LEARFIELD President and CEO Cole Gahagan joins FOX Sports/Connect’s Bryan Fischer to highlight the scope of collegiate athletics, the growth of women’s sports and the response of brands. Gahagan also discusses the impact of NIL and how multi-media rights deals have evolved. The two also discuss the expansion of various forms of media, how that is shaping how content is dispersed and consumed as well as how Universities are able to learn and connect with fans to grow their brands.
Highlights:
00:28 – What are those conversations going on right now in 2023 at NACDA from your perspective on the scope of athletics?
1:50 – What can you tell us about how inflation is impacting the industry right now?
03:30 – Are things back to normal after COVID?
05:48 – What’s different now vs. five years ago when signing multi-media rights deals?
07:59 – What type of impact have you seen NIL have on fan engagement and excitement for collegiate sports?
09:20 – What are brands saying about how much they want to be involved in women’s sports?
11:24 – Do you anticipate women’s sports growing as conversations continue to develop?
12:40 – The media ecosystem is seeming to grow with Amazon’s NFL Package and Netflix getting into the space, what’s your perspective on this?
13:32 – How is conference realignment a benefit to programs of varying sizes?
15:19 – Do you see an uplift in 2024 with CFP Expansion and the launch of a game you’re involved with?
16:43 – What excites you what is on the horizon at Learfield going into the upcoming season?
19:33 – How has data become actionable for your schools?
Watch the full 1:1 interview here.