Sports Media Watch Podcast

On the latest Sports Media Watch podcast, Jon Lewis discusses the state of Major League Baseball ratings and digs into the latest reporting on both NBA and MLB media rights. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss if the New York Jets are the ratings surprise of this NFL season after they've appeared in the three most watched games so far. Then, the crew talks about the strong number for Game 1 of the ALCS, gets into a longer discussion about Matt Winer's postgame interview "question" for Nick Castellanos, and dives into the role of a...

On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the past week in the NFL highlighted by the Cowboys-49ers and Sunday Night Football's early season viewership success. The crew also dives into which games NBC should flex in upcoming weeks, how the NFL Network game in London fared, and Joe Buck filling in for Scott Van Pelt on Monday Night Countdown. Then, Jon and Drew discuss the Big...

On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the viewership impact of a certain celebrity on NFL games and whether or not it is getting overblown by the media. Then, the crew talks Deion Sanders and Colorado earning a huge number against USC, albeit the lowest of the season so far for the team. Jon and Drew also discuss the start of MLB playoffs, how viewership will fare in the contex...

On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss Deion Sanders and Colorado's blowout loss to Oregon, what it means for the USC game this weekend, and if the Deion story has resulted in other coaches becoming more obnoxious. The crew also discusses where college football viewership stands as a whole after a week of marquee games. Then, Jon and Drew turn to the NFL and talk about if Ta...

On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the monster ratings coming out of Boulder, Colorado with Deion Sanders' Buffaloes, whether Coach Prime's cult of personality could be replicated somewhere else, and where viewership for the Buffs will trend with a win or loss against Oregon this weekend. Then, the crew talks about ABC getting a full slate of Monday Night Football ga...

On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss a busy week in sports media beginning with how Aaron Rodgers' season-ending injury impacts the rest of the NFL schedule. Then they discuss Week 1 ratings being down overall, if Jon's prediction of a viewership increase this year might not pan out, and ESPN's success revamping Monday Night Football. After the NFL talk, Jon and Dr...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the existential threat of the Disney-Charter carriage dispute and what it could mean for the industry at large. Then, the crew talks about headlines from college football's opening weekend including Colorado and Deion Sanders, FSU/LSU viewership, and how NBC's inaugural Big Ten game fared. Jon and Drew then look forward to NFL w...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner open the episode putting the Women's World Cup viewership in perspective, and discuss who could be interested in acquiring rights for future World Cups. Then, the crew talks a bit about the NBA schedule release and the questionable decisions surrounding the lack of Spurs games in national windows for Victor Wembanyama's rookie year. Jon...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner lead off by discussing the latest at ESPN with Sage Steele parting ways with the network following the settlement of her lawsuit. In more ESPN news, Jon and Drew discuss the NBA studio shakeup that brings Malika Andrews to the host chair while Bob Myers slides in as an analyst. Then, the crew closes the show by touching on the NBA's schedul...

On this week's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss ESPN's partnership with Penn National to form ESPN BET and why the partnership signals just how dire the financial situation is for legacy media companies. Then, the crew talks about conference realignment and the collapse of the Pac-12, how the future of college athletics will look, and if the new conferences will actually increase...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the latest on the potential Pac-12 media rights deal with Apple, whether or not a streaming-centric deal can work for the conference, and if the conference should have perhaps taken a closer look at deals with broadcasters like The CW. Then, Jon and Drew talk about the NBA announcer shuffle at ESPN, how the new team of Doris Burke, Doc...

On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner start off by discussing Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon victory and what it meant for viewership. Then, they dive into possible replacements for Jeff Van Gundy at ESPN, weighing in on rumors that one or more of Doris Burke, Doc Rivers, Richard Jefferson, and J.J. Redick could take the seat while Mark Jackson is relegated to a lower team. The crew al...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss a number of ratings topics including the Home Run Derby, how the MLB All Star Game will fare, Victor Wembanyama's impact on NBA Summer League viewership and his potential to be a ratings draw in San Antonio, the U.S. Women's Open at Pebble Beach, and Wimbledon. They close the show by discussing the New York Times' recent mov...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the ESPN layoffs including the decision to let go of lead NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy. The crew talks about who could possibly replace Van Gundy in the top booth, and what the future of NBA coverage looks like for the network. They also discuss layoffs that hit ESPN's NFL coverage, including Suzy Kolber, Steve Young, and Todd McShay....

On today's episode, NBC's Ahmed Fareed joins the show to discuss his career including hosting Peacock's MLB Sunday Leadoff, his experience anchoring Olympic coverage, advice he received from Mike Tirico, and his journey from local news to national sports anchor. Stay tuned later this week for a conversation with Ahmed about the Triple Crown and the current state of horse racing. Dr. Jo...

On today's episode, Matt Winer of NBA TV joins the podcast to discuss his career in sports media including what it's like to work with Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal during the NBA Finals, how he handled covering the death of Kobe Bryant live on the air, and how he called his first baseball game on just three hours notice. Then, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner talk a bit about NBC&...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner wrap up the discussion on NBA ratings, taking a look at how the Nuggets win over the Heat stacked up relative to expectations and how NBA playoff viewership fared overall. Then, Jon touches on Mike Breen calling his 100th NBA Finals game. Next, the crew discusses the low Stanley Cup Finals and asks whether hockey should be considered as the fou...

On today's episode, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner kick off the podcast with the bombshell news that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will merge into one entity, a topic they will return to later in the pod. Viewership news begins with how NBA Finals ratings have been steady year-over-year, despite Heat-Nuggets being a much less attractive matchup on paper than Warriors-Celtics. The crew discusses whether...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner dive into NBA viewership in the lead up to a Heat-Nuggets final, including how the Celtics' comeback to force Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals will almost guarantee the NBA an overall playoff viewership increase year-over-year. The crew also touches on some comments Jeff Van Gundy made regarding media coverage of the Nuggets and NBA...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the abrupt end to the dream NBA ratings scenario and talk about how the likely Nuggets-Heat final will measure up historically. Jon puts into context how a strong first two rounds will allow the NBA to meet or exceed viewership year over year, despite two abbreviated Conference Finals. The crew also discusses the NBA's issues when i...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the implications of Peacock's exclusive NFL Wild Card game: why it happened, if this is the new normal for the NFL, the $110m price tag, who NBC's broadcast teams will be, and more. Next, Jon and Drew talk about Pat McAfee's new deal with ESPN, whether it will be beneficial for either side, and if this signals Norby Williams...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the monster ratings for the NBA's second round matchups, particularly the Warriors-Lakers series, and how even if that marquee series ends early, the NBA is still in great shape from a viewership perspective. They also discuss whether off-the-court stories like the drama surrounding Mat Ishbia and Nikola Jokic can move the needle. T...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss a wide range of ratings stories in sports media starting with the NBA's strong round one numbers. Warriors/Kings Game 7 set a 24-year high and capped off a successful round one overall. The NBA gets the high profile matchups they want for the second round, headlined by Warriors/Lakers. The NHL playoffs also got off to a hot start in...

On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss a busy week in sports media starting with another positive ratings week for the NBA. Kings/Warriors set a viewership mark that has not been matched since 2002, the conference semifinals are lining up to be solid viewership draws, and the Knicks continue to underwhelm in the ratings. The crew also takes a look at the first week of NHL pl...