May 3, 2017

Verizon scores exclusive NFL deal to stream one game for $21 million

C_osett/flickr

Verizon will pay the National Football League for rights to stream the Sept. 24 regular-season game between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars in London, The Wall Street Journal reports. The telecom giant is hoping to rank in digital ad revenues by streaming the game on its digital properties: AOL, go90 and Complex.

Why it matters: NFL's SVP of digital media business development told WSJ they chose Verizon because of its scale. (It owns AOL and is in process of purchasing Yahoo! digital properties.) The NFL has been losing TV viewers, so digital partnerships are crucial.

Between the lines: The League is making loads of money off of digital distribution deals, while expanding their digital audience at the same time. Last month, they announced an exclusive Thursday Night Football streaming deal with Amazon for reportedly $50 million. They also just announced an exclusive content partnership with Twitter.

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Ursula Perano

Bloomberg denies telling a pregnant employee to "kill it"

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images.

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the debate stage Tuesday denied telling a former employee to terminate her pregnancy.

Catch up quick: Per the Washington Post, a former saleswoman has alleged workplace discrimination against Bloomberg and his company and says Bloomberg told her to "kill it" when he learned she was pregnant. Bloomberg denied the allegation under oath and entered a confidential settlement with the woman.

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Orion Rummler

Debate night: Candidates' last face-off before Super Tuesday

Sanders, Biden, Klobuchar and Steyer in South Carolina on Feb. 25. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to keep his momentum after winning New Hampshire and Nevada, while former Vice President Joe Biden hopes to keep his own campaign alive. The other five candidates are just trying to hang on.

What's happening: Seven contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination are in Charleston, South Carolina, for the tenth debate, just days before the South Carolina primary and a week before Super Tuesday. They're talking about health care, Russian interference in the election, the economy and race.

Go deeperUpdated 8 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Ursula Perano

Sanders to Putin: You won't interfere in any more elections if I'm president

Sen. Bernie Sanders sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the debate stage Tuesday, stating, "If I'm president of the United States, trust me, you're not going to interfere in any more American elections."

The big picture: It was unveiled last week that Russia has been interfering to boost Sanders' campaigns in an apparent attempt to strengthen President Trump's bid for reelection. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that "Vladimir Putin thinks that Donald Trump should be president of the United States, and that's why Russia is helping [Sanders] get elected.

Go deeper15 mins ago - Politics & Policy