GIBBI, Today

Jun 26, 2025

Stories:

Kalshi just raised a $185 million round, led by crypto-focused VC firm Paradigm, bringing the company’s valuation to $2 billion post-money, representatives from Paradigm and Kalshi confirmed to TechCrunch
Prediction markets use blockchain tech to allow users to place bets on the outcome of everything from pop culture events to political ones.
This news comes one day after Bloomberg reported that Kalshi’s biggest but regulatory-troubled rival Polymarket is raising $200 million at around a $1 billion pre-money valuation, led by Founders Fund. That deal is not yet final, sources said. Founders Fund declined to comment
GIBBI View: I think that the prediction market companies are like the new sportbooks, and both of them should be banned because make that people bet their money in fool predictions with the hope to win a lot of money and become rich but this is a scam

ESPN is renewing its media deal with the Premier Lacrosse League and taking an equity stake in the organization
The five-year deal will begin with the 2026 season and include all PLL regular-season games as well as All-Star, playoff and championship games and Women’s Lacrosse League games. The deal comes as pro lacrosse has seen gains across broadcast, partnerships and attendance
Alongside the deal, Disney-owned ESPN said it will take a minority stake in the league. A person familiar with the terms, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic details, said the investment gives ESPN a 3% stake
GIBBI View: I’ve been saying that now is a great way to invest in sport teams and leagues, and for that reason media companies, investment firms and athletes are investing in any assest relate to sports

As expected, Dallas took Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday night. The sudden fortune of winning the lottery with a 1.8% chance officially paid off about 24 hours after the Mavs agreed on a new contract with Kyrie Irving
Dallas won the lottery May 12, a little more than three months after the seismic trade of young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, a move that enraged most of the fan base
Flagg is the second No. 1 overall pick in Dallas franchise history. The Mavericks took Mark Aguirre out of DePaul in 1981. Flagg’s coach, Jason Kidd, was the second overall pick by the Mavs in 1994
GIBBI View: I’ve been written here and X that NBA decided to make the Luka Doncic trade to Lakers in the beginning of the year, and this was to make Lakers competitive again and try to win several championship to increase the viewers and revenues of the league, and in exchange of that NBA “gifted” Mavs with the no. 1 overall pick of this year

“Blue’s Clues” Host Steve Burns Launches Podcast On “Adulting” (The Hollywood Reporter)

Blue’s Clues host Steve Burns is launching a podcast designed to continue teaching the adults who watched his show as children
The podcast, titled Alive, will tackle the idea of “adulting” and “what it means to stay human in a complicated world.” The idea was sparked by the viral video Burns released around the 25th anniversary of the show
Lemonada Media is launching the podcast, which will premiere this fall. The title joins its lineup of podcasts including Wiser Than Me With Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Fail Better With David Duchovny and more. Lemonada was recently acquired by Sweden’s PodX Group
GIBBI View: Talking about that, remember that I have a podcast and youtube channels where I’m trying to create content that can like and enjoy people, and this can help me to bring more customers and start to generate revenues

The Tennis Channel is extending its deal with the Women’s Tennis Association that will see the cable TV network and streaming service continue to broadcast more than 2,000 matches each season
The audience for WTA events on the Tennis Channel has been growing, particularly among the younger demographic. Viewership among 18- to 34-year-olds on the Tennis Channel has grown annually for each of the past two years, according to a news release
The media rights extension marks the first renegotiation with the Tennis Channel under the WTA Ventures framework. The WTA’s long-standing media rights deal with streaming service DAZN expires at the end of next year, and talks have begun for new deals that would begin in 2027, said Storti
GIBBI View: Talking about that, remember that next week will start Wimbledon 2025 (June 30th to July 13th), where Barbora Krejcikova won Wimbledon 2024 (a surprise) and will want to repeat her title and won her third Grand Slam title (Roland Garros 2021, Wimbledon 2024)

GIBBI