Welcome to day two of Barrett Media’s Top 20 series for the 2025 calendar year. This series is well regarded across sports radio, news/talk radio and music radio, and for 2026, we’re expanding it into other areas. Each month, we’ll feature different categories as voted on by leaders in those respective areas. Stay tuned to this website, our newsletters or X, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social channels to learn what’s coming next. We will also provide commentaries on the Barrett Media YouTube page so be sure to subscribe.
Today marks our first venture into presenting the Top 20 Sports Television Shows with votes provided by industry decision makers. 39 executives took part in the voting process which was excellent. Our goal for next year is to increase that total to over 50. Our voters work for numerous companies including ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports Regional Networks, Paramount Skydance, Nexstar Media, Sinclair Communications, TEGNA, Warner Bros., Omaha Productions, NFL Network, MLB Network, Yahoo Sports, Red Seat Ventures, The Volume, Bleav, and Blue Duck Media. Executives from a few other groups were asked to share input too but did not provide feedback by our deadline.
Important Information
80 national sports television studio shows appeared on lists prepared for our industry voters. Rather than splitting it up by sport and/or weekly vs. daily shows, we asked industry leaders to rank them all. We knew that some would value talk shows, informational shows and/or pregame/postgame shows differently. That’s no different than what a viewer does each time they turn on their television.
Our voting process for this series is similar to how writers cast votes for awards in pro sports. A first-place vote equals twenty (20) points. A 20th place vote equals one (1) point. We do this to try and keep things balanced and from becoming too lopsided should one company be more active than others.
Keep in mind that our voters live in different areas, work for different companies, have different tastes, and value certain factors higher than others. This is not a perfect system. However, it’s one we feel good about using to showcase the industry’s best.
Closing Comments
As you review the results, please remember that these results represent the collective feedback shared by our industry voters. Barrett Media does not vote in this process. I want to thank Dylan Barrett for creating the artwork, and every voter who participated in the process. Now without further delay, here are Barrett Media’s Top 20 Sports Television Shows of 2025. Congrats to all who appeared on this year’s list.
Additional Notes:
- College Gameday cruised to a twenty four (24) point victory over Inside the NBA. CGD was though tied with Inside the NBA and NFL Redzone for the most first-place votes with each snagging six (6).
- Spots 21-25 belonged to NHL Tonight, Sunday NFL Countdown, The NFL Today on CBS, MLB Tonight, and The Rich Eisen Show.
- The closest battle saw Monday Night Countdown edge Football Night in America by one (1) point to grab 16th place.
- Of the 80 shows to appear on submitted ballots, eight (8) received at least one 1st place vote.
Barrett Media’s Upcoming Top 20 of 2025 Schedule:
- Friday January 30: The Top 20 Sports Television Talent of 2025
- February 2-6 and 9: The Top 20 Sports Radio Shows, Stations and Program Directors of 2025
- February 10-13 and 16-17: The Top 20 News/Talk Radio Shows, Stations and Program Directors of 2025
- February 18-20: The Top 20 News Television Shows and Talent, and News/Talk Digital Shows of 2025
- February 23-27 and March 2-4: The Top 20 Music Radio Shows and Program Directors of 2025
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Jason Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Barrett Media. The company launched in September 2015 and has provided consulting services to America’s top audio and video brands, while simultaneously covering the media industry at BarrettMedia.com, becoming a daily destination for media professionals. Prior to Barrett Media, Jason built and programmed 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He was also the first sports programmer for SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, which later became 97.5 The Fanatic. Barrett also led 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY, and worked on-air and behind the scenes at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years at ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT producing ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ and ‘GameNight’. JB can be reached on Twitter @SportsRadioPD or by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
