As readers from final week will recall, we spent some time examining the notion of credibility. One week later, we’re witnessing what credibility (or lack thereof) hath wrought on our topics. Bob Baffert? Banned from New York horseracing tracks (together with the upcoming Belmont Stakes) and going through potential civil legal responsibility from bettors who declare that the horse that they’d wager on ought to have received the race – not Baffert-trained and doping offender Medina Spirit. The burden of Elon Musk’s phrase within the cryptocurrency world? Apparently massively important as cryptocurrency markets have been in freefall mode since his newest feedback about Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Mark Emmert and the NCAA? Predictably inert with regards to title, picture and likeness (NIL) legal guidelines, organising July 1st as a looming query mark for whether or not and the way school athletes will be capable of reap the advantages of not too long ago handed laws in a handful of states, as a flurry of exercise within the personal sector appears to counsel that change is on the horizon – whether or not the NCAA likes it or not.
With the stage set, under is a sampling of the opposite tales I’m highlighting this week:
- As all-time basketball nice Kobe Bryant was formally enshrined within the Basketball Corridor of Fame (and I encourage every of you to take 12 minutes of your day to observe his spouse, Vanessa’s courageous and moving tribute to the late legend), uncertainty stays as to his property’s vacation spot for his model’s sneaker and attire endorsement after having parted with Nike just a few months in the past – with some speculating {that a} return to Nike would possibly really be essentially the most logical match.
- NBCUniversal’s new advertising and marketing playbook within the more and more fragmented media panorama contains serving as liaison between NBCUniversal talent and brands. With their not too long ago hanging a improvement take care of leisure celebrity Miley Cyrus, one can’t assist however surprise how they are going to leverage that relationship.
- Although proof suggests celebrities would not have a big influence on the general public’s probability of getting a COVID-19 vaccine (apparently that un-sourced meme that your pal’s nice aunt shared on Fb carries extra weight), many personalities are nonetheless taking on the mantle.
- A brand new platform allows celebrities to create their synthetic intelligence-generated “deepfake” voice recordings to be used in reference to model endorsements, sponsorships and the like. Other than drumming up recollections/fears from a litany of sci-fi movies, this new platform additionally raises authorized questions regarding possession of the ensuing recordings and management over the exploitation of 1’s title, picture and likeness.
- NFT market, NBA TopShot, faces new scrutiny as a part of a category motion lawsuit alleging that the “Moments” or tokenized basketball highlights being offered to platform customers usually are not simply mere collectibles however are literally securities being offered in violation of U.S. securities legal guidelines. Nevertheless, there could also be good motive to suppose the lawsuit won’t final a “second” longer.
Endorsement Offers, Sponsorships & Investments
How Sneakers Became a $79 billion Business—and an Undisputed Cultural SYymbol for Our Times
Could 18, 2021 by way of Co.Exist
Sneakers, as soon as the image of athleticism, have transcended their main perform to grow to be industrial and trendy objects of want. From sportswear and road type to catwalk style, sneakers have made their mark as cultural commodities.
What Celebrities and Brands Stand to Gain from NFT Startups
Could 17, 2021 by way of Inc.com
From tennis champion Naomi Osaka to actor Johnny Depp, dozens of celebrities have launched non-fungible tokens (NFTs) — digital property similar to paintings and collectibles which can be purchased and offered utilizing cryptocurrency — in current weeks. Now, many are stepping even additional into the fashionable business by backing NFT startups.
Cubs News: Ryne Sandberg Now Smokes Marijuana Almost Every Day
Could 14, 2021 by way of Cubbie’s Crib
So, apparently Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg is a giant weed man now. There’s one thing I by no means thought I’d write. However with marijuana going mainstream increasingly by the day, the Corridor of Fame second baseman is now a spokesperson for the Chicago-based Verilife.
LeBron James Imagines Life With A Snooze Button in New Mtn Dew Rise Campaign
Could 13, 2021 by way of Forbes – Enterprise (subscription could also be required)
Has LeBron James all the time been an early riser? Properly, he’s by no means had a lot time for the snooze button. “I’ve all the time form of been a morning individual,” the Los Angeles Lakers basketball star tells Forbes. “Over the past I’d say 16 years, I’ve turned extra right into a morning individual, since you begin to have children, and once you begin to have children, you do not actually get to resolve if you wish to be at evening or morning individual. You’re a what-they-are individual.”
Would You Pay £99,000 for This Self-Lacing Nike? Sneakers Unboxed Review
Could 13, 2021 by way of The Guardian (Australia) – World Information
‘It was all about being the freshest,” says Koe Rodriguez, toothbrush in hand. “That’s the way you pulled honeys, how you bought respect from the arduous rocks. That’s the way you laid your sport down. It was all about being contemporary.” The hip-hop historian’s not speaking about his enamel, although, however his sneakers.
