Hey Snackers,
Everyoneâs talking about the Kansas City Chiefs possibly pulling off a âthree-peatâ this weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles â but if they want to use the term, theyâll have to pay Miami Heat president Pat Riley, who trademarked the term over three decades ago when coaching the Lakers.
The main debate weâre having is what flavors to serve as we do our part to contribute to the 1.47 billion chicken wings Americans are predicted to eat this Sunday.Â
Before we kick off our sports-focused edition, weâll punt to yesterdayâs market moves. The S&P 500, the Nasdaq 100, and the Russell 2000 all gained on Wednesday, with small caps leading the way higher. Chipmakers like Nvidia and Super Micro Computer soared, but weâre more focused on the chips weâll be dipping on Sunday.Â
No one is clocking the action at Super Bowl LIX closer than Amazon
This Sunday in New Orleans, the action on the field will draw the most attention, but an invisible force is shaping how the game is played: Amazon Web Services.Â
AWS has been the NFLâs data partner since 2017 and tracks every playerâs movement using sensors embedded in their shoulder pads â not to mention one in the football itself. The league collects millions of data points per game and uses artificial intelligence to analyze movement patterns, assess injury risks, and suggest rule changes meant to improve player safety.
Game changer: The data from AWS is literally changing the game, with two major rule changes arising from AWSâs findings: the new âDynamic Kickoffâ formation and the hip-drop tackle ban, which was found to cause injuries at â20x the rate of a normal pass or run play.â Super Bowl LIX will be the first where the refs enforce these new rules.
âAre you not entertained?â: While AWSâs head of sports told us that everybody wants to make the game safer, some fans we talked to wondered if the motivation was more monetary than safety-driven. With all this data available, viewers can now see (and bet on) stats like how likely a pass is to be completed or the odds of a fourth-down conversion.
The Takeaway
Is all this data a good thing or a bad thing for the game? Itâs a coin toss. What is certain: the hunger for data is good for Amazon.Â
Itâs easy to forget in all the hype over AI and billions and billions in spending that Amazon, which reports its earnings after the bell today, rakes in huge profits from its AWS division, which contributed 60% of Amazonâs total profit last quarter.Â
Read our full article for more on how Amazon is changing the NFL.
Could This Be The Biggest Disruption to IP Since Disney? The Clock is TickingâŠ
Fun fact: Disneyâs princess IP has generated over $45.4B in revenue!1
Hereâs another: Elf Labs has secured 100+ history-making trademarks for characters like Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Snow White, and Rapunzel! Now, theyâre using advanced patented tech to bring them to life right in your living room. Think headset-free VR and AI-powered talking toys.
Now, get thisâtheyâre launching three new princess franchises in 2025 (two already funded), and are backed by a team that has closed over $6B in licensing deals throughout their careers.2
But hereâs the catch â only limited shares remain because the company had record demand. Share prices will increase after their investment round closes on Feb 12th⊠you guessed it, at the stroke of MIDNIGHT.
The clockâs still tickingâinvest now to lock in your shares.3Â
The mind-boggling record-high price for a Super Bowl ad
As streaming takes over TV, brands are scrambling for one of the last chances to reach a mass live audience. Over 100 million viewers are expected to tune in for the big game, and brands are shelling out more than ever to secure a piece of the spotlight.
According to multiple reports, Fox, this yearâs Super Bowl broadcaster, sold at least 10 commercial slots for over $8 million apiece, smashing last yearâs $7 million record. Thatâs ~213x more than the $37,500 price tag of the first Super Bowl ad in 1967.Â
âI only watch for the adsâ â The ads themselves have become a big draw for many viewers, and the cost for 30 seconds of airtime is just the start. Companies also have to pay for production costs and star talent, which can balloon the price of one spot to tens of millions. The 2022 Amazon ad for Alexa featuring real-life couple Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson reportedly cost $26 million.
The Takeaway
Streaming has fundamentally changed the landscape of advertising and the Super Bowl is one of the last live events where âyou can aggregate legitimate scale with one commercial,â as Fox Sportsâ EVP of sales said. While streaming services still seem to be figuring out their ad-supported strategy, good old-fashioned live, broadcast TV remains a winner for advertisers.Â
Worth a read
Sports streaming has become the Wild West â and itâs infuriating for fans
Leagues keep selling broadcast rights in more fractured ways, and at varying price points, as streamers compete for a piece of the pie. The cost to air NFL games is 41x that of Major League Soccer.
What else we're Snackin'
Meet the NFL outsider who is maybe the savviest team builder the sport has ever seenÂ
Taylor Swift will of course be in attendance, and the bets are on literally her every move there
Some fans believe the colors in the Super Bowl logo predict which teams will play each year
Snack Fact of the Day
Americans bet more than $140 billion on sports last year.
Thursday
Q4 productivity and unit labor costsÂ
Earnings expected from Amazon, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, ConocoPhillips, Hershey, Hilton Worldwide, Yum! Brands, Phillip Morris, Ralph Lauren, Take-Two Interactive, and Expedia
1 See article for further details.
2 Past performance is not indicative of future results.
3 Please read the offering circular and related risks at https://elflabs.com. This is a paid advertisement for Elf Labsâs Regulation CF Offering.
Investing in private company securities is not suitable for all investors because it is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. It should only be considered a long-term investment. You must be prepared to withstand a total loss of your investment. Private company securities are also highly illiquid, and there is no guarantee that a market will develop for such securities.
DealMaker Securities LLC, a registered broker-dealer, and member of FINRA | SIPC, located at 105 Maxess Road, Suite 124, Melville, NY 11747, is the Intermediary for this offering and is not an affiliate of or connected with the Issuer. Please check our background on FINRA's BrokerCheck.