• Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, a co-owner of the New York Giants and Gotham FC, is using AI to cut costs.
• "There's a lot of parts of a sports team that are just expensive to operate," Tisch Blodgett said.
• Tisch Blodgett shared how she's turned around Gotham FC at Business Insider's The Long Play.

New York Giants and Gotham FC co-owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett is betting on AI to transform women's sports into a major moneymaker.

"If AI can make you more efficient, that totally changes where women's sports can go," Tisch Blodgett said at Business Insider's The Long Play event on Thursday afternoon.

Tisch Blodgett, who's the lead owner of Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League, sees AI as a way to reduce the costs of running a sports business without cutting corners.

"There's a lot of parts of a sports team that are just expensive to operate. It's expensive to operate a stadium, it's expensive to operate a ticketing team, expensive to operate a marketing team," Tisch Blodgett said.

Those struggles are heightened for women's sports, which historically haven't gotten the same level of investment as men's sports.

"The revenue was not high enough to really justify building out an entire business team, and the business model just didn't really work," Tisch Blodgett said of women's sports.

Tisch Blodgett made a name for herself by starting sports-focused venture capital firm Next 3, which has invested in Gotham FC, the Los Angeles Golf Club in golf league TGL, Premier Lacrosse League, and lottery ticket site Jackpot.com.

The Gotham FC owner has had a front-row seat to running sports since she was a kid: Her family bought half of the NFL's New York Giants in 1991. The Tisch family runs Loews Corporation, a hotel and insurance conglomerate worth about $22.9 billion.

Under the Tisch's ownership, the Giants have won two Super Bowls. Tisch Blodgett has already matched that title count in the three years she's owned Gotham FC — though building a winner hasn't been easy.

Building a champion by gathering feedback

Tisch Blodgett felt firsthand the challenges that women's sports teams face after taking over Gotham FC in 2023. The New York-based team had talent, as it went on to bring home its first title months later.

But success on the pitch hadn't translated to a winning business. Gotham FC didn't have its own business office when Tisch Blodgett took over, and players shared a practice field with a club team of 16-year-old boys.

While Gotham FC had "a great product on the field," Tisch Blodgett said, "attendance was really low" due to a lack of awareness.

"It was clear that the people that came really liked it, but it was very small," Tisch Blodgett said of Gotham FC's fanbase in 2023.

Tisch Blodgett has since flipped the script. This July, Gotham FC sold out Citi Field in Queens, drawing over 42,000 fans in what she said was the biggest women's sports event ever in New York City.

Gotham FC announced in July that it would call Queens home starting in 2028 — a major upgrade from its current stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, which is difficult to reach from New York City by public transit.

One key to Gotham FC's success has been gathering feedback. Tisch Blodgett, who led marketing for fitness giant Peloton before starting Next 3, said learning from fans "makes the whole business smarter" and has been crucial to the soccer club's growth.

"Fan feedback is incredibly important to me — it's how we run our organization," Tisch Blodgett said. "After every game, we send out a survey to every person that attended, essentially saying, 'Did you like it? Would you recommend it to a friend?'"

Gotham FC's Net Promoter Score — which measures how likely customers are to recommend the brand to a friend — rivals Apple, Tisch Blodgett said.

"It makes every person in the organization understand what we're building towards in a much more efficient way," Tisch Blodgett said.

• Skydance, formed by the merger of WBD and Paramount, told employees to return to the office five days a week or take a buyout.
• Many Paramount employees had been working fully in person, while WBD staffers were generally at three days a week.
• Read the memo from Skydance's HR team detailing the standard buyout offer.

David Ellison's Skydance just shared its buyout offer for employees who don't want to return to an office five days a week.

Staffers across the company, which was formed by the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, were told on Monday that they'd soon have to work fully in person. The company didn't say if there were any exceptions to its new RTO mandate.

Eligible employees who aren't willing to work in person can opt to take a standard buyout package of two weeks of severance for every year they've been at Paramount or WBD, two people familiar with the offer told Business Insider.

