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    Why Liverpool and Manchester United, two giants of soccer, are up for sale at the same time

    The owners of both Liverpool and Manchester United indicated they were open to takeover offers in November, with the clubs expected to be valued at roughly £3.3 billion and £5 billion, respectively.
    Analysts told CNBC they may be feeling the strain from recent annual losses and competition from deep-pocketed owners of rival clubs, which includes the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
    They also cited increased interest from private equity and institutional investors in developing new monetization strategies around the growing international fanbase of iconic clubs; and the recent sale of Chelsea FC setting a benchmark.

    LONDON — Two of the world’s biggest and most profitable soccer teams are on the market at the same time — and that’s no coincidence, according to analysts.
    In November, the owners of first Liverpool and then Manchester United confirmed they were open to new investment offers, with the potential for full sales of the top flight English clubs.

    Liverpool’s owner, U.S. sporting conglomerate Fenway Sports Group, is thought to have put a roughly £3.3 billion ($3.97 billion) total value on the club, 12 years after acquiring it for £300 million. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have prepared a sales deck for interested parties, The Athletic first reported.
    Meanwhile New York-listed shares in Manchester United popped 18% on the news on Nov. 23 that its owners were similarly opening themselves up to investment opportunities. A full takeover of the club is expected to fetch £5 billion or more.
    The club’s majority owner, the American Glazer family, has had a tumultuous relationship with fans since gaining a controlling stake in 2005 for £790 million in a controversial, highly leveraged deal which added a substantial debt pile to the club.

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    Beyond any personal motivations of the owners, “certain market factors will mean the timing of these sales is certainly not a coincidence,” Dan Harraghy, senior sports analyst at market research firm Ampere Analysis, told CNBC. 
    Big money competition
    One recurring complaint Manchester United fans have had of the Glazers is a lack of investment in the club, across both facilities and players.

    But any future boost in funding comes among an ever-more competitive field from fellow Premier League clubs such as Manchester City — majority owned by Dubai royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan — and Newcastle, acquired last year by an investment group led by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
    “From a financial viewpoint, the current owners [of Liverpool and Manchester United] will be considering the level of investment that’s required to keep up with rival clubs who have owners with deeper pockets, both domestically and in Europe,” said Harraghy, also citing Qatari-owned Paris Saint Germain.
    “State-funded Middle Eastern owners allow the clubs to spend big on both the club’s infrastructure and acquisition of players to continue to improve their footballing and financial performance.”

    Old Trafford Stadium, the home of Manchester United Football Club. In November the club released a statement indicating that the Glazer family, who are majority owners of the club, will “consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the company”.
    Christopher Furlong | Getty Images News | Getty Images

    While the Glazers have paid themselves through dividends since 2016 (though have dropped the payments amid the current ownership discussions), Manchester United reported a rise in revenue but £115.5 million net loss for the 2022 fiscal year, from a £92.2 million net loss the previous year.
    In its most recently-published results, Liverpool reported a £4.8 million loss before tax in the year to May 2021 and a £46.3 million loss in 2020, with the pandemic pummelling match day revenue.
    “It is possible that those in charge no longer see the expenditure as sustainable, given the level of competition they face,” Harraghy added.
    European Super League failure
    The implosion of one venture that was intended to create a new revenue stream for big clubs could have added to owners questioning their ability to improve profitability.
    The announcement of a new European Super League in spring 2021 that would give automatic entry to 15 founding clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester United, was met with such widespread criticism and accusations of money-grabbing at the expense of the game, that it was soon called off.

    The guaranteed income, particularly from broadcast income over which the participating clubs would have had significant control, was a key motivation behind the league. The Premier League has become a relatively more open competition, meaning top teams are less assured of entry into tournaments like the Champions League each year, said Harraghy.
    “Missing out on qualification can be a notable hit to a club’s income,” he said.
    Investor interest
    At the same time, European soccer has numerous teams “who have a brand cache and global fan base which makes them very sought after investments,” said David Bishop, partner and sports specialist at L.E.K. Consulting.
    “Investment activity in sports has also received a bit of a jolt post-Covid because many sporting bodies and teams have come to market offering equity positions, often to help manage cashflow issues arising from Covid.”
    This has helped expand the deal flow and understanding of the space, he said, noting recent capital deployments in sports by investment firms including CVC, Silverlake, Redbird Capital and Dyal Capital. These span rugby, French and Spanish soccer leagues, Indian Premier League cricket and in sports analytics businesses.

    “The U.S. market, particularly MLB, NBA, NFL, is now pretty mature and well invested, so investors have also begun looking harder for US-type sporting opportunities in international markets,” Bishop continued.
    “In the cases of Liverpool and Manchester United, both owners have held the clubs for a long time, and both assets have appreciated a lot as their leagues and brands and global fan bases have developed. Whether it is a good time to buy is quite situation-specific, but in general these are assets that should be quite resilient over the medium to long-term,” he told CNBC.

    Revenue opportunities

    Media rights are of growing importance to leagues, particularly internationally, and investors will have noted the significant growth of the global audience for the English Premier League, said Bishop.
    There is also potential in further monetising international fan bases through experiences, merchandising and overseas games — as is being seen in reverse in the U.K., which is attracting big audiences for American football and basketball games.
    Angus Buchanan, managing director of The Sports Consultancy, also cited U.S. private equity and institutional interest in soccer clubs as a major reason the Glazers and Fenway Sports Group may feel it is a good time to sell.
    “They have both been successful at a ‘phase one’ of converting clubs’ brand equity and international fan bases into revenue but have seen flattening growth in recent years,” he said.

    LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 30: Jerry Jeudy #10 of the Denver Broncos runs for the touchdown against Jacksonville Jaguars during second quarter in the NFL match between Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 30, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
    Dan Mullan | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

    Manchester United in particular set a new paradigm in terms of selling broadcasting rights and doing global partnerships, from Japanese noodle-maker Nissin to Middle Eastern banks.
    In 2022, broadcast revenue for the Premier League was higher internationally than domestically for the first time.
    A new owner would look to develop ‘phase two’, Harraghy said: taking highly captivated, engaged, intergenerational fanbases and developing “more digital and sophisticated” revenue strategies, utilizing database information and going straight to the fans with more offers.
    “They would be projecting some aggressive growth numbers to any potential investor,” Harraghy said.
    Chelsea snap sale
    Owners of Premier League clubs will have closely watched the fast-paced sale of Chelsea in May, which was rushed through amid a U.K. crackdown on the assets of Russian oligarchs following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. A consortium led by U.S. investor Todd Boehly paid £4.25 billion for the club (with £1.75 billion earmarked for future investment) after the government confirmed the proceeds would not go to previous owner Roman Abramovich.
    Of particular interest will have been the amount fetched, which Harraghy called unprecedented for a Premier League club, and the media reports of up to 200 interested parties.
    Analyst Angus Buchanan said the sale was likely “somewhat of a catalyst” for November’s action.
    “Perhaps the club owners have seen a bit more activity in market, and now there’s a fixed reference point in terms of valuation and the level of interest,” he said.

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    Cramer’s lightning round: I love Eagle Materials

    Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

    It’s that time again! “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer rings the lightning round bell, which means he’s giving his answers to callers’ stock questions at rapid speed.

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    Eagle Materials Inc: “I love Eagle Materials. We’ve got so much money coming for infrastructure from the federal government.”

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    Apple Inc: “I’m still urging people to own it, don’t trade it, but I accept the fact that it’s going lower before it goes higher.”

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    Mativ Holdings Inc: “We’re not going to opine. … We’re going to do some homework and we’re going to come back.”

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    Mosaic Co: “I still think the fertilizers work. I am not giving up on them.”

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    Cellebrite DI LTD: “I’m going to have to take a pass. Need to do too much more work on it.”

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    SoFi Technologies Inc: “I think that SoFi, it’s finally going to be [CEO] Anthony Noto’s year. I genuinely believe it.”
    Disclaimer: Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of Apple.

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    Jim Cramer says he likes these 3 communication services stocks for 2023

    Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

    CNBC’s Jim Cramer offered investors a list of three communications services stocks that are buys in an otherwise “untouchable” group.
    The communication services sector, one of 11 in the S&P 500, includes classic telecommunications companies, media and entertainment companies and some large internet companies.