Celebrities Don’t Move the Needle When It Comes to Vaccine Willingness
Could 13, 2021 by way of Morning Seek the advice of Information
After administering greater than 260 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the US now faces its subsequent hurdle: encouraging hesitant People to get the shot. Well-known figures, together with director Spike Lee, Fox Information anchor Brian Kilmeade and former President Barack Obama, have stepped as much as share their experiences, taking over roles as vaccine influencers.
The World’s 10 Highest-Paid Athletes: Conor McGregor Leads A Group Of Sports Stars Unfazed By The Pandemic
Could 12, 2021 by way of Forbes – Enterprise
THE WORLD’S 10 A report 4 athletes — together with one quarterback and two soccer legends—every earned $100 million or extra prior to now 12 months. For a lot of 2020, the world’s main athletes had been sidelined, working for lowered pay, enjoying to empty seats or remoted in aggressive bubbles designed to thwart a pandemic that has sapped billions of {dollars} from skilled sports activities. Nonetheless, for the very best of the very best, issues couldn’t be higher — not less than by way of their monetary heft.
Movie & TV
MarVista Entertainment, Elefantec Global Team for Spanish-Language Movie Powerhouse (EXCLUSIVE)
Could 18, 2021 by way of Selection
MarVista Leisure, one of many world’s greatest unbiased film studios, and Elefantec World, the media-entertainment startup launched by former Televisa execs José “Pepe” Bastón and Jeff Symon, have joined forces to create a Spanish-language film studio.
NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Inks Pact With Superstar Miley Cyrus
Could 17, 2021 by way of RealScreen
The Peacock model has inked an general expertise and improvement take care of multi-hyphenate international celebrity Miley Cyrus. A part of the settlement features a first look deal between NBCU Tv and Streaming and Hopetown Leisure, the prodco owned by Cyrus (pictured) and her mom, Trish.
Netflix’s Hefty ‘Knives Out’ Deal Signals Toward a Future in fFanchises, TV Adaptations of Films
Could 17, 2021 by way of Firstpost
The “Knives Out” deal additionally highlights how a lot simpler it’s for a streaming service to take advantage of an already identified title than to construct one itself. “Knives Out.” All of a sudden, the $40 million whodunit, which Rian Johnson (Looper) wrote and directed as a “palate cleanser” after he accomplished a Star Wars, was a juggernaut that commanded prime greenback in a frenetic bidding conflict.
Behind NBC’s Decision to Put the Golden Globes On ice for a Year
Could 15, 2021 by way of Los Angeles Instances
All through the scandal swirling across the Golden Globe Awards present, longtime broadcaster NBC appeared flat-footed — seemingly unprepared to deal with the disaster that was consuming one in every of its greatest stay TV occasions. Since late February, the Hollywood International Press Assn., the group that owns the profitable Golden Globes franchise, has been on the middle of a furor over alleged moral lapses, self-dealing and an absence of Black members — revelations that surfaced in a Los Angeles Instances investigation.
Jimmy Fallon, NBC Making ‘The Kids Tonight Show’ Under New Development Deal
Could 13, 2021 by way of Selection
Jimmy Fallon, host of “The Tonight Present,” and NBCU are increasing their programming collectively beneath a brand new improvement deal. “The Children Tonight Present,” a late-night program hosted by younger folks, is among the many tasks being developed beneath a brand new pact struck between NBCUniversal and Fallon’s manufacturing outlet, Electrical Sizzling Canine.
ESPN Inks Slimmed-Down $4 Billion MLB Rights Extension
Could 13, 2021 by way of Sportico – Enterprise
ESPN has signed off on a renewal of its MLB rights deal, inking an extension that may preserve the cable community’s signature Sunday Evening Baseball telecast on the air by 2028. The seven-year pact was introduced on Could 13 on the prime of Disney’s second-quarter earnings name.
Music Biz
Leonard Williams Can’t Revive Warner Music Royalties Class Suit
Could 18, 2021 by way of Bloomberg Regulation – Mental Property Information (subscription could also be required)
Musician Leonard Williams misplaced his bid to undo a decrease court docket’s denial of sophistication certification in a lawsuit towards Warner Music Group Corp. over allegedly unpaid overseas streaming royalties, in response to an unpublished resolution by the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Google Reaches Tentative Deal in Tin Pan Alley Copyright Suits
Could 14, 2021 by way of Bloomberg Regulation – Information Prime Tales (subscription could also be required)
Google LLC has reached a tentative settlement that might resolve three copyright lawsuits introduced by the heirs of distinguished Tin Pan Alley songwriters in California federal court docket over the provision of alleged “pirate” digital copies of their music on the web search big’s platform.
Non-Fungible Tokens
Judges Can’t Allow For-Profit Group to Use Likeness for NFTs
Could 18, 2021 by way of Bloomberg Regulation – Huge Regulation Enterprise – Prime Tales (subscription could also be required)
Group desires to make use of Tennessee judges’ pictures to boost cash for charity. It will take some proceeds, which isn’t ethically permissible, opinion says. Judges can’t ethically take part in a for-profit group’s plan to make use of their likeness for distinctive, or non-fungible, tokens that might be auctioned to boost cash in partly for authorized assist teams, the Tennessee judicial ethics committee mentioned.
NBA’s Top Shot Lawsuit Says Dapper’s NFTs Need SEC Clampdown
Could 14, 2021 by way of Sportico Enterprise
A brand new lawsuit prices that the sale of NBA Prime Shot “Moments” violates the federal Securities Act of 1933, a regulation designed to each safeguard buyers within the buy of publicly provided securities and deter fraudulent acts within the advertising and marketing of these securities. Dapper Labs, a Vancouver-based blockchain firm that has partnered with the NBA, and its CEO, Roham Gharegozlou, are accused of illegally promoting unregistered securities. The corporate, nevertheless, has a lot of defenses that it will possibly and sure will provide in future court docket filings.
NFTs are Trending Up. Here are the Opportunities for Brands and Retailers
Could 12, 2021 by way of CB Insights – Weblog
NFTs are a really actual alternative for manufacturers and retailers, with functions starting from authenticating tangible items to lowering friction in e-commerce to producing new income by digital gross sales. Listed below are the top-line bullets it is advisable know.
Why This Unicorn Founder Believes NFTs Could Still Have a Bright Future
Could 12, 2021 by way of Insider Monkey Weblog
NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have by some means managed to seize the general public creativeness like no different crypto pattern has earlier than. Whilst the value of Bitcoin was skyrocketing to new all-time highs, the worldwide headlines had been targeted on the $69 million Christie’s public sale of Beeple’s artwork assortment, and names together with Eminem, Grimes, and Jack Dorsey have famously minted and offered their very own NFTs. Nevertheless, after the explosive hype of early 2021, it now appears that the preliminary growth is beginning to die down.
Proper of Publicity
La. Senate Votes for College Athlete Endorsement Deal Bill
Could 18, 2021 by way of New Orleans Metropolis Enterprise – Information
The Louisiana Senate unanimously voted on Could 17 to let school athletes generate income off endorsements and sponsorship offers, just like actions being taken throughout a number of states. Sen. Pat Connick’s invoice might have had Louisiana as the primary state to permit pupil athletes to earn money off their title, picture or likeness.
‘Dating App’ for Athletes and Brands Ends Seed Round With Eye on NCAA
Could 18, 2021 by way of Sportico – Enterprise
Because it seems to make fast inroads within the impending collegiate title, picture and likeness market, digital market Icon Supply closed a $1.6 million seed spherical with assist from current and new buyers, together with Hawke Ventures. Hawke Ventures, whose portfolio contains subscription field firm FabFitFun and sweetness and wellness pageant host, Beautycon, is the enterprise capital arm of selling consultancy Hawke Media. Icon Supply’s chief income officer Scott Taylor beforehand held the identical position at Hawke Media, which has labored with a number of thousand manufacturers thus far. Icon Supply mentioned it plans to faucet into that expansive community because it continues to deliver corporations onto its platform.
College Athletes May Finally See Their Big Pay Day
Could 17, 2021 by way of Social Media Biz
School sports activities have all the time been a draw for tens of millions of followers throughout the nation, and with almost 8 million viewers tuning in to this 12 months’s March Insanity, it ought to come as no shock that there’s loads of cash to be made. In actual fact, school sports activities usher in a mean of $1 billion in income annually. Whereas organizations just like the NCAA and the colleges that educate these pupil athletes definitely stand to make massive bucks, there’s been an extended standing debate as as to whether or not the athletes who’re the face of the sport ought to get a bit of the pie as properly.
Now There’s a Deepfake Audio Platform Where Celebrities Can License AI-Generated Voice Clips
Could 16, 2021 by way of Gizmodo
Every time deepfakes make the information, it’s virtually all the time for the most recent terrifying approach unhealthy actors have discovered methods to spawn hoaxes or cyberbully folks utilizing the AI-powered expertise. Nevertheless, the media business has discovered some extra sensible (and fewer sinister) functions, similar to utilizing face swaps to craft extra sensible visible results, synching actors’ mouths with dialogue in dubbed movies, and, now, automating voice work.
