The Rise of the Franchise Sports Studio

This week on the California Sports Lawyer Podcast, host Jeremy Evans breaks down the rise of the "franchise sports studio" — how leagues, teams, and media partners are quietly rebuilding sports to look a lot more like Hollywood. Using the new UFC–Paramount deal as a roadmap, Jeremy explores how live games and fights are becoming the tentpole "blockbusters", surrounded by year-round universes of shoulder programming, docuseries, origin stories, rivalries, and archival content that keep fans locked in between events. We unpack how this shift is reshaping dealmaking: rights packages moving from "games only" to "games plus universe," athletes being treated as long-term IP with life story and likeness rights in play, and why control over the narrative engine around a property is becoming as valuable as the event itself. Jeremy explains what this means for leagues, athletes, streamers, networks, and sponsors — from contract negotiation and editorial control to NIL leverage, brand building, and new revenue streams across platforms. Finally, we look ahead at where the franchise sports studio model goes from here: more crossovers between sports and entertainment, deeper integration of archives and storytelling, and how stakeholders can protect competitive integrity while still embracing cinematic, year-round engagement. If you care about where the business of sports is headed — and who owns the stories that keep fans watching — this episode is for you. (Season 7, Episode 48). Copyright 2025. California Sports Lawyer. All Rights Reserved. (www.CSLlegal.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.