BodyArmor Takes On Gatorade, The NBA & Twitch, & An ESPN+ Update

Welcome to the latest episode of the Full-Court Finance podcast from Zacks Investment Research. On this week’s episode, we dive into BodyArmor as the sports drink newcomer looks to take on Gatorade. Next, we discuss the NBA’s latest deal with Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Twitch, before we close with a look at a deal that could impact Disney’s (NYSE:DIS) brand new ESPN+ streaming service.

BodyArmor—which has no relation to Under Armour (NYSE:UAA) —is ready to take on PepsiCo’s (NASDAQ:PEP) Gatorade and Coca-Cola’s (NYSE:KO) Powerade in the multibillion-dollar sports drink market. Those unfamiliar with BodyArmor might soon see the company a lot more after it launched its latest national television campaign, which features some big stars, including James Harden.

The company could also get a real boost from one of its largest investors, Kobe Bryant, who also happens to play a big role in BodyArmor’s creative vision. BodyArmor has a long way to go to try to catch up to Powerade and Gatorade, but the drink market is going through a massive shake-up recently. And with Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE:DPS) as another major investor, BodyArmor could be poised to become a legitimate long-term player in the sports drink market.

Full-Court Finance then transitions into the NBA’s latest streaming rights deal with Twitch for its brand new esports league, which the NBA created in partnership with Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ:TTWO) . The NBA has been on the cutting edge of a lot of media trends, and its growing relationship with Amazon could end up playing a much bigger role as streaming TV providers, from Hulu to YouTube TV (NASDAQ:GOOGL) , slowly look to enter the live sports business.

We then close with a look at a possible partnership between ESPN and Fox (NASDAQ:FOXA) . The two companies reportedly proposed to split a UFC TV package last week that, if completed, would see some UFC fights move to Disney’s brand new ESPN+ streaming service (also read: Should Disney Investors Worry As ESPN Plus Underwhelms?).

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