ESPN is successfully pitching its more statistics-heavy and technology-infused coverage of Sunday Night Baseball and its recently launched Statcast alternative telecast to reach younger hard-core and casual fans.

From on-field player interviews from players during its traditional telecasts to the unique, stat-based features on its alternative telecast like “pitch predictor” — which predicts which pitch a pitcher will throw next in any game situation — ESPN is leaning on advanced statistics and unique technology to drive Major League Baseball viewership. 

The tech and stats focus has thus far been a hit with viewers. Through July 28, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecasts have averaged 1.6 million viewers, up 8% compared to a year ago. The July 21 debut of Sunday Night Baseball Statcast Edition — hosted by Kevin Brown, Mike Petriello and Trevor May — captured 11% of the July 21 Los Angeles Dodgers-Boston Red Sox telecast, up from the 9% share averaged by last year’s SNB alternative casts, hosted by Michael Kay and Alex Rodriguez, ESPN said. 

ESPN VP of production Phil Orlins spoke to Multichannel News about ESPN’s nuanced approach to its baseball telecasts in 2024. Here’s an edited transcript of that conversation.  

MCN: Why has it been important to ESPN to feature more technological and statistical innovations in its baseball coverage?  

Phil Orlins: I think that we always aim to be somewhat progressive and lean aggressively towards innovation and differentiation where possible within our Sunday Night Baseball coverage, and it’s been another good year of that. The cooperation and willingness from players in the sport has continued to move in a positive direction, which is great. I think the most noteworthy thing that people talk about is that we’re really in our third year now of doing in-game game interviews with a player on the field during the game. It’s actually become easier as time has gone by. A lot of players have different views on social media as they build their brands, so a lot of them are just comfortable doing it week after week.

MCN: How cooperative has the league been in allowing ESPN to have direct contact with the players during the games?

PO: Baseball has been willing to change and to take risks across the board. From the rule changes led by the pitch clock to allowing player microphones during the game, they have completely altered the narrative around the sport as a stodgy sport stuck in its historical legacy, to now being a sport that is much more appealing, in a number of ways, to young people.

MCN: How do the Statcast alternate telecasts supplement the traditional Sunday Night Baseball presentation for hard-core fans?

PO: The alt-casts allow us to really do some new and progressive coverage that we haven't done in the past. It allows us to break in some new approaches and things of that nature. It’s totally different from any other alt-cast we’ve ever done. It’s very, very much directed for the most passionate baseball fans and most progressive baseball fans out there. It’s nice when you can build something that’s reasonably aggressive but can also be comfortable for all the viewers. Since we’re clearly targeting a certain type of viewer, it allows us to be unreasonably aggressive.

MCN: Do you worry that all the technological advances will turn off older hard-core fans?

PO: We create content for a vast different type of audience, but you can’t please everybody. We certainly hear that. I don’t think it’s costing us viewers or not making them be fans of the sport, but I’m sure there are people who would rather everything be left alone. We do a lot of research on our different types of audiences, and for the most part, that group would prefer that the commentary be straight and predictable and not have intrusions of any type whatsoever. Then we have an equal or larger group of viewers that we refer to as die-hards who want to know and hear more from the telecasts, and they want more personality and everything about the game. I would say that our decision is almost universally to be slightly more on the progressive side and try to be aligned with where the sport is going versus where the sport has been, but not so much that we alienate traditionalists.

Fox Sports Films will continue its swings within the sports documentary genre with an FS1 special on baseball superstar Julio Rodriguez that will air tonight (July 16) after Fox’s coverage of Major League Baseball’s All-Star game. 

The documentary, Welcome to the J-Rod Show, follows the Seattle Mariners outfielder and 2022 American League Rookie of the Year from his roots in the Dominican Republic to his major-league debut. The documentary is part of Fox Sports’ strategy to develop original content to complement high-profile live sports events, VP of development and original programming Barry Nugent said. 

“We thought it would be great if we did a documentary on a guy who's just starting out but who is a leading face of the league,“ Nugent told Multichannel News. ”We’ll have this introduction to him and his career, and what we found is that the dude has an infectious way of loving baseball.”

Also Read: Sling TV Starts Free 4K Viewing With Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game … in ‘Select’ Markets and on ‘Select’ Devices

Prior Fox Sports documentaries include The Game that Changed Everything: Yankees vs. Red Sox ‘04 ALCS, which debuted prior to the World Series last October, and I Am Kevin Harvick, a profile of the NASCAR driver and Fox analyst that aired on FS1 this past February after Fox’s Daytona 500 telecast. 

“We tend to target our films as shoulder programming for the big events that we have,” he said. “There’s no greater lead-in than the live events  that we have … it’s so exciting and so important for the subject.”

Along with tying in with marquee Fox Sports events, Nugent said the documentaries also benefit from having Fox Sports’ on-air talent participate. For the J-Rod documentary — executive-produced by Derek Jeter’s Cap 2 Productions — Fox MLB studio analyst and former Mariners great Alex Rodriguez talks about the emerging superstar.

Both Jeter and Rodriguez also appeared in the Yankees vs Red Sox ‘04 ALCS documentary, with the Yankees teammates speaking for the first time about the infamous series in which Boston defeated New York after trailing 3-0.  

“We would have only done [that documentary] if we could get the New York Yankees side of the story, because up to that point [Rodriguez] and Jeter had never talked about it because it was so heartbreaking to them,” he said. “With our documentaries, we’re trying to show a more intimate portrait both on and off the field.” 

Fox Sports is developing more documentaries that revolve around tentpole Fox Sports live events, Nugent said, including the Super Bowl in February and the network’s NASCAR coverage. “We bring in a certain number of people into the tent to watch the live event, so you want to have them stick around with more in-depth stories to tell on some of those subjects,” he said.  

As for Fox’s coverage of tonight’s 94th MLB All-Star Game, Joe Davis and John Smoltz will handle play-by-play and commentary, with Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci providing inside information and in-game reports from the field, Fox said. Fox will open its 25th broadcast of the Midsummer Classic with a pregame show hosted by Jeter, Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Kevin Burkhardt. 

Roku and Major League Baseball have made it official -- live games from a major American team sport will appear on a FAST channel for the first time, with the league's 18-game Sunday Leadoff package debuting on the Roku Channel on May 19. 

A full schedule is below. 

Peacock licensed Sunday Leadoff the past two seasons, with parent company NBCUniversal paying a reported $30 million last year to do so.

“As television programming, live sports, and the leagues have fragmented across networks, apps, and multiple packages, Roku — home to all of them — plays an increasingly crucial role for viewers and advertisers,” said Charlie Collier, president, Roku Media, in a statement.  “With this deal, Roku delivers free, live, weekly Sunday baseball and 24/7 baseball curation, destinations, and channels across our platform. The lead-in to all of television is now the lead-off for Sunday baseball as well. It’s a terrific partnership.”

Added MLB Deputy Commissioner of Business and Media Noah Garden: “With free games available to anyone, MLB games on Roku will be widely accessible to fans. Since Roku serves as an entertainment gateway for millions, this partnership offers a valuable new promotional and distribution platform for MLB games and content.”

As noted in this MLB FAQ, the Roku Channel is available well beyond the Roku device OS platform, with connected TV platforms including Amazon Fire TV and Google TV, as well as the open internet, providing access to the FAST. 

