Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s Presidential Debate Draws Over 67M Viewers
Tuesday’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump recorded roughly 67.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen. It was ABC’s turn to host the face-off, which was broadcast on 17 networks. This beats the estimated viewership for the debate between Trump and President Joe Biden in late June, which drew about 51.3 million viewers. On Thursday, Trump announced that he won’t debate Harris again, to which the Vice President replied, “I believe we owe it to the voters to have another debate,” while at a rally in North Carolina.
Alcaraz vs. Shelton, Pegula vs. Navarro to Play at MSG for Garden Cup
Some of the best pros in tennis are set to face off in The Garden Cup, an exhibition match taking place at Madison Square Garden, the iconic venue shared via Instagram Thursday. Coming off career-best major runs at the US Open, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro will play each other, while on the men’s side, four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz will compete against Ben Shelton. Scheduled for Dec. 4, this marks the first tennis event since 2018 at The Garden.
Margot Robbie Named the Face of Chanel No. 5
Six years after signing with Chanel as an overall ambassador, Margot Robbie has been announced as the new face of Chanel No. 5. As the first perfume launched by the label’s founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in 1921, the A-list actress said she was “honored to be joining that long list of incredible talents” to represent the fragrance in a statement obtained by Harper’s Bazaar.
Dwyane Wade to Receive Statue Outside of Miami Heat Arena
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade will be forever enshrined outside the Kaseya Center after the team announced Thursday it’s unveiling a statue of the 13-time All-Star on Oct. 27. A ceremony will take place the following night when the Heat take on the Detroit Pistons. Wade spent the majority of his career in Miami, winning three NBA championships and taking home Finals MVP honors in 2006. He also averaged 22 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds during his 16 years in the league.
Fanatics Teams Up with Washington Spirit as Official Sports Betting Partner
Fanatics is the official sports betting partner of the Washington Spirit, bringing sports betting to the NWSL as Fanatics Sportsbook’s first team contract in women’s sports. Highlights in this endeavor include in-stadium activations, pre-match trivia, and a halftime penalty kick for a chance to win FanCash, as well as stadium signage and digital marketing assets. Prior to this announcement at this week’s CNBC x Boardroom Game Plan, Trailblazing Sports Group’s Sara Gotfredson noted that the value proposition of creating the infrastructure around women’s sports is enormous, and Fanatics is positioned as a company in a leading position to be able to amplify the women’s game through its multiple lines of business.
EA Sports Taps Travis Hunter, Alyssa Thompson for New Athlete Ambassador Program
On Thursday, EA Sports unveiled a unique program centered around the next generation of pro athletes. Called GEN / EA Sports, members of the inaugural class include F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante, Colorado wideout Travis Hunter, Real Madrid striker Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa, and Angel City FC star Alyssa Thompson. As part of the new program, the athletes will work with EA Sports to “co-create content, partner on initiatives personal to each of them, and engage sports fans where they are, in and around our games.”
Karol G Tops Finalist List for 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards
The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards finalists were unveiled, and coming in at No. 1 on the list of honorees is Karol G, with 21 nominations, including Artist of the Year, Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year, and Top Latin Album of the Year for Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season). Tied for second place are Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma with 15 noms apiece. Winners for all 49 categories will be presented on Oct. 20 at 9 p.m. ET when the 31st annual Billboard Latin Music Awards broadcast live from Miami on Telemundo.
Activision Blizzard Merger Leads to Layoffs at Microsoft’s Xbox
Microsoft announced the layoff of 650 positions within the company’s Xbox division on Thursday. Per CNBC, a memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer explains that eliminations were made with the intent of eliminating redundancies that developed from the $69 billion acquisition of World of Warcraft and Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard. Zero games or devices will be canceled as a result of these cuts and no studios will be closed this time.
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