Idle notes.

Television coverage of the IRL could be significantly reduced in the near future. The Sports Business Journal reports that current broadcast partner ESPN/ABC and potential suitor FOX are only interested in broadcasting the Indianapolis 500 in future television deals. ESPN holds the rights to IRL races next year, but “has given the IRL the green light to shop them.” Neither ESPN nor FOX are willing to pay the IRL the $10 million in rights fees the league currently gets from ESPN/ABC, with ESPN suggesting a revenue sharing based agreement. SBJ also reports that Versus “has shown the most interest in obtaining a package, which would not include the marquee races.”

All seventeen regular season NFL broadcasts on NBC will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and NFL.com, marking the first time ever “regular-season action will be broadly streamed in real time in the United States.” The online feed will “feature both the TV broadcast along with other live camera angles”, and the NFL and NBC are likely to “strip NBC?s ads out of the broadcast … [and sell] new online ads and [share] the revenue.” Among those unhappy with the arrangement: the other NFL media partners, who wonder “why NBC was the only network to benefit from such live streaming” and NBC’s local affiliates, “who are certain to worry that any live webcast will dilute TV ratings and steer viewers away from local commercial pods, especially if those local ads are stripped out of the online version.”

The NBA schedule may be released later than usual this year. Schedule maker Matt Winick tells The Oklahoman he’s “three or four days behind” schedule, thanks in part to the move of the Sonics to Oklahoma City, in addition to conflicts with other arenas and free agency. Winick usually begins working on the NBA schedule in February, and had to work “with two different schedules the first five months, one for Seattle and one for Oklahoma City.”

The ratings game.

Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the social media websites X (Twitter) or Bluesky.

News: Disney+, LIV Golf, ESPN and more

by Derek Futterman

7 hours ago

Disney+ is adding more college football simulcasts this season; LIV Golf has funding for the league to continue; and...

3EFXJP5 Laurel, United States. 16th May, 2026. The 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Pimlico Race Course, where the Preakness is typically held, was demolished in June 2025 for a $400 million renovation. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI Credit: UPI/Alamy Live News

Preakness staying with NBC, will move back a week into Sunday slot

by Jon Lewis

14 hours ago

The Preakness Stakes is moving back a week -- and a day -- but staying with its longtime broadcast...

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 16: Former Carolina player Luke Kuechly on the field prior to the start of the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons on November 16th, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)

On the Air: How Luke Kuechly can become NFL TV’s newest star

by Armand Broady

15 hours ago

On the latest "On the Air," Armand Broady examines the broadcasting potential of new Netflix NFL analyst Luke Kuechly.

Ellison: Paramount should be looked at “as a buyer of sports rights”

by Derek Futterman

15 hours ago

At a time of uncertainty in sports media, Paramount chairman/CEO David Ellison said Tuesday that the company should be...

Comments 1

Morgan Wick says:

18 years ago

The IRL races get better ratings than the Arena League, the WNBA, or MLS regular season or even playoff games. It seems odd that ESPN and Fox would run away from them.

However, I read the article as saying ESPN wants to put only the Indy 500 on ABC (on broadcast), but wouldn’t say no to the other races being on ESPN. It’s a bit confusingly written…