The Colorado Rockies are about to start the 2024 Major League Baseball season without a regional sports network, and they're looking at a local TV model that's very similar to the one established last season by fellow RSN-lacking teams, the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. 

With Warner Bros. Discovery shuttering RSN AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, the Rockies have put their local TV fate into the hands of MLB, which in January set the team up with a direct-to-consumer streaming arrangement through MLB.tv. 

But with the Rockies set to start their season Thursday at 4:05 p.m. ET against the Diamondbacks, MLB also announced last-minute pay TV distribution deals with Charter Communications, Comcast, DirecTV and Fubo. 

Fans can visit rockies.com/watch to find out what channel their provider has placed the team on. 

“We will continue to work with MLB, the NBA, NHL, and other top leagues and their local franchises so the most avid fans can get the games they want while other customers have more choice over the content they want to pay to have in their homes," said Rob Thun, chief content officer of DirecTV, which will carry non-nationally televised Rockies games on channel 683 starting Thursday evening. 

Also read: Everything You Need To Know About the Bally Sports Bankruptcy

A rep for one leading pay TV service told Next TV on Wednesday that the Rockies and MLB have been in discussions about launching Rockies linear channels locally through operators, as the Padres and Diamondbacks did when bankrupt RSN operator Bally Sports cast them off Bally Sports channels last summer. 

Notably, the top pay TV operator in the Rockies' home city, Denver, is Comcast, which didn't carry SportsNet Rocky Mountain. DirecTV and Fubo did, however, carry the RSN, which shut down last fall. 

Warner Bros. Discovery has acquired television rights to the Bellator Championship Series mixed martial arts franchise, adding to its lineup of live sports content.

Max will stream Bellator’s first event under the new deal on March 22 from Belfast, one of eight Bellator Championship Series events taking place during the year, according to WBD. Each event will take place from various locations around the world and highlight the best fighters from each region.

In addition, other Bellator content – which formerly aired on Paramount-owned Showtime prior to the company’s sale last November of the franchise to the Professional Fighters League – will air on TruTv throughout the year. Max will also stream two new all-access docuseries, Fight Camp Confidential and Fight Week, that will debut March 21 in advance of the first live event, said WBD. 

The Bellator content adds to WBD-owned TNT Sports lineup of live sports programming, which includes Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, NCAA men's college basketball, and NASCAR events.

Also: Sports Executive of the Year: Game On, Says Luis Silberwasser, TNT Sports Chief

“We are thrilled to partner with Professional Fighters League to introduce a new live sport to the U.S. Warner Bros. Discovery content portfolio,” Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming chief financial & strategy officer Josh Walker said in a statement. “The addition of Bellator Champions Series offers our viewers an opportunity to experience highly anticipated mixed martial arts, nicely complementing our robust slate of can’t miss programming.” 

ESPN will air the MLB spring training opening game Thursday, February 22. The Los Angeles Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres at the Peoria Sports Complex in Arizona. The Cactus League contest starts at 3:10 p.m. (ET), or 1:10 p.m. local time. 

The Dodgers picked up superstar pitcher/slugger Shohei Ohtani in the offseason, and Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto as well. 

Several other teams start up a day later. Besides the Dodgers and Padres again on ESPN February 23, with a 1:05 local time first pitch, the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers play in Surprise, Arizona; the Chicago Cubs face off against the crosstown rival Chicago White Sox in Mesa, Arizona; (that one on NBC Sports Chicago and Marquee Sports Network starting at 3:05 ET); and the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies battle in Scottsdale. 

On to the Grapefruit League, where the Boston Red Sox play the Northeastern Huskies in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday, February 23, with the game on NESN starting at 1:05 ET. The Minnesota Twins play the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers that evening, also in Fort Myers. 

Every MLB team has a game on Saturday, February 24. 

Spring training games end March 26 and the regular MLB season starts March 28. 

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred told team owners this week in meetings in Orlando, Fla. that he wants to launch a league-owned direct-to-consumer streaming service in time for the 2025 pro baseball season. 

“Realistically, my target to having a digital package I can take to market would be for the ’25 season,” said Manfred, who was quoted by The Athletic. 

To pull it off, Manfred believes he needs the streaming rights to around half of MLB's 30 clubs. “I think you need to be in the 14 and growing mode,” he added.

For years, the league's MLB.tv platform has let fans stream out-of-market games. But to follow their local teams' games on TV, they've had to subscribe to a pay TV operator that has their club's affiliated regional sports network. 

Also read: Everything You Need To Know About the Bally Sports Bankruptcy

Manfred's plan would seem throw a curveball at bankrupt Diamond Sports Group, and its recently filed restructuring plan, aided by a $115 million investment from Amazon, to keep the Bally Sports regional sports networks out of liquidation. 

The disclosure of Manfred's plan isn't entirely surprising, given his acrimony for Diamond's parent company, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, and its executive chairman, David Smith.

What Happens After 2024?

Last week, Diamond announced in a court filing that, through mediation, it had reached agreements with the Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians to show their games on linear TV via Bally Sports channels through the 2024 MLB season. 

With these deals, Diamond has locked up linear and DTC rights for all of its Bally Sports-affiliated NBA and NHL teams through the remainder of the ongoing pro basketball and hockey seasons. It also has linear rights for 12 MLB teams -- and additional DTC rights for five of that dozen -- for the 2024 MLB campaign. 

So what happens after the MLB regular season ends in September?

As part of its ongoing quest to secure rights to live sporting events for Amazon Prime Video, Amazon invested $115 million in Diamond's restructuring, hoping to gain access to local MLB TV rights in 2024 and beyond. 

'Hats Off to Amazon'

At the Orlando owners meetings, Manfred seemed to indicate that MLB wasn't involved in the discussions between Amazon and Diamond. 

“Hats off to Amazon,” Manfred said Thursday (again, per The Athletic). “I think they, for them, made a really interesting deal. They essentially have — from now, until the time that there is a plan that is approved [by the court] that allows Diamond to exit bankruptcy — an option to try to figure out if they can acquire digital rights that would be enough to make a viable product. If they do that, I suspect they put the $100 million in. If they don’t, I suspect they don’t.

“A free option is a great thing if you can get it," Manfred added. 

What Teams Would Be in MLB's Package?

To date, Diamond has only secured DTC streaming rights for only five MLB clubs -- the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Florida Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.

MLB currently oversees local distribution, including DTC streaming, for the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, which were both cut loose from Bally Sports during the 2023 season when the clubs wouldn't agree to Diamond's restructuring terms. 

MLB also controls the local sports TV destiny for the Colorado Rockies. That team's RSN shuttered last year when owner Warner Bros. Discovery decided to exit the regional sports channel business. 

Beyond those three teams, Manfred and MLB will have to find 11 more clubs willing to gamble that the league's DTC platform can outperform whatever local-sports TV arrangement they already have in place. 

There's Also the Big Sports Streaming JV to Consider

While he ponders the local TV future of his teams, Manfred also responded to the big announcement this week from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery that they're pooling their linear sports channels in new virtual MVPD offering. 

Manfred said MLB wasn't given a heads-up about the deal ... but that's OK.

