Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 659 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Troy Aikman, the lead broadcaster for ESPN and ABC's Monday Night Football. His next broadcast comes Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN when he and Joe Buck call the Giants at Rams. The two broadcasters will also call Super Bowl 61 on February 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium, ESPN's first-ever Super Bowl. In this podcast, Aikman discusses the Rams-Giants game; his thoughts on the Rams' decision to arrive in Melbourne later than the Niners; the upcoming MNF schedule -- Eagles-Bears, Falcons-Saints, Bills-Chargers, Commanders-Niners and Cowboys-Eagles; what he thinks of the Monday Night Football schedule overall; Travis Kelce's broadcast prospects; how he is finding doing production meetings remotely and not being allowed to attend practices at team facilities given the his Dolphins role; why he does not believe what he does is a conflict of interest; why he wants feedback from his producers; his thoughts on Joe Buck signing with ESPN for an additional five years; his expectations right now about his future with ESPN given his contract is up at the end of the year; whether Joe's decision impact his decision; his love of cold water showers; going to be early; the success of his beer company, EIGHT Elite Light Beer, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 658 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch, Chad Finn, sports media columnist for the Boston Globe and Austin Karp, the media writer for Sports Business Journal. In the podcast we discuss the NFL's Week 1 viewership average being down 13 percent year over year; whether the decline indicate any kind of longer-term trend this season; our opinions of the Jim Nantz-J.J. Watt booth; what that might mean for Tony Romo; Joe Buck's new longterm contract with ESPN; Steve Sarkisian's decision to blow off ESPN's Holly Rowe; the declining numbers of the Manningcast; ESPN PR vs. Fox Sports PR and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 657 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Damien Woody, who played 12 seasons as a lineman in the NFL and won two Super Bowls with the Patriots. Woody joined ESPN in 2011 as an NFL analyst and was staple on shows there before his contract with ESPN expired earlier this year. He has since joined The Wingo Network where he is part of a digital and podcast company with Trey Wingo, Merrill Hodge and Mark Schlereth among others. In this podcast, Woody discusses his new show, "The OG Football Show" with The Wingo Network; why he wanted to be part of independent media; how the end of his time at ESPN came about; how he was told his contract was not being renewed; the lack of feedback in later years from ESPN management; whether he felt pressure to only play the hits; whether one has to be political within ESPN; the most impressive thing he saw for the first week of the NFL season; his thoughts on Rams-Niners, Drake Maye, the Bears and Josh Allen among other NFL stories; why so many Patriots from his era went into broadcasting; his thoughts on Tom Brady the broadcaster; whether Bill Belichick will ever return to the NFL and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 656 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Suzy Kolber, the host and executive producer of a new series, "The Originals," which will premiere on September 15 at 8:00 p.m. ET on the Scripps Sports Network, the new, free streaming television channel launched by the Scripps Company earlier this year. The interview show features one on one interviews with people who defy easy explanation including Jesse Cole, founder of the Savannah Bananas; Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters, Hilary Knight, Steve Young and Diana Flores. In this podcast, Kolber discusses being let go by ESPN in 2023 after 27 years there and how she has processed that layoff over the past three years; how the the Scripps Sports show came about; interviewing Cole about his success with the Savannah Bananas; whether she has interest in returning to live sports television; how ESPN management told her about the decision; reflecting on ESPN not doing anything on her leaving the network after years of valuable service; talking to ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro prior to the layoff; taking a 39 percent on her contract prior to her layoff; why longevity for a woman in the business is something she is especially proud of; wondering why leaks happen at ESPN; why it was difficult for her to watch ESPN for a couple of years; speaking candidly on her episode with Salters where they discussed fertility levels, trying to get pregnant and miscarriages, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 655 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Gabe Spitzer, Vice President Global Live Sports and Entertainment for Netflix. Spitzer has oversight for the company’s global live sports strategy including managing the rights negotiations and partnerships with leagues such as NFL, MLB, WWE and FIFA for the Women’s World Cup. In this podcast we discuss Netflix airing the NFL's league’s first-ever regular season game in Australia on Sept. 10 (Rams- 49ers); what viewers can expect from the Australia game; why Netflix expanded to five NFL games in 2026; how Spitzer approaches on-air talent hires; why Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly were the choices for the NFL game coverage; the Women’s World Cup being the most ambitious thing Netflix has undertaken; where Netflix is right now regarding WWC preparations; the on-air talent needed to fill for the Women's World Cup; the company's interest in the upcoming men's World Cup set to be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain; when discussions with FIFA might come; where the market is right now for sports documentaries; why Netflix is heavy into partnerships with sports podcasts; how he judges success with the WWE partnership; using WWE talent for traditional sports broadcasts; whether viewers should be scared of a streamer getting a Super Bowl and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 654 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast our group discusses Tony Romo's plea deal and his statement about his future; what we expect  CBS Sports will do with Romo this season and beyond; whether Romo could land elsewhere in the future; the NBA's punishment of the Clippers as it relates to Pablo Torre and his staff's reporting; Matt Yoder's piece on the chasm between journalism and insiderdom never being wider; why the insider position has become so desirable for certain outlets; WNBA Commissioner's Cathy Englebert's resignation; what the next head of the WNBA must have as far as it relates to media; The Athletic's much awaited report on former Athletic reporter Dianna Russini and what we thought about it; the sports media company finding that her relationship with Mike Vrabel violated newsroom standards but showed no clear bias toward the New England Patriots head coach; what The Athletic owed readers; ESPN not investigating Russini's work with ESPN; Russini's future and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 653 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is Jimmy Traina, a podcast host/writer for Underscore Media. He is followed by longtime journalist Liz Robbins, who has written a book with Billie Jean King titled: See It to Be It: Eleven Champions Leading Women’s Sports Today." The book, for young adults, tells the inspirational stories of modern athletes including Caitlin Clark and Naomi Osaka. In this podcast, Traina discusses his new podcast for Underdog Media; interviewing Alex Rodgiuez after he previously had bashed him on social media; Tony Romo's plea deal and statement about his future; our thoughts on what we think CBS will do with Romo and whether he has a future in broadcasting; ESPN amping up its college football talk; our thoughts on whether Dunkin’ Donuts had too radically changed its menu and more. Robbins discusses her new book and working with Billie Jean King; the process of interviewing athletes such as Caitlin Clark; where the media space at the moment for women's sports; her upcoming story on emerging sports leagues including the women's pro baseball league and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 652 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch, Chad Finn, sports media columnist for the Boston Globe and Austin Karp, the media writer for Sports Business Journal. In the podcast we discuss the start of the college football season and the nexus of college football and media; the teams that move the needle the most such as Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame, and  Texas; Pat McAfee's presence in college football; ESPN's decision to cut scores from its bottom line; whether college football broadcasters kiss the ass of coaches at a higher rate than other sports; whether the Big Ten is now a better media package than the SEC; Bill Belichick and ESPN; the WNBA's massive viewership number for the Fever and Sky; the IndyCar from DC; the end of the Pro Bowl and what that means; the Good Good's and Callaway Golf's horrible ad and the speed at which they faced fallout; whether influencers are worth it for Big Media and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 651 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), one of the most talented professional wrestlers in the world today. Friedman is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and they have one of their biggest shows of the year this Sunday August 30 -- AEW All In: London, live from Wembley Stadium  The event will air live around the world on pay-per-view, HBO Max pay-per-view and MyAEW.com. In this podcast, Friedman discusses how he looks at media; how much say he has when a media request comes in; wrestling at one of the world's most famous sports cathedrals; how he navigates interviews where some people want him in character and storyline and other interviews where the outlet wants to talk about the business of wrestling; his thoughts on media training; answering questions from the mainstream press versus a wrestling publication; how he navigates what has become a big social media following; getting bad press; why he thinks Seth Rollins is excellent as a sports analyst; listening to all the wrestling podcasts including Jim Cornette and Brian Last; how he looks at questions about his politics; how much he cares about AEW's TV ratings; his candid thoughts on WWE Radio; why he thinks AEW will be barely be mentioned in the future on WWE Radio; why wrestling content is aggregated so