The Sports Media Podcast Thanksgiving brings bountiful NFL numbers: Will Messi fans flock to Fox?: and the latest on the out-of-home sports TV distribution business.
Dec 4, 2025
Josh Carpenter, SBJ media and golf reporter, discusses NFL's record-setting Thanksgiving viewership and Netflix's strategic signing of Elle Duncan. Neema Ghazi, executive at Joe Hand Promotions, sheds light on the evolving landscape of out-of-home sports TV distribution. The duo dives into the implications of MLS's Messi effect on viewership, the stakes in college football conference championships, and how streaming is reshaping commercial distribution for bars and restaurants. A lively chat on the nexus of sports media and audience engagement!
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Thanksgiving Fueled NFL Record Ratings
- Thanksgiving drove record NFL regular-season viewership largely due to out-of-home measurement gains.
- Nielsen's 100% out-of-home coverage pushed totals higher than big-data increases alone.
College Hoops Benefited From NFL Windows
- Networks placed college basketball around NFL Thanksgiving windows and scored unusually large audiences.
- Duke-Arkansas was the best regular-season college basketball audience since 1993.
Championship Stakes Drive Viewer Interest
- The college conference championship slate has uneven stakes that affect viewership interest.
- Games with playoff implications (e.g., ACC) matter more than repeat marquee matchups (e.g., Georgia-Alabama).