    CNBC’s Jim Cramer offered investors a list of three communications services stocks that are buys in an otherwise “untouchable” group.
    The communication services sector, one of 11 in the S&P 500, includes classic telecommunications companies, media and entertainment companies and some large internet companies.

    “In an awful year for stocks, communication services was the worst group in the S&P 500, which is really saying something,” he said. “Most of them are just plain out untouchable, but you’ve got my blessing to buy” T-Mobile, Disney and Netflix.
    Here are his thoughts on each stock:

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    Cramer called the company the best-performing wireless carrier in the country and said he’s a believer of the stock’s ability to soar.

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    Disney will turn itself around now that CEO Bob Iger has returned to the helm, he predicted. 

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    While Netflix struggled earlier this year due to subscriber losses, the company has since seen growth in subscriber numbers and introduced an ad-supported tier to help pad its balance sheet. “I’m feeling better and better about Netflix,” Cramer said.

    Disclaimer: Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of Disney.

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    Jim Cramer likes these 7 consumer discretionary stocks for 2023

    Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

    CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday offered investors a list of seven stocks he believes could be great additions to investors’ portfolios.
    “While most consumer discretionary stocks have been horrendous this year, we’ve had some pools of strength, too, and many of them can work in 2023,” according to Cramer.

    CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday offered investors a list of seven stocks he believes could be great additions to investors’ portfolios.
    The consumer discretionary sector is down about 37% for the year. Companies in this sector tend to suffer during times of economic downturn, since consumers prioritize paying for necessities such as rent or food over discretionary purchases when their budgets are tight.

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    But “while most consumer discretionary stocks have been horrendous this year, we’ve had some pools of strength, too, and many of them can work in 2023,” according to Cramer.
    Here are his picks:
    Genuine Parts, O’Reilly Automotive and AutoZone

    Cramer highlighted these three auto parts stocks as potential buys, stating that AutoZone is his favorite. With used car prices coming down and new car prices likely to follow, consumers are more likely to fix up their old car next year than purchase a new one, he reasoned.

    Ulta Beauty

    While the company reported a solid earnings beat and boosted its outlook earlier this month, investors shouldn’t be greedy with the stock, especially if it sees a big gain, Cramer advised.

    TJX Companies

    The parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods will benefit from the excess inventory the holidays will leave behind, he said. He added that because TJX operates discount retailers, its stock is a winner during times of recession, when consumers tend to trade down.

    Yum! Brands

    Cramer called the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut a great value proposition for consumers.

    Starbucks

    He said he expects Starbucks to make a powerful comeback in China once the company’s economy fully reopens.

    Disclaimer: Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of TJX Companies and Starbucks.

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    Cramer warns investors not to repeat this year’s mistakes when it comes to tech stocks

    Monday – Friday, 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

    CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday warned investors to exercise caution when approaching mega-cap tech stocks that got hammered this year.
    “If we see these stocks creeping back up to their old levels. … Let’s remember that prices do matter, and we don’t want to get burned the next time they go too high,” he said.

    CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Friday warned investors to exercise caution when approaching mega-cap tech stocks that got hammered this year.
    “If we see these stocks creeping back up to their old levels. … Let’s remember that prices do matter, and we don’t want to get burned the next time they go too high,” he said. “Right now, we want cheap stocks of companies that make things or do stuff at a profit and return some of those profits to shareholders.”

    Stocks rose Friday but were still down for the week as investors continue to worry about a potential recession. 
    Tech stocks have been hammered this year by persistent inflation, the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes and Covid shutdowns in China. Before this year, mega-cap tech names soared to stratospheric heights and were largely responsible for the market’s strength.
    Tesla, Meta Platforms, Nvidia, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Apple — all major stocks in the S&P 500 — lost a combined $5.4 trillion in value, according to Cramer.

    Arrows pointing outwards

    He said that while he doesn’t blame investors for betting on those stocks this year, he does believe that investors need to learn from their mistakes in 2023.
    “They’ll be able to bounce the next time we get a nice rally in the broader index, and I think we’re going to have one. I think you should use that chance to pare back on mega-cap tech,” he said. “I bet you’ll get a chance to buy them a little lower.”

    Disclaimer: Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of Meta Platforms, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Apple.

