#sports-media

#sports-media

Disney on Monday revealed the impact of its prolonged carriage dispute with YouTube TV. Disney said the 15-day blackout caused an approximately $110 million operating income hit to its sports segment in its most recent fiscal quarter. Overall operating income for its sports division came in at $191 million, down 23% from the year-ago quarter, the company said. The company said this reflected the YouTube TV fallout, higher programming and production costs, and a decrease in subscription and affiliate fees.

Before and after every game, Premier League managers speak to reporters and journalists, through the good times, the bad times and even the times when they're close to getting sacked. But how important are commitments to the media and can an interview make the difference between winning the support of the fans and losing it? Former Rangers, Brentford and QPR manager, Mark Warburton tells John Bennett how it can be difficult to control your emotions immediately after a match and how they can be used as a way to get messages to both supporters and players.

The calendars have been flipped for a few days now, but before we dive headlong into the 2026 sports media scene, your semiloyal scribe (that's me) wanted to jot down a few national and local people, places, and things that I enjoyed or appreciated from the past year on this beat. Twenty-six of them, in fact ... · NBC Sports Boston's "Quick Slants," especially Tom E. Curran's good-natured "Irrelevant Questions" segments with Patriots players. · Phil Perry's knack for good-naturedly shutting down Felger-generated Patriots hot takes with facts and insight. · Lou Merloni's #walkthedog social media clips that never fail to offer clear-eyed assessments of the state of the Red Sox.

"This is the most powerful community in the world," Sharpe said on a Dec. 1 episode of his podcast "Night Cap." When Ochocinco asked which community Sharpe was referring to, he clarified by describing the Israeli flag: "There's another country that has a white and blue flag with a star on it."

A whopping 57.2 million viewers watched Dallas' 31-28 Thanksgiving Day victory over Kansas City on CBS, per a source with knowledge of the data. The late-afternoon game's average viewership shattered the previous regular-season record set three Thanksgivings ago, when the Cowboys and Giants drew 42 million viewers in 2022 on FOX. The record was not accidental. The NFL made a strategic decision this year to pit its two most-watched teams against each other on its most-watched day of regular-season football.

Hours after the FBI arrested Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups, and published a pair of indictments detailing the former's alleged involvement in a cooked prop-bet unders scheme and the latter's alleged involvement in a rigged mafia poker game, the sports-watching public turned to sports media to help make sense of the story.

Consider what we noted earlier this week in that the Cowboys are beginning a run of primetime/big-window games where each of the NFL's network parters (FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN, Prime Video, and now Netflix) will all get a piece. That run starts in Week 9 where the Cowboys will play their first of two straight Monday Night Football games on ESPN/ABC (the bye is sandwiched in there for Dallas).

You've probably heard of House of Highlights-even if you're not a sports fan, it's hard to miss, whether on YouTube or scrolling through your social feeds. What started as a college dorm Instagram account has grown over 11 years into the #1 sports media brand on the platform, boasting 100 million followers and billions of monthly views. Today, House of Highlights is a multi-platform sports media powerhouse, producing creator-led content and original series that rival traditional TV.

What makes Reid a slam dunk for the role is her rare combination of real athletic experience and creative expertise. A professional basketball player, she most recently made her mark on the NBA's Digital and Social team, where she played a key role in shaping the league's on-site coverage strategy, traveling to major events to capture viral moments and produce real-time digital content across multiple platforms.

For a retired guy, Tom Brady has a lot of jobs. He has a five-percent ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. He is also Fox's lead football announcer. Earlier this month, Fox announced that Brady will be making an "epic return from retirement for the greatest flag football event ever," which is, inevitably, going to be held in Saudi Arabia. There's also TB12, "the method inspired by Tom Brady," though who knows how much involvement he has here.

The deal, brokered by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, gives Bleacher Report unprecedented access to game highlights, tentpole events like the draft and the Super Bowl, and digital footage. For Bleacher Report, that access isn't just about game footage - it's a chance to test new content formats, audience strategies and advertiser opportunities around one of the country's biggest sports properties. Bleacher Report has access to eight games during the season, which it is using to focus on the fan experience.

As part of the deal, Minute Media is acquiring VideoVerse's Magnifi software, which uses AI tech to cut longer video content and full-length games into bite-size clips. This capability will add a more personalized, contextually aligned pool of video inventory to Minute Media's STN Video platform, Rich Routman, president of Minute Media, told AdExchanger.

"I kind of grew up with Myron Cope's voice echoing my ears in Pittsburgh. And, as a kid, that's kind of all I remember. And, so for me to get here and have this opportunity is an awesome opportunity."

The EFL Championship has become increasingly popular, showcased by all teams fighting for promotion or relegation late in the previous season, and expected thrilling campaigns ahead.

"We've been talking about the draft since last year and how we continue to build on that. ESPN has been a partner in that from day one, bringing the fans closer to that event and building that event into one of the most popular events on the sporting calendar, which is incredible if you think back a few decades."

ESPN has secured a five year deal worth around $1.6 billion to stream WWE's biggest live events starting in 2026, nearly doubling NBCUniversal's rights fee.

The Bunker, a small studio inside Oracle Park, is no longer available for KNBR to use. Co-host Adam Copeland revealed this surprising news during his show.

Terry McLaurin expressed frustration over negotiations, indicating uncertainty about reporting to training camp and describing his decision as day-to-day.

ESPN presented former Houston Astros infielder Chris Burke during the 2025 MLB Draft as a key analyst but failed to acknowledge the 2005 White Sox, the World Series champions.

Artificial intelligence was the "1,000-pound gorilla" in "every conversation, every meeting" at the Allen & Co. Conference, with executives discussing its rapid adoption.

Apple has submitted a bid worth at least $150 million a year to stream the races starting in 2026. ESPN isn't going to try to match that.

Bobby Jenks recorded the World Series' final out in 2005, contributing significantly to the White Sox's championship. He played a pivotal role, far beyond just being on the roster.

The Club World Cup match highlights featured Manchester City versus Juventus, but the footage showed Pep Guardiola inappropriately dressed for Florida's humid climate, raising suspicions.

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