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Famed broadcaster Bob Costas joined the Sports Media Watch Podcast this week in a wide-ranging interview about his career, journalism and much more.
Sports Media Watch
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Sports Media Watch
@paulsen_smw
Sports media news and information. Run by Jon Lewis.
Joined May 2009
- Not sure what you do when the face of your lead broadcast partner is diminishing a young star because of a perceived slight during the NBA Finals. (I mean, I do know what the NFL would do. But I don't know what the NBA will do.)"Just in case he was talking about me...players far more accomplished and far more superior have made their efforts trying to call me out. How has that worked out?" - Stephen A. Smith on Tyrese Haliburton
00:00 - I noticed that Scott Hanson's catchphrase had changed to "seven hours of RedZone football" (rather than "commercial free"), then saw a Visa ad just now. Wonder how long that's been going on.
- TNT -- as good as it was, as comfortable as it was -- never made Opening Night feel as much as an event as tonight.
- If JJ Redick -- ESPN's youngest NBA game analyst -- works to the age Hubie Brown is now, he'll be calling games in 2073.
- Stephen A. absolutely believes he's bigger than the NBA. The question is whether ESPN agrees with him.Replying to @paulsen_smwNot that the media should bow down to the players but this threatening tone from Smith as if he’s bigger than the NBA itself is…unproductive at best.
- Thunder-Rockets Game 7 most-watched NBA game since January 31, most-watched first round game on cable since 2018, most-watched first round game on ESPN since 2017. Five of 11 most-watched NBA games since 7/30 restart have come since suspension of play:
- How NBC thrived and ESPN failed with the NBA. A deep dive into the philosophical differences that define the NBA's two lead broadcast partners of the past 30 years: NBC, which highlighted the games and the players, versus ESPN -- which highlights itself:
- LSU-South Carolina was the most-watched sporting event of Thursday night, topping the NBA on TNT (Celtics-Heat) head-to-head:
- Replying to @paulsen_smwYou star in the biggest win in franchise history -- and then the next morning, the face of ESPN essentially says "you aren't [blank]" because he believes literally any criticism anyone makes about the media is in fact a criticism of him.
- NBA should end the between-quarters coaches interview. Always runs over into the first play of the next quarter and it adds nothing.
- Lakers-Nuggets Game 1 most-watched conference final opener in five years, +13% from last year's WCF Game 1 on TNT (Mavericks-Warriors). Draft Lottery most-watched in four (since Zion in '19):
- Caitlin Clark and the Fever continue to drive ratings and ad revenue for the WNBA, having now played in the top 5 games since 2001. The Fever account for a third of WNBA TV ad revenue and half of the ad impressions this season, per analytics firm EDO:
- When LeBron debuted in 2003, ESPN's Magic-Knicks lead-in went into overtime and preempted pretty much the entire first quarter.ESPN is minutes away from having to broadcast Wemby’s generational debut on The Ocho because of Isaiah Hartenstein and Kristaps Porzingis.
