• March Madness ratings, Kim Mulkey, NFL on Christmas and sports betting scandals

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss viewership for both the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments, including Caitlin Clark and Iowa's record-setting numbers, and how the chalky setup for both tournaments can lead to strong viewership here on out. The crew also discusses the impending Washington Post story on Kim Mulkey and a potential Iowa-LSU rematch in the Elite 8. Jon and Drew then shift to the NFL's announcement that they will play two games on Christmas Day this upcoming season, before closing out the show with a discussion on gambling in the context of the Shohei Ohtani and Jontay Porter stories.



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    39m | Mar 27, 2024
  • NCAA men's and women's hoops comparisons, CFP media rights deal and more

    On today's episode Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss Selection Sunday viewership and the countless comparisons between the men's and women's tournaments in the media. The crew also talks about the new College Football Playoff rights deal and the return of the national title game to ABC.



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    34m | Mar 20, 2024
  • More Caitlin Clark ratings, NCAA Tournament announcers, NBA TV deal and more

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss a potpourri of sports media topics, starting with the huge viewership that women's college basketball had last week, and whether the sport can sustain that strength post-Caitlin Clark. Then, the crew hits on a few storylines in men's college basketball including Greg Gumbel's absence from the CBS studio this year, Ian Eagle taking over the top play-by-play spot, and Bill Walton missing time due to health issues. Jon and Drew end with some quick hitters including the NBA's exclusive negotiating window opening up, reports that NBC looks likely to pick up a package, WBD turning TruTV into a sports channel, and FOX announcing a Friday night college football package.



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    44m | Mar 14, 2024
  • Caitlin Clark ratings and the future of WCBB and WNBA; plus, passing of Chris Mortensen

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner dive into the impact Caitlin Clark is having on women's basketball. The crew covers the recent viewership records that Clark has helped set, whether a deep run by Iowa in the tournament could threaten to post bigger viewership numbers than the men's tournament, what Clark's viewership impact will be for the WNBA, and if she has earned a spot on the USA Olympic team. Jon and Drew close the show with a brief discussion on the legacy of Chris Mortensen.



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    41m | Mar 6, 2024
  • State of the NBA: Ratings, rights deals and media coverage

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner take a look at all things NBA, starting with whether the league suffers from its "activist" label stemming from the 2020 season. Then, the crew previews the exclusive negotiating window that starts next month between the league and its incumbent media partners ESPN and TNT. Jon and Drew close out the show talking about how NBA media coverage contributes to the negative perception of the league writ large.



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    47m | Feb 29, 2024
  • NBA All-Star Weekend recap, CFP future, Kansas City shooting coverage, Daytona 500

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner start off by discussing NBA All-Star Weekend, which Sports Media Watch was on-site to cover. The crew talks about viewership, if the format can be changed for the better, and the NBA Tech Summit. Then, Jon and Drew discuss the ongoing uncertainty amidst the College Football Playoff, if ESPN would ever actually pull the agreement, and whether the ESPN-FOX-WBD joint entity could entice a bid from NBC or CBS. The show closes with a discussion on ESPN and FS1's breaking news coverage during the Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting last week.



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    55m | Feb 22, 2024
  • Super Bowl ratings, Romo, CFP rights deal, Redick's promotion and more

    On the latest edition of the Sports Media Watch podcast, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the Super Bowl ratings, Tony Romo's performance on the "Big Game," the new College Football Playoff extension with ESPN, JJ Redick's promotion to the NBA Finals broadcast team and more.



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    52m | Feb 15, 2024
  • ESPN-Fox-WBD joint venture, Super Bowl, NFL in Brazil, and Spongebob's Bill Fagerbakke

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner are joined by the voice of Patrick Star, Bill Fagerbakke, to discuss his role in the upcoming Nickelodeon Super Bowl broadcast. To start the show, Jon and Drew talk about the joint sports streaming venture announced by Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros Discovery. The crew also previews Sunday's Super Bowl and discusses the NFL's announcement of a Friday game from Brazil during Week One of next season.



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    1h 12m | Feb 8, 2024
  • NFL playoff ratings, Super Bowl preview, futures of Romo, Olsen and Doris Burke

    On the 50th episode of the Sports Media Watch Podcast, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner break down viewership for the Championship Weekend games, how the Swift-NFL discourse has reached its inevitable conclusion, Tony Romo's AFC Championship Game performance, and Greg Olsen's future in the top Fox booth. Then the crew closes the show with more top broadcaster drama, speculating about reports that ESPN may add JJ Redick to its NBA Finals team following Doc Rivers' return to coaching.



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    31m | Jan 31, 2024
  • Massive NFL ratings and the out-of-home factor, Netflix-WWE, downfall of SI

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss viewership for the NFL divisional round, including over 50 million for Bills-Chiefs on Sunday night, and then previews the conference championship games. The crew then talks about Netflix inking a deal with WWE for the 'Raw' franchise, and if Netflix could be a serious player for other upcoming live rights properties. Jon and Drew close out the show discussing the news surrounding Sports Illustrated.



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    34m | Jan 24, 2024
  • NFL-Peacock ratings, ESPN-NFL partnership and Divisional Round preview

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the NFL's Super Wild Card Weekend, including the viewership success of the Peacock exclusive game. The crew then talks about the possible strategic partnership between ESPN and the NFL, questioning whether it makes sense for either side. Jon and Drew close out the show discussing the odd decision for NBC to tout its Peacock viewership numbers during halftime of Rams-Lions, and then preview the divisional round.



