

The Sports Media Podcast
Sports Business Journal
The hottest headlines, network deals, ratings, trends and everything else you need to know inside sports media.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 5, 2023 • 39min
Episode 81: Jim Nantz and the explosion of women’s sports
In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:In the aftermath of the LSU and UConn college basketball championships, hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand dive into the health of both sports as media properties. The two look at the storylines that helped the popularity of the NCAA Women’s College Basketball Tournament and discuss the social media controversy surrounding Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark - the two most popular players in the championship game. Marchand and Ourand bring up Jim Nantz’s final call as play-by-play announcer for the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament and review the tournament’s studio show. Other topics for the pod include a preview of this weekend’s Masters golf tournament and a review of Endeavor’s deal to buy WWE. As always the hosts provide their picks for Who’s Up and Who’s Down for the week and go back to the women’s tournament for their Call of the Week..For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Mar 29, 2023 • 1h 10min
Episode 80: WWE chief Nick Khan is the Big Get
In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:WWE CEO Nick Khan joins the podcast days before Wrestlemania and talks about the tumultuous past 12 months when Vince McMahon left the company amid reports of sexual misconduct only to return after six months. Khan addresses the company’s plan to sell its media rights, Wrestlemania’s role in kicking off those talks, Pat McAfee’s role with the company and Roman Reigns Hollywood future. Khan also offers his outlook on the sports media business, including the market for streaming services. He outlines the situation faced by the Pac-12 and NBA as they prepare to go to market with their media rights. Khan also talks about PGA Tour’s strategy against LIV Golf and ESPN’s strategy when it comes to streaming. The most influential talent agent before he joined WWE, Khan discusses the salary structure for sports media’s biggest stars and his role in changing the on-air salary structure at ESPN. Marchand and Ourand preview MLB Season and NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four and discuss Twitter’s future role in sports media. The co-hosts begin the pod as they always do – presenting their picks for Who’s Up and Who’s Down in sports media for the week.For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Mar 22, 2023 • 58min
Episode 79: ESPN layoffs and The Big Get Rebecca Lobo
In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:As ESPN employees gird for another round of layoffs that’s about to hit the company, podcast hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand look into what to expect and decisions Disney executives have made to get to this point. Sticking with ESPN, the hosts also talk about Troy Aikman’s role in the changes in the “Monday Night Football” production truck, where Derek Mobley and Steve Ackels will replace Jimmy Platt and Phil Dean as director and producer. Other topics have Marchand and Ourand dissecting Pat McAfee’s choices as he decides where to take his career; predicting who will replace Ian Eagle on the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 and Elite Eight telecasts; and offer a tribute to Greg Gumbel, who is stepping away from play-by-play duties on the NFL next year while remaining a studio host for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The future of the Pac-12 media rights are another topic Marchand and Ourand discuss on this week’s pod. SBJ’s Austin Karp joins the pod for another installment of Karp’s Korner where he discusses the TV viewership performance of the NCAA Tournament and LIV Golf. As always, the two offer their picks for who in sports media is up and who’s down for the week, and they roll out a Call of the Week.For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Mar 15, 2023 • 43min
Episode 78: Jim Nantz’s last dance and more RSN Armageddon
In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:Jim Nantz’s final NCAA Tournament as lead announcer is the lead topic on this week’s podcast with Andrew Marchand and John Ourand also discuss Jay Wright’s first March Madness as a full-time announcer. Bob Iger said it was “inevitable” that ESPN would be offered as a direct-to-consumer service at some point, prompting Marchand and Ourand to continue their long-running debate on when that would be and how much it would cost. This is the week that Diamond Sports Group, which owns the Bally Sports regional sports networks, is expected to file for bankruptcy protection. The hosts talk about what that development means for fans. Other topics include changes inside ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” production truck and the trend of NFL hosts that publicize questionable information. Marchand and Ourand also answer questions from their mailbag on the pricing of the MLS Season Pass package and how to tell when announcers are past their prime.For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Mar 8, 2023 • 45min
Episode 77: The future of ESPN and The Big Get Doris Burke
In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:In the wake of ESPN’s executive reorg, pod hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand look into the future of ESPN, including a discussion of when ESPN will make its main channel available to cord cutters via streaming. The hosts also dissect MLB’s move to create a local media department and talk about what that means for the RSN business. ESPN’s NBA analyst Doris Burke joins this week as The Big Get and discusses how she got into the announcing business, her big break and the announcers she listened to growing up. Burke talks in depth about her reactions to the time when the rapper Drake wore a Doris Burke shirt courtside at an NBA game in 2016.For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Mar 1, 2023 • 35min
Episode 76: RSN Armageddon – what does it mean for the future of sports
In this week’s Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast sponsored by WSC Sports:Diamond Sports, which operates 19 regional sports networks, is headed into bankruptcy. Warner Bros. Discovery told teams that it is weeks away from shutting down its three AT&T SportsNet RSNs for good. Hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand discuss how the failing financial fortunes at the regional sports networks will affect how fans watch the games. Marchand and Ourand also provide updates on the Pac-12 media rights situation and review Apple’s first weekend with MLS games. They also talk about the TV future of Charles Barkley and Frank Thomas. As always, the duo provide their picks for who in sports media is up – and who in sports media is down – for the week.For more information about WSC Sports http://bitly.ws/AUVk

