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Derek Jeter Will Only Be on FOX For Marquee MLB Events

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Back on Super Bowl Sunday, it was revealed that Yankees legend and hall of famer Derek Jeter would be joining the MLB on FOX crew for the 2023 season. Now there’s more details on just how involved Jeter will be as a studio analyst.

Andrew Marchand at the New York Post writes that Jeter’s FOX schedule is going to be very light. The former Yankee captain will only be in studio for FOX’s coverage of the London Series, the All-Star Game in July and postseason coverage in October.

Jeter was rumored to have been sought after by YES Network along with Don Mattingly, but it was clear the ball had not been rolling on any talks between the network and Jeter. Mattingly ended up taking a job with the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason.

How Jeter’s presence on those prime broadcasts affects the role of Frank Thomas remains to be seen, but Marchand wrote that it’s something to keep an eye on.

Dean Blandino: NFL Could Win Over Skeptical Fans With XFL Replay Transparency

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The XFL has returned, and with it rules innovations have followed, much to the delight of many viewers.

League vice president of officiating and rules innovations and NFL on FOX rules analyst Dean Blandino told Nick Wilson and Dustin Fox on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland on Tuesday that the XFL knew that some of the new rules would be received well. Additionally, the access to replay reviews has served fans well.

“I really love the transparency. I love that our fans and anyone watching the game can listen in to our replay process, see what we’re doing,” Blandino said. “Because I spent a long time at the NFL and if people don’t agree with the call, it’s very difficult to convince them why after the fact. And when they can see it actually happening they may not always agree, but they have a better understanding, and gives them I think a better overall feeling about officiating. So I really like that part of it.”

Blandino said when it comes to NFL officiating, more real-time explanation of what replay officials are actually looking at and how a call is made would go a long way in helping the league gain more credibility.

“I think the NFL could do some things where they could be more transparent and help the fans to understand the process that’s taking place,” he said. Blandino mentioned that the NFL does try to clarify calls after games, but he felt that it was too generic and didn’t really help people understand.

“There’s not a lot of explanation there, and it seems like a lot more copy-and-paste type stuff,” he said. “Where if you could come in and say here’s what happened, here’s why and when necessary admit you know what we missed this one and we’re gonna fix it, and we’re gonna correct it going forward. I think that lends itself to greater credibility rather than saying nothing or just defending every call every time. I think sometimes people just tune you out when you do that.”

Rob Parker’s MLBBro Partnering With Major League Baseball

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Rob Parker’s MLBBro Partnering With Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is going to be providing an elevated platform for a media outlet focused on covering Black and brown players.

MLBbro.com announced on Tuesday that the outlet, founded by veteran baseball writer and FOX Sports Radio host Rob Parker, had reached an agreement with MLB to feature MLBbro.com content on league platforms.

“We will give Black players a voice and put context to their presence in the game,” Parker said in a statement. “In the process, we will display the culture and flair MLBbros bring to the table.”

The site’s goal is to provide daily coverage of Black and brown players across the league from spring training to the World Series. Additionally, MLBbro shines a light on the impact Black players are having on the sport right now and how they’ve had an influential role in baseball history.

MLBbro currently has a staff of 58 content creators.

Laurence Holmes: There Are ‘No Consequences’ For ‘Poor Reporting’ From NFL Insiders

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Yesterday, a report from ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter claimed the Chicago Bears were “leaning” toward trading the first overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. 670 The Score host Laurence Holmes took issue, not with the report, but with the way it was framed and presented.

The graphic accompanying Schefter’s tweet used the term “developing news” four times, which Holmes viewed as overkill.

“Football is the straw that stirs the drink when it comes to sports conversation in this genre or the genre, the medium that ESPN works in. I get it. I understand it. I’m having a hard time with the way some of this stuff is framed,” admitted Holmes.

“I really am. I know what it is a sign of…I just feel like there’s one-source reporting — I’m not talking about Schefter in this case, because there have been others where you got ‘Oh…’ — it just feels like now because of how quickly the news cycle devours news and tosses it away, people don’t even care. You can be wrong about stuff like this, you can report it, you can report it poorly, and there are no consequences for it. So why don’t I just start doing that? ‘The Bears are hoping to get better this offseason’.”

Holmes then clarified he was discussing a report from Jason La Canfora that claimed the Bears could possibly keep the number one overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and instead trade quarterback Justin Fields, who the franchise selected with the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

“I know what it is is the dawn of the end of my career. I’ll just get frustrated and say ‘You know what? I’m out’, but when you go back to what I think was — I can’t prove it, and I’ll be upfront about that — but what I think was from a one-source report from Jason La Canfora can then turn into all of us using it as programming, but people who might be better equipped to debunk the story, like an Adam Schefter or an Ian Rapoport, saying ‘I guess that makes sense’…so then it gets into the bloodstream.”

