Austin Karp

Is the Disney-NFL Media deal going to happen before the season?

Two NFL sources tell my SBJ colleague Ben Fischer they’ve received an informal heads up that there may be a special league meeting in August on the topic.

Full 2-day @nbadraftwass.bsky.social viewership across ABC/ESPN down just 5% from 2024

After 1st round was down 14.5% on Wednesday, Thursday helped rebound. Didnt hurt that 2025 2nd round was in primetime vs. 4-7pm ET in 2024

Overall draft: just under 2.6 million vs. 2.74 million in 2024

TNT Sports to cease production of NBA TV at end of September TNT Sports will cease production efforts on NBA TV at the end of the league’s calendar year, which is the end of September, a source with knowledge of the situation tells SBJ.

So what do we now know about the future of NBA TV?

🔲 TNT Sports will stop operating NBA TV after September, per source
🔲 NBA will begin operating NBA TV on Oct. 1
🔲 NBA did NOT hold talks with MLB Network about operating NBA TV, per source

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

ESPN extends deal with PLL, takes equity stake The Premier Lacrosse League has landed a five-year media-rights renewal with ESPN, and the network will also be taking a small equity stake in the league. The rights deal begins next season and runs t...

ESPN extends media rights deal with the Premier Lacrosse League, becomes equity investor

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Nielsen: Streaming passes linear TV for first time New data shows that in May, streaming (44.8%) passed the combined share that broadcast and cable TV had (44.1%) for the first time in the four years of Nielsen’s Gauge index. It was the largest share ...

Streaming > linear TV last month

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Blowout? No problem for Women's College World Series audience.

Texas' win over Texas Tech on Friday in deciding Game 3 drew 2.4 million viewers across ESPN and ESPNU, marking the best WCWS game audience on record.

Seeing around 8.91 million viewers for Pacers-Thunder Game 1. And such a good game.

11 million for Celtics-Mavs Game 1 last year.

Only 4 NBA Finals series on record have averaged under 10 million (2 amid pandemic; 2 with Duncan’s Spurs)

Still won the night among key demos

NBA Playoff viewership up 3% headed into Pacers-Thunder Finals The NBA Playoffs is averaging 4.2 million viewers heading into the start of the Pacers-Thunder Finals on Thursday night, up 3% from 4.1 million viewers at the same point last season. Those figures are...

NBA Playoff viewership up 3% headed into Pacers-Thunder Finals (across NBA TV, ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, TTN, truTV)

ESPN networks: +7%
TNT networks: +1%

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Apple TV emerging as leading candidate among streamers to land more MLB rights Apple TV is emerging as potentially the leading streamer to land some of the MLB media rights currently resting with ESPN -- and not necessarily rights that NBC could be eyeing, sources tell SBJ, who ...

Apple TV is emerging as the leading candidate among streamers to land more MLB rights

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/202...

Ok Richard, I’m finally here.