store. Upstairs there are even more activities, including a dunking experience, a slingshot experience and a basketball court where a game clock counts down your shots.”

 

Rather than being a slam dunk, the NBA Experience turned out to be an air ball.

 

Of course, the attraction opened at a bad time, in August 2019, with the pandemic just 8 months away. According to reports, Disney and the NBA agreed on the permanent closing.

 

But there’s obviously more at work here than just the pandemic. After all, this only opened two years ago, and if it had been working well beforehand and was expected to resume as a popular venue upon reopening, well, we wouldn’t be talking about the NBA Experience’s permanent closing right now.

 

The NBA Experience always struck me as an odd offering in Disney Springs – not quite fitting in. And there were questions about just how many big-time NBA fans this would attract on a regular basis. The answer is now clear: Not enough.

 

What will replace the NBA Experience? We don’t know yet. But let’s hope that it’s something with more widespread appeal. If we’re talking about another major league sports experience, then the only two leagues that could make a run at success in Disney Springs would be the National Football League and Major League Baseball, given their widespread popularity. The drop off in general interest from football and baseball to basketball, hockey or soccer, for example, is just too significant.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the  Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Again, get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – grab it at Amazon.com or signed editions at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

 

You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  from Amazon or signed books  at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. 

 

Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!

Disney Focused on Expanding ESPN/ESPN+ Line-Up

 by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 25, 2021

 

Disney’s push in expanding the live sports line-up on its ESPN+ streaming service, and ESPN and ABC cable/broadcast channels, has been impressive in recent months. And the company is in the conversation, as has been widely reported and we at DisneyBizJournal have been predicting, to grab NFL Sunday Ticket from DirecTV, where it’s been for 25-plus years.

Disney and Baseball

 

The most recent news regarding live sports came on May 13, with Disney announcing that its ESPN agreement with Major League Baseball would be extended, with a new deal covering 2022 through 2028. 

 

ESPN will televise 30 regular-season games annually, including 25 editions of Sunday Night Baseball, and five additional games, including the national Opening Night telecast. ESPN will continue to exclusively carry the Home Run Derby and will be able to simulcast all ESPN and ABC games on ESPN+.

 

In addition, if the MLB Wild Card Series is expanded, ESPN will exclusively televise all of it starting in 2022. However, if the current Wild Card format stays, then ESPN will exclusively televise one of the two MLB Wild Card Games and receive eight additional exclusive regular-season games each year. 

 

For good measure, ESPN+ not only will continue streaming a Major League Baseball game nearly every day of the season, but add new MLB content.

 

While this MLB deal is a reduction of regular season games on ESPN – from 90 games per season to 30 (or 38) – the relationship remains extensive between Disney and MLB. And as Chris Katje at Benzinga noted, “The new deal lowers ESPN’s annual fees from $700 million to $550 million while still keeping the best content.”

 

Disney and Football

 

This MLB agreement comes on top of the March 2021 deal with the NFL that runs through 2033. As DisneyBizJournal reported, Disney picked up two Super Bowls, and “ESPN keeps Monday Night Football, while adding six games each season, featuring three Monday night doubleheaders (with a game on ESPN followed by a game on ABC), a late-season Saturday doubleheader, and a Sunday morning game on ESPN+. Also, Monday Night Football will gain a ‘flex’ option starting in week 12 of the season to ensure better games. And ESPN will continue to air the NFL draft.”

 

Disney and Hockey

 

Also in March, Disney announced an extensive, seven-year deal with the NHL, running from the 2021-22 season through the 2027-28 season. As DisneyBizJournal noted, the deal includes the NHL.TV out-of-market subscription service moving exclusively to streaming as part of an ESPN+ subscription; the Stanley Cup finals on ABC in four of the seven years; half of the NHL playoff games on ABC and ESPN each year; and 25 NHL games exclusively on ESPN.

 

Disney and Golf

 

March also saw the announcement that ESPN+ would be the streaming home of PGA TOUR LIVE starting in 2022 and running through 2030. According to ESPN, that will cover “36 tournaments a year, including a full four days of coverage at 28 events with four simultaneous live feeds each day. PGA TOUR LIVE on ESPN+ will also feature on-demand replays of PGA TOUR events, original golf programs, edited speed round recaps and more.”

 

Disney and Basketball

 

And finally, Disney is in the midst of a television deal with the NBA that it splits with TNT. That agreement expires after the 2024-25 season.