“I see that development as positive,” he said. “I think it is another place that’s going to need to buy rights in order to make the platform go, and compelling, and I think it’s good to have another buyer. I think it’s particularly good for us — you think about it, it’s our three biggest partners, right? All positive.”

Continuing to work around the edges of coveted but highly expensive live sports TV rights, Netflix has announced its first big collaboration with Major League Baseball. 

The streaming company has commissioned two documentaries focused on the Boston Red Sox: one will closely track the coaches and players throughout the 2024 season, as they look to rebound from a last-place American League East finish last summer. 

A second documentary will look back on the Red Sox's unlikely 2004 World Series Championship, which hung on an historic comeback from a 3-0 deficit against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship series.

Netflix's press release announcing the two projects can be found here. 

The as yet unnamed 2024 season project will debut in 2025 and be executive produced and directed by Greg Whiteley of One Potato Productions (Cheer, Last Chance U, Wrestlers). Also serving as executive producers are Andrew Fried and Dane Lillegard of Boardwalk Pictures (Cheer, Chef’s Table, Race: Bubba Wallace).

The 2004 season retrospective, which will drop on Netflix "later this year," is produced by Meadowlark Media, and executive produced by Nick Barnicle, Colin Barnicle, John Skipper, Deirdre Fenton, Howard Bryant, Melody Shaffir, Nick Davis and Nick Trotta. It's directed by Colin Barnicle.

As for the Red Sox upcoming season, pundit expectations aren't necessarily high or a rebound. 

Still, Netflix is convinced that the documentaries, focused on one of sports' most historic franchises, which is rabidly followed by one of the most obnoxious fan bases, will score with subscribers. 

“Our fans love that our sports series focus on the drama of sport and nothing was more dramatic than the 2004 Red Sox season, especially having witnessed their comeback from the bleachers during Game 7 against the Yankees,” said Gabe Spitzer, VP of nonfiction sports for Netflix, in a statement. 

Netflix's successful track record with sports documentaries includes last summer's collaboration with the NFL, Quarterback, which debuted as the No. 1 series in subscription streaming in the U.S. and Canada back in July.

Major League Baseball and its commissioner, Rob Manfred, have rejected a proposal to have Amazon invest $150 million in Sinclair's bankrupt regional sports networks subsidiary, Diamond Sports Group, and assume long-term control over the local streaming rights of 11 MLB clubs, the New York Post reports, citing unnamed sources. 

Also Read: Genius Move? Amazon Reportedly in Talks to Bail Out Bankrupt Bally Sports RSNs

“Manfred said if you want a digital deal it will be with us,” the paper quoted one of its sources as saying. 

MLB is on the docket in the Houston bankruptcy court overseeing Diamond's restructuring to propose a plan to keep 11 of its teams on the company's Bally Sports-branded channels through next season, at licensing terms lower than previously contracted rates in some cases. 

That deal would be similar in scope to short-term arrangements already made between Diamond and the NBA and NHL. But it appears that MLB isn’t interested in a deal that ties up its teams’ local rights, particularly the digital ones, beyond next season. 

According to The Post, Diamond wanted to negotiate a long-term digital rights deal with MLB so it could enlist Amazon's lifeline.

Diamond has been in Chapter 11 restructuring since March. The company’s lawyers still haven’t rendered a restructuring plan.  

Diamond Sports Group and Major League Baseball reportedly forged a tentative agreement late last week that would allow another year of non-liquidated life for the bankrupt regional sports networks operator, and on Tuesday Sports Business Journal reported major details about that proposed deal. 

According to the report, nine MLB teams currently under contract with Diamond for distribution of local TV rights on Bally Sports-branded channels will be paid their full contracted rates for the 2024 season. This includes the Los Angeles Angels, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. 

Three Bally Sports MLB teams are reported by SBJ not to be part of the agreement: The World Series Champion Texas Rangers, the Cleveland Guardians and the Minnesota Twins. 

Diamond will reportedly render offers to each team by the end of the week, presumably at rates lower than their existing local TV rights contracts. Notably, the Twins' $55-million-a-season deal with Diamond expired back in early October. 

Also notable: Five of the teams Diamond reportedly has agreed to move on with -- the Tigers, Royals, Marlins, Brewers, and Rays -- have signed their streaming rights over to direct-to-consumer service Bally Sports Plus. 

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon has talked to Diamond about making an investment into the bankrupt Sinclair Broadcast Group subsidiary, as well as entering into a deal to stream its Bally Sports games on Amazon Prime Video. 

For that deal to happen, it would also seem necessary for the remaining MLB teams to surrender their streaming rights. 

Diamond has been in Chapter 11 restructuring since March, trying to relieve itself of $8 billion of debt. 

Signaling a major thaw in the icy relationship between Major League Baseball and bankrupt regional sports networks operator Diamond Sports Group, lawyers for the league on Friday said they have agreed, through mediation, on a framework to keep 11 MLB clubs on Bally Sports channels through the 2024 season. 

Attorneys representing MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Chris Lopez that they were dropping their motion to have Diamond accept or reject the existing local TV rights deals for each club.

Also at Friday’s hearing, lawyers for the World Series champion Texas Rangers told the Houston bankruptcy court that the team might agree to reduce its contractual rights fees with Diamond to keep the Rangers on Bally Sports Southwest for one more season. 

Keeping the Bally Sports channels around for another year would give the teams more time to figure out their post-RSN local TV plans. 

The detente between the league and the Sinclair RSN subsidiary reportedly emerged during off-site mediation on Thursday. Lopez set a January 10 follow-up hearing. 

Lopez also on Friday dismissed a motion filed by Sinclair to compel Diamond to accept or deny its management service fees arrangement with the broadcast group. 

Currently, Diamond owes its estranged parent company around $160 million and pays an additional $4.5 million each month for a range of operational services. Sinclair wants Diamond to pay more, but Lopez ruled the subsidiary can first figure out its restructuring before addressing the management service fees issue. 

While Sinclair and third parties, the leagues included, are operating under the assumption that Diamond will liquidate following the 2024 MLB regular season, lawyers for the subsidiary said they’re still hopeful a pathway to a future can be carved out via the long, torturous, still-ongoing restructuring process. 

The Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks have provided a solid World Series matchup, with two teams with loyal fanbases getting hot at the end of the season. 

National TV-wise, however, let's just say the World Series is lacking a national draw like the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers or Boston Red Sox. 

Also Read: After Resurgent Regular Season, MLB Is Seeing Its Playoffs Strike Out With TV Audiences

The first three games of the so-called Fall Classic have yielded the worst TV numbers in recorded history, with each game producing smaller audiences than the last one … and all of them falling behind what had previously been the all-time low-water mark, the 2020 Game 3 pandemic “bubble” matchup between the Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays, which was also on Fox. 

Consider these numbers (courtesy of Nielsen and Sports Media Watch):

Noted The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch, “The Diamondbacks and Rangers are not national draws based on historic television data outside of when they are playing a team with broad appeal or a series going long (which is what Fox has to really hope for with this series).” 

The Rangers are up 2-1 over the Diamondbacks going into Tuesday night’s Game 4.

The aforementioned Sports Media Watch post has a robust history of recent-era World Series TV ratings. 

Last season’s matchup between the eventual World Series champion Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies averaged 11.76 million viewers and didn’t have a game that came close to dipping into the single digits, total audience-wise. 

