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Jake Asman: ‘I’m Out on Apple TV+’

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Jake Asman: ‘I’m Out on Apple TV+’

When Apple inked a contract with Major League Baseball to present an exclusive Friday Night Baseball doubleheader, it received mixed reactions from fans. The move was made in an effort to innovate as streaming television is on the rise; in fact, it recently eclipsed more than 50% of total television viewership, according to Nielsen Media Research. While the technology company offered its games for free during a preponderance of last season, this year consumers have had to pay to watch their teams. The fact that the games are not televised anywhere else means that fans either need to pay the price, go to a commercial venue with a distribution deal or listen to the game on the radio.

Those who have been watching the broadcasts had negative sentiments about last year’s broadcast team, but things seem to be going smoother the second time around as the OTT streaming provider has found commentary teams more appealing and cohesive with audiences. Combined with some of the most sharp and superb cameras in the sport, more fans are beginning to favor the Apple TV+ broadcasts. For others though, they are simply not compelled to watch the product, including New York Yankees fan and ESPN Radio host Jake Asman.

“Who’s watching this game tonight?,” Asman said on ESPN New York 98.7 Friday morning. “Who’s downloading Apple TV+ to watch the fourth-place Red Sox and the fifth-place, sitting in last, 60-61 New York Yankees? This could get ugly.”

Dan Graca, who was co-hosting with Asman as they filled in for Dan Rothenberg and Rick DiPietro, surmised that most Yankees and Mets fans already had Apple TV+ because of previous exclusive games featuring their teams. Surprisingly enough, Graca soon found that he was the only one in the studio with the subscription-based service. Even show producer RJ Santillo, who has seven streaming services, decided to neglect both Peacock and Apple TV+.

“You’ve got to draw the line somewhere,” Santillo said, “and for me it was Apple [TV]+.”

Asman, who recently departed ESPN 97.5 Houston, used to have Apple TV+ but decided to drop the service after a suboptimal third season of Ted Lasso. Even after trying to watch The Morning Show, Asman found that he slowly became less interested and eventually decided to stop using the service altogether. Apple recently reported its quarterly earnings, during which it announced that it eclipsed 1 billion paid subscribers across its variety of services, which also includes music streaming, cloud storage and news outlets.

“My two experiences watching these Apple TV shows [are] they start strong and then they end up being awful,” Asman said. “I’m out on Apple TV; I will not be downloading this tonight to watch Yankees-Red Sox. I just don’t have it in me. I’ll be watching the [New York] Giants instead. I’ll watch preseason football over Yankees-Red Sox.”

Graca understood that the Yankees have struggled in recent months, falling to last place in the American League East division and under .500 at the latest point of a season since 1995. Even so, he wanted to know whether or not Asman would feel more compelled to watch the game if it was more relevant in terms of a playoff hunt.

“They keep raising the prices,” Asman replied, “and Netflix is now raising their prices too. All these streaming services, ‘Oh, you cut the cord; you stream with us,’ and all the prices; all they do is keep increasing. I end up paying more money than I ever was for cable.”

“At some point, we’re just going to go right back to the full cable package,” ESPN radio producer Ray Santiago added, “and we’ll start the cycle all over again.”

Mike Florio: ‘NFL Network Has to Fire Michael Irvin or Put Him on TV’

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What is Michael Irvin’s employment status? At ESPN, nothing is official, but signs point to him being replaced on First Take by Shannon Sharpe. At the NFL Network, things are a bit more murky.

The Playmaker is still employed, but he remains suspended after accusations that he engaged in inappropriate conduct with a woman at a hotel in Arizona during the Super Bowl.

Mike Florio says Irvin deserves some answers from the network.

“At some point you’ve got to end this,” he said on 105.3 The Fan’s Shan & RJ Friday morning. “At some point, you got to move forward. You’ve got to cut the guy loose or you got to put him back on the air. And I’d like to think before the regular season that would be the case. Who knows?”

Florio admitted that while none of us know for sure what happened, he does feel bad to see Irvin put in a sort of holding pattern. The former attorney offered Irvin some advice.

