The Sports Media Podcast

Ben Portnoy, a college sports writer for SBJ, shares insights on the shifting dynamics of college football viewership and the legacy of Lee Corso as he prepares to retire from "College GameDay." Brad Schwartz, President of The CW, discusses the network's rapid transformation into a live sports contender with significant partnerships in NASCAR and college football. They explore the evolving media rights landscape and the strategic moves that will shape the future of sports broadcasting and audience measurement.

On the pod this week, host Austin Karp chats with Chapman and Maclain Way, directors of the new Netflix docuseries “America’s Team: The Gambler and his Cowboys” about how they put the project together and the character that is Jerry Jones. Karp is also joined by SBJ golf reporter Josh Carpenter to discuss a big week in the sport and how the star power of Scottie Scheffler is growing beyond hardcore golf fans. Finally, TNT Sports studio host Adam Lefkoe dishes on the addition of Big 12 football, his foray into tennis at Roland Garros earlier this year and the release that he gets from hosting “The Big Podcast with Shaq.” Be sure to like and subscribe wherever podcasts are available.

On the pod this week, host Austin Karp chats with SBJ combat sports reporter Adam Stern about the massive Paramount-TKO Group deal for UFC. Karp is then joined by Keith Cossrow of NFL Films about the many projects his group is leading. Finally, we whip around the sports media landscape to talk ESPN and Fox partnering up around DTC, big viewership for the Little League Softball World Series and much more. 1:12 Paramount-UFC Deal10:03 Keith Cossrow Interview29:24 Quick Hitters

On the pod this week, host Austin Karp breaks down a number of deals struck between the NFL and ESPN. And with the season fast approaching, Karp is joined by NBC’s Devin McCourty, CBS’ Jason McCourty and Fox’s Greg Olsen to look at what’s in store for 2025. 1:13 ESPN-NFL DEAL5:18 THE McCOURTY BROTHERS INTERVIEW25:40 GREG OLSEN INTERVIEW29:58 QUICK HITTERS

On the pod this week, co-hosts Austin Karp and Mollie Cahillane break down the latest in sports media, including NBCUniversal potentially launching a new cable sports channel. Also, The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch joins the show to break down the future of NFL Media, including what may happen in the wake of the Paramount/Skydance merger. The trio also examines what a 16-team CFP could look like from a media perspective. Finally, an examination of the media future of both the NBA and MLB. 1:11 NBCU CABLE SPORTS CHANNEL4:43 NFL MEDIA24:52 COLLEGE FOOTBALL33:22 QUICK HITTERS 

Anmol Malhotra, Global Head of Sports Partnerships at Snap, discusses how the platform is revolutionizing fan engagement through innovative content and augmented reality. Joe Hand Jr., President of Joe Hand Promotions, shares insights on the evolving pay-per-view landscape and its impact on live sports. Rachel Axon breaks down the WNBA All-Star weekend, highlighting the league's cultural significance and the push for fairer player contracts. The conversation also touches on the collaboration between Barstool Sports and Fox Sports, and the challenges networks face in attracting younger audiences.

Adam Stern, a motorsports maven for SBJ, and John Lasker, ESPN's Senior VP for Direct-to-Consumer, dive into the transformative $150 million annual deal between F1 and Apple. They discuss its potential ramifications for traditional sports broadcasting, particularly ESPN and UFC. The duo also explores ESPN's innovative streaming strategies and the latest highlights from the MLB All-Star Game, such as the reception of the new 'Swing Off' event. Expect insights on evolving viewer trends and what the future holds for sports media.

On the pod this week, Austin Karp and Mollie Cahillane take a look back 15 years to “The Decision” and LeBron James taking his talents to South Beach.  They then take a deep dive into Apple’s pole position to land F1 media rights. With MLB All-Star festivities around the corner, the duo also chats with Joe Davis of Fox Sports about what he is looking forward to in Atlanta and why Shohei Ohtani is a man ahead of his time. Finally, MLB Network’s Robert Flores joins the show to talk about the state of the league ahead and why the league-owned network continues to have success.

This week on the Sports Media Podcast, Mollie Cahillane and Austin Karp explain why conversations between ESPN and MLB are what many expected and what those talks could yield. The duo also takes a deep dive into the results for both the NBA and NHL drafts, and whether the  “F1” movie can help draw fans to live races and bolster fortunes for a media rights pact. Finally, Cahillane and Karp are joined by TelevisaUnivision’s Olek Loewenstein to examine the Spanish-language network’s approach to concurrent international soccer competitions. 1:19 MLB ESPN3:56 NBA8:19 DRAFTS10:39 F1 MOVIE14:38 QUICK HITTERS18:08 OLEK LOEWENSTEIN INTERVIEW

This week on the Sports Media Podcast, Mollie Cahillane and Austin Karp dive into the significance of NBA Finals Game 7 and whether a potential a run by Oklahoma City would be good for the NBA’s media fortunes. SBJ’s Ben Portnoy also joins for a deep dive into the Pac-12/CBS media rights agreement and where the league sits in the pantheon of college athletics. Finally, the duo breaks down ESPN’s equity stake in the Premier Lacrosse League and what that means for both sides. 0:31 NBA6:01 PLL8:18 QUICK HITTERS12:09 PAC-12 CBS MEDIA DEAL