 

If Disney winds up arriving at a deal with the NFL for Sunday Ticket, ESPN+, along with ESPN, will become the clear live sports powerhouse. Expect already strong growth in ESPN+ subscriptions to accelerate.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the  Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Keating has two new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13ththriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And pre-order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story.

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

 

You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York  from Amazon or signed books  at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know. 

 

Please support the efforts of DisneyBizJournal.com to bring news, analysis and commentary on Disney to readers such as yourself. Make a contribution right here via PayPal. Thanks!

Which Would Be Surprising: Disney World Opening as Scheduled or Delayed?

by Ray Keating

News/Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 30, 2020

At this point, would you be more surprised if Walt Disney World opened on schedule or if it was further delayed? There’s a great deal of speculating on this, to say the least, and given recent developments, justifiably so.

Right now, Disney’s plans are to open the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11, followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. For good measure, July 9 is the Annual Passholder Preview Day for the Magic Kingdom.

Across the country in California, Disney announced last week that it would not reopen its Disneyland Resort on July 17, as previously announced. No new date was supplied. Disney highlighted the fact that the State of California would not have its theme park reopening guidelines ready until after July 4, and that would leave Disney insufficient time to get their Donald Ducks in a row for reopening.

Keep in mind that as recent as June 25, the Orlando Sentinel reported that a Disney representative said the Florida parks would be reopening as scheduled. In addition, Disney has all the necessary governmental approvals for reopening in Florida. So, as far as we know, Walt Disney World will be open for business starting on July 11.

The current COVID-19 situation in Florida raises big questions, though. After all, the rise in COVID-19 cases in the state has been, unfortunately, dramatic over the past month. As the Sentinel noted today, there were 6,093 new coronavirus cases reported in Florida on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 152,534. And 58 deaths brought the state’s death toll up to 3,505. (Data source for the following chart from the Orlando Sentinel.)

And consider the following, as reported on Monday: “From Sunday to Sunday, Florida saw 43,784 new reported cases of COVID-19, the highest amount in a one-week period since the pandemic began.”

The Washington Post noted: “Confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States surpassed 2.5 million on Sunday as a crushing new wave of infections continued to bear down throughout the country’s South and West. Across the nation, 40,587 new daily cases were reported. Florida, Texas and Arizona are emerging as the country’s latest epicenters after reporting record numbers of new infections for weeks in a row.”

A key problem in Florida is a chunk of individuals – largely younger people – ignoring the threat and proper safeguards. That has resulted in new restrictions on businesses, as the InsuranceJournal.com reported:

Earlier Friday, state officials said they would ban alcohol consumptions at bars as health officials attribute the new outbreak to young adults flocking to establishments after reopening three weeks ago, with many of them ignoring social distancing restrictions aimed at lowering the virus’s spread.

Bars, like restaurants, were supposed to limit patrons to 50% of their normal capacity, under the state’s emergency orders. Patrons had to sit at tables, with groups 6 feet (2 meters) apart. No congregating at the bar or on the dance floor was permitted.

The new order prohibits any establishment that makes more than 50% of its revenue from alcohol sales from serving alcohol for consumption on site. Bars are still permitted to sell alcohol in sealed containers for consumption offsite. Restaurants that primarily sell food can still serve alcohol to customers seated at tables.

Business and Professional Regulations Secretary Halsey Beshears said he issued the order because too many bars and patrons were breaking the rules, overwhelming his department’s inspectors.

“This was more than we could keep up with,” Beshears said.

Beshears added, “People in general just wanted to get out and experience a normalcy... Sadly, 90% are getting it right. It’s the other 10% that are ruining it for everybody.”

Also, among the counties in Florida closing beaches for the July 4 weekend are Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Martin. However, most counties will have their beaches open for the holiday weekend.

Then there’s the economy. Consumer reactions to both the increases in coronavirus cases in Florida, as well as the grim state of the economy (such as record levels of unemployment, threats of more layoffs coming, and widespread uncertainty and insecurity) promises to cut deeply into those journeying to Disney World. It’s hard to fork over significant dollars to have fun with Mickey when wondering if the next paycheck is coming, or there is no paycheck.

Having said all of this, Disney needs staff on hand for the arrival of the NBA and Major League Soccer. The MLS already has begun to arrive, with the soccer tournament running from July 8 to August 11. And NBA teams are scheduled to arrive between July 7-11, with the rest of the season tipping off on July 30. There also are plans to provide entertainment to the players and their families.

At the same time, though, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged in an interview today that he couldn’t guarantee the restart or completion of the NBA season, given the unpredictability of the coronavirus.

