NOW AVAILABLE
WE’RE LIVE!
Inside the BIG Business of Sports Media
From two executives who helped shape the modern sports media industry comes an insider’s guide to the deals, decisions, technologies, and leadership defining what comes next.
ABOUT THE BOOK
LEARN THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE BIGGEST EVENTS ON EARTH
Sports may happen on the field, but the business that powers it happens elsewhere. In We’re Live! Inside the BIG Business of Sports Media, sports media industry veterans Ed Desser and John Kosner take you inside the world of media rights, broadcasting, streaming, advertising, technology, and fan engagement.
From decades at the center of the industry’s biggest decisions, on both sides of the table, they explain how sports has ascended to be the most important content. Part insider history, business masterclass, and roadmap for the next generation of leaders, this book offers lessons for students, sports professionals, and fans alike. Whether building a career in sports, teaching it, or leading it, We’re Live! belongs on your shelf.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ED DESSER & JOHN KOSNER
Nearly a century of combined experience shaping how sports are produced, distributed, marketed, and experienced.
ED DESSER
ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS OF MODERN SPORTS MEDIA
Over a career spanning nearly five decades, he has helped shape the business models, media rights strategies, and distribution platforms that transformed sports into a global media enterprise. During his 23 years as the NBA’s senior media executive, he negotiated landmark television agreements, launched NBA TV, created NBA League Pass, helped pioneer NBA.com, and led the league’s global media expansion into nearly 200 countries.
As founder and president of Desser Sports Media, he has advised leagues, conferences, teams, events, broadcasters, technology companies, and investors on more than $100 billion in sports and media transactions. His work has included major engagements involving the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, PGA Tour, MLS, NASCAR, LA Lakers & Dodgers, Warner Bros. Discovery, FOX, DIRECTV, and many of the industry’s other major organizations.
A recognized authority on sports media rights and business strategy, Desser has served as an advisor, negotiator, valuation expert, author and expert witness on some of the most significant matters in the industry, including the O’Bannon and House litigations. He has written extensively on sports business, been quoted in thousands of media reports and scholarly publications, and guest lectured at leading universities including USC, UCLA, Columbia, NYU, Fordham and UCF.
Drawing on firsthand experience from inside the boardrooms where the industry’s biggest decisions were made, Desser brings a unique perspective on the forces that continue to shape the future of sports media.
Connect with Ed: EdandJohn@werelivebook.com
JOHN KOSNER
AN INTERNET PIONEER AND FIVE-DECADE VETERAN OF SPORTS MEDIA
John Kosner is an internet pioneer and five-decade veteran of sports media.
As a teenager, he imagined a sports service that combined live games, highlights, written analysis, statistics and real-time information in one place. Over the course of his career at NBC Sports, CBS Sports, the NBA, Sports Illustrated and ESPN, he helped build exactly that.
Kosner directed U.S. broadcasting for the NBA during the Dream Team era, one of the most transformative periods in basketball history. He later joined ESPN, where he helped build the company’s digital business into the world’s leading sports media destination. Under his leadership, ESPN’s digital audience grew tenfold, reaching a then-record 141 million global users and transforming a once-unprofitable operation into one of the company’s fastest-growing businesses.
Today, Kosner is president of Kosner Media, advising leading sports media, technology, and Olympic organizations. He is also an investor, board member, and advisor to numerous sports technology companies, including ventures focused on media, athlete performance, fan engagement, and emerging technologies.
A recognized authority, Kosner has spent his career at the intersection of sports, media, and technology. His insights draw on firsthand experience from the organizations, innovations, and industry-defining decisions that transformed how sports are experienced around the world. He and Ed Desser have worked together since 1982.
Connect with John: EdandJohn@werelivebook.com
PRAISE FOR WE’RE LIVE
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“Ed is the person I turn to when I need someone I trust. I have known him since my father bought the Lakers in 1979, and over the years I have come to know him as one of the smartest, hardest-working, and most insightful people in sports media. Together, we negotiated the largest local professional sports media rights deal in history.”
JEANIE BUSS
Governor & Co-Owner, Los Angeles Lakers
“Ed and John are two of the smartest, trusted advisors I have ever had. They have forgotten more about media than most people have ever known.”
STEVE BORNSTEIN
Former President & CEO, ESPN and NFL Network
“These two are among the thought leaders in our business. Their guided tour will give you fresh insights and a keen understanding of how the sports media business works.”