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    FedEx and UPS warn storm could delay holiday packages, airlines cancel thousands of flights

    FedEx and UPS warned customers that holiday deliveries could arrive late because of bad winter weather.
    Snow, sleet, high winds and bitter cold from Winter Storm Elliott have swept through much of the U.S.
    More than 6,000 U.S. flights have been canceled and more than 20,000 delayed this week.

    An American Eagle plane taxis during a snow storm at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in Seattle, Washington, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022.
    David Ryder | Bloomberg | Getty Images

    FedEx and United Parcel Service warned that packages could arrive late this week as a massive winter storm brought high winds, bitter cold and snow to large swaths of the United States ahead of Christmas weekend.
    Severe weather was already snarling air travel during what is expected to be one of the busiest travel periods since before the pandemic.

    “FedEx Express experienced substantial disruptions at our Memphis and Indianapolis hubs last night due to severe winter weather that has been moving across the United States,” FedEx said Friday. It said packages set for delivery on Friday and Saturday, which is Christmas Eve, could be delayed across the country.
    UPS said severe weather “across several regions of the U.S. are impacting the UPS Air and Ground network, including UPS hubs in Louisville, Kentucky and Rockford, Illinois. As a result, some delivery and pickup services in these areas will be affected.”
    The warnings come during one of the busiest times for package delivery, ahead of Christmas Day on Sunday.
    The massive winter storm made getting home for the holidays a challenge for thousands of travelers. Airlines cancelled more than 7,000 flights and delayed more than 20,000 from Wednesday through Friday afternoon, according to flight-tracker FlightAware. The period includes some of what airlines expect to be the busiest days of the holiday period. Snow and sleet in the Pacific Northwest also disrupted flights.
    Federal forecasters warned about treacherous road conditions, dangerously low temperatures and high winds in cities from Chicago to Boston. The National Weather Service had parts of Florida, including Tampa and Orlando, under a freeze warning Saturday morning.

    On Thursday, 10% of U.S. airlines’ scheduled flights were cancelled while almost half were delayed, arriving late by an average of around 70 minutes, FlightAware data showed.
    More than to 4,800 U.S. flights were cancelled on Friday.
    Southwest Airlines canceled more than 900 Friday flights, about a fifth of its operation, while nearly 1,400, a third of its schedule, were delayed, according to FlightAware. Nearly 400 of Seattle-based Alaska Airlines flights were canceled, close to half of its operation.
    Alaska warned travelers on Friday that it could take days “multiple days” to rebook travelers because flights are so full during the holidays.
    “Our contact centers are experiencing long hold times as they try to help thousands of guests, and we’re working around the clock to reunite guests with their bags,” it said in an update. “We strongly encourage guests to reassess their travel plans due to limited availability.”
    Airlines aim to cancel flights as far in advance as possible so travelers, crews and planes aren’t stranded at the airport during bad weather.
    American, Delta, United, Southwest, JetBlue, Alaska, Spirit and other carriers waived change fees and fare differences for more than 50 airports if travelers can fly later.
    Airlines had hoped for a repeat of the relatively smooth Thanksgiving travel period to end what has been a rocky year for carriers, crews and customers alike due to bad weather and labor shortages.
    Carriers are likely to update investors on the financial impact of the storm when they release quarterly results in January, or possibly earlier.

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    YouTube’s NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’ deal is a win for traditional TV networks, too – here’s why

    The NFL announced Google’s YouTube would be the future home of its “Sunday Ticket” package of out-of-market games beginning next season.
    “Sunday Ticket” will be available through YouTube TV, a digital bundle, and a la carte through YouTube’s Primetime Channels. Pricing has yet to be determined.
    Executives at traditional TV networks considered this a win for linear channels due to YouTube TV’s offering of the bundle.

    Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, center, runs for extra yardage while Tennessee Titans linebacker Monty Rice, left, and safety Andrew Adams (47) attempt a tackle during the second half at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, CA.
    Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

    The National Football League had a streaming service in mind when it was looking for a new home for the rights to its “Sunday Ticket” subscription game package. 
    The league got its desired outcome in a deal with Google’s YouTube. Traditional TV networks got what they wanted out of it, too. 