ESPN reported on June 29: “Overall, 668 players have been tested since the start of full-team training on June 4. That translates to a positive test rate of 2.7%, which compares favorably to the 5.3% positive rate that the NBA recorded for its most recent round of testing of players.”

It also was noted: 

According to the Florida Department of Health, Orange County has had at least a 15.9% positive test rate over the past five days for which data was announced, with a total of 4,128 new positive case recorded in that time. Orange County is home to much of Walt Disney World Resort, including the Swan and Dolphin hotels, where teams and MLS staff are staying.

In neighboring Osceola County, where the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is located, cases and positive test rates also have been increasing. Over the past five days, a total of 687 new positive cases have been recorded, with the positive test rate ranging from 9.3% to 22.7%.

So, moving pieces galore make Disney’s decision-making difficult, and from the outside, hard to predict. At this point, I throw my hands up in the air, and wouldn’t be surprised whichever way Disney goes – opening Disney World as scheduled or pushing it off.

While COVID-19 might have other things in mind, Disney at least for now looks set on reopening. Of course, the company can and will limit attendance, and work to make Disney World even more of a bubble than it usually is.

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

Where Are NBA Players Staying at Disney World?

by Ray Keating

News/Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 17, 2020

The NBA has provided information about how the league will operate while playing hoops at Walt Disney World starting in July. The New York Times, for example, has served up some points from the 113-page NBA handbook provided yesterday to team personnel focused heavily on safety and health protocols.  That’s fine, but I’m more interested in the part of the story regarding where NBA teams will be staying at Disney World.

As noted by Yahoo Sports, for example, the Gran Destino Tower at the Coronado Springs Resort will host the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and Miami Heat.

Among the guests at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa will be the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Orlando Magic.

And the Yacht Club Resort will host the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards.

So, what will players and staff have to look forward to at each of these resorts? Here are key descriptions from the websites of each hotel.

Coronado Springs Resort: “Celebrate the unique blend of Spanish, Mexican and Southwest American cultures at the newly re-imagined Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. This beautiful lakeside oasis offers classic influences, Disney touches and modern comforts to energize and inspire as you delight in an array of new features, eateries and enhancements.”

As for the Gran Destino Tower in particular, when it opened in July 2019, it was described as follows: “The new tower rises dramatically on the southeastern shores of Lago Dorado (‘Golden Lake’). It offers 545 modern guest rooms (including 50 suites and club-level services), a grand two-story lobby, new meeting venues, new lounges and a rooftop restaurant with spectacular views. The distinctive tower is the stylish new gateway to the 2,385-room resort.”

Check out dining options here. And read DisneyBizJournal’s review of one of these restaurants – Toledo – and the Gran Destino Tower.

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa: “Victorian elegance meets modern sophistication at this lavish Disney Resort hotel. Relax in the sumptuous lobby as the live orchestra plays ragtime, jazz and popular Disney tunes. Unwind outdoors, indulge in a luxurious massage and watch evening fireworks light up the sky over Cinderella Castle. Just one stop to Magic Kingdom park on the complimentary Resort Monorail, this timeless Victorian-style marvel evokes Palm Beach’s golden era.”

Check out dining options here.

Yacht Club Resort: “Delight in the formal grace of a grand New England-style yacht club at this lakeside hotel. Relax in the inviting elegance of a plush lobby replete with nautical touches, explore the whimsical Stormalong Bay and rent a variety of watercraft from Bayside Marina. Sharing many amenities with its pastel-toned sister, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort is walking distance to Epcot and a convenient boat ride to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.”

Check out dining options here. And read DisneyBizJournal’s review of Cape May Café. 

My message to NBA players? Enjoy, even if you’re unable to take advantage of all of the amenities given pandemic restrictions. 

What about the rest of us? On the one hand, there will be more sports to watch on television, which is great – though I admit to not exactly being a big NBA fan. I’m a baseball, football, hockey and golf aficionado. But beggars can’t be choosers. So, perhaps I’ll be watching some NBA basketball for the first time in a very long time.

At the same time, though, could the NBA at these Disney resorts feed an ugly jealousy in this overweight, older guy sitting at his laptop who not only can’t hit a free throw but wishes he was in Disney World? Let’s hope not.

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See related...

