WME has promoted sports media agent Josh Levy to partner in the non-scripted TV department.
In his elevated role, Levy will continue representing talent in roles such as studio host, reporter, play-by-play commentator, analyst and more.
Levy has worked with current and retired athletes as they find media opportunities off the field hosting, launching production companies, in sports broadcasting, and other endeavors.
based on New York City, Levy has been with WME for 12 years, joining the agency after graduating from Syracuse University.
Here, Levy speaks with PvNew about the sports betting industry and mega media rights deals for sports.
What is the future of sports betting?
There’s a ton of excitement and momentum around the sports betting space, and rightfully so. I remember about 7-8 years ago, going into my boss’ office and telling him we need to be in this space from a talent perspective – this is what networks are going to want one day, and fast forward, here we are. Now both traditional and new media are placing an emphasis on being in the sports betting space, whether through talent, content, or other avenues.It’s a major way in which fans interact with live sports. In due time, we’re going to be supplying, hopefully, content to them. They’re going to become media companies in their own right, not just sports betting companies. The ones that can seamlessly make sports betting and content one in the same, those are going to be the ones that win in the end.
What are your thoughts on how Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” deal is going, and what it means for what other streamers are looking to do in the sports media rights space and how traditional broadcasters will react?
I personally think it’s been really successful.I think consumers are quick to adapt, and going to Amazon on Thursdays already feels like part of our regular sports viewing patterns.Additionally, Amazon has helped launch some new star talent such as Ryan Fitzpatrick and Richard Sherman. To make an analogy, they’re at the top of the first inning.It’s still so early in these sports media deals that include streaming, and as more and more rights come up and streaming becomes a bigger part of those deals, the pendulum will continue to shift from linear to streaming. Everyone has been talking for so long about whether cable TV is dead or is it going to go. I don’t think it’s going anywhere in the near future, but I do think the acceleration to streaming and cord-cutting is certainly happening. They can’t ignore the streaming element anymore because it’s now a part of the fabric of how we consume television. We come home and we turn on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video or Hulu, just like back in the day, when you just turned on Channel 2 — that’s what the younger demographic does.So overall, I think it’s good for Amazon to be in business with the NFL, proving that the space can be infiltrated in a meaningful way.
