The Sports Media Podcast

ESPN faces a major retirement wave as longtime production leaders prepare to depart. Troy Aikman’s next move, Greg Olsen’s likely promotion, and the uncertain announcer carousel take center stage. The discussion also covers Monday night NFL scheduling, TGL’s future, strong World Series advertising, a Thursday afternoon WNBA Finals game, Jay-Z’s Super Bowl halftime selection, and standout weekend ratings.

Matt Fortuna, Sports Business Journal’s college sports reporter, explores a possible 24-team College Football Playoff, roster spending, campus games, and ESPN’s bowl strategy. Joe Davis, Fox Sports’ lead MLB voice, previews a historic World Series, baseball’s rising stars, a potential shorter season, and the urgency of avoiding a labor stoppage. Netflix’s next sports move and the NBA’s presentation also get a look.

Sports media veterans Ed Desser, a former NBA rights executive, and John Kosner, a digital media strategist and analyst, join the conversation. Topics include Netflix’s World Cup streaming experiment in Spain, the bidding battle around a possible 24-team College Football Playoff, and the WNBA Finals’ challenging TV window. They also explore streaming’s rise, Apple’s cautious strategy, the widening gap between elite sports properties, and the future of personalized viewing.

This week on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast, co-hosts Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter look at what’s next for sports within Skydance as David Berson takes control. Plus, the duo look at the Fox Sports-Barstool relationship after Dave Portnoy’s “Big Noon Kickoff” exit and how Disney+ landed a Super Bowl simulcast. And with Religion of Sports having its first theatrical release around “Portrait of an Artist: Steph Curry,” the film’s director (and Religion of Sports founder) Gotham Chopra talks about the film and the broader sports doc landscape. Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tony Romo is officially out at CBS. In this emergency pod, co-hosts Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter dive into the decision and what could be next for Romo and the lead CBS NFL booth. Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Diving into Kirk Herbstreit's extension with Amazon Prime Video and what it means for other lead analysts; the NFL has a big weekend in Brazil, and puck drops on the NHL season. Also, UTA's Ryan Hayden and Jerry Silbowitz join the show.   Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast, co-hosts Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter look at what’s next for TNT Sports and CBS Sports after a settlement allows the Paramount Skydance-WBD merger to go through. Plus, the duo look at this weekend’s Presidents Cup, a rash of NFL QB injuries impacting team appeal and MLB regular-season viewership. And with a new book hitting shelves this week, Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein joins the pod to discuss why he decided to pen a book on sports team ownership. Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast, co-hosts Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter discuss the ramifications around Joe Buck's new ESPN deal, as well as the network's decision to get political on "College GameDay" last week. Finally, NASCAR COO Ben Kennedy joins the show to dig in on the property's future media deals and playoff format.  Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast, Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter get heavy into football with the start of the NFL season and the CFP inching closer to a 24-team format. The duo also dishes on a Ben Shelton-Frances Tiafoe showdown at the U.S. Open semifinals, two Taylors shining during the Michigan game and the PWHL’s latest deal. And amid the start to the NFL season, Falcons President & CEO Greg Beadles joins the pod to discuss the latest from his perch down in Atlanta. Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast, Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter break down the latest around Tony Romo, a new media deal in the golf space, and look back at Week 0 in college football. Also, CBS analyst Charles Davis joins the pod to break down his return to college football and how being the voice of Madden NFL has given him street cred. Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.