News...Straight to the point.
May 17, 2024
Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday 2 World Tour Becomes Highest Grossing Rap Tour For a Woman
Billboard Boxscore shared the numbers for Nicki Minaj‘s North American leg of the Pink Friday 2 World Tour and she is rewriting history. Throughout 34 shows beginning March 1 in Oakland, it grossed $67 million and sold 439,000 tickets, taking the title for the highest-grossing and bestselling rap tour by a woman in Boxscore history. Among the tour’s highlights, her two performances at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 4 and May 1 emerged as the top sellers, earning a combined $4.3 million for 28,100 tickets. Minaj begins her European leg next week with a performance at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on May 23. From there, she’ll make her way to the UK, France, and Germany before wrapping up the jaunt on July 14 in Belgium.
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Venu Sports Revealed as New Name of Sports Super Streamer
The forthcoming sports streaming platform that combines Disney’s ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox officially has a name: Venu Sports. Pete Distad, the CEO of the new venture, said in a statement on Thursday that it is “a brand that we feel captures the spirit of an all-new streaming home where sports fans outside of the traditional pay TV eco-system can experience an incredible collection of live sports, all in one place.” Fans can expect Venu Sports to launch in the fall via a subscription-based app. Customers will also have the ability to bundle the product with Disney+, Hulu, or Max.
Quinn Ewers, Donovan Edwards, and Travis Hunter Star as EA Sports' 'College Football 25' Cover Athletes
EA Sports confirmed Thursday that its long-anticipated College Football 25 game will be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S worldwide on July 19. The company also revealed its three cover stars: Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, and Colorado receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter. The standard and deluxe editions of College Football 25 are available for pre-order now and features realistic gameplay from all 134 FBS schools. To date, more than 11,000 players have agreed to have their likeness featured in the video game. Stay tuned to Boardroom for an inside look at the game in the coming weeks!
Drake Tops 2024 BET Awards Nominations With 7
The 2024 BET Awards nominations are here and Drake tops the list of the most nods with seven, followed by Nicki Minaj with six.J. Cole, Sexyy Red, SZA, and Victoria Monét each picked up five nominations, while 21 Savage, Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Tyla, and Usher each received four. Monét, who has had a breakout awards season since winning three Grammy Awards earlier this year, will also perform at the ceremony. This year’s BET Awards will be held June 30 in Los Angeles. Sexyy Red will also perform during the show, in addition to Muni Long, Latto, GloRilla,and Shaboozey.
Stefon Diggs Taps SMAC Entertainment for Representation
SMAC Entertainment announced the signing of Stefon Diggs on Thursday. The talent firm co-founded by Constance Schwartz-Morini and Michael Strahan confirmed that it will work with the Houston Texans wideout to source new opportunities in the sports, entertainment, and fashion space. “As Stefon embarks on his new journey in Houston where he’ll no doubt have on-field success, we’re looking forward to helping him advance and elevate his accomplishments in other areas, including entertainment, fashion and his charitable efforts,” said Schwartz-Morini said in a statement. Diggs joins a SMAC Entertainment talent roster that also includes DK Metcalf, Common, Wiz Khalifa, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders,Erin Andrews, Diana Flores, Tony Gonzalez, and more.
Global Survey Confirms that Women's Sports Are on the Rise Around the World
SurveyMonkeyand Parity shared the results of the largest study ever administered to understand fan interest and equity in women’s sports on Thursday. After surveying more than 14,000 adults over 18 years of age in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, and the UK, researchers found that both men and women fans consumed more women’s sports than in 2024 than the previous year. Specifically, the study dispels the myth that men do not watch women’s sports, as viewership increased by nearly 50% year-over-year. Additionally, 88% of respondents indicated that female athletes were impactful role models and that they were two times as likely to purchase a product endorsed by a female athlete. Data also revealed that respondents across each of the participating nations pointed to women’s soccer, tennis, and basketball as the most-watched sports.
