Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis, founder of Sports Media Watch, and Austin Karp, media reporter for Sports Business Journal, dive into the recent surge in MLB's national viewership and the divergent performances of local markets. They explore the evolving definition of celebrity in sports, discuss the implications of viewer age trends as MLB closes the gap with the NFL, and assess NBC's strategy for the Olympics with celebrity involvement. Other topics include Paul Finebaum's potential Senate run and the complexities of streaming subscriptions in sports.

Austin Karp, a sports media reporter for Sports Business Journal, and Jon Lewis, founder of Sports Media Watch, dive into Major League Baseball's new three-year media rights deals with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Netflix. They explore the implications of NBC's return to MLB coverage after 26 years and how Netflix plans to elevate events like the Home Run Derby. The duo analyzes ESPN's acquisition of MLB.TV rights and the potential future of the World Series amid evolving broadcast strategies and fan engagement.

Jon Lewis, founder of Sports Media Watch, and Austin Karp, lead media reporter for Sports Business Journal, dive into the NFL Wild Card games from a media perspective. They discuss Prime Video's success with the Packers-Bears matchup, predicting viewership dynamics for various games. The trio explores the influence of prominent figures like Tom Brady and Troy Aikman taking on team roles while advising in media. They also analyze the ratings potential of college football playoff games, shedding light on emerging storylines and their impact on audience engagement.