Basebal’'s biggest event has had trouble in recent years competing with the juggernauts pro and college football, as well as the start of the NBA regular season.

As Sports Business Journal noted for context, the late-night Saturday college football game between Coach Deion Sanders’s media-darling Colorado Buffaloes and the Colorado State Rams back on September 16 averaged 9.3 million viewers. That was a regular-season game that finished after 2 a.m. on the East Coast. 

But it’s hard to believe the national pastime has lost all its luster in just the last few years. 

Just six years ago, Fox’s presentation of the 2017 World Series featuring the Astros cheating their way to a seven-game “victory” over the Dodgers averaged 18.78 million viewers, with Game 7 delivering 28.24 million watchers. 

Major League Baseball enjoyed a resurgent regular season, with overall linear TV viewership up 26% through the first three months of the 2023 campaign and full-season ballpark attendance having its biggest year-over-year spike ever (9.6%) to more than 70.7 million ticket buyers. 

With marquee teams including the Yankees, Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals not in the postseason, however, and the Dodgers bowing out early, numbers for the divisional and league championship series were off, leading to speculation that World Series numbers would be bad, too. 

Few, however, could have predicted they'd be this bad. 

Major League Baseball hopes to build ratings momentum going into the World Series with a strong performance from TBS’s telecast of the deciding Game 7 of the National League Championship Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies.

With both the Diamondbacks-Phillies series and the American League Championship series between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros having gone to a deciding Game 7, baseball hopes to salvage a lackluster ratings performance so far in the playoffs. 

Fox and FS1's October 23 Rangers-Astros Game 7 telecast averaged 6.77 million viewers, topping only the 2020 Astros-Tampa Bay Rays Game 7 as the least-watched LCS Game 7 on record, according to SportsMedia Watch. Overall, the series averaged 5 million viewers, down from last year's four-game Astros-Yankees series on TBS, but the most watched LCS on Fox and FS1 since 2019's Astros-Yankees series, according to Nielsen numbers provided by Fox Sports. 

Fox’s October 15 Rangers-Astros Game 1 was the most-watched game of the series with 7.05 million viewers. 

TBS's October 23 Diamondbacks-Phillies Game 6 afternoon telecast averaged 4.6 million viewers, according to SportsMedia Watch. With tonight's Game 7 still to be played, TBS’s October 20 Phillies-Diamondbacks Game 4 is currently the most-watched game of the series with 5.39 million viewers, according to SportsMedia Watch.

Total viewing for the opening Wild Card rounds across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 were down 18%, according to Nielsen data, with the four two-game sweeps averaging 2.25 million viewers vs. 2.73 million last season. 

The Division Series round on Fox/FS1 and TBS — where none of the four series went to a fifth and deciding game — averaged 3.13 million viewers, down 8% from last year (3.40 million), according to Nielsen.

Fox News held off ESPN to win its third straight weekly primetime cable ratings crown. 

Fox News averaged 1.4 million viewers during the week of July 10 to July 16 to top all cable networks, according to Nielsen ratings supplied by Fox News. ESPN, bolstered by its July 10 MLB Home Run Derby coverage, finished second with 1.2 million viewers, followed by MSNBC with 1.1 million watchers.

INSP was fourth for the week with 788,000 viewers, while Hallmark Channel finished fifth with 724,000 viewers. HGTV (710,000 viewers), History (704,000), TLC (674,000), Discovery Channel (643,000), and USA Network (632,000) rounded out the top 10 most-watched cable networks in primetime.

Fox News increased its winning streak on the total day chart to 28 weeks, averaging 1 million viewers to top MSNBC (730,000), ESPN (630,000), Hallmark Channel (442,000) and CNN (411,000), according to Nielsen.

Major League Baseball filed a statement Thursday with the Houston bankruptcy court overseeing the restructuring of Sinclair’s regional sports networks subsidiary Diamond Sports Group, indicating the league is more than OK with Diamond using the flexibility provided by Chapter 11 to tear up the local TV rights contracts with yet another one of its teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

MLB told the court that it is negotiating with pay TV operators covering the Phoenix area and beyond to set up a new channel to broadcast Diamondbacks games locally, much as the league did for the San Diego Padres when Diamond cut them loose from the Bally Sports regional sports networks system in May. 

“As is self-evident, in those situations where the Debtors reject a telecast rights agreement, MLB, and indeed any other post-rejection broadcaster, must contract with the same distributors to ensure the uninterrupted broadcast of MLB games,” the league said.

Separately but relatedly, DirecTV also petitioned the court Thursday. Should Diamond decide to give up on the Diamondbacks, the pay TV operator wants the court to limit the impact of it having to pay carriage fees on two channels at the same time, one being a Bally Sports Arizona network that would be bereft of the Diamondbacks should Diamond’s move come into fruition. 

Diamond currently manages 18 Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks, and a number of its contracts with MLB, NBA and NHL teams are losing money. The subsidiary filed for bankruptcy in March, hoping to shed $8 billion in debt, in part by forcing teams with money-losing contracts to renegotiate. 

With Diamond bleeding money on the 20-year contract it has with the Diamondbacks that pays the team $75 million a year, the subsidiary told the court on June 22 that had planned to cut ties with the club. 

A week later, Diamond asked the court to hold the issue, as it progressed in negotiations with the Arizona ball club. A hearing on the matter is set for July 17. 

Led by commissioner Rob Manfred, MLB seems to want the Diamondbacks cut loose from Bally Sports contract so that it can face the music of the declining regional sports networks business now instead of later. 

While there is the very real possibility that Diamond could cut ties with the Diamondbacks next week, Bally Sports Arizona touted on Twitter Friday its improved ratings performance for this season for the Diamondbacks, who are currently tied for first place in the National League West Division with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Bankrupt regional sports network operator Diamond Sports Group and Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks issued a joint statement late Wednesday, declaring that the two sides have made progress on negotiations to keep the National League West Division leaders on RSN Bally Sports Arizona. 

Also read: Bankrupt Diamond Moves To Cut MLB’s Diamondbacks Loose From Bally Sports Arizona

The Houston bankruptcy court overseeing the Chapter 11 restructuring of Diamond, a subsidiary of broadcast giant Sinclair, had been scheduled to conduct a hearing Thursday, which would determine if Diamond could walk away from the Diamondbacks’ money-losing local TV rights contract. 

“Diamond Sports Group and the Arizona Diamondbacks have decided to postpone tomorrow’s hearing due to ongoing and positive discussions toward finding a solution,” the joint statement read. “During this time, Bally Sports Arizona will continue to broadcast D-backs games and fans will have the same televised access they have been able to enjoy from the beginning of the season.”

Judge Christopher Lopez, who is overseeing Diamond's bankruptcy proceedings, postponed the hearing until July 17. 

Diamond entered bankruptcy back in March, aiming to shed around $8 billion in debt. Part of that relief comes from leveraging the contractual flexibility provided by Chapter 11 laws, which allow Diamond to tear up unprofitable multiyear deals amid the 41 MLB, NBA and NHL teams tied to the 19-channel Bally Sports universe. 