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    36m | Jan 17, 2024
  • Pat McAfee vs. Norby, NFL ratings, CFP media rights and Peacock's playoff game

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner dive into the controversy surrounding Pat McAfee, Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Kimmel, Norby Williamson, and Disney/ESPN. Then, the crew jumps into how NFL regular season viewership fared, the schedule for Super Wild Card Weekend, and ESPN reportedly bidding to extend its exclusive rights for the expanded College Football Playoff.



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    48m | Jan 10, 2024
  • Ratings catchup: CFP, Thursday Night Football, NFL on Peacock, NBA on Christmas

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner run through the past two weeks in sports viewership starting with the College Football Playoffs and New Year's Six bowl games. Then, the crew discusses Amazon's 24% increase year-over-year for Thursday Night Football. Jon and Drew also cover how Peacock's NFL exclusive fared and what to think of the NFL-NBA competition on Christmas Day.



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    37m | Jan 3, 2024
  • NBA media rights, Disney's future and more with guests John Kosner and Ed Desser

    On today's episode, Jon and Drew are joined by industry veterans John Kosner and Ed Desser for a big picture look at sports media. John Kosner previously served as the NBA's VP of Broadcasting during the Dream Team era and most recently served as ESPN's Executive Vice President and General Manager, Digital and Print Media before beginning his consultancy firm Kosner Media. Ed Desser served as a senior executive in the NBA's Commissioner's Office and as President of NBA Television where he negotiated numerous media rights deals for the league and has run his consultancy Desser Sports Media since 2005. The crew covers the NBA's upcoming media rights negotiations, the state of linear television and the transition to digital, fragmentation in the industry, Disney's trial balloon for divesting ABC, and possible strategic partners at ESPN.



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    1h 7m | Dec 27, 2023
  • Guest Hannah Storm, plus Amazon-Diamond Sports, NFL vs. NBA on Christmas

    On today's episode, ESPN's Hannah Storm joins the show to discuss her prolific career on television including her start at CNN Sports, calling the inaugural WNBA season, hosting an NBA Finals with Jordan's Bulls, her time at The Early Show, the challenges she has faced as a woman in sports media, and more. To start the show, Jon and Drew cover the news that Amazon may be interested in a strategic partnership with Diamond Sports that would put the Bally Sports RSNs on Amazon Prime. They also cover last week's NFL ratings and look ahead to the Christmas Day triple header and how the NBA can reclaim some of the Christmas real estate it has lost to football.



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    43m | Dec 20, 2023
  • Al Michaels' demotion, NBA In-Season Tournament ratings, guest Chris Denari

    On today's episode, Jon and Drew welcome longtime Indiana Pacers play-by-play announcer Chris Denari to the show to talk about the In-Season Tournament, Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers, what it's like to become part of the fabric of a franchise, the Indiana Fever possibly getting Caitlin Clark, and living in a basketball-crazed state. Beforehand, Jon and Drew discuss the news that Al Michaels will not return to call a playoff game for NBC this year. Plus: ratings talk around the NBA In-Season Tournament, NFL Week 13, and the MLS Cup Final.



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    56m | Dec 13, 2023
  • Did ratings affect CFP picks? Plus, NFL ratings and what NASCAR rights deal means for NBA

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss if ratings were what kept Florida State out of the College Football Playoff. Plus: the Philadelphia Eagles as the NFL's new ratings darling; a look ahead to the rest of the NFL season; and NASCAR's new media rights deal in context.



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    32m | Dec 6, 2023
  • Breaking down Thanksgiving NFL ratings, plus guest Bryan Curtis

    On today's episode, Bryan Curtis of The Ringer joins the show to discuss a potpourri of media topics, starting with the news that Sports Illustrated used fictitious, nonexistent authors to byline AI generated stories on their website. Then, Bryan weighs in on the unusual pile-on that happened in the wake of Charissa Thompson's situation last week, and why he doesn't care much for ratings and viewership discourse. Bryan and the crew close out the interview talking about the parallels between college football message boards and the current political landscape, and whether sports media will lean into politics as it did in 2020, or take a more neutral approach as the 2024 election nears. Prior to the interview, Jon and Drew get into a wonky ratings conversation regarding out-of-home viewing and the NFL's Thanksgiving Day games. To close the show, Jon and Drew take on a couple quick hitters: ESPN and TNT intermingling their NBA studio shows for the In-Season Tournament, and a seemingly annual tradition of the "Tiger Woods' return" press conference in the Bahamas.



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    1h 10m | Nov 30, 2023
  • Monster MNF ratings, guest Alex Faust, plus the Charissa Thompson controversy

    On today's episode, Jon and Drew are joined by play-by-play announcer Alex Faust who currently calls NHL for TNT and MSG Network and also does college football for Fox. Faust discusses his career as a broadcaster that covers a wide range of sports, the circumstances leading to his departure from the Los Angeles Kings last season, and how starting his career in corporate America has helped him navigate the sports media industry. Jon and Drew start the show with a brief discussion about the record-setting night for ESPN's Monday Night Football. Following the interview with Faust, Jon and Drew dive into a lengthy conversation about the media's reaction to Charissa Thompson.



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    1h 10m | Nov 22, 2023
  • Guest Dave Pasch, NFL flex suggestions, NBA In-Season Tournament ratings and more

    On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner are joined by ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch to talk about his career in broadcasting, what it's like to work with Bill Walton, his two decades as voice of the Arizona Cardinals, and calling a Luka Doncic buzzer beater from his basement. Jon and Drew also provide the normal ratings discussion -- how the NFL fared in a week with lackluster primetime matchups, potential flex candidates, NBA in-season tournament ratings, and rumors that Netflix might buy in-season tournament rights. The crew wraps the show discussing Dick Vitale deciding to delay his return to broadcasting as he recovers from vocal cord cancer.



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    54m | Nov 15, 2023
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