Most eligible employees will receive that offer, a person familiar with Skydance's proposal said, though there could be exceptions on the timing or the amount received.

Staffers who've been offered severance must decide whether they're leaving the company by 11 p.m. ET on November 8, an HR email viewed by Business Insider said.

Paramount staffers assigned to an office had been required to work from an office five days a week since earlier this year, while WBD workers had been working in an office at least three days a week.

"We recognize that as we bring our teams together, not everyone will see their future here," Skydance's HR team said in an email to staffers.

Skydance's HR email said this buyout "is a one-time offer" and told employees that there are "no additional" offers planned.

Read the full email Skydance's HR team sent below:

As David and Ynon shared earlier today, we recognize that as we bring our teams together, not everyone will see their future here. For some, it may be the in-office policy or the pace of change. For others, it may instead reflect personal or professional goals. To give employees the option to decide what is best for them, we are offering a one-time Voluntary Buyout (VBO) Program to eligible employees.

A VBO gives an eligible employee the opportunity to volunteer to leave the organization in return for a separation package. You are receiving this email because you meet the eligibility criteria and may choose whether to participate in this program. We recognize this is an important personal decision. Please carefully consider the opportunity and notify us of your decision to accept or decline no later than 8:00 p.m. PT on November 8, 2026.

Before you decide, please keep the following in mind:

• Participation is entirely voluntary.
• This is a one-time offer; no additional BO programs are planned.
• If you do not respond by the deadline, you will be considered to have declined the offer.
• Once submitted, your decision may only be changed during your opt-in window.
• You may wish to consult a personal financial, tax, or legal adviser before making your decision.

Please click here to indicate your decision and to review additional information, including an estimate of your severance and benefits.

We value your contributions and we want you to feel supported and informed as you consider your decision. For FAQs related to the VBO and our return-to-office policy, please visit the Skydance Integration Hub. For additional questions about the program or your individual offer, please visit My Paramount.

• David Ellison's Skydance is telling staffers to work in the office five days a week.
• Employees who aren't willing to work in person may be eligible for a voluntary buyout.
• Skydance was formed with the merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery this month.

Skydance wants employees back in the office five days a week — and staffers who aren't willing to comply may be eligible for a buyout.

CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz informed employees at the media giant about the change on Monday afternoon. They said in a memo that the RTO order applied "across all of Skydance."

"We truly believe this is in the best interest of our company and our people," Ellison and Kreiz wrote in a memo to employees, which was viewed by Business Insider. "We've seen the benefits firsthand at Paramount, and we want every part of Skydance to share in them."

The memo did not mention whether there were any exceptions or say who's eligible for a buyout. It said employees who qualify for a buyout would get an "individual communication with their personalized details and terms, and a window to decide whether to accept this one-time offer."

Eligible employees can take a buyout package of two weeks of pay for each year they've been at the company. They must decide whether to take the offer by November 8 at 11 p.m. ET.

Skydance was formed earlier this month when Paramount completed its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. (The company previously went by Paramount Skydance.)

Most WBD employees have been required to work in person three days a week.

Paramount Skydance, for its part, had mandated that staffers in its New York and Los Angeles offices return to work in person five days a week in January. Staffers who weren't willing to work in person were offered a severance package. The company also called hybrid workers back in September for Phase 2 of its RTO policy.

Working in person will lead to employees "communicating openly and collaborating efficiently across every part of the organization," Ellison and Kreiz told staffers in the Monday memo.

"We believe in-person collaboration is vital to our culture and to the success of our business," Ellison and Kreiz said.

Read the full memo from Ellison and Kreiz:

Team,

At Skydance, our goal is to build the next-generation media and entertainment company, powered by creativity and technology. We are creative-first, audience focused, tech-forward and globally scaled. And in a world of endless choice and fierce competition for attention, we don't just want to succeed. We want to win.

