SBJ Media: Ad buyer interest soars around ESPN college hoops
The Nov. 24 edition of the SBJ Media newsletter features report on ESPN's strong ad sales around college basketball, Netflix putting Starting 5 on hiatus but ordering more Quarterback, Intersport big basketball slate for Thanksgiving and if Chiefs-Cowboys can draw 50 million in viewership.
What I’m watching: Amid soaring popularity, ESPN’s Lobo, Ruocco know the stakes in WNBA talks
WNBA viewership has exploded in recent years, and ESPN women’s basketball mainstays Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo both told me they’re positive a labor deal will get done. “It would be the greatest own goal in the history of sports,” Ruocco said. “A work stoppage would be detrimental to everything th...
Can Chiefs-Cowboys on Thanksgiving hit 50 million viewers for CBS? They better bring the gravy
The NFL is going to likely draw its two best NFL regular season numbers of 2025 on Thanksgiving with Packers-Lions on Fox in the early window and Chiefs-Cowboys on CBS in the late window.
Intersport bringing two big college hoops games to Fox, CBS on Thanksgiving Day
The folks at Intersport are in the thick of it right now with college basketball. Over a 35-day stretch, the Chicago-based agency will handle 69 games. But perhaps the two that will draw the biggest audiences will be on Thanksgiving Day, as CBS and Fox both have men’s games airing around their annua...
Sources: ‘Starting 5’ run at Netflix likely coming to a close
The sports documentary space is robust, but it ain’t easy. I’m hearing that “Starting 5” is getting benched after a two-season run on Netflix.
Playfly at 5: CEO Sloan shares insights on where the company has been and where it is boldly headed
Playfly Sports celebrated its five-year anniversary in September, but the company is only three years into its master plan hatched in 2022.
Audience Analysis: OU-Bama edges out Texas-UGA for top Week 12 CFB game
The SEC had a big Saturday on ABC with the return of Disney networks to YouTube TV, as Oklahoma-Alabama in the late afternoon window (10.48 million viewers) edged out Texas-Georgia in primetime (10.43 million). Those games both rank within the top 10 college football games across all networks this s...
Rebecca Lobo re-ups with ESPN, keeping core women’s hoops booth intact
Rebecca Lobo is re-signing with ESPN in a multiyear deal that will keep her as the lead analyst for women’s basketball at the network. Lobo, who’s repped by The Montag Group’s Sandy Montag, has been at ESPN since 2004 and calls both college hoops and the WNBA. “I’ve been with them throughout a long ...
NFL Network sees best-ever viewership for international slate
NFL Network this season delivered its best audience yet for a package of international games. The package of six games -- Dublin, Berlin, Madrid and three in London -- averaged 6.2 million viewers in the 9:30am ET window, and without including OTA viewership in local markets. That package is up 32% ...
MLB unveils short-term deals with ESPN, NBC, Netflix
NEW YORK -- MLB has unveiled short-term national media rights deals with ESPN, NBC and Netflix. Fox, TBS and Apple TV will remain as partners over the next three seasons.