English (Rephrased)
Only seven months after its first season concluded, the sports league Unrivaled has announced a significant valuation of $340 million.
This impressive valuation was achieved following the successful completion of a Series B investment round. The round was spearheaded by Bessemer Venture Partners and saw participation from notable investors such as Serena Ventures (Serena Williams` venture capital firm), Warner Bros. Discovery, and Trybe Ventures.
According to Unrivaled`s president, Alex Bazzell, this valuation was the outcome of negotiations with Bessemer Venture Partners.
Bazzell informed that this new valuation and the influx of funds will `accelerate Unrivaled`s growth strategy.` He added, `Having nearly doubled our revenue expectations in the first season, we can now progress at a faster pace. What was initially a five-year plan has now condensed into a three-year roadmap. Our focus in year two will heavily revolve around investing in our athletes.`
A portion of the newly acquired funds will be dedicated to expanding Unrivaled`s facilities in Miami. This includes adding 15,000 square feet for enhanced player amenities, such as a second practice court, and increasing the game arena`s seating capacity by 150.
Players` average salaries will continue to be in the six-figure range. In the previous season, players reportedly earned an average of $222,222 and all received equity stakes in the league. Going forward, while equity will still be offered to certain athletes joining the league, its allocation will be determined individually during contract negotiations.
Bazzell emphasized the players` significant role, stating, `They are essentially majority shareholders. They stand to gain substantially from these increasing valuations, beyond just receiving congratulations or improved resources. Our core brand philosophy is proving its effectiveness and advancing rapidly.`
Further investments in this round came from notable figures including NBA stars Trae Young, Franz Wagner, and Moritz Wagner, alongside sports executive Sam Rapoport and University of Maryland president Darryll J. Pines.
The initial investors for Unrivaled`s first season featured a star-studded list: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Geno Auriemma, Coco Gauff, Dawn Staley, and Michael Phelps.
A league source informed that Unrivaled generated approximately $30 million in revenue during its debut season, remarkably doubling the initial projections by league officials. This impressive figure is largely attributed to its multiyear media rights agreement with TNT and substantial corporate sponsorships from brands like Sephora, Ally, and Under Armour.
Additionally, Unrivaled`s management reported robust ticket and merchandise sales.
Having secured $35 million in initial funding from investors before the season commenced, Unrivaled reportedly came close to breaking even in its first year and is now anticipated to achieve profitability in its second season, according to a source.
During its inaugural season, Unrivaled attracted an average of 221,000 viewers on TNT and truTV, with the championship match between the Rose and Vinyl teams peaking at 364,000 viewers. For comparison, the WNBA saw an average of at least 1 million viewers across a record 22 regular-season games on ESPN last season, while WNBA games on ION in 2024 averaged 670,000 viewers, marking a 133% increase from the prior season.
O‘zbekcha (Tarjima va qayta ifoda)
«Unrivaled» sport ligasi ilk mavsumi yakunlanganidan atigi yetti oy o‘tib, 340 million dollarlik sezilarli bahoga ega bo‘lganini e’lon qildi.
Bu ta’sirchan baho Series B investitsiya raundining muvaffaqiyatli yakunlanishidan so‘ng qo‘lga kiritildi. Raundga Bessemer Venture Partners boshchilik qildi va Serena Ventures (Serena Uilyamsning venchur kapital kompaniyasi), Warner Bros. Discovery hamda Trybe Ventures kabi taniqli investorlar ishtirok etdi.
«Unrivaled» prezidenti Aleks Bazellning so‘zlariga ko‘ra, bu baholash Bessemer Venture Partners bilan muzokaralar natijasida belgilangan.
Bazell ma’lum qilishicha, bu yangi baho va mablag‘lar oqimi «Unrivaled»ning o‘sish strategiyasini tezlashtiradi. Uning qo‘shimcha qilishicha, «Birinchi mavsumda daromad bo‘yicha kutishlarimizni deyarli ikki barobar oshirganimiz sababli, biz endi tezroq harakatlana olamiz. Dastlab besh yillik reja bo‘lgan narsa endi uch yillik yo‘l xaritasiga aylandi. Ikkinchi yilda biz sportchilarga sarmoya kiritishga katta e’tibor qaratamiz.»