“The NBA Coming to Walt Disney World”

“Major League Soccer Returns; Disney to Host July Games”

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

Major League Soccer Returns; Disney to Host July Games

by Beth Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 11, 2020

One of the things that has been missing from our household in the past few months has been major league sports. It took me awhile to realize that the quietness in the house was due to the lack of background crowd noise from the consistency of professional sports on the TV.  With the dearth of new games, one son has even taken to watching decades old Yankees games to fill the void.  As states begin to reopen, and sports trickles back into the American landscape, Disney has stepped in to play a major – no pun intended – role in making it happen.

Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

Last week, the NBA announced it would resume its abbreviated season at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. (See DisneyBizJournal’s report.) While the basketball deal had been rumored for weeks, it really didn’t come as a surprise to most people when the deal was finally inked. Disney has a prior relationship with the NBA (if in doubt, check out the NBA Experience at Disney Springs  https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/disney-springs/nba-experience/), and the ideally suited ESPN complex, already preset for media needs and multiple games, was uniquely suited to hosting, housing and training the professional players and staffs. 

Now, Disney and MLS have announced that professional soccer is coming to the Disney complex as well. The “MLS is Back Tournament” will begin on July 8th, relaunching Major League Soccer’s 2020 season, which also happens to be its 25^thseason. 

All of MLS’s 26 teams will compete in a continuous schedule of 54 total matches, with three matches each day at 9 am, 8 pm, and 10:30 pm.  According to the Disney Parks Blog, the tournament winner will also earn a spot in the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League.

The tournament’s opening game will feature Orlando City SC vs. Inter Miami CF as they face off for the first time. The rest of the tournament continues on July 8^th when group stage begins, followed by a round of 16 from July 25^th-28^th. Quarterfinals are set to begin July 30^th-August 1^st, with semi-finals on August 5^th-6^th. The final game will take place August 11^th.

Broadcasts of the games will take place on MLS partner networks, and will feature interactive fan elements.  Soccer enthusiasts can also sign up for daily updates from the tournament at https://www.mlssoccer.com/mls-is-back-tournament. Specific details on competition format and draws to determine the group placings for the tournament are also available there.

Interestingly, this is not the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex’s first run at professional soccer. The facility also hosted the 1998 MLS preseason, as well as events for the 1998 and 2019 MLS All-Star Games.

During the tournament, players will be subject to daily testing for COVID-19, and specific medical protocols and a comprehensive testing plan developed by infectious disease experts will be in effect. As is the case with the NBA games, the tournament will take place without fans present.

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See related...

“The NBA Coming to Walt Disney World”

See recent...

“Disneyland in California Reopening Announced”

“Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Set To Reopen July 29”

“Florida Quarantine Remains for Travelers from New York Tri-State”

“Disney Experience Updated: Parks Reopening and What It Will Look Like”

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

The NBA Coming to Walt Disney World

by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

June 4, 2020

“Hey, NBA owners, you just voted to get the season restarted. Where are you headed?”

“We’re going to Walt Disney World.”

Well, that’s basically the story according to the Associated Press. AP is reporting that owners voted to approve 22 teams – each team in a playoff position before the coronavirus shut down the season, plus six teams within six games of the playoffs – to get the season going at the ESPN Wide World of Sports facility at Walt Disney World. That leaves eight teams out for the season.

AP noted, “The format calls for each team playing eight games to determine playoff seeding plus the possible utilization of a play-in tournament for the final spot in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference postseason fields, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the league had not yet revealed the vote result publicly.”

It is expected that players would be arriving at the Disney complex in mid-July, with an NBA champion to be crowned in October.

It’s been widely reported, including by Keith Smith of YahooSports, that Disney and the NBA have agreed that Disney World’s Coronado Springs would serve as the primary resort hotel for the NBA.

The NBA’s plan to reopen in July would follow on NASCAR, which restarted racing late last month and the PGA Tour’s plan to restart on June 11-14 at the Charles Schwab Challenge. The NHL is working on getting back on the ice, while baseball’s owners and players seem bent on squabbling.

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See recent...

“Disney and Its Brand Face Increasing Uncertainty in China”

“A Little Something to Distract You From the Disney News Bomb”

“Disney World Gets Official Go Ahead to Open, But Disney Has Cancelled Your Dining Plans and More”

“Disney Announces Reopening Dates for Walt Disney World”

“Return of My Guilty Pleasure: National Treasure”

“PRESS CLUB C Podcast with Ray Keating – Episode #10: Streaming Fueling the Nerd, Including the Disney Nerd”

See notable...

“Theme Parks: Pandemic, Disney and the Little Guys”

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

Get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.