quickly; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 650 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss Pat McAfee's new role on Monday Night Countdown, a possible MNF alt-cast for McAfee and his crew, and his growing on-air presence on ESPN; whether viewers should think of either McAfee or Stephen A. Smith as the face of ESPN or is the wrong question; Nielsen introducing passive co-viewing and other changes to data measurement; Jason Kelce joining Dave Pasch and Kurt Warner as an NFL Network booth; Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick forming an additional booth; Jesse Doughtery's piece for Esquire on being a new father as he just got laid off from his dream job as a sports writer at The Washington Post; Matt Calkins, a sports columnist, for The Seattle Times, resigning after his editors refused to publish his column; former Alabama basketball player Kai Spears defeating the New York Times in his defamation lawsuit and Michael McCann's thoughts on that case; the Fever-Dream WNBA regular season game averaging 2.58 million viewers on ESPN; the WNBA's increased viewership numbers; MLB Field of Dreams having steep viewership decline in its Netflix debut and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 649 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jason Hehir, the director of "Novak Djokovic:The Wolf in Winter," a documentary that will debut on Prime Video on August 20. The documentary examines what has driven Novak Djokovic and the sacrifice one makes to become a tennis champion. In this podcast, Hehir discusses what interested him about the project; what makes Djokovic a fascinating subject; the access he got for his film; how he approached Djokovic being banned from Australia prior to the 2022 Australian Open; how growing up in war-torn Serbia impacted Djokovic; how he approached Djokovic with questions on retirement; what sports are still uncharted waters for a sports documentarian; directing The Last Dance; his upcoming film for Netflix about the legendary Canadian comedy show, SCTV, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 648 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Pierre Moossa, a coordinating producer for NBC Sports' coverage of the Premier League as well as a director on NBC's NBA and NFL coverage and Netflix's NFL games. In this podcast we discuss the upcoming Premier League season; what a World Cup year will mean for NBC's coverage of the Premier League; whether new eyeballs will come to the Premier League; how to introduce stars such as Erling Haaland to U.S. audiences; why the Premier League Live studio team of Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, Robbie Mustoe, and Tim Howard works; traveling outside of the studio to promote the league; the inclusion on Hull City,  Ipswich Town, and Coventry City; the unique challenges of directing the NFL's Melbourne game; whether Netflix has a style of NFL production and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 647 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch, Chad Finn, sports media columnist for the Boston Globe and a surprise appearance from Jimmy Traina, who is leaving SI after 20 years for a sports media startup. In this podcast, we examine CBS Sports president David Berson's comments about Tony Romo during CBS Sports' NFL Media Day; how we saw Berson's specific use of the words image and brand; whether CBS and Romo would engage in buyout talks; how J.J. Watt might do with Jim Nantz; the promotion of Ross Tucker to the Ian Eagle team; Traina's decision to leave Sports Illustrated; what he will do next; ESPN parting with Damien Woody; Fox's NFL announcing teams and what we think of them; why Greg Olson might be Fox's biggest NFL story this year; NBCUniversal carrying a tripleheader on NBA Opening Day October 20; the NBA's Christmas Day lineup; why the NBA decided to do Knicks-Spurs so early on Christmas Day; the Field Of Dreams game versus an NFL preseason game on NFL Network, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 646 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss Bloomberg reporting that the NFL has agreed to pause its media rights negotiations with CBS while the network’s parent company Paramount deals with the multi-state lawsuit challenging its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery; the Fox Corporation announced it will not pursue an early renewal or renegotiation of its NFL broadcast rights deal; what it means longterm; we analyze ESPN's college football announcer lineups; the NFL Kickoff  between the New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 9; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 645 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Austin Karp, the media writer for Sports Business Journal and Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss CBS Sports placing Tony Romo on leave following his arrest last week on suspicion of driving under the influence; JJ Watt joining Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson as CBS Sports' lead NFL team during Romo's absence; what could happen next with its NFL teams; whether there is a scenario where Romo would be let go; what if Watt has the greatest broadcasting stretch on the No. 1 team; how LeBron James to the Sixers impacts the 2026-27 TV schedule; DirecTV and EverPass signing a new multiyear deal that will keep DirecTV for Business distributing NFL Sunday Ticket to bars, restaurants, hotels, casinos and other commercial establishments in the U.S; Jon attending the WNBA All Star Game and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 644 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests: Linda Cohn announced her retirement from ESPN after 34 years last month and you can now find her at "Linda Cohn Sports" on YouTube where she is building that channel. She is joined by Neil Everett, who worked at ESPN for 23 years as well as television studio host on Portland Trail Blazers games from 2021 until 2026. In this podcast, Cohn and Everett talk about working together at ESPN; Linda's ESPN departure after 34 years and starting her own YouTube channel; the ESPN layoffs; meeting famous musicians as a result of their jobs; why they were disgusted with how things were handled with some of their former colleagues who were laid off; Everett learning of his own dismissal from the Blazers from an online column at Forbes; surviving previous ESPN layoffs over the years; why leaks happen out of Bristol more than other media places; Cohn always trying to keep hockey at the forefront at ESPN; advice for young people who want to be in front of the camera, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 643 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Austin Karp, the media writer for Sports Business Journal and Jane McManus, an editor at Storied Sports and the author of "The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women’s Sports." In this podcast Karp and McManus discuss the ESPN layoffs; why they happened; ESPN once being in more than 100 million and now being in a touch below 55 million; Linda Cohn having a great take and mentioning 150 people behind the scenes; why people still care about ESPN still in 2026; what is the ESPN fundamental brand; institutional stalwarts such as Stephanie Bell and David Lloyd being part of this; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert faces the press; what LeBron going to Philadelphia mean from a media perspective; the NBA's thinking on opening night and Christmas Day; the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina drawing an audience of nearly 63 million across English and Spanish broadcasts for the Final and Fox averaged 7.737 million viewers for the 104 broadcasts on Fox, FS1 and Tubi;  ESPN’s cost structure and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 642 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features longtime Canadian sports broadcasters Donnovan Bennett and Arash Madani, both of whom you can find on CBC's coverage of basketball. In this podcast Bennett and Madani discuss whether they see the World Cup as a success; the impact of the World Cup on the U.S. and Canadian domestic leagues; whether more people will watch soccer heading forward; why the Blue Jays collapsed this year; why Blue Jays fans will continue to watch games this year no matter the record; the ESPN layoffs and its impact beyond ESPN; why sports media companies continue to cut people, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 641 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Illustrated podcaster and writer Jimmy Traina. In this podcast, Traina and Deitsch discuss Howard Stern's media legacy; the impact of Stern going to one live show per week; Stern morphing from an iconoclast to the establishment; why Stern remains relevant; MLB’s Home Run Derby drawing its lowest audience since 2003, how Netflix does sports; the use of celebrity in a sporting event; the five best working play by play people today; why Traina had Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan, Joe Buck, Sean McDonough and Mike Tirico on his list; why certain sports would not produce someone on the list; the fraud allegations against ESPN's Matt Miller and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 640 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Derek Rae, a long-time soccer broadcaster whose resume includes calling 12 men's World Cups since 1990 including this year for Fox Sports. Rae has also been the lead English commentator for the EA Sports FIFA and EA FC video game series since 2019. In this podcast, Rae discusses his match-calling for Fox at this year's World Cup and what the experience was like; the different venues he worked from such as Mexico City, Guadalajara. Toronto, L.A. and Houston; where his broadcast setup was located at stadiums; how he uses the World Feed as a broadcaster; whether hydration breaks change how he calls games; calling one of the games of the tournament — the Argentina-Egypt knockout game on July 7; what it's like calling a Leo Messi goal; his thoughts on VAR; the prospect of a 64-country tournament for the 2030 World Cup; how he gets correct pronunciations; his work calling Germany's Bundesliga games, and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 639 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, founder and editor of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, we discuss the final combined viewing on FOX + Telemundo for USA-Belgium (50.1 million viewers) and Mexico-England (46.7 million); what those numbers mean; CNBC's Alex Sherman reporting that Netflix, Disney and YouTube are interested in challenging Fox for the U.S. broadcast rights