Sports Media with Richard Deitsch

Episode 662 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Ed Desser and John Kosner, the co-authors of a new book, "WE’RE LIVE!: Inside the BIG Business of Sports Media." The book comes out Oct. 1 In this podcast Desser, a former NBA executive who helped pioneer NBA/com and NBA League Pass, and John Kosner, top executive for ESPN’s digital business for nearly two decades, discuss writing their book on the business of sports media; how much Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon's Prime Video and YouTube will be part of our sports future; the role of artificial intelligence in the sports business; why you should not think of sports rights having a bubble; what Paramount's sports portfolio might look like after the WBD merger; what keeps ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro up at the night; why the WNBA is undervalued; the prospect of a streamer getting a Super Bowl; ESPN’s decision to pay a handful of on-air talents big money; whether the NBA has an issue with too much inventory and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 661 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Jeff Cameron, the director and producer of the HBO Original Documentary and NFL Films Production, Miller Night Football, which chronicles comedian Dennis Miller’s time in the “Monday Night Football”broadcast booth in 2000 and 2001 alongside Al Michaels and Dan Fouts. In this podcast, Cameron discusses how the project came to conception; why Miller decided to talk for the doc; what Miller thinks of his time on air; how 9/11 impacted the broadcast; the criticism ABC faced on the decision; Miller's incredible esoteric lines on-air including, "I haven't seen that much fabric used since Christo wrapped the Pont-Neuf in Paris"; how ideas get conceived at NFL Films; which NFL subjects that would be great for exploration; and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 660 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch; Armand Broady, the co-host of the Sports Media Watch podcast and a contributor to SMW, and Derek Futterman, a multimedia writer and producer for Sports Media Watch. In this podcast our group discusses the latest on Joe Buck re-signing with ESPN and Troy Aikman saying he does not have a contract for next year; what it would mean for the industry if Aikman and ESPN parted ways; the NFL averaging 19.9 million viewers through Week 2, down four compared to the same point in 2025; whether College GameDay's DNA has changed; if College GameDay has become too self-involved; the settlement clearing the way for the Paramount-Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery deal and the large portfolio of sports rights; Doc Rivers joining NBC as an NBA analyst and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 659 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features Troy Aikman, the lead broadcaster for ESPN and ABC's Monday Night Football. His next broadcast comes Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN when he and Joe Buck call the Giants at Rams. The two broadcasters will also call Super Bowl 61 on February 14, 2027 at SoFi Stadium, ESPN's first-ever Super Bowl. In this podcast, Aikman discusses the Rams-Giants game; his thoughts on the Rams' decision to arrive in Melbourne later than the Niners; the upcoming MNF schedule -- Eagles-Bears, Falcons-Saints, Bills-Chargers, Commanders-Niners and Cowboys-Eagles; what he thinks of the Monday Night Football schedule overall; Travis Kelce's broadcast prospects; how he is finding doing production meetings remotely and not being allowed to attend practices at team facilities given the his Dolphins role; why he does not believe what he does is a conflict of interest; why he wants feedback from his producers; his thoughts on Joe Buck signing with ESPN for an additional five years; his expectations right now about his future with ESPN given his contract is up at the end of the year; whether Joe's decision impact his decision; his love of cold water showers; going to be early; the success of his beer company, EIGHT Elite Light Beer, and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

Episode 658 of the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch features a roundtable with Jon Lewis, editor and founder of Sports Media Watch, Chad Finn, sports media columnist for the Boston Globe and Austin Karp, the media writer for Sports Business Journal. In the podcast we discuss the NFL's Week 1 viewership average being down 13 percent year over year; whether the decline indicate any kind of longer-term trend this season; our opinions of the Jim Nantz-J.J. Watt booth; what that might mean for Tony Romo; Joe Buck's new longterm contract with ESPN; Steve Sarkisian's decision to blow off ESPN's Holly Rowe; the declining numbers of the Manningcast; ESPN PR vs. Fox Sports PR and more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.