Andrew Fillipponi: ‘Maybe Netflix Will Pick Up Pirates, Penguins’

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The imminent demise of AT&T SportsNet in Denver, Houston, and Pittsburgh has left many Major League Baseball fans wondering where the games for their favorite teams will be televised as Opening Day approaches. 93.7 The Fan host Andrew Fillipponi said he has no answers to those questions.

Warner Bros. Discovery — parent company of AT&T SportsNet — is exiting the regional sports network, giving the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, and Pittsburgh Pirates until March 31st to negotiate a deal to reclaim their local television rights. MLB’s Opening Day is scheduled for March 30th, and as it approaches, Fillipponi admitted he doesn’t see an ideal landing spot for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“There are no clear answers. It doesn’t sound like anything’s definitive,” Fillipponi said. “People are freaking out. ‘What if I don’t have cable? Is every cable channel gonna pick it up? Do I need to buy something extra for the remainder of the Penguins season? For the home stretch? For the first round of the playoffs? Do I need to go into my pocket and pay more? Where are these games gonna be?’

“There’s a lot of putting out fires here,” said Fillipponi, as he made mention of a recent interview Pirates owner Bob Nutting gave to The Athletic, assuring fans their games would still be televised. “‘Hey, don’t worry. The games will be on. We don’t know yet where they’re gonna be. We’ll tell you soon, but we can’t tell you right now. I wish I had answers! People are coming up to me — I was at a bar Saturday — I’m just making up stuff. ‘Where are the rest of the Penguins games gonna be? The Spice Channel! Where are the Pirates games gonna be? AppleTV, I don’t know!” I have no clue how that’s gonna work.”

The PM Team host then joked that Netflix could be an option for the dispatched franchises.

“This is my public service announcement: I don’t have answers for you. I know where the games can be heard…I guess this is good for us. Our relationship with the Pirates hasn’t changed. Where the games will be in a month? I have zero clue. Maybe they’ll be on Netflix. Netflix wants to get into sports. Maybe Netflix’ll pick up the Penguins and Pirates. Everyone’s got a Netflix account, or they pirate it or steal it or borrow it from somebody else.”

MLB Negotiating For Carriage In Former AT&T SportsNet Markets

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MLB Negotiating For Carriage In Former AT&T SportsNet Markets

After being told that it was looking to give the local television rights back to the MLB teams it holds the rights to, AT&T SportsNet is looking to exit the regional sports business.

The league is now in negotiations with distributors in Denver, Houston, and Pittsburgh — the former AT&T SportsNet markets — and believes it will not have a problem airing games on both linear television and on streaming when Opening Day rolls around.

AT&T SportsNet told the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, and Pittsburgh Pirates, they have until March 31st to reach an agreement to reclaim their local television rights and have reportedly even offered them back to the clubs at no cost.

According to a report from John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, the move from Warner Bros. Discovery — the parent company of AT&T SportsNet — was not a shock to MLB, who has already begun discussing potential options with other distribution platforms in Denver, Houston, and Pittsburgh.

Pirates owner Bob Nutting appeared to confirm that report from Ourand in comments he made to The Athletic, noting that the only thing that will change for fans is potentially the channel number where their games will be found.

“I don’t see any chance we’re going to lose the broadcast,” Nutting said. “I just don’t think that’s realistic. We have been working for over a year on contingency plans.”

Nutting admitted that the “RSN ecosystem has significantly changed” but that fans are “gonna be able to turn on the TV” and watch Pirates broadcasts.

Warner Bros. Discovery also owns a 40% stake in ROOT Sports, with the other 60% owned by the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have claimed that operations will continue as normal.

Gregg Giannotti: Brett Favre ‘Doesn’t Have A Leg to Stand On’ in Pat McAfee Lawsuit

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Yesterday, Pat McAfee revealed he had officially been served court papers that Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre is indeed filing a defamation lawsuit against him. WFAN host Gregg Giannotti doesn’t believe anything will come of the lawsuit.

During Boomer & Gio Tuesday, a discussion about the situation came up, with Giannotti believing the entire ordeal if frivolous.

“I don’t think he’s got a leg to stand on with all this stuff,” Giannotti said. “Just basically what he’s doing is making a bigger ass out of himself. That’s Favre. I don’t know what the end game is here. To flex your power? To scare people into not saying bad things about him? I really don’t know what the end game is, but all I know is right now it’s making him look worse.”