to the 2030 and 2034 World Cup; FIFA alerting media companies during preliminary talks that English- and Spanish-language U.S. rights will likely be sold together; the performative people return with Caitlin Clark; WNBA viewership; Wichita being selected as one of two host cities for the newly expanded opening round of the 2027 and 2028 NCAA men’s basketball tournaments; what could replace MLB inventory in 2027 in the event there is a lockout, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 638 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features UConn women's basketball Geno Auriemma. Alongside Beth Mowins and Robin Roberts, the 12-time NCAA championship coach will broadcast the Dallas Wings-New York Liberty game on July 7 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. In this podcast, Auriemma discusses why calling the Wings-Liberty appealed to him; how ESPN contacted him for the assignment; his interest in broadcasting in a post-UConn life; how often he watches the WNBA today; staying in contact with his former players such as Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd;what he thinks of the officiating right now in the WNBA and why officiating is a serious issue in the game; his thoughts on the never-ending discussion about Caitlin Clark; why he predicted Clark would face physical play upon entering the league; why he believes some players have targeted Clark; his current relationship with South Carolina coach Dawn Staley; why he has always been as open as has been with the media over the years; coaching Sarah Strong; how you need a player such as Strong to win a title; sharing a crappy hotel room with Jeff and Stan Van Gundy and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 637 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Austin Karp, the media writer for Sports Business Journal and Jane McManus, an editor at Storied Sports and the author of "The Fast Track: Inside the Surging Business of Women’s Sports." In this podcast we discuss the preliminary U.S. audience numbers for the USMNT’s knockout win Wednesday over Bosnia and Herzegovina; what it means to have the most-watched English-language soccer telecast and the most-watched Spanish-language soccer telecast in U.S. history; what is realistic for viewership of the U.S.-Belgium on Monday; Telemundo’s EVP/Sports & Head of Streaming telling Karp that it may entail a scenario where “we combine with both languages” by adding the English rights to the Spanish rights the company already has across Telemundo and Peacock; the never-ending discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark; why every argument about Clark feels like a cultural war test; the failure of WNBA officials to be proactive on this topic; whether this is having any business impact on the WNBA; Adam Herbets, an investigative reporter for The Center Square, obtaining the body-worn camera footage of New Jersey police officer that spoke with Dianna Russini; whether that act would be a prompt a suspension at The Athletic; McManus on the stark differences of male reporters covering the NFL space versus female reporters and more.You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 636 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Paul Tenorio, a senior writer for The Athletic who covers soccer. In this podcast we discuss what World Cup access is like for the media; why Tim Ream and Weston McKennie are the best talker on the USMNT; where the media seating is at this World Cup; what is realistic for the Americans at this point at the tournament; what would be considered a successful tournament for the United States; the best team so far in Paul's eyes; his thoughts on Canada coach Jesse Marsch; what the World Cup will mean for MLS and specifically viewership after the World Cup, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 635 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss Sports Media Watch's grades of the NBA's media partners after the first season of the league's new rights deal; Linda Cohn leaves ESPN 34 years and over 5,500 SportsCenter episodes; how high can World Cup viewership go; will the Caitlin Clark situation hurt WNBA interest and what is her viewership; Caitlin Clark and the culture wars; The New York Times story on Dianna Russini; our thoughts on why the NYT reporters published what they did; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 634 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Stan Van Gundy, the lead analyst for NBA on Prime who will call his first-ever WNBA game this week when the Sparks play the Tempo in Toronto at 7:00 p.m. ET on June 25. In this podcast, we discuss how the WNBA assignment came to Van Gundy; how he prepares for a league he has never called before; his fondness for Tempo coach Sandy Brondello; what he wants to know from a coach in production meetings; working with Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan and Michael Grady; what is unique about Prime Video's NBA coverage versus Turner Sports; his thoughts on Steve Nash or Dwyane Wade as a broadcasters; why his brother Jeff Van Gundy will not be returning to broadcasting right now; the Knicks winning the NBA title; the trade options for Giannis Antetokounmpo and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 633 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Sports Business Journal media reporter Austin Karp. In this podcast we go deep into the start of the World Cup and the phenomenal viewership numbers; how much more interest the tournament can draw; the hydration breaks as a media story; how we feel Fox is doing as far as its studio coverage; the feelings around Alex Lalas and Rebecca Lowe and others; the NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Final viewership; Fox's potential $22B Roku acquisition and why it's about controlling distribution; the UFC Freedom 250 from the White House Lawn delivering seven million viewers on Paramount+, marking the first time Nielsen-measured figures have been released for a live event on the streaming platform (in combo with Adobe Analytics; the ridiculous claims from someone that it would hit Super Bowl numbers; sports seeking famous outdoor settings, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 632 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features two guests. First up is Monica McNutt, an NBA, WNBA and college basketball analyst for ESPN, a basketball studio analyst on MSG Networks, and the primary lead radio analyst for the New York Knicks on 98.7FM ESPN New York. She is followed by Mike Breen, the lead voice of ESPN/ABC's NBA coverage. In this podcast, McNutt talks about calling Knicks games with partner Tyler Murray and getting emotional when they won the title; why Knicks fans have taken to her; her relationship with Jalen Brunson; why playing at a high level of college basketball has helped her during her career; what it was like broadcasting the Game 4 comeback and the clinching Game 5 game; her comments on Taylor Swift and the fallout from it, and more. Breen discusses calling the NBA Finals; his approach on staying neutral; how he processed what was happening during Game 4; calling O.G. Anunoby tip-in; the preparation he did for Game 5 and knowing the possibility of calling a Knicks championship; his words at the end of Game 5; being part of the championship parade; hearing from so many of his peers and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 631 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a sports media conversation with Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn. In this episode, we analyze the NBA's momentum during this postseason and whether it can continue; why ESPN went so heavy on the celebrities following the Knicks; how the broadcast team of Mike Breen, Richard Jefferson and Tim Legler did; how Inside the NBA dominated its time slot; Fox's start with the World Cup; Alexi Lalas's work as an analyst; the Stanley Cup drawing more than an average of five million viewers for Cup games; whether the NHL momentum will continue going forward and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 630 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss the remarkable interest in this year's NBA Finals; why viewership has soared; what the Spurs losing Game 4 might cost ESPN/ABC; what it means for the NBA's future; the celebrity element; how Inside the NBA has thrived; our early World Cup thoughts on Fox's coverage; NHL viewership and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Tim Kawakami and Richard Deitsch share some thoughts on the state of WNBA media after the Fever revoked the credentials of reporter Scott Agness.

Episode 629 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Adam Crafton, a British journalist based in New York City, having relocated from London in 2024. He primarily covers soccer for The Athletic. In this podcast we discuss how a journalist can cover the duration of the tournament; the safety issues surrounding the World Cup; FIFA's terrible issuing of tickets and the exorbitant prices consumers are being asked to pay; the lack of access journalists get when it comes to FIFA officials; the expectation for the Iranian team and whether we see protests around those games; the tournament favourites including France, Spain, Brazil, England and others; the last World Cup for Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo; You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 628 of the Sports Media Podcast features a sports media roundtable with Jacob Feldman, a senior sports business writer for Sportico and Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter, both of who cover sports media for SBJ. In this podcast, we discuss the World Cup airing on Fox Sports from June 11 through July 19; what we are expecting from Fox's coverage; how much Fox Sports will cover news events away from the pitch; the new on-air talent from Rebecca Lowe, to Thierry Henry to Zlatan Ibrahimović; a great NBA Finals Game 1 and what it means; the robust Stanley Cup viewership numbers for Game 1 and what it means heading forward; our thoughts on Russell Wilson and Kyle Long being hired by CBS's The NFL Today; whether Wilson has an authenticity problem and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 627 of the Sports Media Podcast features Mike Breen, the lead voice of ESPN/ABC's NBA coverage. The NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs begin June 3 at 8:30 PM ET on ABC. Breen will call games with Richard Jefferson, Tim Legler and Lisa Salters. In this podcast, Breen discusses his thoughts of this Spurs-Knicks series; the immense value of Victor Wembanyama being in the Finals; why he thinks the series will appeal