Feb 22, 2023 • 55min
Episode 75: Apple, the Pac-12 and the future of media rights
The Pac-12’s on-again and off-again negotiations for its next round of media rights take center stage on this week’s podcast, as hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand discuss which media companies are interested in doing a deal and which ones aren’t. Marchand reported that Apple has emerged as a potential landing spot for the Pac-12, leading the hosts to dissect Apple’s sports media strategy. Other topics on this week’s pod include the NBA’s All-Star Game performance, MLB rule changes and the first weekend of the XFL. Marchand and Ourand talk about the TV production innovations they like most from the XFL and the USFL, which starts its second season in April. This episode has a Mailbag segment where the hosts answer questions from email and Twitter. Marchand and Ourand offer a tribute to longtime MLB broadcast Tim McCarver, who died Feb. 16.

Feb 15, 2023 • 49min
Episode 74: Super Bowl Review and the future of NBA and Pac-12 rights
Podcast hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand review Fox’s Super Bowl production, analyzing everything from the Kevin Burkhardt-Greg Olsen booth to the network’s multi-hour pregame show. The two also look back on the biggest stories of the season that just completed, from Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” debut to YouTube’s “Sunday Ticket” deal. Tony Romo’s future in the CBS booth also gets the hosts’ focus.Marchand and Ourand also handicap the NBA’s and the Pac-12’s rights negotiations. They outline what RSN viewers should expect in the next 30 days as Diamond Sports Group careens toward bankruptcy. Fox Sports’ announcement that Derek Jeter will join its baseball crew also becomes a topic. The duo end the podcast with a tribute to Barry Sacks, who died this week. Sacks spent 33 years as a producer at ESPN before leaving in 2016.

Feb 10, 2023 • 37min
Episode 73: Bonus Pod with top NFL exec Brian Rolapp as The Big Get
The NFL’s chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp joins the podcast just three days before the Super Bowl to discuss the league’s media strategy including its blockbuster Sunday Ticket deal with Google YouTube. Rolapp outlines how the deal came about and discusses how the Sunday Ticket package may change after spending nearly 30 years on DirecTV. Rolapp also answers questions about the NFL’s push to find a company to partner on the NFL’s media properties, including NFL Network, RedZone Channel and NFL.com. Rolapp discusses changes viewers will notice in the new television packages that kick-in next season, specifically flex scheduling for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” and, potentially, for Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football.” Marchand and Ourand ask Rolapp about his thoughts on the Pro Bowl weekend in Las Vegas, the future of NFL+ and the likelihood of having the league exercise an opt out in its broadcast deals seven years from now. Other questions hit on the diversity of NFL Media’s staff and the NFL’s position on gambling. As usual, Marchand and Ourand open the pod with their picks for Who’s Up and Who’s Down for the week in sports media.

Feb 8, 2023 • 38min
Episode 72: Fox Sports head Eric Shanks is The Big Get
Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks joins the podcast on the eve of producing a Super Bowl to discuss some of the biggest sports media topics in the business with hosts Andrew Marchand and John Ourand. Shanks discusses his plans for the Super Bowl, from where he will sit to what the viewership will look like. Shanks answers questions about the free agent frenzy among broadcasters, from Troy Aikman and Joe Buck’s decision to leave Fox for ESPN to his decision to elevate Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen to the network’s top NFL booth. Shanks also discloses his role in hiring Tom Brady and what to expect when Brady joins the booth for the 2024 season. Shanks also tackles some of the biggest sports media topics, from Fox’s decision to not invest as much as other media companies on a standalone streaming service to its decision to get out of the regional sports network business. Shanks talks about potential rights deals with the College Football Playoff and Pac-12 conference, as well as Fox’s role in selling Big Ten rights to CBS and NBC. As usual, Marchand and Ourand open the pod with their picks for Who’s Up and Who’s Down for the week in sports media.