Media
NBA draws best viewership in seven seasons in first year of new media deals
The NBA saw its best regular-season viewership since 2018-19, averaging 1.78 million viewers in the first year of media pacts with ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock and Prime Video. That’s the best figure since ESPN/ABC and TNT averaged 1.8 million seven years ago, and up 16% from last year.
Maryland Jockey Club pushes back on reported possible Preakness date change
Maryland Jockey Club President & GM Bill Knauf has “denied a published report that it is ‘set’ to move the date of the Preakness Stakes (G1)” and said that it is “premature to say there will definitely be a date change,” according to Bob Ehalt of BLOODHORSE. Knauf said, “We are in the middle of ...
Sen. Baldwin proposes ‘For the Fans’ Act targeting sports blackouts, local access
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) plans to introduce the “For the Fans” Act, which is “designed to decrease consumer TV costs and make local games easier to access, while ending blackouts for fans with out-of-market subscriptions,” according to Andrew Marchand of THE ATHLETIC. If enacted, the new bil...
Media Notes
In Sacramento, Jason Anderson noted Kings announcer Kyle Draper “will not return next season” as a member of the team’s television broadcast on NBC Sports California. Draper spent six seasons in Sacramento as a studio host and substitute play-by-play announcer. He announced his departure on social m...
Roger Penske gives approval of free TV in FCC filing, citing IndyCar ratings
Roger Penske -- owner of Penske Entertainment, the NTT IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- has submitted a “public comment to the FCC regarding the current American sports television landscape” and voiced his “approval for keeping sports on free to air” TV, according to Kevin Dejewski ...
CBS Sports adding new golf show, ‘Scorecard’
CBS Sports is adding a new post-round show to its weekend golf telecasts starting this weekend at the RBC Heritage. The network is launching “Scorecard,” a live, post-round show that will air across CBS Sports HQ, Paramount+ and CBS Golf’s YouTube channel following the completion of CBS’s Saturday a...
Prime Video feed cuts out during OT of Hornets-Heat play-in game
Tuesday night’s Prime Video broadcast of the Hornets-Heat play-in tournament game “cut out for nearly two minutes with less than a minute left in OT” due to “technical difficulties.” The interruption “occurred with the Hornets holding a three-point lead with 48.1 seconds left on the clock.” For seve...
Sources: Fubo makes surprise pitch to the 13 NBA teams that fled Main Street
Fubo has become an 11th-hour suitor of the 13 NBA teams that have just exited Main Street Sports Group, multiple sources told SBJ, with a hybrid direct-to-distributer and direct-to-consumer model that would include rights fees likely in the vicinity of $10M or slightly below.
CBS draws best Masters final round in 11 years with McIlroy’s repeat
CBS averaged 14 million viewers on Sunday for Rory McIlroy’s win in the Masters, the best viewership total for the final round in 11 years, dating to the same figure for Jordan Spieth’s win in 2015. CBS was up 8% from the final round of McIlroy’s first win last year (13 million). This was the first ...
Dianna Russini resigns from The Athletic amid investigation
NFL reporter Dianna Russini has “resigned from The Athletic less than a week” after published photos of her and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona resort “prompted an internal investigation at the New York Times-owned sports outlet.” Russini, in a letter to Athletic Executive Editor Steven Gin...
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Quote of the Day
We’re waving the flag right now. We are letting people know through action that we want a Major League Baseball team, and we're going to help speed up the process. This is just the beginning.-- Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, on his plan to introduce a motion on April 22 that directs staff to initiate a process that attracts potential ownership groups interested in pursuing an expansion MLB franchise.
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