To do that, we must be a strong, connected and agile company. Among our business and creative priorities, none matters more than building a strong culture, because it's the foundation of everything we want to achieve. Winning requires us to work as one team: one company, fully aligned. That means communicating openly and collaborating efficiently across every part of the organization.

In-Person Collaboration

We believe in-person collaboration is vital to our culture and to the success of our business. Especially in a creative company like ours, the best ideas come from people in the same room, sharing perspectives, challenging one another and solving problems. Being together isn't just about showing up. It's about inspiring one another, learning and coaching, forming friendships and having the casual conversations that spark something great.

With that in mind, we will adopt a five-day in-office policy across all of Skydance. We truly believe this is in the best interest of our company and our people. We've seen the benefits firsthand at Paramount, and we want every part of Skydance to share in them.

While many of you are already in the office five days a week, we understand this may be a significant change to the daily routines of others. To give you time to plan and adjust, we will take a phased approach by location. You will receive ample notice before changes take effect, and we will work closely with managers to support you through the transition.

Voluntary Buyout Program

As we bring our teams together, we recognize that not everyone will see their future here, and we respect that. To give eligible employees the option to move on in a way that works for them, we are introducing a Voluntary Buyout (VBO) Program. Those who qualify will receive an individual communication with their personalized details and terms, and a window to decide whether to accept this one-time offer.

We recognize this is a significant decision, and we want you to feel informed and supported. If this applies to you, please review your materials carefully and reach out to your leadership or HR representative with any questions. FAQs and other resources are available on the Skydance Integration Hub, and HR support is also available through My Paramount (legacy Paramount employees) or Ask Employee Connection on WBD One (legacy Warner Bros. employees).

Please know we don't take any of this lightly. We are clear about what we're building: a company that tells the stories people around the world love, embraces new ways to connect with audiences, and leads the next era of media and entertainment. We have the talent, the creative firepower and the ambition to do it, and we will get there together.

Thank you for your commitment, and for the creativity and passion you bring to your work every day.

Best,

David and Ynon

• Skydance announced new leadership for its ad business weeks after the Paramount-WBD merger.
• In a memo to staff, Jay Askinasi, chief revenue officer for advertising, named the leadership team.
• The announcement was the latest leadership shake-up following the merger earlier this month.

Skydance has announced new leadership for its combined advertising business following the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, according to a memo viewed by Business Insider.

Jay Askinasi, Skydance's chief revenue officer for advertising, outlined the new leadership structure for the "unified Skydance Advertising organization." Following the completion of the $110 billion merger this month, Skydance's portfolio includes Paramount and Paramount+, Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max, CBS, CNN, and more.

Askinasi said going forward that the leadership team would include:

• Danielle Carney, head of US sales
• Jill Steinhauser, head of ad partnerships
• Christine Hong, head of revenue operations
• Chris Brady, head of Skydance Media Labs
• Ed Romaine, head of ad marketing
• Evan Giamanco, head of product strategy and measurement

Askinasi said Steve Ellis would continue as chief operating officer for advertising, a position he has held at Paramount since 2022, and integration lead. He also said Lee Sears would continue to lead Paramount's international advertising business as part of its leadership team while execs "evaluate the WBD international business and determine the right structure for the new Skydance group."

Askinasi also thanked Ryan Gould, president of ad sales and go-to-market at Warner Bros. Discovery, and Bobby Voltaggio, president of ad sales and platform monetization at Warner Bros. Discovery, and said they would "continue to partner" with him "throughout the fourth quarter."

"This team reflects how we intend to work: with clear ownership, fewer layers, and leaders who are close to the work," Askinasi told staffers in the memo. "We will organize around how clients plan and buy, elevate our strongest IP and creative capabilities, and use shared data and intelligence to make faster, better decisions."

A representative for Skydance did not respond to a request for comment.

Several other leadership moves have been announced since the merger's completion. Another leaked memo on Thursday revealed changes to Skydance's product and tech team, which included the departure of four Warner Bros. Discovery executives.