Diamond already walked away last month from baseball’s San Diego Padres, the team unwilling to trim its linear TV rights rate or surrender its DTC streaming rights. The subsidiary filed a brief last week with the court suggesting it was about to do the same with the Diamondbacks. 

Under the direction of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who in recent court testimony has expressed his displeasure with how Sinclair chairman David Smith conducts business, to put it mildly, pro baseball has shown a strong willingness to work with clubs under Bally Sports contracts and find alternative broadcast mechanisms around Diamond should it stop paying the teams. 

Perhaps Diamondbacks management is looking at the Padres’ financials and is having second thoughts as to whether do-it-yourself local TV broadcasting with league support can replace the lost Bally Sports revenue.

With the NHL Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals completed, the list of live TV sports events airing during the long Juneteenth weekend starts on the links with the U.S. Open golf tournament. 

NBC and Peacock will offer live final-round coverage of the 123rd U.S. Open championship from Los Angeles. Pro golfers Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele led the tournament after the first round.

In soccer, Fox on Sunday will air the UEFA Nations League Finals between Croatia and Spain. Croatia defeated the Netherlands to reach the finals, while Spain outlasted Italy. 

In the combat sports arena, Showtime on Saturday will air a boxing card featuring the super welterweight championship fight between champion Tim Tszyu and Carlos Ocampo. Also on Saturday ESPN will offer a UFC Fight Night card featuring a main event bout between middleweights Marvin Vettori and Jared Cannonier.

On the football field, the USFL begins its 10th and final regular-season week Saturday with matchups between the Pittsburgh Maulers and New Jersey Generals on USA Network, as well as the Birmingham Stallions and Memphis Showboats on Fox.

Sunday, the New Orleans Breakers battle the Houston Gamblers on FS1 while the Philadelphia Stars matchup against the Michigan Panthers on Fox. 

On the basketball court, CBS on Saturday will air the WNBA game between the Seattle Storm and Dallas Wings and on Sunday will telecast the Phoenix Mercury-New York Liberty contest.

On the baseball diamond, Peacock will air the Baltimore Orioles-Chicago Cubs game, while ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will feature the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. 

After two days of acrimonious hearings that intensely showcased the vitriol existing between Major League Baseball and the regional sports networks subsidiary that partners with nearly half its teams, a Texas bankruptcy court judge on Thursday sided with baseball.

Sinclair subsidiary Diamond Sports Group must pay the full rate stipulated by its local TV rights contracts with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers. Otherwise, the MLB teams are free to exit their Bally Sports regional cable channel deals and present their games under a new arrangement established by the league. 

Diamond has more than $9 billion in debt and is losing money on a number of the 42 NBA, NHL and MLB teams contracted within the Bally Sports portfolio of regional sports networks. 

The subsidiary entered bankruptcy restructuring in March, aiming to reset those money-losing deals to a “market rate,” commensurate with the diminished pay TV economics associated with recent severe cord-cutting. Diamond also wants the teams to relinquish their direct-to-consumer streaming rights so that additional revenue could be generated via OTT service Bally Sports Plus. MLB is staunchly against this. 

Judge Chris Lopez sided with the MLB — a deal is a deal. 

“Profitability is certainly decreasing for each team,” Lopez said. “But again, this doesn't mean that the contract rate and those fees under those contracts is not reasonable."

Diamond had been paying the four MLB teams, per court order, 50%-75% of what it owes them so far for the 2023 baseball season, pending a hoped-for reset of the deals. 

Now, Diamond has to pay the full contract rate to each team. If it doesn't, the teams are free to follow the model established earlier this week by the San Diego Padres.

The 20-year, $1.2 billion deal between the Padres and Diamond was also a money-loser for the subsidiary. But unlike the four aforementioned MLB franchises, the Padres owned part of Bally Sports San Diego. And since the court’s jurisdiction doesn’t extend to joint ventures, the team was able to move quickly and establish its own distribution with MLB on Tuesday, when Diamond announced it would no longer pay the club for TV rights. 

Notably, Judge Lopez called Thursday's decision “difficult,” and he didn't set a deadline for Diamond to decide whether or not to pay the clubs. He also urged MLB and Diamond to continue to negotiate, despite the obvious acrimony frequently on display during 20 hours of testimony on Wednesday and Thursday. 

MLB’s argument was enhanced by revelations that it promised the 14 MLB clubs in the Bally Sports portfolio  (now 13 with the loss of the Padres) that they'd generate at least 80% of the revenue they were expecting in 2023. MLB said it was willing to backstop this promise.  

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, who revealed once again during testimony that he is no fan of Sinclair and its executive chairman, David Smith, also said that the league had bid against Sinclair for the Fox Sports Networks channels that became Bally Sports, only to lose out by a margin of around $900 million. 

“MLB appreciates the ruling from the federal bankruptcy court in Houston requiring Diamond to pay the full contractual rate to clubs,” the league said in a statement. “As always, we hope Diamond will continue to broadcast games and meet its contractual obligations to clubs. As with the Padres, MLB will stand ready to make games available to fans if Diamond fails to meet its obligations.”

NBCUniversal Local’s free, ad-supported streaming news channels Noticias Telemundo California, NBC Los Angeles News and NBC San Diego News are behind the bilingual Major League Baseball special California Opening Day 2023. It premieres March 30 at 12:30 p.m. PT. 

The one-hour show is a joint production between KNBC-KVEA Los Angeles and KNSD-KUAN San Diego, with contributions from KNTV-KSTS San Francisco and NBC Sports Bay Area. It will offer season previews for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants, including news, analysis, reporting and interviews.

Mario Solis, KNBC sports anchor, hosts. KVEA sports anchor Saul Rodriguez, KNBC anchor and reporter Jonathan Gonzalez, KNSD sports anchor Derek Togerson and KUAN anchor Rigo Villalobos are among the on-air talent that will appear in the special. 

Noticias Telemundo California can be watched on Samsung TV Plus and The Roku Channel. NBC Los Angeles News is on Peacock, Samsung TV Plus, Roku and Xumo Play. NBC San Diego News is on Samsung TV Plus, Rookie and Xumo Play. 

NBCU Local’s FAST channel portfolio includes 11 NBC local news channels, four Telemundo regional news channels and LX News. ■

Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles are 57-48 in the regular-season and playoffs against the Washington Nationals all-time.

But after more than a decade spent in courtrooms and arbitration hearings trying to figure out how to split TV rights fees from the regional sports network they share, the two franchises are still deadlocked in an extra-innings duel. 

On Tuesday, the New York Court of Appeals heard oral arguments from both sides, becoming the latest court or arbitrative body to try to determine how much in the way of TV rights money the Nationals should receive from Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) for the period of 2012-2016. 

Also read: MASN To Broadcast Orioles, Washington Nationals; Add HD

The conflict’s chasm remains wide. MASN, which is majority owned by the Orioles, already paid the Nationals what the Orioles proposed for that five-year period: $197.5 million. But the Nationals have argued they should be paid $475 million.

In 2012, an arbitration panel of executives from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets heard the case. And in 2014, it ruled that the Nationals’ five-year total for 2012-2016 should come out to $298.1 million, or $60 million a season. 

The Orioles argued that paying the Nationals nearly $60 million a season would wipe out profitability for MASN, for which the Baltimore franchise is the primary beneficiary. 

