"The Highmark Stadium opener rose 5% over last year's Thursday Night Football season debut. Meanwhile, it jumped 21% above last season's full-year average of 15.33 million."
"I don't want to put nobody's agency on blast. But y'all know who you are. Y'all know we've reached out, and you made it abundantly clear you're not gonna let your clients come on the show."
"It is indeed an eclectic group of broadcast teams for the NFL in 2026, but across the board, there is a shared characteristic. All of the networks have play-by-play announcers who never put themselves above the game."
"The Football Tax feels like an investment. Every year, football asks fans for a little more, and every year, fans grumble. Every year, we pay it anyway."
"Roger Goodell isn’t apologizing for wanting more — more games, more viewers, more revenue, more reach. Because as long as fans keep showing up, turning on the television, clicking the stream, and arguing about every call online, the NFL has no reason to slow down."
"The FCC probably can't do much. Its jurisdiction over streaming is murky. Netflix and Amazon don't answer to it the way broadcast stations do. The agency's sharpest weapon is noise — enough of it that Congress eventually acts."
"The industry spends so much time chasing what’s next — new platforms, new angles, new metrics — that it sometimes forgets what worked. A well-timed throwback isn’t regression. It’s perspective."
"Across our platforms, screens, and parks, we’ll build momentum throughout the year toward Super Bowl LXI — a monumental event for sports fans everywhere and for ESPN."
"For all its flaws, the College Football Playoff got this part right. Until viewership tells a different story, there’s no reason to fix what isn’t broken."
"ESPN has increased year-over-year viewership across the board. The network is up 4% in total-day audience and 9% in prime time compared to the same period in 2024."
"I don't want to put nobody's agency on blast. But y'all know who you are. Y'all know we've reached out, and you made it abundantly clear you're not gonna let your clients come on the show."