GARY STEVENSON
Sports Media and Marketing Leader, and former Deputy Commissioner and Managing Partner, MLS and SUM
“I was lucky to work with Ed & John on projects ranging from NBA All Star Weekend, to The Dream Team, to the WNBA. This book takes you backstage, inside how these and other milestones happened.”
RICK WELTS
CEO, Dallas Mavericks and former president NBA Properties, Suns, Warriors, and (Sonics ballboy)
“John shares my passion for sports and technology and all that is possible. I got him to improve ESPN.com and everything took off!”
EDDY CUE
SVP, Services and Health, Apple
INSIDE THE BOOK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface: Why This Book?
I. SPORTS INDUSTRY AND SPORTS MEDIA BASICS
1. Why Sports?
2. Structure of Sports Media Business: The Sellers
3. Structure of Sports Media Business: The Buyers
4. The Structure of the Sports Media Business in Action: College Football – National TV Juggernaut
5. What Differentiates “Tier 1” Sports Properties
II. SPORTS DEAL MAKING
6. The Massive Importance of Media Deals
7. The NBA on NBC Partnership (The First Time)
8. Demystifying Sports TV Agreements
9. Valuations for Sports Media Agreements
10. Intricacies of Sports Rights Negotiations
III. MEDIA OPERATIONS: SCHEDULING, PRODUCTION AND PARTNERSHIP
11. Making Scheduling Count
12. New, Innovative Scheduling Ideas
13. Be Your Own Executive Producer
14. How to Be a Great Sports Media Partner
IV. TECHNOLOGY IN SPORTS
15. How Technology Underpins the Sports Business
16. Technology in Sports Media Through the Years
17. “Technology is Product”: The Rise of ESPN.com
V. LEADERSHIP
18. Our Sports Media Mount Rushmore
19. The Power of Strong, Centralized Leadership
20. Stern Training
VI. INNOVATION AND THE FUTURE
21. Ted Turner and Crossing the Rubicon
22. Why Young Fans Are Different
23. What Matters Now: Interfaces, Community Building, Trust and Integrity
24. What Could Go Wrong?
25. CODA
VII. CAREERS
26. How to Get Started in the Sports Industry
27. Ed Desser’s Lessons from a 50-Year Career
28. John Kosner’s Lessons from a 48-Year Career
Acknowledgments • What’s Next? • About the Authors
FOR EDUCATORS
COURSE CURRICULUM AND STUDY GUIDES
Explore topics from We’re Live! Inside the BIG Business of Sports Media for use in sports media, business, communications, journalism, leadership, and technology courses. Download the accompanying Course Topics Reference Guide and Suggested Syllabus below, or request teaching modules for additional classroom support.
FREE DOWNLOADS:
• Course Topics Reference Guide ⭳
• Instructor’s Guide ⭳
• Suggested Syllabus ⭳
TEACHING MATERIALS
BRING THE BOOK INTO YOUR CLASSROOM
Get 20 ready-to-use teaching modules featuring learning objectives, key concepts, discussion questions, and suggested class activities.
EXPLORE COURSE TOPICS
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Why Sports Wins the Media Game
Mapping the Marketplace: Sellers and Buyers
College Football: Media Juggernaut
What Makes a Sports Media Property “Tier 1”?
The Massive Importance of Media Deals
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Anatomy of a Landmark Deal: The NBA on NBC
Demystifying Sports TV Agreements
Valuing Sports Media Rights
Negotiating Sports Rights Deals
How to Be and Work With a Great Media Partner
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Scheduling: Fundamentals and Innovation
Be Your Own Executive Producer
The Evolution and Role of Technology in Sports
Digital Innovation Case Study: The Rise of ESPN.com
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Leadership Case Studies: Mount Rushmore and Centralized Leadership
Stern Training
Disruption Case Study: Turner, Streamers, and Crossing the Rubicon
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Winning Tomorrow’s Fans
Trust, Integrity, and Risk in a Betting Era
Careers in Sports Media: Breaking In and Building a Career
EXPANDED CONTENT FOR READERS
GO BEYOND THE BOOK
Did the book send you here?
You’re in the right place.
We’re Live! Inside the BIG Business of Sports Media draws on nearly a century of combined experience in sports business. Continue beyond the book with expanded career guidance, practical chapter applications, and additional insights from Ed Desser and John Kosner.
ASK THE AUTHORS
QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK?
Have a question about the book, a media request, or feedback for Ed and John? Send them a note.