nationally; what it's been like for him to do a lot of press on the series as the TV voice of the Knicks; the celebrity row that will appear at Madison Square Garden; how he looks at a neutral broadcast; the atmosphere in NYC; what it means that the Knicks-Spurs winner will be the eighth NBA champion in the last eight seasons; calling his 21st NBA Finals; his first NBA Finals call on TV, which was in 2006 with Hubie Brown; calling the 1994 NBA Finals on New York radio when the Knicks lost to the Rockets in seven games; working with Don Imus and being made fun of by Howard Stern' becoming friends with Ben Stiller, and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 626 of the Sports Media Podcast features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss the NBA Finals; why the Spurs being in the Finals would be much better for viewership; whether the Knicks have viewership juice because of New York City; why Wemby is such a TV draw; ESPN's Pat McAfee landing multiple league commissioners; why the league heads went on McAfee; why McAfee's juice continues growing at ESPN; the NHL having a renaissance season; how much interest we have in the Rafa Nadal doc on Netflix, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 625 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Wertheim, who does features and player interviews for TNT Sports's live coverage of the French Open and also works as a "60 Minutes" correspondent, a Tennis Channel analyst, and a Sports Illustrated Senior Enterprise Writer. In this podcast we discuss Jaxson Dart introducing President Donald Trump at a rally on behalf of Representative Mike Lawler which caused an eruption on social media and the greater sports media ecosystem; whether that act opens up Dart for journalistic inquiry about the decision; whether it is fair to ask teammates about it; why it's fair to make the same inquiries of all athletes who delve into podcasts, from LeBron to Steve Kerr; the French Open draws and why the women's tournament is more interesting this year; the access that tennis journalists get; what TNT Sports is doing differently with tennis; Andre Agassi as a broadcaster; Dana White and politics; Wertheim's work on "60 Minutes" and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 624 of the Sports Media Podcast features Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch and Sports Business Journal media reporter Austin Karp. In this podcast, we discuss Victor Wembanyama as a longterm television draw; why Wembanyama looks like the league's most attractive media commodity heading forward; Spurs-Thunder Game 1 averaging a combined 9.16 million viewers on NBC across Nielsen and a streaming audience measured by Adobe Analytics, officially marking the largest audience on record for a Game 1 of the West Finals; Fox taking a studio show on the road for the World Cup; the NFL owners voting to drop the policy allowing them to protect their two most lucrative home games from being scheduled overseas; NASCAR no longer report Nielsen “Big Data + Panel” figures for its races, returning to the “panel-only” methodology; the NHL seeing its best conference semifinals on record, as ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, TNT and truTV averaged 1.9 million viewers for all second-round games, and more.You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 623 of the Sports Media Podcast features Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Tamika Catchings and Chamique Holdsclaw. The two are working as analysts for the WNBA on USA Network this season, with Tamika as a game analyst and Chamique in the studio. This is USA Sports's inaugural season of covering the WNBA, and they will air more than 50 games this season, including the WNBA Finals. Barring a sweep, the champion will be decided on USA Network in 2026. In this podcast we discuss how they ended up getting their jobs; the discussion around being an advocate for the WNBA versus doing journalism or being critical of the league; which WNBA teams look good early; Holdsclaw publicly discussing her mental health struggles and her being one of first prominent athletes of her era to discuss that prominently; Catchings on UConn star Sarah Strong and what kind of pro she will make;  where they see the Tennessee women's basketball program right now, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 622 of the Sports Media Podcast features two guests. First up is Al Michaels, the lead game-caller for Prime Video's football package since 2022 and an iconic figure in sports broadcasting. Michaels has called prime-time NFL football for the past 40 seasons. He is followed by Sports Business Journal media reporter Austin Karp. In this podcast, Michaels discusses Amazon's schedule this season; how he feels about the Lions at Bills opener and the number of times he has been on the call when a new NFL stadium has opened; Prime Video's very strong end of season schedule including Texans vs. Eagles on Christmas Eve in Philadelphia, followed by Ravens vs. Bengals in Cincinnati on New Year’s Eve; what it's like to call games on Black Friday games; the NFL playing games in  London, Paris Madrid, Munich, Melbourne, Rio and Mexico City; his fondness for newspapers; watching the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal with Johnny Bench and Pete Rose; how he is approaching his career at this point and why he has happy to be on a year by year deal and more. Karp comes on to discuss the NFL schedule; what each of the networks said about their allotment of games; the NFL's post-schedule conference call with reporters and a shoutout to ESPN PR staffer Mac Nwulu. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 621 of the Sports Media Podcast features play by play broadcaster Ian Eagle, who will call Game Six of Spurs-Timberwolves series for Prime Video this Friday. Eagle is the lead broadcast for Prime's coverage of the NBA as well as the lead broadcaster for CBS/WBD coverage of March Madness. He also calls NFL games for CBS and the Brooklyn Nets for the YES Network. In this podcast, Eagles discusses his fondness for Kevin Harlan; the most impressive thing he's seen in person so far from the NBA postseason games; calling the duration of LeBron James' career; what it means for the league when the Knicks have a chance to go on a deep postseason run; the iconic players he has called in the NBA during his career; the NCAA Tournament extending to 76 teams; how closely he follows the NFL's schedule release; his dream to attend Wimbledon, whether he thinks life exists outside of earth and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 621 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, we discuss the announcement that the NCAA women and men's tournament will be expanding to 76 teams; the NCAA receiving an additional $50 million each season from partners CBS and Turner; what it means for viewers; the women's basketball tournament's expansion and how that will play on ESPN properties; the Wall Street Journal piece on Fox Corporation executives including Rupert Murdoch essentially lobbying government on the NFL’s rights deals with streaming companies; the NFL's response and argument; Roger Goodell pushing back against claims that the league’s rights deals with streaming companies are anti-consumer; John Ourand of Puck reporting that YouTube wants no part of splitting the rights to the available games that ESPN once had; the NFL and Netflix are being close to a deal for at least five NFL games next season; Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reporting that Netflix will acquire the Week 1 NFL International Series game from Australia between the 49ers and Rams; the interest in a Thanksgiving Eve game; the NBA seeing the best audience for the first round of the playoffs in 33 years with the addition of an extra broadcast TV partner; the importance of NBA postseason games on broadcast and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 620 of the Sports Media Podcast features two WNBA-specific segments. First up is Sandy Brondello, the first-ever head coach of the Toronto Tempo, which begins play in the WNBA this season. Brondello previously was a head coach in San Antonio, Phoenix and New York and won WNBA titles in 2014 and 2024. She is followed by a roundtable with Annie Costabile, a senior writer for The Athletic, a co-host for the "No Offseason" podcast and a writer for the "No Offseason" newsletter, and Savannah Hamilton, a Toronto-based sportscaster covering the Tempo who previously covered the Toronto Raptors. In this podcast, Brondello discusses what success look like this season for the Tempo; why she took a job with an expansion franchise; how much input she had in the Expansion and WNBA Draft selections; her thoughts on her players; why strong ownership is the key to longterm success; choosing A'Ja Wilson has the hardest player to game-plan against; why she's developed a reputation as a media-friendly coach, and if she's getting recognized on the streets of Toronto and more. Costabile and Hamilton discuss realistic expectations for the Tempo this season; why Vegas is the preseason pick to win a title from most who cover the league nationally; how popular the WNBA will be in Canada; all of the Indiana Fever games being nationalized; advocacy coverage versus journalism and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 619 of the Sports Media Podcast features Donna Brothers, who has served as the riding reporter on NBC Sports’ horse racing coverage since 2000 and will retire after the Preakness on May 16. In this podcast, Brothers talks about her decision to retire from broadcasting after this year's Preakness; what it was like to work her final Kentucky Derby; Golden Tempo winning the Derby, and winning trainer Cherie DeVaux telling Brothers that "it is an honor that you get to do your last walkover with me"; what DeVaux winning will mean for the sport; the best horses Brothers covered during her NBC run; her toughest day on the track; winning 1,130 races during her 11-year riding career and what the feeling of winning a race as a jockey feels like; her plans to travel and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 618 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch, and Chad Finn, media writer and columnist for The Boston Globe. In this podcast we discuss Duke and Amazon's Prime Video announcing a multi-year partnership where the streamer will carry three high profile Duke non-league games against UConn, Michigan and Gonzaga; the CW partnering with ESPN Unlimited to give the broadcast network a streaming home; NBC's massive Saturday with the Kentucky Derby and Boston/Philadelphia Game 7; the NFL Draft viewership