Sports Media Watch: TV ratings, schedules and the latest news

2 days ago

The good times continue to roll for the NHL as the Stanley Cup Final posted another viewership mark on ABC.

Oklahoma City, OK - June 4, 2026 - Devon Park: Leighann Goode (43) of the University of Texas Longhorns during game two of the best-of-three 2026 Women's College World Series championship.
(Photo by Joshua R. Gateley / ESPN Images)

Texas two-step: Longhorn clincher sets WCWS mark for second-straight year

2 days ago

The Women's College World Series ended with its largest audience yet for a second-straight year.

Chicago Bulls television announcer Stacey King in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Longtime Bulls analyst Stacey King has died

3 days ago

One of the best-known local NBA voices, longtime Bulls TV analyst Stacey King, has passed away.

San Antonio, TX - June 3, 2026 - Frost Bank Center: Jalen Brunson (11), OG Anunoby (8) of the New York Knicks and Keldon Johnson (3), Victor Wembanyama (1), Devin Vassell (24) of the San Antonio Spurs during game one of the 2026 NBA Finals.
(Photo by Ben Solomon / ESPN Images)

Knicks-Spurs opener nears 17 million viewers in NBA’s top game since 2019

4 days ago

One of the most anticipated NBA Finals in recent years opened with a television audience beyond even the highest expectations....

News: Duke-Michigan, Peacock, NFL Network and more

by Derek Futterman

5 days ago

The Duke-Michigan neutral-site college basketball game is reportedly expected to move to Miami; Peacock is going to reach profitability in...

Raleigh, NC - June 2, 2026 - Lenovo Center: Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes beginning game one of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.
(Photo by Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images)

Stanley Cup Final opens with highest rated, most-watched Game 1 since ’19

5 days ago

Continuing a months-long hot streak, the NHL Stanley Cup Final opened with its largest U.S. audience in seven years.

St. Louis Cardinals' Alec Burleson hits an RBI single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Sunday, May 31, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Scott Kane)

NBC opens weekly “Sunday Night Baseball” slate with better matchup, bigger audience

6 days ago

NBC's "Sunday Night Baseball" schedule began in earnest last weekend with a better matchup and larger audience than in its...

Vegas Golden Knights right wing Cole Smith (22), right, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the third period in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Stanley Cup viewership remains at high entering Final

7 days ago

Despite lacking the usual marquee teams, the Stanley Cup playoff viewership momentum carried into a fairly lopsided conference final round.

NASCAR Nashville numbers show another big methodological difference

For the second-straight week, the NASCAR viewership story differed considerably based on the methodology being reported.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) battles with San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the opening tipoff during the first half of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs series Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Spurs-Thunder sets viewership marks for Game 7, full series

The highly-anticipated Spurs-Thunder NBA Western Conference Finals lived up to the billing on the court and in viewership.

NBA Media Coverage

The LED court in Amazon's NBA studio. (Amazon)

Media Rights Analysis

Are early NFL negotiations a trap or saving grace for linear?

9 months ago

In ESPN-NFL Media deal, risks outweighed by rewards

10 months ago

How will ESPN fill its Sunday Night Baseball vacancy?

Why NASCAR cut back on broadcast, not cable, in its new rights deal

What does the NBA media rights deal mean for its audience?

League and Event Profiles

New NBA media rights deal will be a “learning curve” for fans

9 months ago

Jul 19, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team Collier guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks on before the 2025 WNBA All Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

WNBA at crossroads as second half begins

11 months ago

Dec 13, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) makes a three point basket over the defense of Los Angeles Lakers guard Max Christie (12) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Are the NBA’s ratings really a referendum on quality of play?

Sep 22, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) runs with the ball during the first quarter against Indiana Fever during game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images

How Caitlin Clark raised the bar for the WNBA

2XNYTJ2 Paris, France. 02nd Aug, 2024. Olympia, Paris 2024: The Olympic rings light up the Eiffel Tower. Credit: Jan Woitas/dpa/Alamy Live News

Network Profiles

DALLAS, TX - FEBRUARY 09: A cameraman for the NHL on TNT shoots the action during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators on February 9, 2022 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire)

The show goes on at TNT Sports, but for how long?

Nov 30, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; NBA TV sideline reporter Dennis Scott (left) interviews Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James after the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

A niche concern: League-specific networks face end of an era

“Inside the NBA” latest example of ESPN’s new approach to content

2XA5TCM New York, United States. 03rd June, 2024. HBO's ''House Of The Dragon'' Season 2 Premiere. David Zaslav is attending HBO's ''House Of The Dragon'' Season 2 Premiere at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York, USA, on June 03, 2024. (Photo by Thenews2/NurPhoto) Credit: NurPhoto SRL/Alamy Live News

Can WBD build something out of a little bit of everything?

Dec 1, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; ESPN mics are seen before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

More than nostalgia: How NBC thrived and ESPN failed with the NBA

2YMP04D The National Football League West Coast Office is located outside of Sofi Stadium in Inglewood CA, in the Los Angeles suburbs.

ABC

News: NFL, Scripps-DirecTV, Russell Wilson and more

by Derek Futterman

Pasadena, CA - January 1, 2026 - Rose Bowl Stadium: Midfield sponsor prior to the Rose Bowl during the quarterfinal round of the 2025–26 College Football Playoff.
(Photo by Joshua R. Gateley / ESPN Images)

ABC

Rose Bowl could air in 8 PM ET window under CFP schedule announced Monday

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, right, blocks a shot by Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren during the first half in Game 5 in the Western Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Gerald Leong)

NBA

Can Spurs-Thunder deliver a Finals-level Game 7 audience?

Big Names

Viewership remains at multi-year highs for NBA conference finals

2 weeks ago

Kyle Larson (5) leads a pack of cars into Turn 4 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race, Sunday, May 24, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Amazon

NASCAR Coke 600 ratings tell different stories depending on methodology