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    Beginning next season, “Sunday Ticket” will be offered in two ways through YouTube: either as an add-on to its YouTube TV service, a digital TV bundle that mirrors the traditional pay-TV package, or a la carte through YouTube’s Primetime Channels. 
    YouTube is paying about $2 billion annually for residential rights over the next seven years, CNBC reported. The process concluded this week after months of negotiations with potential winners like Apple, Amazon and Disney, which operates ESPN streaming service ESPN+.
    While pricing hasn’t been determined, consumers will likely get more bang for their buck by subscribing to YouTubeTV and adding on “Sunday Ticket,” which shows out-of-market NFL games on Sunday afternoons. It’ll also give them access to nearly all NFL games in one place. Google’s YouTube TV bundle includes broadcast stations like CBS, Fox and NBC. Fellow tech giants Apple and Amazon don’t provide a similar bundle offering with broadcast or pay-TV networks, such as ESPN and NFL Network.
    Sports, and particularly the NFL, have long been considered the glue holding the traditional TV bundle together. Sports networks, and those that offer live games, attract some of the highest fees from pay-TV operators, and they score some of the highest ratings. The NFL makes large sums for the airing of live games.
    For this reason, executives at longstanding broadcast and pay-TV networks, who declined to to be named because they weren’t permitted to talk publicly, found the deal with YouTube a favorable outcome over Apple or Amazon getting the package. 

    YouTube and the NFL didn’t immediately comment.

    Long live the bundle 

    Paramount’s CBS and Fox broadcast weekly Sunday afternoon games. Comcast’s NBC is the home of “Sunday Night Football,” and Disney, which owns ESPN and ABC, holds the rights to “Monday Night Football.” 
    Each has paid hefty sums for those rights. Last year, collectively, the four agreed to pay more than $100 billion over the course of 11-year-long packages to air NFL games. 
    For networks like NBC, CBS and ESPN, they are simultaneously airing NFL games on their fledgling streaming platforms for the audience that has turned away from the pay-TV bundle. 
    All of those games are available through Google’s YouTube TV package, with the exception of “Thursday Night Football,” which now streams exclusively on Amazon Prime.
    “YouTube in many ways is a very unique and interesting platform,” Dhruv Prasad, the NFL’s senior vice president of media strategy and strategic investments, said on a call with media this week, “because we have chosen a partner that actually supports, in many ways, our existing distribution with Sunday afternoon and night, and Monday night. We actually think this is a model where this will result in a real benefit with existing partners.”

    While deals with traditional operators are wildly lucrative for the NFL, the league has been open about wanting more streaming partners. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said long before the outcome of the negotiations the league saw a streaming partner as the future of “Sunday Ticket,” which has only been offered through satellite-TV operator DirecTV since 1994. 
    Although YouTube is streaming only, it offers a package that keeps the TV bundle alive – by paying similar rates as typical distributors, which has in turn caused a spike in the price of subscriptions. YouTube TV had more than 5.3 million subscribers as of the third quarter, putting it above its competitors like Disney’s Hulu Live TV+, Fubo TV and Dish’s Sling, according to data from MoffettNathanson. 
    “This is a win for YouTube TV as it serves a larger goal for them getting more subscribers. And in the end, it helps a package of linear channels,” said sports media consultant Pat Crakes, noting YouTube also secured the rights “at a good price,” to help them bolster their streaming service. 
    Adding another NFL property to the equation to make a TV bundle stickier with customers is a positive for networks, executives told CNBC. 
    The streaming business, particularly for legacy media companies, has most recently been under pressure. While companies raced to form and bulk up their own services, trailing Netflix, rabid competition is now weighing on subscriber counts, and content costs are soaring. Although streaming remains a priority, some media CEOs are rethinking how much content to take away from the traditional bundle and put on streaming. 