numbers; what we think of Russell Wilson's prospects as a broadcaster; why Wilson will have to be candid to convince viewers; where the Vrabel-Russini story goes from here and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 617 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Michael McCann, a legal analyst and senior sports legal reporter at Sportico and a Professor of Law at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, where he is Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute. In this podcast McCann discusses how the Vrabel-Russini photographs are problematic, and in ways that pose potential hurdles in workplace investigations; the privacy aspect of the story; if Russini is under any professional obligation to cooperate in The Athletic’s investigation; why the NFL is unlikely to set a precedent on the issues of alleged infidelity or anti-fraternization; whether the Patriots are willing to endure daily scrutiny of Vrabel; the U.S. Department of Justice launching an investigation into whether the NFL has engaged in anticompetitive practices; the sports prediction market and why the prediction market feels like legal mess and a public health risk; why Kalshi is winning in court right now; how U.S. states can argue that prediction markets hurt the public; Donald Trump issuing an executive order that directs federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Education, to determine if colleges have become “unfit for federal grants and contracts” by engaging in “improper financial activities,” and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 616 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, we discuss the NBA and NHL viewership numbers for the regular season and playoffs and whether we think the leagues have interest momentum; the WNBA releasing its schedule and what it means to have this many national games; the Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini story and what might be next; whether the public can trust the information insiders provide; Mike Tomlin joining NBC and whether we think he will be good, and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 615 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Booger McFarland, a longtime ESPN and ABC NFL and college football analyst who will be part of ESPN NFL Draft coverage as a main set analyst. In this podcast, we discuss the ESPN/ABC Draft coverage; how Booger preps for the Draft; whether the future will consist of NFL Network and ESPN draft talent working together; why Booger would choose Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 1; what Booger sees on film with Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza; what six teams with multiple first-round picks means for the coverage; the depth at wide receiver; the lack of criticism on the coverage and how to look at that and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 614 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a media roundtable with Jimmy Traina, the host of the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina. In this podcast, we discuss NFL Draft coverage; whether there is truly a difference between the entities that broadcast the Draft; why no one criticizes Draft picks on air; why this is the golden age for play by play announcers; Mariners broadcaster Angie Mentink being insanely criticized for using AI; NBA regular season viewership; Jimmy's interview with Shams Charania; our thoughts on being underwhelmed by this year's WrestleMania lineup and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 613 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a media roundtable with Sports Business Journal media reporter Austin Karp, Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis and Josh Carpenter, golf writer and media reporter for Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, we discuss the upcoming NBA playoffs and the playoffs now airing on Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and ESPN/ABC; the big questions for the new media partners; our viewership expectations; how ESPN will handle Inside The NBA; CBS’s coverage of Rory McIlroy becoming the first back-to-back Masters champion since Tiger Woods in 2001-02; what McIlroy winning means for golf interest heading forward; a discussion of the Diana Russini-Mike Vrabel story; how that story is being processed by the sports public; where the NHL has viewership teams for the playoffs and more.You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 612 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Joe Buck, the voice of ESPN’s Monday Night Football. On Wednesday night Buck will call the Dodgers-Mets game alongside analysts Ron Darling and Orel Hershiser and reporter Buster Olney as part of ESPN’s exclusive, national presentation on Jackie Robinson Day. In this podcast Buck discusses how the assignment came about and prepping for it; asking to work with Darling and Hershiser; calling baseball again; being part of ESPN’s first Super Bowl at the end of this season; ESPN’s plans for that game; why he wants to work at ESPN for the rest of his career; his love of St. Louis Blues hockey; why we both want to hear Jim Nantz curse; praise for baseball broadcaster Jason Benetti and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 611 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Business Journal NFL writer Ben Fischer. In this podcast, Fischer discusses how far the NFL can push broadcasters on price; the latest on on the four-game mini-package and distributor for the Melbourne game; teams being able to sell local preseason game rights to streamers; game highlights being added on TikTok and Threads; how successful can a professional flag league be and where might it air;ESPN integrating the NFL Network into its business and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 610 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, we discuss the release Netflix MLB viewership and whether three million viewers was a good number; NCAA viewership expectations for both the men and women's tournament; ESPN expecting to change its No. 2 NFL game-calling team of Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick; Jason Kelce's increasing profile at ESPN; Fox getting a Christmas game and our long discussion on media coverage of Tiger Woods' arrest on a driving under the influence charge. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 609 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features four-time Gold Glove Award-winning outfielder Kevin Kiermaier who this month was announced by MLB Network as an on-air analyst appearing across its studio programming. In this podcast, Kiermaier discusses how and why he entered sports broadcasting; what he feels his on-air strengths will be; discussing defence on-air; the significant differences in playing in markets such as Tampa Bay, Toronto and L.A.; and Dodgers; his love of bow fishing; which current major leaguer would make for a good broadcaster; the toughest field to play at as a visiting player and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 608 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis, Sports Business Journal media writer Austin Karp and Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn. In this podcast we discuss Netflix's Opening Day broadcast between the Yankees and Giants and the criticism of that broadcast; what we think Netflix will do with MLB heading forward; NBC's MLB debut and how we saw it; SBJ's reporting NFL teams would be permitted to sell preseason game TV rights and original shows to streamers; the right to sell non-game productions, like coaches’ shows, to streamers; the WNBA and CBS Sports signing a new long-term media rights deal, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 607 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Canadian sportscaster Donnovan Bennett. In this podcast, we discuss the upcoming Blue Jays season; what we think of the offseason moves; what has to happen for the Blue Jays to return to the playoffs; the additions and subtractions from last year; the opening three weeks of the schedule, predictions, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 606 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jessie Katz, the Head of iHeart Women's Sports Division. Katz leads the iHeart Women's Sports slate across iHeartMedia’s broadcast, digital and podcast platforms. In this podcast, Katz discusses where the women's sports audio space is today; why the women's sports audio space has expanded massively in the last two years; her flagship shows including "Good Game with Sarah Spain"; "Flagrant and Funny" with with Jemele Hill and Cari Champion; and "Fudd Around And Find Out" with Azzi Fudd; what women's sports are underserved; how she decides on talent; where the space needs to be in two years; local sports podcasts for women's sports, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Here’s a First Look from our upcoming podcast with Jessie Katz, the Head of iHeart Women's Sports Division. The full podcast will be out on Wednesday. In this preview clip, Katz discusses why the women's sports audio space has expanded massively in the last two years. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 605 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, we discuss the remarkable Venezuela-United States World Baseball Classic viewership numbers -- the championship game averaged 10.78 million viewers across FOX and Fox Deportes; what the viewership numbers mean; how much of an Olympic carryover was this number; what outlet will get future tournaments; Barry Bonds officially joined Netflix; our initial thoughts on NCAA Tournament coverage, and more.