All subsequent attempts to hammer out an agreement led to Tuesday's hearing nine years later. The Athletic has an in-depth summary of all that arbitration and litigation that's gone into this. 

And even if the New York court’s six-judge panel is able to come up with a number agreeable to both sides, the drama won't be over. There are still rights fees for the five-year periods of 2017-2021 and 2022-2026 to figure out. 

Curse of the Expos

The MASN mess started all the way back in 2005, when the financially failing Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, crowding into a Mid-Atlantic TV market that had been exclusively controlled by the Orioles since 1972.

To compensate the Orioles, Major League Baseball gave them majority ownership of MASN, the regional sports network that would show games for both Orioles and the Nationals. 

TV rights fees would be split between the two franchises. Initially, the Orioles would own 90% of the RSN, with the Nationals gradually growing their share every year, with 2032 designated to be the year that its ownership tops out at 33%. 

Since the Orioles had a greater interest in MASN’s profit, the franchise doesn’t benefit from high team rights fees as much as the Nationals, even though its TV rights fee would be equal under the way the deal is structured. In other words, the Orioles actually make more money when their RSN pays less in total rights fees. 

In any event, the 2012-2016 portion of the dispute could be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court, if the New York appellant court can’t hash it out. ■

Peacock will step to the plate April 23 for the second season of its MLB Sunday Leadoff baseball package in hopes of continuing to build on the streaming service’s appeal to sports fans. 

The NBCUniversal-owned streamer will air 19 Sunday-morning games beginning April 23, taking full advantage of its exclusive TV window for MLB telecasts through 1:30 p.m. Last year’s games highlighted Peacock’s growing lineup of live sports content, which includes English Premier League soccer games, rugby and WWE programming, along with simulcasts of NBC’s NFL Sunday Night Football, NBC Sports and Peacok Sports president, programming Rick Cordella said.

Cordella outlined Peacock’s Sunday baseball strategy in an interview with Multichannel News. A lightly edited transcript appears below.

MCN: What benefits did last season’s Sunday baseball game package bring to Peacock’s overall strategy to reach sports fans? 

Rick Cordella: Certainly, baseball has an appeal to sports fans and it did drive new subscribers. When you have the [New York] Yankees’ Aaron Judge exclusively on your platform, there are people that don’t want to miss any of the at-bats. It’s a pretty good volume of folks that have come through on Sunday mornings to watch the games, but the key for us is not for them to be transactional and come for just one game. We want them to come in to watch the Yankees, [Boston] Red Sox or any team and then stay for the other sports content we have, or stay for the other entertainment content. Hopefully, those viewers will be exposed to the great offerings we have in movies from Universal and series like Yellowstone and The Office. We’re hoping that baseball is a catalyst for us in that regard. 

MCN: With one year under your belt, what are your expectations for Peacock’s upcoming season of Sunday baseball games?

RC: We went into last year hoping that the earlier window and the exclusivity of that window up until 1:30 [ET], would drive fans to it. We saw in the data that we have a national audience for baseball on Peacock that came and watched each and every week. It’s good to be in business with baseball — it’s the sport of the summer, and having live sports each and every weekend is something that’s important to Peacock and our overall media mix, and it fits in a great place on our schedule overall. We were really happy with how the season went last year and we’re looking forward to this season. 

MCN: Is Peacock looking to make any major changes or tweaks to its offering this year? 

RC: The only tweak we made was to not be so pigeonholed in the 11:30 am or 12 pm start time for our games. You’ll see on the schedule that we’ve gone a little later to grab a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, which wouldn’t be possible at those earlier times. Besides that, it’s sort of the same formula.

B+C: Baseball has made several rules changes to the game this season. What is your opinion of those changes, and do you think it will help drive greater viewership appeal for the sport? 

RC: I think baseball is being progressive, and that’s what you want from our partners. They are asking the right questions as to what the fans want and what’s going to appeal to the fans overall. I’m not sure there will be a discrete correlation to the game-to-game audience, but you have to give Commissioner [Rob] Manfred and the entire baseball brass a lot of credit for making these pretty drastic changes to the sport. ▪️

Major League Baseball’s regular season takes its first swings on March 30, with baseball fans able to access live game telecasts on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. 

With the financial challenges of Bally Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery’s desire to exit the RSN business, the situation with regional sports networks situation remains in flux. The national TV situation is settled, though, with games set for linear channels Fox, ESPN, FS1, TBS and MLB Network, as well as streamers Apple TV Plus and Peacock, which both enter the second season of their multiyear deals.

Games on streaming platforms in particular are expected to help the league reach younger viewers, Lee Berke, a TV sports consultant and CEO of LHB Sports, said.

Also: MLB Will Reportedly Stream Games for Free Should Bally Sports Renege on TV Rights Deals

“The way to reach the next generation of baseball fans is to be on the screens that they are utilizing, and increasingly that’s services like Apple TV Plus, Peacock and YouTube,” Berke said. “You establish a presence there and you build on those and other services over time.” 

B+C Multichannel News recently caught up with Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to discuss the outlook for linear and streaming TV this season. He also talked about this year’s rule changes — including a pitch timer, larger bases and a ban on defensive shifts — an effort to speed up games and increase excitement on the field. Here are highlights of that interview. 

B+C: How does baseball balance its linear television strategy with the need to reach new and potentially younger viewers on the streaming platform? 

Rob Manfred: Look, we see broadcast television, particularly for major events, will continue to deliver the biggest reach in terms of your audience and is a crucial component of the overall media strategy. It’s really, really important to have that bedrock of broadcast television.

B+C: Yet you’ve done major streaming deals with Peacock and Apple TV Plus. How have those deals worked for baseball so far? 

RM: We feel like the landscape going forward can be summarized in two thoughts. In my view, you want the widest reach for your biggest events, and we just talked about that with broadcast television. But then I think the second piece of it is making sure that people can watch what they want to watch when they want to watch it. I think our streaming experiments move us forward in that regard, and as such we’re going to move forward on
the platform.

B+C: Is baseball looking to do any additional distribution deals with other streaming services? 

RM: No … the Peacock and the Apple TV Plus deals were multiyear deals, so we’ll be back with our same partners this year. 

B+C: Overall, what should baseball fans look forward to in terms of watching baseball on television? 

RM: I think the big thing for 2023 is the rules changes that we have for this year in terms of the pitch clock and the elimination of the shift. While these are internal and non-broadcaster issues, it is all aimed at making the product better. ■

Major League Baseball, facing the collapse of the regional sports networks that carry its games locally, is starting up a new local media department and has hired three regional sports networks executives to staff it.

“These new hires are an important step in our preparation to address the changing landscape of MLB game distribution in light of the increasing challenges and pressure facing regional sports networks,” MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden said.

Doug Johnson was named senior VP and executive producer, local media, for MLB. Johnson had been with AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. He will be responsible for overseeing all games produced locally by MLB.

Greg Pennell joins MLB as senior VP, local media, from Bally Sports. He will be responsible for the production operations of all local MLB telecasts.

Kendall Burgess will start as VP of local media technical operations. She was VP of technical operations at Bally Sports. She will oversee technical operations for local MLB telecasts.

Also: MSG Networks Jumps Into Streaming With DTC App, FAST Channel

“The decades of experience and expertise in game production and operations that Doug, Greg, and Kendall bring to Major League Baseball reinforces our commitment to deliver the highest quality game telecasts to our fans,” Garden said.

