NFL Lands 72 of Top 100 Biggest Broadcasts of 2024
The NFL posted 72 of the top 100 television broadcasts in 2024, according to Sportico. This number is down from 93 in 2023. The dip is due, in large part, to programming affiliated with the presidential election. The top 100 also includes the Academy Awards (74) and Grammy Awards (96). Meanwhile, the Women’s NCAA championship match-up between South Carolina and Iowa took the 76th spot.
No. 1 Women’s Tennis Star Aryna Sabalenka Signs with EVOLVE
The top-ranked talent in women’s tennis has opted into new representation to jumpstart the new year. Aryna Sabalenka announced that she has signed with Naomi Osaka and Stuart Duguid‘s EVOLVE. The three-time grand slam champ joinsOsaka, Nick Kyrgios, and more on the agency’s roster. The news comes as Sabalenka prepares for the first major of the calendar year, as the Australian Open kicks off on Jan. 12.
Billie Eillish’s ‘Birds of a Feather’ Finishes Year as Most-streamed Song on Spotify
Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” emerged as Spotify’s top-streamed song for 2024 with 1,775,172,881 streams at year’s end. Eilish edged out Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” by 650,000 streams. Eilish’s smash hit is from her Hit Me Hard and Soft album, which is up for seven Grammy awards at next month’s ceremony.
Unrivaled Unveils New Partnership with Sephora
The newest professional league in women’s hoops is set to tip off this month. Ahead of its Jan. 17 debut, Unrivaled announced its newest partnership with Sephora, which has signed on as its exclusive beauty partner. As they rolled out their collab, Unrivaled revealed the new Sephora-branded glam room at the league’s Miami facility. In addition, Unrivaled has brought on a number of big-name sponsors ahead of its opening weekend, including Wilson, Miller Lite, Ally Financial, State Farm, and more.
‘Wicked’ Becomes Highest-grossing Broadway Adaptation
Wicked’s wild run continues. After a massive marketing push, the highly anticipated adaptation became the only non-sequel to cross into the top 10 films at the worldwide box office in 2024. Now, it kicks off the new year as the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation in history, taking the top spot from 2008’s Mama Mia. Thus far, Wicked has taken in nearly $650 million worldwide since it hit theaters over Thanksgiving weekend.
Microsoft Prepares for AI Growth with $80B Infrastructure Investment
Microsoft is betting big on AI. The tech giant announced on Friday via blog post that it anticipates spending $80 billion to build data centers to support its AI technologies. It estimates that more than one-half of that development will take place in the United States. In addition to its own innovations, Microsoft boasts key partnerships with leading companies in AI, including a bespoke partnership with OpenAI, Anthropic, and many more.
Anthropic Reaches Deal with Universal Music Group and More over Lyrics Use
In 2023, Universal Music Group, Concord Music Group, and ABKCO brought Anthropic to court over the use of their music by the company’s AI tool, Claude. The case was the first brought forth by the music industry amidst the growing AI market. This week, a federal judge signed off on an agreement that ensures that Anthropic’s AI tools will not utilize the publishers’ songs, which are considered copyrighted property, in its results. This decision will also prevent the use of existing songs to generate new song lyrics. In a statement, Anthropic confirmed the agreement saying that its technologies are not meant to infringe on existing intellectual property and that it will strengthen guardrails in place to ensure prevention in the future. Later this year, a judge is expected to rule on the legality of Anthropic’s use of existing music catalogs to train its AI tools.
NFL, Verizon Announce ‘FanFest’ Pop-ups Across the Country to Celebrate Super Bowl LIX
We are entering the final week of the NFL regular season, and as the playoff picture begins to come into focus, Verizon announced a new collaboration with the league heading into Super Bowl LIX. This year will mark the first-ever “Super Bowl Fan Fest” taking place in 30 cities across the US. As part of the celebrations, each site will mark Super Bowl Sunday with food from local vendors, appearances by local football legends, and live music performances. Fans can access free tickets, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