Episode 605 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Front Office Sports women's basketball writer Annie Constable; Doug Feinberg, the lead women's basketball writer for the AP; Jackie Powell, who works at The IX Sports covering the New York Liberty and the WNBA and hosts the IX Sports Podcast and Alexa Philippou, a women's basketball writer for ESPN. These four reporters were instrumental in providing first-hand reporting on the WNBA and WNBA Players Association agreement on the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement. In this podcast, the group discusses the reporting experience; what it was like to interview subjects at 3:30 a.m. ET; how to learn about sports labor agreements on the fly; evaluating the deal from both the players' and management sides; how frantic WNBA free agency will be in the next couple of weeks; the upcoming WNBA Draft; the salary cap jumping to $7 million (up from $1.5 million in 2025); the current owners of the WNBA; whether they would take Sarah Strong over Paige Bueckers if they were building a team and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 604 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Talia Goodman, a national women's college basketball and recruiting reporter for On3 and Rivals, and Sabreena Merchant, a women's basketball writer for The Athletic and one of the co-hosts of "No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show." In this podcast, Goodman and Merchant discuss women's basketball viewership and ESPN networks airing 20 women's college basketball  games that delivered more than 500,000 viewers; what people in the sport are talking about on the ground; where the two reporters are assigned during the women's tournament; why the winner this year will come from UConn, UCLA, Texas or South Carolina; why UConn has been so dominant; the most dangerous teams on the No. 2 seed line; whether UCLA deserved to be the No. 1 overall seed; whether we would take Sarah Strong over Paige Beckers in all-class Draft; who the Toronto Tempo should be focused on with their first-ever WNBA Draft pick; our temperature on the WNBA's collective bargaining and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 603 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features CBS Sports college basketball broadcasters Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas. This will be their 11th year calling the NCAA men's basketball Tournament together. The duo (along with Evan Washburn) will work the NCAA men's basketball tournament through the Regional Finals. In this podcast, Catalon and Lappas discuss why their partnership works; how they prepare for the NCAA tournament; getting theMarch Madness assignment an hour before the brackets come out; what it meant professionally to call No.16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson’s monumental upset over No.1 Purdue in 2023; the challenges of learning the lower-seeded teams; a quick look at Duke, Michigan, Arizona, Florida, and UConn; who the best player in college basketball is right now as it relates to potential pro success; Catalon's work on The Masters; Lappas's daughter, Kristen Lappas, who has become an accomplished documentarian; getting rest between calling March Madness games and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 602 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, we discuss the fantastic viewership numbers for the World Baseball Classic and how high they can get; whether Pat McAfee is now the face of ESPN; McAfee's success with NFL free agency programs; Tony Dungy is out at NBC; Matt Vasgersian, C.C. Sabathia, Hunter Pence and Lauren Shehadi working baseball for Netflix; The PGA Tour wanting to double the number of signature events and expand fields to 120 players; the PWHL making its U.S. national television debut later this month on ION and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 601 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Elsa Garrison, a Sport staff photographer for Getty Images based in New York and New Jersey. Garrison has been with Getty Images for nearly 30 years and is the photographer behind the viral photo of Jack Hughes following the U.S. gold medal win over Canada in men's hockey at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. In this podcast, Garrison discusses why her photo connected with so many people; how the photo has impacted her life; how she was able to procure the image; her current assignments including shooting many New York area teams, including the Knicks, Nets, Yankees, Mets, Liberty, Devils and Sirens; some of her other famous images such as a photo she took of Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade celebrating on the podium with Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles during a Medal Ceremony at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games; her career with Getty; the growth of women sport photographers during her career; her meeting with Hughes after taking the photo, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 600 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Kenzie Lalonde, the bureau reporter in Montreal for TSN (Canada) as well as one of the PWHL's lead broadcasters. Lalonde recently called the Olympic women's hockey gold medal game for the CBC. In this podcast, Lalonde discusses her recently concluded assignment as the lead play-by-play voice for the women's Olympic hockey tournament for CBC; the hockey setup in Milan; where the U.S. stands as a women's hockey program compared to the Canadians; calling PWHL games; where the PWHL is right now in its evolution; what she expects heading forward regarding job prospects for women who want to work in hockey media; her work as TSN’s bureau reporter in Montreal for three seasons, primarily responsible for covering the Canadiens and Alouettes; the Canadiens playoff prospects, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Here’s a First Look from our upcoming podcast with Kenzie Lalonde, the bureau reporter in Montreal for TSN (Canada) as well one of the PWHL's lead broadcasters. Lalonde recently called the Olympic women's hockey gold medal game for the CBC.  The full podcast will be out later this week. In this preview clip, Lalonde discusses why and how she believes the PWHL will benefit from the Milan-Cortina Olympics. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 599 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp. In this podcast we discuss Paramount chairman/CEO David Ellison telling CNBC that the company plans to continue its relationship with the National Football League and what the means; Jason Benetti joining NBC as lead play by play announcer for "Sunday Night Baseball;" CBS and TNT Sports announcing their joint NCAA men’s basketball tournament broadcast teams; TNT Sports picking up media rights to FIBA tournaments in the U.S.,; Tubi carrying alt-casts F-1 races and practice and qualifying sessions available to stream through Yahoo Sports; the Lakers-Warriors brutal rating on ABC; our thoughts on the World Baseball Classic; Austin's interview with CAA agents and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 598 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Julia Alexander, a media correspondent for Puck and one of the foremost streaming experts in the U.S. In this podcast, Alexander discusses her thoughts on Paramount Skydance ultimately getting WBD's properties; CBS Sports joining forces with WBD’s TNT Sport for a portfolio of NFL, MLB, the NHL, the Masters, NCAA hoops and football and Champions League and others; the NFL likely opting out of its 11-year, $110 billion-plus rights deals with CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and Amazon Prime Video and what that will mean; Netflix's sports ambitions following the exit on WBD; whether Netflix would be interested in the 2030 men's World Cup; her thoughts on hockey back in the zeitgeist and what that means for its media rights; the incoming media layoffs from the Paramount/WBD and the impact of media people fighting for no jobs in markets that don’t want to create new ones, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Here’s a First Look from our upcoming podcast with Julia Alexander, a media correspondent for Puck and one of the foremost streaming experts in the U.S. The full podcast will be out later this week. In this preview clip, Alexander discusses how Netflix might think about the rights to the 2030 World Cup both in the U.S. and globally. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 597 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Alexa Pritting, a supervising producer at NBC Sports and the editorial point person for the company's coverage of the Paralympic Games. Pritting also produces NBC’s figure skating broadcasts among other Olympic and Paralympic sports. In this podcast, Pritting discusses the overarching goal of NBCUniversal's Paralympic coverage; having a record eight hours of Winter Paralympics coverage on NBC this month; the sled hockey gold medal game on March 15, at 11:05 a.m. ET, with the U.S. potentially going for its fifth consecutive gold medal against Canada; how commentators are chosen for the Paralympic Winter Games; this year marking the 50th anniversary since the first Paralympic Winter Games; the upcoming LA 28 Paralympics; the biggest stories leading into the Winter Paralympics; working as a figure skating producer for both Ilia Malinin and Alysa Liu's massive Olympic moments; where producing Liu's free skate ranks for her as a producer, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 596 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Austin Karp, the lead media writer for Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, we discuss Paramount Skydance acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery and what that means for sports; the deal bringing CBS Sports and Turner Sports under one roof; what it means for certain sports such as the NFL; what the gold medal games mean for the NHL and the PWHL; the NHL thinking if it had a better slot for the men's U.S.–Canada gold medal it would have hit 35 million; the Athletic hiring several former Washington Post journalists to expand its coverage; Unrivaled’s viewership dropping off; NBC planning a revamp of its NFL pregame show; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 595 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features CBC Sports host Donnovan Bennett. In this podcast, we discuss our broad takeaways from the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics; how the Games looked on television; what this means for the L.A. Games in 2028; the politics of the moment and how that impacts Olympics heading forward; what the U.S. winning the men's gold medal hockey game means for the sport; what it means for the 2030 Olympic hockey tournament and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 594 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch, and Austin Karp, the sports media writer for Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, we discuss our broad takeaways from the Olympics; the viewership of the Games; what this means for the L.A. Games in 2028; the WNBA and NWSL becoming a key element of ESPN’s Sunday night sports strategy this summer for nine weeks of Sunday night WNBA and NWSL games under the banner “Women’s Sports Sundays; the NBA All Star Game and the Daytona viewership number and how we feel about NASCAR’s viewership future, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 593 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Max Gershberg and Jake Rogal, the co-directors of the new Netflix documentary, "Miracle: The Boys of ’80," which re-examines