Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 572 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Rick Cordella, the president of NBC Sports. In this podcast Cordella discusses his company’s remarkable upcoming set of events in February 2026, including the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games, the Super Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game; what it means business-wise to have all of these properties in such a relative short period; what the events should mean for Peacock subs; the process of how Rebecca Lowe ended up with her studio assignment for Fox Sports during the World Cup; NBCU’s three year rights deal with MLB and what Sunday Night Baseball on NBC, Peacock and NBCSN should look like; why NBC wants to be in the MLB business; the NBA's strong viewership to start the season; the usage of Michael Jordan heading forward; his thoughts on Notre Dame not making the CFB playoffs and Notre Dame's response to that; NBC having the rights to Super Bowl 64 in 2030; Puck’s report that NBC plans to sell Amazon the rights to next year’s Big Ten Championship game, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 571 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Austin Karp, the sports media reporter for Sports Business Journal. In this podcast we discuss SBJ's "Influence 125" list, which looks at the most influential people in sports business over the last 25 years; how people were selected; how they determined which owners from each of the big sports should make the list; Bill Simmons being the only pure content creator on the list; how to think about powerful agents such as Nick Khan and Ari Emanuel; who might make such a list in 2040; the Big Ten Championship between Indiana and Ohio State averaging 18.3 million viewers; the regular season college football viewership numbers for each network that airs national games, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here’s a short look from our upcoming podcast with Rick Cordella, the president of NBC Sports. In the podcast Cordella goes deep on his company’s remarkable upcoming set of events including the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games, the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Game. In this preview clip, Cordella discusses Michael Jordan’s involvement as an NBA special contributor and how he feels about Notre Dame, a partner of NBC Sports, being left out of the college football playoffs. The full interview will be out Dec. 15. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 570 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Troy Aikman, the lead analyst for ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Football. In this podcast, Aikman discusses where his enjoyment level for the job stands after three decades in the booth; how he accesses ESPN's culture versus Fox's; how he defines honesty in sports broadcasting — and particularly as it relates to officiating calls; why he won't be in the job at age 70; ESPN's upcoming Super Bowl on February 14, 2027; who he talks to for honest feedback on his work; his thoughts on Lane Kiffin and NIL; the Eagles-Chargers and the AFC's unpredictable year; why he'd love to meet Warren Buffett and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 569 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Austin Karp of the Sports Business Journal and Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast, we discuss Netflix to buy Warner Bros. in a $72 billion deal and what it means or might not mean for those sports properties; whether Netflix will go more all-in on sports; the future of TNT Sports as an entity; the interminable World Cup draw show; why we think Fox made a great move bringing in Rebecca Lowe and Thierry Henry, the battle between ESPN and Fox Sports PR departments as far as college football pregame viewership and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here's a short clip from our interview with ESPN's Troy Aikman. In this preview clip, Aikman discusses how he approaches being critical of NFL officials when the moment calls for it. The full interview will be out Dec. 8. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 568 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Malika Andrews, the host of ESPN's NBA Countdown, NBA Today, WNBA Countdown and the NBA Draft, and Chiney Ogwumike, an ESPN studio analyst and host for the NBA, WNBA and women’s college basketball. In this podcast, Andrews and Ogwumike discuss why they both signed long term with ESPN; how they describe navigating ESPN as young, on-air talents; their relationship on and off camera; how they see the NBA's new media rights holders outside of ESPN; Andrews return to the sideline reporting; Elle Duncan leaving for Netflix and how that impacts ESPN's women's basketball coverage; who the Dallas Wings should pick at No. 1 in the WNBA Draft; what they expect from their agents and whether young broadcasters should pursue a talent agent; navigating media coverage about yourself and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here's a short clip from our interview with ESPN's ESPN's Malika Andrews and Chiney Ogwumike. In this preview clip, the two broadcasters talk about how they see their agents and how young people in the business should think about talent agents. The full interview will be out Dec. 4. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 567 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Teresa Resch, the president of the Toronto Tempo, which makes its WNBA debut in 2026. In this podcast Resch discusses the process of hiring Sandy Brondello as the franchise's first head coach; how the interviews with Brondello were conducted; the challenges of building a WNBA franchise; the number of employees the Tempo will need; the practice facility situation; what games will look like at Coca-Cola Coliseum; the team's ticketing situation; where things stand on media deals; how to think about merch and a mascot; philosophically, building with young players versus veterans; whether Golden State's success impacts the Tempo's thinking; interviewing for the Blackhawks GM role in 2022; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here's a short clip from our interview with Teresa Resch, president of the WNBA's Toronto Tempo. The team begins play in 2026. In this preview clip, Resch discusses where her expansion team as far as hiring and ticket sale approaches. The full interview will be out Dec. 2. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 566 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch. In this podcast we discuss the Chiefs-Cowboys game airing on CBS on Thanksgiving Day and the prospect of the game breaking the current NFL regular season viewership single-game viewership record (42 million for Cowboys-Giants in 2022); whether the game can hit 50 million viewers if it's close in the final quarter; why the NFL decided to schedule its two biggest viewership draws against each other; whether the Chiefs have surpassed the Cowboys as the league's most popular draw; why we think the early game between the Packers and Lions on Fox should set an early window record for viewership; the late game between the Bengals and Ravens on NBC and why it looks to be viewership-challenged; how we see the Black Friday NFL matchup as a viewership play for Prime Video; the all-day sports marathon on Thanksgiving for Prime Video and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 565 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable discussion with Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch and Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. In this podcast we discuss Major League Baseball's new three-year media rights agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix; what we think of the deal; the return of NBC to regularly airing MLB games on its broadcast network for the first time in 26 years; the partnership with Netflix and whether Netflix can make the Home Run Derby bigger; ESPN getting the rights to sell and distribute MLB.TV, the league’s out of market streaming service and a 30-game package exclusively on ESPN’s linear networks; whether Sunday Night Baseball can become a franchise; will this help Peacock, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 564 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Ben Fischer, who covers the NFL and all other professional football news for Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, Fischer discusses his reporting on "The Next Commissioner: The vexing task of finding the next generation of sports leadership"; who is line to ultimately succeed Roger Goodell; the NFL's international playbook; what he thought of the Spain game; the NFL's research claiming there are about 11 million NFL fans in Spain; 19 million fans in Germany and 36 million in Brazil; where the NFL would like to expand its international inventory; playing in Australia next year; whether we could ever see a 20th regular season game; the NFL's viewership in 2025; the league's relationship with Netflix and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here's a short clip from our interview with Ben Fischer, who covers the NFL for Sports Business Journal. In this preview clip, Fischer discusses the candidates and skill set needed to replace Roger Goodell when he ultimately leaves his NFL commissioner job. The full interview will be out on Wednesday. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 563 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features NBA and college basketball analyst Robbie Hummel, who has jobs with NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Turner Sports and Big Ten Network. Regarding his NBC Sports duties, Hummel is a game analyst for Peacock and NBC situated on the bench as opposed to the traditional broadcast spot. In this podcast Hummel discusses how his "On the Bench" work is different than a conventional analyst; what that access affords him; how NBA teams have responded and whether teams have asked him not to report specific things; how he communicates with his other analyst; why men's college basketball is not as popular in the regular season as it once was; his responsibilities for CBS Sports; morphing between the college game and the pro game; working for so many networks; his work as a men’s basketball analyst for Paris 2024, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices