The Sports Media Podcast

On this week's pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter dig into the big numbers to start the World Cup, and how Fox has really looked to commercialize hydration breaks. Plus, the duo looks at how the NBA and NHL finished their seasons on a high, the UFC Freedom 250’s presentation on Paramount+, what to make of Fox Corp.’s purchase of Roku and the latest on golf media with the U.S. Open underway at Shinnecock Hills. Finally, with Fanatics Fest on the horizon, Lance Fensterman, CEO of Fanatics Events, joins the pod to talk about all the content that will be coming out of Javits Center in July.

This week on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast, host and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp delivers his takeaways from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, including a look at NBC’s cross‑platform strategy that helped drive record viewership for the USA–Canada women’s hockey gold‑medal showdown. Later in the episode, the president of NHL Business Keith Wachtel joins the show to share on‑the‑ground insights from his Olympic experience and to lay out why the league views major global events as a cornerstone of its long‑term plan to expand hockey’s international reach. From record‑setting viewership for the women’s USA–Canada gold medal matchup to the massive 18.6 million audience for the men’s overtime thriller, the episode unpacks how time slots, platforms, and distribution choices shape audience behavior. The conversation goes further with NHL Business President Keith Wachtel, who shares firsthand insights from Milan, reflects on NHL players' return to the Olympics after a 12‑year absence, and explains why the league sees global events as a long‑term strategy to grow hockey’s footprint, not just a ratings play .

On this week's pod, host and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp is joined by SBJ special contributor Richard Deitsch, and the duo break down Super Bowl viewership, changes coming to NFL media rights, the start to the Milan Cortina Olympics, this weekend’s NBA All-Star Game and Daytona 500 and more.

On this week's pod, host and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp breaks down the NFC/AFC conference championship, and whether he thinks Patriots-Seahawks will set a Super Bowl audience record. He also breaks down the CFP title game number, and why the SEC’s regular season numbers still dwarf the Big Ten on the whole. Plus, FanDuel President Christian Genetski gives insight on how sports betting is helping TV viewership, how he’s monitoring the Main Street Sports RSN mess and why the company’s ads feel different.

On this week's pod, host and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp looks at the latest movement in the battle for WBD, as well how the numbers looked around NFL Wild Card weekend and the CFP semifinals. Plus, some chatter on the latest with MLB teams and RSNs and Fanatics getting into the content production business. Then, a conversation with TikTok executive Kat Marquez on how the platform views sports, as well as a talk with the new head of Playfly Media, Nick Cartan.