the 1980 United States men's hockey team that won a gold medal at the Lake Placid Games. In this podcast the filmmakers discuss why they thought they could do a unique documentary on a subject that had been previously covered many times; the process of getting the living players back to Lake Placid; the new footage that makes the documentary worth seeing; getting Herb Brooks' children to participate in the piece; filming in Lake Placid; getting Al Michaels for the film; how they will judge success and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 592 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and Ben Strauss, the longtime sports media writer and most recently of The Washington Post. In this podcast we discuss ESPN's all-year promotion for its upcoming Super Bowl in 2027; how the Disney cross-company collaboration will work; what kind of content across every platform throughout the year; how many alternate telecasts one can have a Super Bowl; the Super Bowl viewership; the NBA All Star Game as a media play; our thoughts on the Olympic coverage of NBC and its platforms; the end of The Washington Post and how Strauss feels about it; can another publication be a sports player in DC and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 591 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Kenan Kamwana Holley, an Emmy Award documentarian who directed "Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association," a four-part docu-series that will debut on Feb. 12 on Prime Video. In this podcast Holley discusses why the ABA was worth examining; how the project came to him, and the time from conception to completion; the revolutionary aspects of the league, from the 3-point shot to the All-Star Game slam dunk competition to player empowerment; how the ABA fit into the era of Vietnam protests, civil rights protests and women's liberation; procuring still images of ABA games and ABA footage; the genius of having a multicoloured basketball; the importance of Spencer Haywood and Rick Barry;  his interviews with Julius Erving and discovering ABA footage showing Dr. J at the height of his prime; learning stories about Moses Malone; beginning his filmmaking career at NFL Films and working under the tutelage of sports documentarian, Steve Sabol and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Here’s a First Look from our upcoming podcast with Kenan Kamwana Holley, an Emmy Award documentarian who directed "Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association," a four-part docu-series that will debut on Feb. 12 on Prime Video.  The full podcast will be out later this week. In this preview clip, Holley discusses his interviews with Julius Erving and discovering ABA footage showing Dr. J at the height of his prime. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 590 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Illustrated podcaster and media writer Jimmy Traina. In this episode, we discuss NBC’s coverage of the Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl; whether a blowout impacts how you process a game; why we find NBC’s pregame show unmemorable; the not-great viewership prospects for Seahawks-Patriots; Jimmy losing money on a bad beat; next year’s Super Bowl falling on Valentine’s Day and airing on  ABC and ESPN; why Jimmy does not watch the Olympics; Seth Rollins as an NFL analyst; Maria Taylor as an interview subject; Jimmy’s Reddit fandom, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 589 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn. In this episode, we discuss The Washington Post owner and publisher laying off or reassigning all the reporters and editors in its sports section days before the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics; this year's interest in the Super Bowl; NBC's approach to the Super Bowl; what we think the game will draw; whether the Milan-Cortina Games can continue the Olympic momentum from Paris; ESPN plans for its Super Bowl and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 588 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Molly Solomon, the Executive Producer & President, NBC Olympics & Paralympics Production and Amy Rosenfeld, the Senior Vice President, Olympics and Paralympics Production for NBC Sports. In this podcast (NOTE: This podcast was taped before Lindsay Vonn's injury and before the awful news about Savannah Guthrie's mother) Solomon and Rosenfeld discuss if they fundamentally see the Olympics as a sporting event versus entertainment programming; what the week is like for them before the Milan-Cortina Olympics; why they learned from Paris about what works in primetime as a show; the importance of Lindsay Vonn's comeback; the excitement over NHL players returning to the Games; the success of Gold Zone coverage; how Mike Tirico will be impacted by the Super Bowl; how they will approach the politics of the moment as it relates to sports; which sports will pop for viewers; breaking the glass ceiling as far as broadcasting Olympics executives; the debut of Ski mountaineering; the additions of celebrities such as as Snoop and Stanley Tucci, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. Episode 588 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Molly Solomon, the Executive Producer & President, NBC Olympics & Paralympics Production and Amy Rosenfeld, the Senior Vice President, Olympics and Paralympics Production for NBC Sports. In this podcast (NOTE: This podcast was taped before Lindsay Vonn's injury and before the awful news about Savannah Guthrie's mother) Solomon and Rosenfeld discuss if they fundamentally see the Olympics as a sporting event versus entertainment programming; what the week is like for them before the Milan-Cortina Olympics; why they learned from Paris about what works in primetime as a show; the importance of Lindsay Vonn's comeback; the excitement over NHL players returning to the Games; the success of Gold Zone coverage; how Mike Tirico will be impacted by the Super Bowl; how they will approach the politics of the moment as it relates to sports; which sports will pop for viewers; breaking the glass ceiling as far as broadcasting Olympics executives; the debut of Ski mountaineering; the additions of celebrities such as as Snoop and Stanley Tucci, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 587 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Chris Cuthbert, the lead play-by-play voice for Sportsnet's coverage of the NHL. Cuthbert and Mike Johnson will call the men’s Olympic hockey tournament for CBC. In this podcast Cuthbert discusses his preparation for calling the Olympic hockey tournament; how he navigates the game schedule; why having the NHL players back makes this tournament much different than anything else; learning about the non-Canada and U.S. rosters; the navigation of calling the Olympic hockey tournament while significant issues exist politically between Canada and the United States; calling games in the afternoon local time; calling Sidney Crosby’s “golden goal” for CTV from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games; the prospect of 20 million North American viewers watching a Canada-U.S. final; why he thinks someone other than Canada or the U.S. might win the tournament and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Here’s a First Look from our upcoming podcast with Chris Cuthbert,  the lead play-by-play voice for Sportsnet's coverage of the NHL and the CBC gamecaller for the men’s Olympic hockey tournament.  The full podcast will be out on Feb. 4. In this preview clip, Cuthbert discusses the navigation of calling the Olympic hockey tournament while significant issues exist politically between Canada and the United States. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 586 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Business Journal media writer Austin Karp and CBC Sports host Donnovan Bennett. In this podcast we discuss the reporting that the Washington Post may cut its sports section amid massive layoffs; the disbanding of The Washington Post; how there are no safe harbour jobs in sports journalism in 2026; the Super Bowl matchup and how it plays as a viewership game; Austin’s prediction that the Seahawks-Patriots will set a new viewership record; Caitlin Clark being hired by NBC’s NBA coverage; SBJ’s story on the NFL Monday Wild Card window and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 585 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Neil Best, who worked for Newsday for many decades covering sports media, the NFL and  other topics. He retired from journalism in December. In this podcast, Best discusses what covering sports media was like for him over the last two decades; how he approached the job as a writer whose market was the No. 1 media market in the U.S.; the endless power of the NFL; why sports-talk radio was such an important topic for him; his time covering the Giants for time; working for the Anchorage (Alaska) Times; whether the streamers will ultimately get all the NFL content; why Newsday was one of the only places that staffed a full-time sports media columnist at a major newspaper; the future of this subject matter as far as a beat, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 584 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and Boston Globe sports media writer Chad Finn. In this podcast we assess the NFL Championship Games from a media perspective; why the Broncos and Patriots might struggle with viewership; Tom. Brady's improvement as a broadcaster; how NBC would look at potential Super Bowl matchups; what NFL package the steamers might want; Bill Belichick as a full-time media person; why some broadcasters and reporters address NFL owners as Mr. and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 583 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Richie Zyontz, the lead producer for FOX's top NFL team featuring Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi, and Rich Russo, the lead director for that team. FOX will air the Rams at Seahawks at 6:30 PM ET on Sunday from Seattle. In this podcast, Zyontz and Russo discuss their schedule this week; why Lumum Field is so good for NFL production teams; how the FOX team sees Sean McVay and Mike Macdonald in production meetings; why Mike Tomlin is a good television prospect; how specifically Brady has improved as a broadcaster; their favourite moment of the year with Brady; if the broadcast has had to work around restrictions on Brady; whether Brady will stay for the duration of his broadcast contract; how the public does not see what Andrews and Rinaldi do behind the scenes and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Here’s a first look from our upcoming podcast with Richie Zyontz, the lead producer for Fox's top NFL team featuring Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi, and Rich Russo, the lead director for that team. The full podcast will be out on Jan. 23  In this preview clip, Zyontz and Russo discuss from their perspective why Brady has improved as a broadcaster in Year 2. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 582 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Matt Olson, a Sports Media Agent at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Olson represents Laura Rutledge, Elle Duncan, Dan Orlovsky, Pablo Torre, Jon Sciambi, Cassidy Hubbarth, Diana Russini, Bruce Feldman,and Adnan Virk among other clients. In this podcast, Olson discusses what he does for clients; how he creates relationships among the people who make hires; how an agent  navigates different clients; what happens when client is competing against another for the same job; how he decides if he will take on a client; the best mediums for clients right now; podcasters and influencers versus traditional on-air talent; the range of salaries in the space right now; what he makes of talent leaks; how he sees Rutledge's career arc; the differences of negotiating at a place such as The Athletic versus Fox or ESPN; Tim Legler getting the No. 1 NBA job at ESPN; Virk's career arc; Elle Duncan landing at Netflix; Pat McAfee's career arc; whether  Torre's setup can be duplicated, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 581 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Terry Gannon, NBC's lead Olympic figure skating and gymnastics caller as well as a play-by-play announcer and host for the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour. Since October 2025, Gannon has also served as a play-by-play voice for the NBA on NBC and Peacock. In this podcast Gannon discusses how the Opening Ceremony assignment for Milan Cortina came about; calling Olympic figure skating with Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir since the 2014 Olympics and why its worked; why this might be the greatest U.S. figure skating team ever; what a play by play broadcaster should possess when calling figure skating; why Snoop Dogg has popped at the Olympics; working an NBA broadcasting schedule; playing against Michael Jordan in college; winning a basketball championship at N.C. State under Jim Valvano, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 580 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and CBC Sports host Donnovan Bennett. In this podcast we go over all of the NFL Divisional games from a media perspective; whether the Bills-Broncos can overcome Saturday being a less-watched day than Sunday; the criticisms of Tony Romo; Tom Brady's improvement; if we think the college football national championship is a good viewership game; Al Michaels returning for another year; the press conference comments from Lynn Jones to Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen during a press conference; why that became a cause célèbre for some sports writers, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 579 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Media Watch editor and founder Jon Lewis and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp. In this podcast we go over all of the NFL Wild Card games from a media perspective; how Prime Video got such a great game with the Packers-Bears; why 30 millions viewers is the new floor for these games; ESPN landing Texans-Steelers; Tom Brady's role with the Raiders, Troy Aikman helping the Dolphins, and Matt Ryan potentially working with the Falcons and what that means for viewers; the inherent conflict that exists with the roles; Jason Benetti as a leading candidate for NBC's MLB upcoming package; how NBC should approach MLB hires; the college football playoff quarterfinals averaging 19.3 million viewers; whether we think Indiana, Oregon, Ole Miss and Miami are good television draws and more.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 578 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Courtney Thompson, an analyst for USA Network and a two-time U.S. Olympic volleyball player. Thompson will serve as the analyst for USA Network's League One Volleyball (LOVB) Game of the Week airing on Wednesdays nights from January through April. The first broadcast is Jan. 7 at 6:00 PM ET. In this podcast Thompson discusses how she approaches broadcasting volleyball; why her sport has seen growth over the last five years; why the league's six franchises -- Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Madison, Nebraska and Salt Lake City — were chosen and LOVB's plans to expand from six to nine teams beginning in 2027; the new money being invested in the sport; what makes for a good volleyball broadcast; balancing being an advocate with objectivity; the importance of the 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A. to help the product and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 577 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Patrick Antonetti, who has produced this podcast for many years. In this podcast, Antonetti discusses what his job is; how this podcast gets produced; the challenges and opportunities of doing a podcast that is interview-based; how to edit when a host has verbal tics; the different genres he has produced over the years; what makes a good guest for this podcast; why he loves SI's Jimmy Traina as a guest; his thoughts on his favourite team, the Mets, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 576 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Sports Business Journal media writer Austin Karp and Sports Media Watch founder and editor Jon Lewis. In this podcast, we offer our sports media predictions for 2026; why we think the World Cup will draw record numbers but not have a long-lasting impact on soccer in the United States; the short-term future of MLB on TV and streaming; viewership for the Milan-Cortina Olympics; what happens with Turner Sports properties; whether Pat McAfee's star and leverage grows or declines in 2026; if Netflix's sports podcast strategy be successful; does the WNBA season start on time; if Caitlin Clark can still be a viewership unicorn; the takeaway of the 2026 World Cup and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 575 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Miller, the President, Acquisitions & Partnership for NBC Sports. Miller previously served as President of Programming for NBC Sports and has been an executive at the company for multiple decades. In this podcast, Miller discusses what being the president of acquisitions and partnerships means for a major sports media content provider; why the bubble has yet to burst for Tier I sports rights; how he was responsible for bringing in Michael Jordan as a special contributor on NBC's NBA coverage; how long Jordan might do it; why cutting NBC's most recent deal with the IOC for $3 billion was worth it for Comcast NBCUniversal; the importance of Peacock for future Olympics; his  negotiations over the years with the Premier League; NBC's interest in a couple of Premier League games one day opening the season in the U.S.; if Miller is worried about the competition for the next round of Premier League rights; why he thinks women's volleyball has massive growth ahead and why rugby should be bigger in the U.S; advice for young people who want in the business and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Here’s a first look from our upcoming podcast with  Jon Miller, the President, Acquisitions & Partnerships for NBC Sports. The full podcast will be out on December 23.  In this preview clip, Miller discusses how he was able to bring in Michael Jordan as a special contributor on NBC's NBA coverage and his longtime relationship with Jordan. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 574 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jimmy Traina,  a writer for SI.com and the host of the SI Media with Jimmy Traina podcast. In this podcast we discuss Joe Buck and Troy Aikman establishing themselves as the best NFL broadcast team; Ian Eagle and JJ Watt's development, The Athletic's end of the year media awards; the Oscars moving to YouTube; Paul Finebaum revealing the game on politics; John Cena's goodbye; why Jimmy is so down on sports media and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Here’s a short look from our upcoming podcast with Jimmy Traina, a writer for Sports Illustrated and the host of "SI Media with Jimmy Traina." In the podcast clip, Traina discusses how ESPN's Joe Buck no longer faces the same kind of online vitriol he once did and how he and Troy Aikman are the best broadcast in the NFL. The full interview will be out Dec. 20. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 573 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch featuresHarvey Araton, who worked for 25 years as a columnist and enterprise reporter at the New York Times and is the author of a new novel for middle-grade readers, "The Goal of the Game.” In this podcast Araton discusses why he wanted to write a novel about a seventh grade soccer player; how you get into the voice of a seventh grader; the challenge of writing a book for kids; how to get such a book sold; how promoting a kids book is different than a book for adults; whether the general sports columnist is extinct; how he viewed the NYT disbanding the sports desk; why the Knicks have become a likeable franchise and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 572 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Rick Cordella, the president of NBC Sports. In this podcast Cordella discusses his company’s remarkable upcoming set of events in February 2026, including the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games, the Super Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game; what it means business-wise to have all of these properties in such a relative short period; what the events should mean for Peacock subs; the process of how Rebecca Lowe ended up with her studio assignment for Fox Sports during the World Cup; NBCU’s three year rights deal with MLB and what Sunday Night Baseball on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN should look like; why NBC wants to be in the MLB business; the NBA's strong viewership to start the season; the usage of Michael Jordan heading forward; his thoughts on Notre Dame not making the CFB playoffs and Notre Dame's response to that; NBC having the rights to Super Bowl 64 in 2030; Puck’s report that NBC plans to sell Amazon the rights to next year’s Big Ten Championship game, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.