“At some point, you’ve got to look at your contract with NFL Network and you got to say, ‘I have rights here and you can’t just put me on ice indefinitely. You have to do something with me, cut me loose, put me back to work. But we just can’t be in this limbo that has now lasted four months.’ So it’s strange.”

Shan Shariff asked Florio if there is any way to know how the legal case looks for Irvin. 

Florio says there really isn’t. While everyone has questions and theories, the public won’t know which side has what until the case goes to trial or is settled.

He added that every so often over the last four months, various outlets have reported that Irvin remains suspended. He re-iterated the fact that it doesn’t mean there is any new information to report.

Chris Plante: Jake Tapper Had ‘Completely Crazy’ Reaction to Trump’s ‘Rigger’ Comments

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Chris Plante: Jake Tapper Had ‘Completely Crazy’ Reaction to Trump’s ‘Rigger’ Comments

Earlier this week, former President Donald Trump used the word “riggers” to describe those bringing charges against him, including Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis. Chris Plante defended the former President against charges of racism during his radio show Thursday.

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that he has evidence proving “complete EXONERATION” of him and his allies. “They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!”

Many have claimed Trump’s use of “riggers” is a thinly veiled attempt to use a racial slur that rhymes with the word. During an appearance with CNN’s Jake Tapper, former Trump White House official and current The View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin argued it’s clear Trump intended to use the term as a racial slur against Willis, an African-American.

“With Trump, you don’t need to look for a dog whistle — it’s a bullhorn when it comes to race,” she said. “And I do think that’s deliberate.”

On The Chris Plante Show Thursday, the radio host argued that Tapper’s response to the situation, as well as the reaction from MSNBC hosts, showed a political bias against the former President.

“(Tapper) doesn’t know the word ‘rigor’. He doesn’t know the word ‘rigger’, like working on an oil rig or you’re rigging an election. And if anyone should use that word, then you’re obviously a Klansmen or racist,” Plante sarcastically said. “It’s completely crazy. It’s not even a dog whistle when you hear CNN and MSDNC (sic). They’ve pounced on it because President Trump used a word and they decided to attack him and call him a racist.

“It’s quite an amazing story, I’ve got to say. Our media is so demented. They are so mentally unstable. I guess they’re Democrats. So it speaks for itself, doesn’t it? It’s just extraordinary.”

Amber Wilson: ‘NBA Trying Not to Shorten Season to Retain Media Revenue’

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Amber Wilson: ‘NBA Trying Not to Shorten Season to Retain Media Revenue’

The National Basketball Association revealed its complete regular season schedule yesterday, an 82-game slate that includes an inaugural in-season tournament. ESPN and TNT will combine to present 41 games featuring the Golden State Warriors, putting the team on top in terms of nationally-televised contests. Nikola Jokić and the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets have 30 games on national television, while LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have 40.

During a YouTube exclusive segment of First Take earlier this week, ESPN Radio personality Amber Wilson was asked by host Molly Qerim whether or not fans will care about the NBA In-Season Tournament. Wilson replied by expressing that she was not sure if $500,000 would be enough prize money to make the players want to compete and win, but recognized that having the games count toward the regular season record could incentivize the proceedings. Additionally, she also advocated for the NBA to shorten the regular season to 60 games, a move that would require significant renegotiation as it pertains to media rights.

“This is the NBA finding a way – or trying to find a way anyways – to make these regular season games actually matter and the eyeballs actually go to the screens so they can get more revenue,” Wilson said. “This is all about television rights.”

Wilson pointed to the WNBA as proof of such with its Commissioner’s Cup, which the league started awarding during the 2021 season. Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty took home the trophy earlier this week after defeating the Las Vegas Aces as the league’s television audience was up 67% year-over-year at the halfway point of the season.

“That’s what they’re trying to do here in the NBA,” Wilson said. “I don’t hate the idea. I know Adam Silver has been watching the soccer model over in Europe for a very long time.”