MLB is making the moves because the future of local broadcast is a big question mark as the opening day approaches.

Bally Sports’s parent, Diamond Sports Group, missed an interest payment on its debt and could be heading for bankruptcy. In a bankruptcy, Bally could try to reduce the payments it makes to teams for games, but MLB has said it will reclaim rights rather than take less than the contracted fees.

Warner Bros. Discovery has also told teams and leagues that it wants to get out of the regional sports network business and wants to return the rights it holds.

The regional sports networks business has been squeezed by cord-cutting, which erodes the number of people who can watch — and pay to watch — games. At the same time, sports rights fees have been rising.  

The situation could lead to lower revenue for teams and leagues. ■

Tim McCarver, a World Series-winning catcher tuned Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster, died Thursday at age 81.

McCarver played for teams including the St. Louis Cardinals, where he won championships, and the Philadelphia Phillies, where he was the designated catcher for lefty legend Steve Carlton. He once joked that he and Carlton would be buried 60 feet, six inches apart.

But McCarver was best known for his talent behind a microphone, winning three Emmy Awards as a color commentator working for local teams, including the New York Mets, and all four broadcast networks.

“Tim McCarver was an All-Star, a World Series Champion, a respected teammate, and one of the most influential voices our game has known,“ Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said. “As a player, Tim was a key part of great Cardinals and Phillies teams in his 21-year career. In the booth, his analysis and attention to detail brought fans closer to our game and how it is played and managed. Tim’s approach enhanced the fan experience on our biggest stages and on the broadcasts of the Mets, the Yankees and the Cardinals.

“All of us at Major League Baseball are grateful for Tim’s impact on sports broadcasting and his distinguished career in our National Pastime,“ Manfred added. “I extend my deepest condolences to Tim’s family, friends and the generations of fans who learned about our great game from him,” he said.

McCarver started his broadcast career in Philadelphia calling Phillies games on WPHL. He’d later do local broadcasts for the Mets and Yankees in New York, where he was known for predicting plays based on the situation and the way certain players were positioned.

On national networks, he broadcast a record 24 World Series for ABC, CBS and Fox. 

“We are saddened by the passing of our longtime friend and former colleague, baseball legend Tim McCarver," said Fox Sports CEO and executive producer Eric Shanks. 

"To a generation of fans, Tim will forever be remembered as the champion whose game-winning home run during the 1964 World Series echoes throughout time; to another, his voice will forever be the soundtrack to some of the most memorable moments in the game’s history; to us, he will forever be in our hearts. On behalf of the entire Fox Sports family, we offer our deepest condolences to the entire McCarver family," Shanks said.

McCarver retired from Fox after the 2013 season, calling the Boston-St. Louis World Series. He became a part-time analyst for Cardinals games in St. Louis. He retired from broadcasting in 2022. ■

Diamond Sports Group, the Sinclair Broadcast Group unit that runs the Bally Sports regional sports networks, is planning to file for bankruptcy during the week of February 13 when a big interest payment is due, according to a published report.

Sinclair borrowed about $9 billion dollars when it bought the 19 Fox regional sports networks from The Walt Disney Co. in 2019. Sinclair rebranded the networks after making a deal with Bally’s Corp.

Since doing that deal, cord cutting has eroded the number of viewers subscribing to the networks and the price of sports rights has climbed, putting the RSN business in a financial bind.

On Friday (February 10), Sinclair said it agreed to pay $190.2 million for preferred stock units of Diamond Sports Group from JPMorgan Chase Funding Inc., according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Preferred Units accrued paid in-kind dividends at a rate of more than 12% and were subject to another 50 basis-point increase in August 2023.

In a bankruptcy, the RSNs could drop its contractual responsibilities to the teams whose games they carry or try to renegotiate the terms. That could shake up the teams that depend on the revenues generated by broadcast rights.

The Bally Sports networks hold local TV rights to about 40 Major League Baseball, National Basketball League and National Hockey League teams.

Front Office Sports reported that MLB was considering taking back the TV rights to games in the event of a bankruptcy.

According to Sportico, the bankruptcy would be timed to a $140 million interest payment that is due next week.

Bloomberg previously reported that Diamond Sports would use the bankruptcy to restructure its debt. 

In the restructuring, debt would be turned into equity, and Diamond's largest creditors — Prudential Financial, Fidelity, Hein Park Capital Management and Mudrick Capital Management — would become owners of the Bally Sports RSNs, Bloomberg said. ■

YouTube TV on Tuesday pulled MLB Network from its programming lineup after failing to reach a new distribution deal, according to a notice sent to the distributor's subscribers.

Along with losing access to MLB Network on YouTube TV's basic tier, the distributor's subscribers will also lose any network-based recorded programming. Subscribers will still be able to watch live national baseball games via Fox, ESPN and TBS as part of the distributor’s $65 basic plan. 

“We have held good faith negotiations with MLB for several months to renew our deal to continue carrying their content on YouTube TV. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach a new agreement before our existing one expired,” a YouTube TV spokesperson said. “Starting today, January 31, 2023, the MLB Network will no longer be available on YouTube TV.”

The loss of MLB Network comes within weeks of the start of Major League Baseball’s spring training and less than two months before the start of its regular season. 

MLB said in a statement: “With Spring Training about to start, we regret that YouTube TV has been unwilling to negotiate a fair carriage agreement. MLB Network has offered terms consistent with what close to 300 other U.S. providers have agreed to for distribution. With the great demand and value for live baseball content, Major League Baseball’s commitment to MLB Network now and in the future is stronger than ever before, and we remain open and committed to reaching an agreement with YouTube TV as soon as possible. ■  

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of October 31 through November 6, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio's Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Sports continue to reign supreme, taking four of the top five spots for the most-watched programming during the week. NFL games accounted for 5.56% of minutes watched, down slightly from the previous week's 5.89%. On the other hand, college football saw an increase in watch-time, up to 4.70% from 3.95% previously.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• After six games, the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series, which accounted for 3.12% of watch-time during the week.
• Chicago P.D. makes a notable jump up the chart, moving to No. 12 from No. 23, fueled by reruns on ION and USA Network, as well as a new episode that premiered on NBC on Nov. 2.
• Fox News programs America's Newsroom and America Reports both move slightly up the chart, to No. 14 and No. 16, respectively.
• Week-over-week newcomers include Chicago Fire (0.39%) and The First 48 (0.39%), shifting into the No. 20 and No. 24 chart positions, respectively.

On the network side of things, CBS is in first place, thanks in part to NFL and college football, with 9.04% of minutes watched (up from 7.32% the previous week). 

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from October 31 through November 6:

• Fox, benefiting primarily from the World Series, edges out NBC to take second place with 8.01% of watch-time.
• Although Fox News Channel, ESPN and Hallmark Channel all retain their chart positions week-over-week, each saw a slight uptick in minutes watched.
• Newcomers that didn't appear on the previous week's ranking include ESPN2, up from No. 27 to No. 22, and Paramount Network, up to No. 23 from No. 38.
• Paramount's notable jump came from a Yellowstone marathon over the weekend — the network's hit show, which returns for season five on November 13 — accounted for over 40% of Paramount Network's total watch-time for the week.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the real-time TV measurement company. Rankings are by share of TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

The NFL remains in first place, but saw a slight decrease in share of TV ad impressions, to 11.57% from 12.29% the previous week. College football is steady at No. 2 with an impressions share of 7.62%.

