| 1. WOODSTOCK 50 DENIED NEW VENUE PERMIT APPEAL: Town officials in Vernon, New York, on Thursday rejected Woodstock 50’s appeal of the town’s decision on Tuesday to deny the festival’s permit application for Vernon Downs horse track as its new venue. The Woodstock anniversary festival is scheduled for August 16-18, but has faced a series of setbacks over the past few months. Billboard: “On Tuesday, a Vernon code enforcement officer denied an application for the festival to hold its event at Vernon Downs, saying the application was incomplete and filed too late. According to festival organizers, they hope their lengthy new application will encourage the town to work with them to host the festival meant to commemorate the anniversary of the iconic Woodstock from 1969.” 2. TRUMP’S ‘SALUTE TO AMERICA’ EVENT AND PROTESTS BANKRUPTED WASHINGTON SECURITY FUND: President Trump’s Fourth of July celebration and event protests cost the Washington, D.C. government $1.7 million. The amount has bankrupted a special fund used to provide security at city events such as rallies and state funerals, as well as protect the city from terrorist threats. Washington Post: “In a letter to the president Tuesday, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) warned that the fund has now been depleted and is estimated to be running a $6 million deficit by September 30. The mayor also noted that the account was never reimbursed for $7.3 million in expenses from Trump’s 2017 inauguration. … Chris Rodriguez, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said in an interview that the estimated costs for July 4 were six times as much as in years past and were likely to grow as the city continues to tally expenses.” 3. HOUSTON WILL HOST THIRD DEMOCRATIC DEBATE: Houston will host the third democratic debate, which will air September 12 and 13 at ABC and Univision. The debate is expected to contain a smaller group of candidates, compared to 20 candidates who participated in the first debate in Miami. The New York Times: “Like Miami, which hosted the Democrats’ first debate in June, Houston was among the final group of cities considered to host next year’s Democratic convention. (Milwaukee eventually took the prize.) The choice of Texas could also be seen as a statement of intent by the party to be competitive in a state that has not been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976.” 4. WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINAL DRAWS HIGHER RATINGS THAN MEN’S 2018 FINAL: The Women’s World Cup final on Sunday drew more viewers than the men’s final in 2018. The United States’ 2-0 victory over the Netherlands drew 13.98 million viewers on Fox, which is 12 percent higher than the 12.51 million that tuned into the 2018 men's final between France and Croatia. The Hollywood Reporter: “Streaming added an average minute audience of 289,000 (a 400 percent increase over 2015), bringing the total to 14.27 million on Fox Sports platforms. Telemundo added 1.6 million viewers—the most ever for a Women's World Cup match on a Spanish-language network—for a total of 15.87 million on all platforms. … The U.S. audience for this year's final is third all-time for Women's World Cup games, behind the 2015 final and the final match of 1999 (18 million). The cross-platform audience is a good distance ahead of the 2011 final's 13.5 million viewers. Sunday's telecast also ranks sixth all-time for any U.S. national team World Cup match, men or women." 5. ANHEUSER-BUSCH WANTS TO BECOME OFFICIAL BEER OF ESPORTS: Anheuser-Busch has filed a trademark to legally become the official beer of esports. Individual esports leagues, including Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch League, already had deals in place with Anheuser-Busch brand Bud Light to be the league’s official beer. Adweek: “Bud Light is happily expanding into esports as the company also owns the rights to be the official beer of the N.F.L. until 2022, a title that reportedly cost them $1.4 billion. That’s the beauty of this trademark filing, it was easy to do and absurdly cheap. … If they do begin to use the slogan, they can expect pushback from esports loyalists. In general, many fans of esports aren’t as used to brand presence around their favorite game as a traditional sports fan may be. While these audiences are beginning to accept brands more, the intense focus on the space in the past two years has made many people wary of new advertisers.” | 