Big Data Sports Viewership for the Week of March 23
TV Media Blog released its weekly sports viewership report for the week of March 23, ranking the top 75-plus telecasts using Nielsen's Big Data methodology. The list reflects linear television audiences and deliberately omits viewership from streaming platforms such as Peacock, Paramount+, ESPN+, CBS Sports Network, and ESPNEWS. While the core rankings are published, extended cable viewership figures are slated for a later update. The data offers a snapshot of which sports events continue to dominate broadcast TV audiences.
Troy Aikman: Dolphins Hired Me ‘Knowing that I Have Information that They Don’t Have or Can’t Get’
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman told a podcast that the Miami Dolphins hired him because he possesses league‑wide information that other teams cannot easily obtain. He admitted his consulting role creates a clear conflict of interest,...
Tom Brady Ponders Finding Balance Amid Professional Responsibilities
Tom Brady, retired NFL quarterback, is in the third year of his ten‑year, $375 million broadcasting deal with Fox and continues as a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. In a recent blog post, he reflected on the difficulty of...
March Madness Isn't so 'Nonprofit'
The NCAA’s athletic departments, long classified as 501(c)(3) tax‑exempt nonprofits, are facing renewed scrutiny as college sports generate billions in revenue. CBS and Turner now pay roughly $1.1 billion annually for March Madness rights, while high‑profile NIL deals—such as a reported...
NBA Capitalizes on Madness Matinees with Strong Sunday Night Audience
The NBA leveraged its new media rights to air “Sunday Night Basketball” against March Madness, delivering a combined 3.4 million viewers for the Knicks‑Thunder matchup on NBC. This marked the league’s strongest March‑Madness‑era audience in a decade, surpassing the 2016...
Weekend Reading: AI’s Analysis of Soda and Alcohol Marketing on Social Media
Vital Strategies' Canary platform used AI to analyze soda and alcohol marketing on social media. It found Coca‑Cola appeared in 795 posts during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, generating about 6 billion impressions, while digital alcohol ads posted nearly 4,000...
TNT Open to Early Talks with NHL, Silberwasser Says
TNT Sports CEO Luis Silberwasser says the network is "extremely interested" in extending its NHL partnership and is ready to begin talks whenever commissioner Gary Bettman decides. The league’s renewal timeline may be tied to the NFL’s ongoing media‑rights negotiations,...
Main Street Set to Begin Winding Down FanDuel Sports Network RSNs
Main Street Sports Group announced it will wind down its FanDuel Sports Network regional sports networks within roughly five weeks, ending NBA regular‑season coverage and NHL first‑round playoff broadcasts. The move follows the loss of its core Major League Baseball...
2XKO Is Not Going to Last in the FGC, and It’s Riot Games’ Fault
Riot Games launched 2XKO with a high‑budget esports vision, but costly skins, aggressive marketing and a top‑down structure clashed with the fighting‑game community’s authenticity‑first culture. Early layoffs of most of the development team signaled waning corporate commitment, while community‑run events...
Ravens-Cowboys Reportedly Headed to Brazil in Week 3
The Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys are slated to play a Week 3 NFL matchup in Rio de Janeiro, marking the first of three Brazil games scheduled over the next five seasons. This will be the third NFL contest ever...
Jason Kelce’s ESPN Career Is Not What Anyone Expected
ESPN signed former Eagles star Jason Kelce with expectations of a football‑centric analyst role, but his on‑air presence has been scattered across Monday Night Countdown, a short‑lived late‑night show, NHL coverage, and now golf events like the TGL and the...
News: Comcast-Scripps, NFL Network, FCC and More
Comcast Xfinity blacked out several Scripps-owned regional NHL stations, including those airing Florida Panthers games, after failing to reach a new carriage agreement. ESPN has taken operational control of NFL Network as part of a broader deal that gives the...
Ian Eagle Lauds NIL, Transfer Portal for Improving March Madness
Veteran broadcaster Ian Eagle once warned that NIL deals and the transfer portal could dim March Madness, fearing roster churn would erode team chemistry. He now says the opposite: player‑movement freedom and name‑image earnings have lifted on‑court talent and fan...
Bruins CEO Surprisingly Bullish on Future of Regional Sports Networks
Boston Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs told The Athletic he remains optimistic about regional sports networks (RSNs) despite industry headwinds. He highlighted that pay‑TV households have dropped from over 100 million to roughly 62 million, eroding the traditional RSN revenue model. Jacobs pointed...
UConn-Duke Unforgettable on the Court, Unremarkable in the Ratings
UConn’s dramatic comeback win over Duke in the Elite Eight attracted an average 13.4 million viewers on CBS, a 15% increase over last year’s comparable game but still modest for the late‑Sunday window. The broadcast peaked at 18.9 million viewers, ranking it...
Roger Goodell Addresses NFL Network Employees Ahead of ESPN Takeover
Roger Goodell sent a note to NFL Network staff as ESPN finalizes its acquisition of the network and RedZone rights, a deal approved by regulators weeks after announcement. The rapid approval allows ESPN to integrate NFL Media assets before the...
Lions Force C Frank Ragnow to Repay Portion of Bonus Money
The Detroit Lions exercised a contractual clause to recover $1.2 million of Frank Ragnow's signing bonus after he announced his retirement, invoking the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement’s maximum forfeiture provision. Ragnow’s original 2021 extension was a six‑year, $54 million deal that included...
News: MLB on ESPN, NFL, TMRW Sports and More
Joe Buck will call the Mets‑Dodgers season opener on ESPN alongside former players Ron Darling and Orel Hershiser, marking his second MLB assignment in as many seasons. NFL owners have voted to exempt Friday games from the league’s short‑week limit,...
MLB TV: Do You Need to Pay For the ESPN App, Too?!
MLB TV’s out‑of‑market streaming has moved to the ESPN Unlimited app, making ESPN the new home for the service. Subscribers who pay the $149 out‑of‑market plan automatically receive a 30‑day free ESPN trial that must be cancelled to avoid an...
Opportunity: March 2026
The Opportunity Report spotlights a premier sports franchise whose owner has steered rapid growth, especially in global media rights that have surged in the United States after years of under‑performance. While the stock has climbed roughly 70% since 2021, it...
BravesVision: What Channel Is It In Hawaii On Spectrum TV?
Spectrum TV recently announced a carriage agreement to add BravesVision, the Atlanta Braves' new regional sports network, to its lineup. The channel will broadcast Braves games starting in 2026 but is limited to six states—Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee,...
Analysis: Predicting 2026 MLB Viewership
Major League Baseball’s 2026 broadcast lineup shifts as NBC and Peacock take over Sunday Night Baseball, while ESPN retains a reduced 30‑game schedule and Netflix secures three high‑profile games. Analysts predict viewership gains on NBC, with Sunday Night Baseball reaching...