Ari Emanuel has spent billions acquiring live sports and entertainment assets. Now, he's betting that AI-boosted productivity gains will help demand soar, sending prices higher.
Awesome piece as always, Joe. I think people are also overlooking how the rise of AI is adding further value to the experiences surrounding live sports, like mixed-use development (your favorite), fantasy + betting, shoulder content, etc. Rights fees are just the tip of the iceberg, and I'm excited to see the new ways rightsholders monetize the fan experience.
100% and well said. I think Ari's approach actually taps into some of that. By extending himself beyond traditional sports into art exhibits, culinary festivals, ticketing companies, etc., he is betting that every facet of live events will rise with AI (which should ultimately impact mixed-use developments, betting, and more). Personally, I'm excited to see how this plays out, but based on conversations over the last 6-12 months, many of the smartest people I know in sports are already thinking about it the same way.
This might be my favorite HU post to date. This scenario also represents an enormous opportunity for sports that are thrilling to watch live but don't have the footprint and media penetration of "majors" like the NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL...yet. Pretty much every live event is an opportunity for growth levels that were, if not impossible, highly unlikely in the old environment. Emanuel's long game is really smart, imo.
Agreed! And I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. I've been meaning to write about this for a while, and Ari's interview gave me the perfect reason to finally do it.
I've been saying for many years people are starved for live entertainment (I'm convinced this is why most casinos are packed on the weekend) and your article does a good job showing why this will only increase over time. Anyone want to chip in and help me buy an NFL franchise?
Awesome piece as always, Joe. I think people are also overlooking how the rise of AI is adding further value to the experiences surrounding live sports, like mixed-use development (your favorite), fantasy + betting, shoulder content, etc. Rights fees are just the tip of the iceberg, and I'm excited to see the new ways rightsholders monetize the fan experience.
100% and well said. I think Ari's approach actually taps into some of that. By extending himself beyond traditional sports into art exhibits, culinary festivals, ticketing companies, etc., he is betting that every facet of live events will rise with AI (which should ultimately impact mixed-use developments, betting, and more). Personally, I'm excited to see how this plays out, but based on conversations over the last 6-12 months, many of the smartest people I know in sports are already thinking about it the same way.
This might be my favorite HU post to date. This scenario also represents an enormous opportunity for sports that are thrilling to watch live but don't have the footprint and media penetration of "majors" like the NFL/NBA/MLB/NHL...yet. Pretty much every live event is an opportunity for growth levels that were, if not impossible, highly unlikely in the old environment. Emanuel's long game is really smart, imo.
Agreed! And I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. I've been meaning to write about this for a while, and Ari's interview gave me the perfect reason to finally do it.
I've been saying for many years people are starved for live entertainment (I'm convinced this is why most casinos are packed on the weekend) and your article does a good job showing why this will only increase over time. Anyone want to chip in and help me buy an NFL franchise?