Qerim followed up with Wilson to confirm whether or not she believed playing less games would facilitate more interest in the Association as a whole, to which she and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo both concurred. The NBA garnered an estimated combined revenue of more than $10 billion during the season before last, and currently receives more than $2.5 billion annually in its media rights deal.

“That’s the way to do it,” Wilson said. “They’re just trying to find a way around it any way they can because less games means less money.”

The league’s national media rights contract with The Walt Disney Company (ESPN/ABC) and Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT) expires at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has spoken publicly about granting the league more of a digital presence while maintaining a linear component.

Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ are expected to be involved in the bidding for a share of the rights, while Disney and WBD Sports both expressed interest in retaining the rights. ESPN President of Content Burke Magnus recently divulged in an interview that keeping the NBA Finals is a “must-have” in any negotiation.

New BIA Report: Political Ad Spending Up 30%

BNM Staff
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New BIA Report: Political Ad Spending Up 30%

In 2021, $410 million was spent on political advertising. That number has grown significantly in 2023.

According to a new report from BIA Advisory Services, a forecast of $534 million will be spent on supporting political campaigns in 2023.

Over-the-air television will see the bulk of the spending, with 43.1% of that $534 million figure going toward traditional television. 13% of the buys will go to cable.

Digital has received a sizeable chunk of the advertising with 22.8%. Direct mail accounts for 9.2% of the advertising, while radio receives the smallest portion at 5.4%.

Additionally, BIA claims that Los Angeles, New York, Tucson, Detroit, and San Francisco are the five markets receiving the largest share of the ad spending. $148.9 million of the $534 million is forecasted to be spent in those five markets.

Sports Media Demands More Marshawn Lynch After SlamBall Broadcast

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Sports Media Demands More Marshawn Lynch After SlamBall Broadcast

Very few people have as much widespread approval as Marshawn Lynch. The former NFL star was on ESPN Thursday night as part of the broadcast of the SlamBall Finals. 

It was part of a two night assignment that included references to Sonic the Hedgehog, wacky voices, hilariously mocking off target shots, and some foul language.

Lynch won rave reviews. They were followed by an obvious question: why don’t we see him as an analyst on NFL games?

Marshawn Lynch was a part of Amazon’s pregame show for Thursday Night Football last season. He contributed pre-recorded segments in the host city of each week’s game. Would the NFL ever allow for more than that?

Jimmy Traina isn’t so sure. In his “Extra Mustard” column for SI, he wrote “Roger Goodell would probably have a fit. And network executives would probably get diarrhea from having nervous system issues.”

Even SlamBall itself poked fun at Lynch’s performance on social media. 

Lynch has shown that sense leaving the NFL, he is up for just about anything, including acting. He is one of the stars of the new movie Bottoms. His role, again, comes with plenty of course language. Add that to the list of reasons Goodell and team owners may want networks to avoid adding Lynch to a game crew.

Stephen A. Smith: ‘Shannon Sharpe to First Take Not Done’

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Amid reports of Shannon Sharpe reportedly agreeing to appear on ESPN’s First Take on Mondays and Tuesdays during the football season, the sports media world finally received somewhat of an answer as to the future of the former Undisputed commentator. Stephen A. Smith, executive producer and featured commentator on the hit morning show, threw his support behind the former NFL tight end and hopes that a deal does get done. Reporting from Andrew Marchand and Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post that it was official, however, has been refuted by Smith himself, as per a clip released on social media late Thursday.

“It’d be great to have him,” Smith said. “Here’s the issue: We don’t. Sorry, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post – it’s a bit premature. Shannon Sharpe has yet to sign on the dotted line to be a member of First Take.

If a deal ultimately comes to fruition, Sharpe would enhance a deep roster of commentators and analysts that join Smith and host Molly Qerim at the desk, including Marcus Spears, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, Mina Kimes and JJ Redick among others. Smith is optimistic ESPN will be able to acquire another knowledgeable and entertaining superstar to add to the First Take rotation.

