Table of Contents

• The Multibillion-Dollar fight for the NBA

• Embracing imperfection: Lessons from Jürgen Klopp' …

• Top Tickers

• Copper is the new gold

Subscribe here to Playmakers Brew

The Multibillion-Dollar fight for the NBA

Fierce battle for the league's lucrative media rights

The league’s broadcasting deal with Warner Bros. Discovery is set to expire at the end of next season, and competitors are smelling blood in the water. “The streamers are all in different stages of being involved in sports,” says one insider, according to Vanity Fair. “You don’t want to be left out of that experience.”

Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal has made a $2.5 billion per year bid to reclaim NBA broadcasts, challenging the incumbent TNT. Streaming giants like Amazon are also vying for a piece of the action, with Amazon reportedly offering $1.8 billion annually. This bidding war underscores the NBA's value as one of the last consistent audience drivers in the fragmented TV landscape.

Warner Bros. Discovery, led by CEO David Zaslav, faces significant pressure as it aims to cut costs and manage debt while retaining its NBA partnership. The outcome of these negotiations will reshape how fans access NBA content, potentially leading to a mix of traditional and streaming platforms.

No matter who prevails in the negotiations, the new deal is guaranteed to look much different from the current one.

Check the story

Embracing imperfection: Lessons from Jürgen Klopp's leadership

The “Normal One” who turned "doubters into believers"

Jürgen Klopp, the charismatic manager of Liverpool FC, offers invaluable lessons on leadership that extend beyond football into business and community management. His tenure, marked by seven major trophies and a transformative impact on the club, demonstrates the power of visionary leadership, team culture, and adaptability.

As Sunday is Jürgen’s last appearance as the Reds’ manager at Anfield it is worth remembering his clear vision to turn "doubters into believers," which he expressed at the beginning of his time in Liverpool — and which is undoubtedly an essential task of a leader. This vision resonated deeply with the Liverpool fanbase and revitalized a struggling club.

Jürgen’s philosophy embraces imperfection, a mindset crucial for fostering innovation and resilience. His vision-driven leadership in combination with his capability to face uncertainty is instrumental in creating a unified purpose and driving sustained success.

Furthermore, a positive and inclusive team culture is at the heart of Jürgen's approach. He emphasizes enjoying the process and supporting each other, fostering camaraderie and unity. Authenticity, his relatable nature and genuine personality build trust and loyalty, crucial components of effective leadership.

Jürgen’s adaptability and willingness to take calculated risks align with an imperfectionist mindset, allowing for dynamic strategic adjustments and serving as another lesson to future leaders in sports and business.

Check the story

Top Tickers

Some of the most active and relevant securities and quotes (compared to previous day's closing price)

Copper is the new gold

Copper futures hit record high as data center build-up, EV growth fuels demand

Futures prices have soared this year, hitting a record in New York and far outperforming oil and tech stocks as global demand skyrockets for the metal, a key element in the artificial intelligence and energy transition fields.

Why copper is so important (and why I recently wrote about the opportunities and risks of investing in copper): It’s used in batteries and in data centers. The mineral “is the foundation of current climate policy,” the International Energy Forum wrote in a report this week, adding that there’s not enough being mined to meet the world’s electric vehicle and electricity targets.

Copper demand from electric vehicles and the transportation sector overall is set to increase by around 5% this year, according to forecasts by the Bank of America.

Copper is also a critical material for cables used in data centers, whose growth has fueled demand for the red metal especially as an artificial intelligence boom generates more need for data centers.

Check the story

Last but not least, we already had St. Pauli in our last briefing. This time, however, it's not about football, but about chess. The world's best chess player, Magnus Carlsen, has reached an agreement to represent St. Pauli in the upcoming 2024/25 Bundesliga chess season.

"The WEISSENHAUS Chess Academy, founded by entrepreneur and patron Jan Henric Buettner, and the chess department of FC St. Pauli are entering into a long-term partnership," said a statement on the club's official website.

"In this context, Magnus Carlsen, the best chess player in the world, will play for FC St. Pauli in the upcoming Bundesliga season." He will certainly earn a decent amount, but probably not as much as Lionel Messi. The MLS Players Association released 2024 salary information. And, no surprise, Lionel Messi is the highest-paid player in MLS with a guaranteed compensation of $20.4 million…

Have a great weekend!

Irg

Subscribe here to Playmakers Brew