Some existing pay TV distributors have already given the "authenticated" approval for streamer ESPN. But others - and their customers - are waiting.

For its most recent quarterly period, Disney+ and Hulu posted a 2.6 million rise in subscribers to 183 million, a bit softer than some analysts expected.

Samsung started this up a year ago with games like "The Six" - and now wants to keep viewers going with more big-screen, "snackable" short gaming efforts.

The league would get a 10% minority equity ownership in ESPN, while the big sports TV network would take rights to the league's NFL Network, the NFL's "Red Zone" programming, as well as seven more regular-season games.

Google, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon are not in the hunt for legacy TV media encumbered with costly old-style entertainment distribution and marketing systems including TV networks, TV stations, pay TV systems and movie theaters.

What does Netflix's best viewing result ever for original movie "Happy Gilmore 2" mean for franchise comedy movies going forward - possibly with a theatrical component? Probably not so much.