The Sports Media Podcast

Andrew Marchand and John Ourand go into full details about Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit agreeing to big money deals to call Thursday Night Football with Amazon. Marchand says the key to the whole thing will not even be in the booth. Ourand gives the full details on what ESPN traded to Fox Sports for the rights to Joe Buck, ESPN's new Monday Night Football play-by-player. Marchand and Ourand discuss Troy Aikman's recent comments to Sports Illustrated about his departure from Fox to ESPN. Marchand and Ourand pay tribute to John Clayton.The Calls of the Week rank the calls from Reggie Miller, Jim Nantz, Ian Eagle, Andrew Catalon and Spero Dedes. Plus, the regular feature of "Who's up & Who's down." See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On this week’s pod, Andrew Marchand and John Ourand go into deep detail on what Joe Buck’s $75 million contract and Troy Aikman’s $90 million deal mean for Monday Night Football, ESPN and Fox. They also go around the NFL, analyzing how Fox plans to replace Buck on the Super Bowl and World Series, as well as its approach with Aikman’s spot. Plus, Al Michaels to Amazon is at the half-yard line with a lot of money on the line. And NBC Sports’ role in all of the movement Plus, Apple and Peacock’s future with their new MLB TV deals.Plus, pod staples, “Who’s up, Who’s down” and the “Call of the Week.” The Big Get” is Bomani Jones, off the debut of his new HBO program, “Game Theory.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrew Marchand and John Ourand go deep on Apple’s deal to carry an MLB doubleheader every Friday night and talk about what that deal means for other leagues and rival media companies. The NFL’s announcer moves was another big topic this week, as the duo looked into each network’s strategy in terms of signing talent. Marchand and Ourand dive into viewer complaints about ESPN’s performance for Coach K’s last home game at Duke and break down the streaming deal between Sinclair and the NBA. Podcast shoutouts go to Peter King, Jason Gay, Burke Magnus, Noah Garden, Michael Rubin and Jason Bennetti. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrew Marchand and John Ourand break down Troy Aikman's move from Fox to ESPN for a record-setting five-year, $90-plus million. They look at Joe Buck, Fox and ESPN's decisons. What the next moves could have Al Michaels and Amazon. Plus, Amazon's interest in Kirk Herbstreit and their willingness to approach $100M for Sean McVay. They also go into MLB's pending deals with Apple and NBC when games resume. Plus, Sunday Ticket, Turner/US Soccer and a proper sendoff for Post MLB columnist Ken Davidoff.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marchand and Ourand dissect Adam Silver’s comments about limiting locker room access for reporters. They also look into what’s next for the Olympics, which is coming off a disastrous two-year run in Japan and China. Marchand and Ourand discuss NFL media free agents this off-season and talk about NFL schedule changes that are likely to be implemented next season. Other topics include media prospects for the planned Saudi golf league and TV free agents in college football. Special mentions go to Holly Rowe, Phil Mickelson, Mike Tirico, Sean McVay, Ed Orgeron, Dan Mullen, Andrew Catalon, Craig Silver and Suzanne Smith. NASCAR President Steve Phelps joins as “The Big Get” and talks about an exciting Daytona 500, NASCAR’s upcoming media rights negotiations, whether ESPN covers his sport enough and his favorite NASCAR announcer when he was growing up in Vermont. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marchand and Ourand go deep into what is next for Al Michaels, Sean McVay and Troy Aikman as they break down what could be a busy NFL TV offseason. The duo reviews NBC's Super Bowl coverage, doling out grades for the pregame and the game broadcast, identifying what went right and what went wrong. They go into the industry moves with Amazon's shift at the top and Turner Sports trying another "Manningcast" for the All-Star game. The two pick who was up and was down for the week and have their "Call of the Week." See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Super Bowl broadcaster Al Michaels joins the podcast this week to discuss his future role given that his NBC contract ends after the Super Bowl and he is being pursued by both Amazon and ESPN. Michaels also discusses his preparation for the Super Bowl and delivers his best Howard Cosell story. Marchand and Ourand preview the Super Bowl and discuss the disappointing TV ratings coming from the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The duo dives deep on executive moves, from ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro’s new contract to Jeff Zucker’s sudden resignation from CNN and Turner Sports. They also talk about a financial analyst’s suggestion that Netflix start investing in live sports and the Cubs intention to launch a streaming service. Other notable mentions go to ESPN’s Mina Kimes, Turner’s Lenny Daniels, NBC’s Dan Masonson, Mike Tirico and Savannah Guthrie. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tom Brady’s media future is the first topic on this week’s podcast, as Marchand and Ourand discuss how Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington broke the news of the quarterback’s retirement. The duo also discuss Tony Romo’s head-scratching analysis at the end of the AFC Championship game, the likelihood of Apple bidding on NFL Sunday Ticket, DraftKing’s move into producing sports content and the upcoming Olympics. Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, Jim Nantz and Nielsen CEO David Kenny get referenced in this week’s pod. Hockey Hall of Famer and ESPN NHL analyst Mark Messier joins as “The Big Get,” and talks about why he shaved his head in the early 1990s and whether ESPN’s hockey analysts would beat Turner’s group of analysts. Messier also talks about his relationships with the media – both in Canada and the United States – during his playing career. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marchand and Ourand discuss the news that ESPN may pursue Al Michaels for Monday Night Football, even as he is way down the negotiation road with Amazon's Thursday Night Football. Michaels is slated to call the Super Bowl for NBC in less than three weeks and then the NFL TV Hot Stove will heat up. Troy Aikman and Sean Payton are possibly on the move. Sean McVay, who may stay as the Rams' coach, is a name that is high on TV executives' list. The guys get into how Netflix's earnings call could impact Disney's plans for ESPN. Plus, they talk about the Australian Open, the USFL and Marchand's Baseball Hall of Fame vote. The Calls of the Week ranks all the final calls from last second NFL playoff games. The "Who's and Who's Down" Awards have a football feel, as well. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Marchand and Ourand dissect Drew Brees’ underwhelming performance as NBC’s game analyst on the Raiders-Bengals game. The two also speculate on the future of the “Monday Night Football” booth after Steve Levy, Brian Griese and Louis Riddick called their final game of the season. Other topics include: will conference commissioners expand the College Football Playoff; what’s does ESPN’s deal with Pete Thamel mean for Adam Shefter and Adrian Wojnarowski; what’s the latest on rumors that Disney is looking to spin off ESPN; and what’s the takeaway from Microsoft’s purchase of Activision. Marchand and Ourand discuss feedback they received on their Mount Rushmore of NFL Media, while giving their weekly assessments of “Who’s Up” and “Who’s Down,” plus their “Calls of the Week.” Sean McManus, Burke Magnus, Bobby Kotick, Tony Romo and Tim Brando are in the mix. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.