A lawyer for Favre told The Blaze’s Jason Whitlock that a “Mississippi jury will teach Pat McAfee how to apologize” during the court proceedings, adding that he will “bankrupt” the former Indianapolis Colts punter.

McAfee is accused of defaming Favre after his role in a plot to misappropriate Mississippi welfare funds into the build of a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi — his alma mater and where his daughter was a member of the volleyball program — was uncovered. The digital sports host said he would mention Favre’s involvement in the scheme every time the former quarterback’s name came up.

“Nothing’s gonna come out of this,” concluded Giannotti. “There’s just no way.”

Representatives for Favre are also suing FS1 pundit Shannon Sharpe for his comments on the incident. Sharpe — unlike McAfee — has yet to comment publicly on the lawsuit.

Nexstar CEO: ‘Very Pleased With 1st Weekend of LIV Golf’

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Nexstar CEO: ‘Very Pleased With 1st Weekend of LIV Golf’

The ratings were not good for The CW when it came to the network’s first foray into live sports. That doesn’t mean the network or its parent company Nexstar is panicking about its relationship with LIV Golf. In fact, CEO Perry Sook says the company is “very pleased with our first weekend of LIV Golf.”

John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reported that the Saturday round of the LIV Tour’s tournament in Mexico last week drew just a 0.2 rating. In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable, Sook pointed out that the number went up significantly on Sunday.

“The linear broadcast ratings increased 21% from Saturday to Sunday,” he told John Lafayette. “Those numbers exceeded our expectations.”

Friday play was available exclusively on The CW app. More than 1.4 million people accessed the network’s LIV Golf content across all platforms over the weekend. Sook notes that is 24% higher than the average golf television audience in 2023.

He also said that LIV Golf generated “three times the revenue” for CW affiliates versus other programming.

“I think we’ll continue to grow as we get more into the season,” the Nexstar CEO said.

He added that plenty of teams have reached out about airing games on the network as Warner Bros. Discovery and Diamond Sports Group see their regional sports networks flounder. He says the experience with LIV has definitely made Nexstar open to airing other sports on The CW in the future.

Study Shows Nielsen Undercounted Super Bowl Audience

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The Super Bowl was watched by even more people than first thought. That is the conclusion of a new study commissioned by the NFL and done in cooperation with Nielsen Media Research.

Earlier this month, FOX reported that an average audience of 113 million people tuned in to see the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. But new data suggests that the average audience may have been closer to 136 million.

Data from nearly 5200 households was used in the survey. It showed that the average minute audience was 20% higher than originally thought. It is a similar phenomenon to Thanksgiving Day. The audience for the holiday games in 2022 set a record but still was undercounted.

The purpose of the surveys is to get an accurate reflection of what large gatherings mean for the league’s television audience. The league contends that on special occasions, more people are watching NFL games outside of their home than Nielsen ratings reflect.

“What the survey is telling us is that for those tent-pole events, we’re seeing a fairly significant lift,” Paul Ballew, chief data and analytics officer for the NFL, concluded.

6 NBA Franchises Launching Podcasts With iHeartMedia

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6 NBA Franchises Launching Podcasts With iHeartMedia

The NBA and iHeartMedia are expanding their podcast partnership to include six more franchises

The Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans, and San Antonio Spurs are the latest NBA entities to create podcasts with the media company.

“We’re excited to debut a new slate of team podcasts that cover compelling stories from around the NBA,” said NBA Senior Vice President and Head of National & Local Network Partnerships David Denenberg to Deadline. “The iHeartPodcast Network provides a great platform to share that unique content with our fans.”

The new podcasts will be hosted by NBA analysts, announcers, and culture influencers.

The Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers will each launch three new shows, the Pelicans will develop two new podcasts, while the Celtics, Hornets, and Spurs will each launch one.

Radio broadcasters will be prevalent in the podcasts, with Chris Carrino (Nets), Tim Alcorn (Cavaliers), Rafa Hernandez Brito (Cavaliers Spanish announcer), Todd Fraffagnini (Pelicans), Bill Schoening (Spurs), and Sean Grande (Celtics) all being included in the new podcast projects with their respective franchises.

“We are proud to leverage iHeart’s unmatched scale, reach, and digital platform to continue to deliver compelling NBA content to fans,” added iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group CEO Conal Byrne. “Together with the NBA and its teams, we look forward to bringing even more one-of-a-kind stories and cultural experiences to fans across the country.”

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