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The Dallas Cowboys, who last won a Super Bowl in 1996, are now worth $10+ billion

The Dallas Cowboys have become the first NFL franchise to be valued at more than $10 billion, according to a new report from Sportico released yesterday.

The Cowboys are now worth some $10.3 billion: a 12% increase from last year’s $9.2 billion valuation, and an impressive feat for a team that hasn’t even appeared in a Super Bowl since 1996. Although the Cowboys topped Sportico’s list, the Miami Dolphins saw the biggest increase in the top 10, with their estimated valuation jumping 29%, driven by big-name signings and Miami’s booming real estate market.

At the heart of these sky-high valuations are the NFL’s colossal TV deals. The sport’s structure is tailor-made for modern marketing, with commercials easily inserted between plays. This, plus a huge fanbase that ensures the sport dominates the most watched television broadcasts, has helped the league secure the most lucrative TV sports deal to date — a record ~$110 billion, 11-year contract.

Most valuable NFL franchises (per Sportico)

The Cowboys are now worth some $10.3 billion: a 12% increase from last year’s $9.2 billion valuation, and an impressive feat for a team that hasn’t even appeared in a Super Bowl since 1996. Although the Cowboys topped Sportico’s list, the Miami Dolphins saw the biggest increase in the top 10, with their estimated valuation jumping 29%, driven by big-name signings and Miami’s booming real estate market.

At the heart of these sky-high valuations are the NFL’s colossal TV deals. The sport’s structure is tailor-made for modern marketing, with commercials easily inserted between plays. This, plus a huge fanbase that ensures the sport dominates the most watched television broadcasts, has helped the league secure the most lucrative TV sports deal to date — a record ~$110 billion, 11-year contract.

Most valuable NFL franchises (per Sportico)

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6 months after hiking Game Pass prices by 50%, Xbox determines it may be too expensive

Microsoft’s new Xbox chief, Asha Sharma, thinks the division’s recent price hikes have been a mistake, per an internal memo to employees seen by The Verge.

“Short term, Game Pass has become too expensive for players, so we need a better value equation,” Sharma’s memo reportedly read.

It’s an interesting take, given that Xbox hiked the price of its Game Pass subscription by 50% in October, before Sharma took over. The memo is a signal that Sharma’s tenure — which began in February, taking the industry by surprise — will include some big changes for Microsoft’s gaming strategy.

Whether Game Pass prices will drop is not yet clear. Last month, The Information reported that Sharma and Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters have “kicked around ideas” about potential bundles. That would fit with Netflix’s renewed gaming ambitions.

Xbox Game Pass Chartr
(Sherwood News)

It’s an interesting take, given that Xbox hiked the price of its Game Pass subscription by 50% in October, before Sharma took over. The memo is a signal that Sharma’s tenure — which began in February, taking the industry by surprise — will include some big changes for Microsoft’s gaming strategy.

Whether Game Pass prices will drop is not yet clear. Last month, The Information reported that Sharma and Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters have “kicked around ideas” about potential bundles. That would fit with Netflix’s renewed gaming ambitions.

Xbox Game Pass Chartr
(Sherwood News)
culture

Roblox announces age-based accounts for young users as child safety lawsuits pile up

Roblox on Monday announced its first accounts created specifically for young children and teens, furthering its efforts to increase child safety on the platform.

In June, Roblox Kids (for ages 5 to 8) and Roblox Select (for ages 9 to 15) will roll out, following the company’s global launch of mandatory age checks in January.

The new account types will feature different default settings — chats will automatically be set to “off” on Kids accounts — and limit access to games of certain ratings depending on age.

Child safety lawsuits and social media bans are piling up for Roblox, whose shares have dropped more than 30% year to date. In February, Los Angeles County sued the platform, alleging it created a “largely unsupervised online world” in which “child predators can readily locate, contact, and interact with minors.”

The new account types will feature different default settings — chats will automatically be set to “off” on Kids accounts — and limit access to games of certain ratings depending on age.

Child safety lawsuits and social media bans are piling up for Roblox, whose shares have dropped more than 30% year to date. In February, Los Angeles County sued the platform, alleging it created a “largely unsupervised online world” in which “child predators can readily locate, contact, and interact with minors.”

culture

Amid engagement downturn, Epic Games reportedly planning first game with Disney for November launch

“Fortnite” maker Epic Games, struggling through an engagement downturn that led the company to lay off 1,000 employees last month, is leaning into its Disney partnership to turn things around.

Per a report by Bloomberg, the company is set to launch a new extraction shooter (in the vein of Nexon’s hit “Arc Raiders”) featuring Disney characters in November.

The game will be the first to come out of Epic and Disney’s partnership, which began with a $1.5 billion investment from the entertainment juggernaut in early 2024. If the November launch date sticks, the game will also land at the same time as Take-Two’s massive “Grand Theft Auto 6.” According to Disney, new CEO Josh D’Amaro has been a longtime champion of the Epic partnership, and the exec is said to have made tech-based interactivity a priority for the company.

In recent weeks, rumors that some senior executives at Disney are pushing for Disney to eventually acquire Epic have made headlines, first reported by tech journalist Alex Heath on entertainment podcast “The Town.”

The game will be the first to come out of Epic and Disney’s partnership, which began with a $1.5 billion investment from the entertainment juggernaut in early 2024. If the November launch date sticks, the game will also land at the same time as Take-Two’s massive “Grand Theft Auto 6.” According to Disney, new CEO Josh D’Amaro has been a longtime champion of the Epic partnership, and the exec is said to have made tech-based interactivity a priority for the company.

In recent weeks, rumors that some senior executives at Disney are pushing for Disney to eventually acquire Epic have made headlines, first reported by tech journalist Alex Heath on entertainment podcast “The Town.”

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