Yangi olingan mablag‘larning bir qismi «Unrivaled»ning Mayamidagi inshootlarini kengaytirishga yo‘naltiriladi. Bu sportchilar uchun qulayliklarni yaxshilash maqsadida 15 000 kvadrat fut maydon qo‘shishni, jumladan, ikkinchi mashg‘ulot maydonchasi va o‘yin arenasiga 150 ta qo‘shimcha o‘rindiq qo‘shishni o‘z ichiga oladi.
O‘yinchilarning o‘rtacha maoshlari olti xonali raqamlarda qoladi. O‘tgan mavsumda o‘yinchilar o‘rtacha 222 222 dollar maosh olgan va barchasi ligada ulushga ega bo‘lgan. Kelajakda, ligaga qo‘shiladigan tanlangan sportchilarga ham ulush taklif etilsa-da, uning taqsimoti shartnomalar muzokarasi jarayonida individual ravishda hal qilinadi.
Bazell o‘yinchilarning muhim rolini ta’kidlab shunday dedi: «Ular asosan majoritar aksiyadorlardir. Ular faqatgina tabriklar yoki yaxshilangan resurslar olishdan tashqari, bu o‘sib borayotgan baholardan sezilarli darajada foyda ko‘radilar. Bizning asosiy brend falsafamiz o‘z samaradorligini isbotlamoqda va qisqa vaqt ichida tez rivojlanmoqda.»
Ushbu moliyalashtirish raundida yana bir qator taniqli shaxslar, jumladan, NBA yulduzlari Trae Yang, Franz Vagner va Morits Vagner, shuningdek, sport ijrochisi Sem Rapoport va Merilend universiteti prezidenti Darryll J. Payns tomonidan sarmoyalar kiritildi.
«Unrivaled»ning ilk mavsumi uchun dastlabki investorlar qatorida yulduzli ro‘yxat bor edi: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Karmelo Entoni, Stiven Karri, Jeno Auriyemma, Koko Gauff, Dawn Steyli va Maykl Felps.
Liga manbasining ma’lum qilishicha, «Unrivaled» debyut mavsumida taxminan 30 million dollar daromad olgan, bu liga rasmiylarining dastlabki prognozlarini ikki baravar oshirgan. Bu ta’sirchan raqam asosan TNT bilan ko‘p yillik media huquqlari shartnomasi va Sephora, Ally va Under Armour kabi brendlarning yirik korporativ homiyliklari bilan bog‘liq.
Bundan tashqari, «Unrivaled» rahbariyati chipta va mahsulotlar savdosi ham yuqori bo‘lganini ma’lum qildi.
Mavsum boshlanishidan oldin investorlardan 35 million dollar boshlang‘ich mablag‘ jalb qilgan «Unrivaled» ilk yilida deyarli o‘zini oqlagan va manbaning xabariga ko‘ra, ikkinchi mavsumda foyda olishi kutilmoqda.
O‘zining ilk mavsumida «Unrivaled» TNT va truTV telekanallarida o‘rtacha 221 000 tomoshabinni jalb qildi, Rose va Vinyl jamoalari o‘rtasidagi chempionlik o‘yinini esa 364 000 tomoshabin tomosha qildi. Taqqoslash uchun, WNBA o‘tgan mavsumda ESPNda rekord darajadagi 22 ta muntazam mavsum o‘yinida kamida 1 million tomoshabinni o‘rtacha hisobda jalb qilgan, ION telekanalidagi WNBA o‘yinlari esa 2024 yilda o‘rtacha 670 000 tomoshabinga ega bo‘lib, bu avvalgi mavsumga nisbatan 133% o‘sishni ko‘rsatdi.
