Media
SBJ Media: Big moment for Big Data
The Feb. 2, 2026, edition of the SBJ Media newsletter cover the first full season of NFL Big Data measurement, what's next after ESPN closes its deal with NFL, NBC's first Super Bowl run under a new producer and what Austin Karp is watching on the media beat.
NBC’s debut Super Bowl producer: ‘Do your job’
Rob Hyland has no shortage of enormous sporting events on his resume, which includes countless Olympics, “Sunday Night Football,” Notre Dame football and horse racing’s Triple Crown. But none of them compare to Hyland’s task Sunday, as he serves as coordinating producer for his first Super Bowl.
After a full football season with Big Data, where do things stand with measurement?
All the talk around NFL TV numbers this season has centered on Nielsen’s efforts with Big Data (and full out-of-home measurement) replacing the panel-only model.
ESPN-NFL deal crosses the finish line, so what’s next?
Whatever Disney and the NFL are paying their respective K Street lobbyists in D.C., it’s apparently worth it after the NFL-ESPN equity deal got approved in just six months.
What I’m watching: NBA, NBC nail it with ‘Sunday Night Basketball’ opener; What’s going on with the WBC?
The debut of “Sunday Night Basketball” on NBC just felt big, from Mike Tirico to Caitlin Clark to Reggie Miller to Luka Doncic to LeBron James to Spike Lee to “Roundball Rock.” This didn’t feel like game No. 50 of the regular season — it felt like opening night. Getting Lakers-Knicks at MSG was grea...
Reforming the Sports Broadcasting Act: The clash between players, colleges and fans
As the sports broadcasting landscape shifts from (free) broadcast television to subscription-based streaming services, the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 (SBA) has become the focus of intense debate. Originally enacted to allow professional sports leagues to pool their broadcasting rights for free,...
All nine MLB teams officially leaving Main Street; NBA and NHL in holding pattern
All nine MLB teams whose games are broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network are officially departing the parent company Main Street Sports Group, with eight of the nine potentially migrating to MLB Media, SBJ has learned.
ESPN delivers second-best month ever in January
ESPN saw its second-best monthly audience on record in January, as strong numbers for the CFP and NFL playoffs helped sustain a strong growth story for the cable network on the heels of 2025 being its best year since 2017. ESPN averaged 1.7 million viewers on a total-day basis last month, which is b...
Prime Video to be streaming’s largest investor in sports rights
Prime Video is “set to replace” DAZN as streaming’s “largest investor in sports rights,” as it is being forecast to spend $3.8B in 2026, according to Jesse Whittock of DEADLINE. Ampere Analysis predicted that Prime Video will “contribute 27% of the total” $14B streaming spend on sports rights this y...
Royals exec says MLB could eventually take over team broadcasts
Royals President of Business Operations Cullen Maxey said Saturday that MLB “eventually could take over Royals broadcasts if the company that owns FanDuel Sports KC goes out of business,” according to Pete Grathoff of the K.C. STAR. However, the Royals’ “first option is to remain on FanDuel Sports K...
Sponsored content
Quote of the Day
The economic disparity that exists in the league, you can’t run from it. There are teams operating at different levels than other teams. ... We’re in a market that has afforded us more resources than some other markets and not as much as maybe some of these bigger markets in New York and L.A., and that’s part of it.-- Texas Rangers President of Baseball Operations Chris Young, on the economic disparity between teams in MLB.
PODCAST
SBJ TV
PROPERTIES
