
The impacts of Disney's ESPN decision; reacting to the NFL Draft; and Caitlin Clark and the Fever set another WNBA TV record.
From The Sports Media Podcast by Sports Business Journal
April 30, 2026 · 29 min · Episode 243
About this episode
The episode discusses Disney's decision regarding ESPN, the NFL Draft's TV ratings, and a WNBA record set by Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, along with insights from Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen about the Kentucky Derby.
On this week's pod, SBJ media reporters Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter break down Disney's decision not to spin off ESPN, as well as the CW landing on ESPN's app. The NFL Draft's opening round was surpisingly down on TV, and Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever set a record with 44 national broadcasts. Also, Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen breaks down what to expect at the Kentucky Derby.
People in this episode
Hosts: Austin Karp, Josh Carpenter
Guest: Bill Carstanjen
Topics covered
- Disney's ESPN decision
- NFL Draft
- WNBA TV record
- Kentucky Derby
- sports media analysis
Keywords
- Disney
- ESPN
- NFL Draft
- WNBA
- Caitlin Clark
- Kentucky Derby
- sports media
- TV ratings
- Indiana Fever
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Disney, ESPN, CW, Indiana Fever
Books & works: WNBA
Places: Kentucky
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