    The bundle is dead

    For some in traditional media, however, YouTube becoming the home of “Sunday Ticket” wasn’t welcome news. 
    For pay-TV operators, this could lead to more customers cutting their traditional bundles and replacing them with YouTube TV, said people close to the distributors. 
    In the third quarter, cord-cutting hit all-time worst levels, according to research firm MoffettNathanson. 
    “The linear model won’t die of old age, it will instead die of neglect,” analyst Craig Moffett said in a recent note. “If lynchpin content – read: marquee sports programming – is exclusively available on linear platforms, then the linear model will be preserved, at least for a time, and at least for a segment.” 
    Driving customers toward YouTube TV subscriptions, or simply a la carte options, only amplifies the bleeding of pay-TV customers from traditional cable and telecommunications operators, like Charter Communications, Comcast and Dish. Executives on that side of the industry had hoped for Apple to win “Sunday Ticket” rights, people close to some distributors said, as it wouldn’t provide another linear bundle option.
    One positive for distributors is that while YouTube TV has broadcast and pay-TV networks that offer sports and NFL games, the streamer still doesn’t offer regional sports networks as part of its package. For an all-around sports fan, this still makes the traditional bundle a better bet. 
    Still, that could change. This week, Sinclair’s regional sports networks signed a deal with Fubo TV, putting its portfolio of networks on a digital pay-TV bundle. Such a deal with YouTube TV may not be far behind given the recent “Sunday Ticket” package. 
    Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.

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    Online car market Bring a Trailer closing out year with record $1.35 billion in sales

    The San Francisco-based company expects to close out the year with more than $1.35 billion in sales, up 63% from 2021.
    Traditional car auction companies like Mecum, RM Sotheby’s and Gooding & Co. also had strong years.
    But rising interest rates, recession fears and increasing car inventories have started to pressure used-car prices and demand.

    1977 Datsun 280Z 4-Speed 
    Courtesy: Kahn Media

    Online car market Bring a Trailer said it expects to close out the year with a record $1.35 billion in sales, as a new generation of collectors logged on to buy classic and pre-owned cars.
    Randy Nonnenberg, Bring a Trailer’s co-founder and president, told CNBC that sales for the year are up 63% from 2021, when sales hit $829 million.

    The San Francisco company’s website has made it easy for collectors to buy and sell cars online and attracted a flood of young car traders during the Covid pandemic, selling everything from seven-figure Ferraris to $60,000 Corvettes and $15,000 Saabs.
    The question now is whether the pandemic-fueled frenzy of car collecting will hold up if there is a recession. Nonnenberg said he sees no evidence of a slowdown in the company’s business.
    “The big challenge we have is handling all the demand,” he said.
    While Bring a Trailer, which was acquired by Hearst Autos in 2020, has disrupted the traditional business of buying and selling collector cars, traditional classic car auction companies like Mecum, RM Sotheby’s and Gooding & Co. also had strong years in 2022. Hagerty, the classic car insurance company, also entered the auction business, buying Broad Arrow and launching Hagerty Marketplace, an online sales platform.

    2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta 
    Courtesy: Kahn Media

    Rising interest rates, recession fears and increasing car inventories have started to pressure used-car prices and demand. Nonnenberg said some car prices have drifted lower, with the average sale price down slightly in the second half of 2022.

    Yet he said Bring a Trailer’s business model − based on low-cost, easy-to-use and efficient car buying and selling − could benefit in a downturn. Sellers pay a flat fee of $99, while the buyer fee is 5% on top of the final sale price with a cap of $5,000. That’s far less expensive than traditional auctions or many dealers.
    “There will continue to be horse trading,” Nonnenberg said. “If people have had their car for three or four years, and they want something else, or their financial situation changes suddenly and they have six cars and they want to sell two, that’s still good for our business model.”

    1986 Porsche 944 Turbo 
    Courtesy: Kahn Media

    Bring a Trailer’s growth this year was driven by higher sales volume and car values. Up to 700 cars were sold each week and the average value of the cars sold was $54,495, up from $47,500 in 2021.
    This year, 145 cars sold for more than $500,000 , up 172% from 2021, as the company attracted wealthier buyers and sellers. A 2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta that sold for $5.36 million in May was its most expensive car ever sold.
    Along with growing sales volume, Bring a Trailer wants to expand its community of collectors and car enthusiasts. It has over 900,000 registered users, and about 413,000 registered bidders. It’s also planning to roll out more in-person events and is working with partners in local markets to expand services to buyers and sellers, Nonnenberg said.
    For 2023, Nonnenberg said the big goal is using beefed-up technology to reduce wait times to list cars. It now takes an average of 26 days between submitting a car for listing and going live on the site, and Nonnenberg said, “we would like that to come down to 10 days, that’s the noble goal.”

    2000 Saab 9-3 Viggen 
    Courtesy: Kahn Media

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