Slam-dunk szn… is coming to a head this week as the Boston Celtics prepare to face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. The second-most-watched US sports league sold out 59 consecutive games last month, rebounding after the number of paid fans at arenas had dropped 7% during the regular season. Postseason viewership is up 14% from last year — even without LeBron. That’s promising for the league’s bottom line: the NBA wants $75B (triple the current deal amount) from Disney (ABC, ESPN) and WarnerBrosDisco (Turner) to renew media rights in 2025.
It’s wine o’clock somewhere… Booze sales at restaurants have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, as Netflix-and-sip loses favor to neighborhood happy hour. It doesn’t mean people aren’t uncorking at home: online and D2C alcohol sales have maintained their lockdown-era gains. Last quarter, winemaker Duckhorn saw sales jump 18% as consumers bought budget bottles in stores and winery visitors spent twice as much as last year. We’ll see if the good times are still flowing despite inflated costs when Duckhorn reports Thursday.