“I’m still confident it’ll happen; I still believe it will happen,” Smith said. “I think it needs to happen, and I have no doubt that I’m going to exhaust any means I have available to me to make it happen.”

Keith Olbermann: Megyn Kelly, Sage Steele Are Both Despised By Former Co-Workers

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Megyn Kelly welcomed former ESPN anchor Sage Steele to her SiriusXM show earlier this week. Keith Olbermann said the pairing was apropos for all the wrong reasons.

During his Countdown podcast Friday, Olbermann shared that both Kelly and Steele are hated by their former co-workers, so the two discussing the situation was an appropriate combination.

“She was on Megyn Kelly’s radio show for the whole two hours. First of all, to listen to Megyn Kelly — one of the most despised people in the history of NBC — complaining about anybody else is torture enough. But then to hear Sage Steele — one of the most despised people in the history of ESPN — complaining about anybody else alongside Megyn Kelly? Can I get those knitting needles for my ears now?”

Keith Olbermann, who declared Steele his “worst person in the world” during Wednesday’s podcast after she announced her exit from ESPN, claimed “My email inbox and text filled up with messages from grateful old friends” for denigrating his former colleague.

He later mocked Steele for her insinuation that she “wouldn’t be quiet” about her political feelings any longer.

“Wait, that was her being quiet? I don’t believe there are any witnesses to any period of time in human history when she’s been quiet,” Olbermann said. “She added ‘I don’t care anymore because this is my experience. I’m allowed to feel the way I feel. And then finally, when you try to silence me, I’m done’…Well, she got that part of it right.”

Acast Severs Ties with Spotify Analytics After Podscribe Deal

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Acast Severs Ties with Spotify Analytics After Podscribe Deal

After announcing a new deal with Podscribe, Acast has made the decision to no longer utilize Spotify Analytics for its campaigns.

“Podscribe’s track record in delivering accurate and insightful attribution solutions – which are certified at the highest level – is exceptional. We also know their approach to customer satisfaction is unmatched in this space,” Acast CEO Ross Adams said.

“We’re also really looking forward to seeing how the relationship will evolve. Podscribe’s innovative work in areas like YouTube modeling, ChatGPT-powered brand safety, and airchecks signal progressive moves for us, our advertisers and the industry.”

The deal will give advertisers utilizing Acast complementary attribution services, giving advertisers the ability to monitor and fine-tune their campaigns.

“Working with the biggest marketplace in the open podcasting ecosystem is a natural fit for us,” Podscribe Founder and CEO Pete Birsinger added. “Our team’s dedication to providing top-notch services that help advertisers make data-driven decisions and maximize their podcast ad investments matches Acast’s scale and dominance perfectly.”

Legendary Buffalo Sabres Broadcaster Rick Jeanneret Dies

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The legendary voice of the Buffalo Sabres has passed away. The team issued a statement on Thursday announcing the death of Rick Jeanneret.

Jeanneret was the voice of the team for over 50 years, making him the longest tenured team broadcast in NHL history. He retired in 2022.

“Rick was indeed a very special and very loved man, to and by all, who knew him and listened to him, his magic, and his command,” Sabres owner Terry Pegula said. “How glad I am to have known him. How lucky were we all to have been around him and to have listened to him.”

The list of accolades for Jeanneret is long. He joined the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012 as the recipient of the Foster Hewitt Award. He is also in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and the Township of Terrace Bay, Ontario’s Sports Wall of Fame. He is also an honorary member of the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame.

In 2022, he was honored with a spot in the Sabres’ Hall of Fame and had a banner raised in his honor at the KeyBank Center, one of 11 Sabres to receive such an honor.

“Growing up in Buffalo, Rick Jeanneret was not just the voice of the Sabres, he was the voice for our city. He helped foster my love of hockey, along with so many others,” Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said. “Beyond the booth, Rick was an incredible man that was loved by all. His wit and humor was unmatched and we are all lucky to have known him.”

Rick Jeanneret is survived by his wife Sandra, his children, Mark, Chris and Shelly and his grandchildren. He was 81-years-old.

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