More insights about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Although the World Series stays in third place week-over-week, it saw a notable increase in share of TV ad impressions (up to 5.41% from 3.09% previously), with a nearly 75% jump in total TV impressions compared to the week before.
• The Voice, which premiered two of its three "The Knockouts" episodes during the week, moves into eleventh place with 1.02% share of impressions, up from 0.94% last time.
• ABC World News Tonight with David Muir moves up one place, from No. 18 to No. 17 (from 0.55% share of impressions to 0.87%), while Fox & Friends remains in 10th but with a slight impressions increase (from 1.06% to 1.07%).
• Daytime soap opera General Hospital jumps up the ranking to No. 18 from No. 22 previously, increasing its share of impressions from 0.70% to 0.80%.

CBS takes first place in the network ranking, with a week-over-week increase in TV ad impressions share — up to 17.71% from 14.92%. NBC takes second place, with impressions fueled by NFL games, Today and The Voice.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions share:

• ABC moves into third place, albeit with a slight week-over-week decrease in impressions (down to 10.84% from 11.55% previously).
• Discovery and The CW both have notable upward movement, from No. 22 to No. 17 and from No. 23 to No. 18, respectively. Street Outlaws, Gold Rush and Moonshiners delivered top impression counts for Discovery, while The CW benefited from Stargirl, Walker and Family Feud.
• Food Network moves up the chart from No. 24 to No. 20, with seasonal programming including Holiday Wars, Halloween Baking Championship and Christmas Cookie Challenge generating top impression counts.
• With a 0.44% share of impressions, History Channel was the sole week-over-week newcomer, landing at No. 24 from its previous place at No. 26.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of October 24-30, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio's Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio's TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Football season is in full swing and nothing can unseat the NFL when it comes to viewership: Games accounted for 5.89% of all minutes watched from October 24-30, up slightly from the previous week's 5.34%.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• College football moves up a notch to second place from third the previous week, increasing its share of watch-time from 3.48% to 3.95%.
• The 2022 World Series takes third place over NBA games, with 1.35% and 1.10% of minutes watch, respectively.
• Two and a Half Men makes a notable jump up the chart, moving to No. 18 from No. 24 the previous week, fueled by reruns across TV Land, Paramount Network and IFC.
• Week-over-week newcomers include NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (0.37%) and Hannity (0.36%), moving into the No. 24 and No. 25 chart positions, respectively.

With assists from NFL games, the World Series and college football, Fox scores a home run as the top network with 8.64% of minutes watched, unseating CBS, which had taken first place for weeks. 

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from October 24-30:

• There's incremental movement within the middle ranks compared to the previous week, with Hallmark Channel (2.58% of minutes watched), Ion (1.82%) and HGTV (1.64%), among others, rising to new heights.
• Speaking of Hallmark, the network continues its early Christmas obsession, with movies including Jolly Good Christmas, A Cozy Christmas Inn and Ghosts of Christmas Always among its top programming for the week. And that's not all: Sister network Hallmark Movies & Mysteries catapults into the ranking at No. 19 (1.09% of watch-time), also fueled by holiday content.
• Cable news saw a week-over-week increase, with MSNBC moving into 10th place from No. 13 with 1.50% of minutes watched, and CNN jumping from No. 15 to No. 11 (1.44%).
• Discovery was another week-over-week newcomer, capturing 0.86% of watch-time and landing at No. 25.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the real-time TV measurement company. Rankings are by share of TV ad impressions, for new episodes only.

Once again the NFL takes first place with a 12.29% share of TV ad impressions, an increase from the previous week's 10.09%. College football marches up the field with an impressions SOV of 7.94%, while the MLB World Series takes third place (3.09%). 

More insights about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Good Morning America overtakes the NBA for fourth place, with 1.48% and 1.46% share of impressions, respectively.
• With Election Day rapidly approaching, various news programs saw week-over-week increases, including Fox & Friends (up from 0.90% share of impressions to 1.60%), NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt (from 0.77% to 0.95%), ABC World News Tonight With David Muir (from 0.55% to 0.77%), Jesse Watters Primetime (from 0.63% to 0.71%) and America Reports, which wasn’t on the previous week’s ranking but comes in at No. 25 with 0.60% share of impressions, up from 0.52%.
• Thanks to back-to-back nights of episodes, Bachelor in Paradise moves up the ranking from No. 18 to No. 17, with a 0.79% share of TV ad impressions.
• Programs maintaining their ranking spot week-over-week but seeing an increase in share of impressions include Today (up from 1.31% to 1.35%), SportsCenter (from 1.23% to 1.31%), The Price Is Right (from 1.11% to1.27%) and The Young and the Restless (from 1.04% to 1.10%).

CBS once again takes first place in our top-networks-by-impressions ranking, with a slight week-over-week increase in TV ad impression share -- up to 14.92% from 14.36%. Fox jumps into second place with a nearly 30% increase in total impressions week-over-week, thanks in part to the 2022 World Series. 

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• NBC scored a slightly higher share of TV ad impressions than ABC -- 11.55% vs. 11.41% -- with over a quarter of its total impressions coming from NFL games. ABC was buoyed by college football, which accounted for 18% of the network’s total impressions.
• Spanish-language networks Univision, Telemundo and UniMás all rise up the ranking with week-over-week share of impressions increases, with Telemundo having the largest (from 1.40% to 2.31%).
• The CW arrives in our ranking at No. 23 (up from No. 27 previously) with All American, Stargirl and All American: Homecoming as its top three impressions-driving shows.
• SEC Network was another week-over-week newcomer, landing at No. 19 with 0.59% impressions share, up from 0.36% the previous week.

Sports fans may not punt away their pay TV subscriptions in big numbers should live NFL, MLB or NBA games move exclusively to streaming services, according to a new study from research company Aluma.

Only 8% of pay TV subscribers said they would definitely cancel their subscription if their favorite sport moved its games exclusively to a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime Video, Aluma said. 

In terms of specific sports, 11% of National Football League fans would cancel their pay TV subscriptions if games moved exclusively to streaming, while 8% of National Basketball Association or Major League Baseball fans would abandon pay TV if those leagues went digital-only, according to Aluma.

Aluma founder and director of research Michael Greeson said that while live sports continues to be a major draw for pay TV, it’s not as big a factor in subscribers staying put as originally thought. One reason is that 80% of live TV sports viewers also subscribe to at least one of the top-five SVOD services.

Also: Big 12 Conference Seals Stabilizing $2.28 Billion TV Rights Extension with ESPN and Fox

Also, one-third of subscribers who aren’t fully satisfied with their pay TV service continue to subscribe because they are used to having it, while only 18% do so as their main source for live sports programming, according to Aluma. 

“Perhaps live sports are less critical to pay TV's stickiness than we’ve long believed," Greeson said in a statement. “The findings are contrary to the dominant narrative that, without TV sports, pay TV couldn’t survive.”

While streaming services have made inroads in gaining exclusive rights to live pro and college sports events, including Prime Video’s multi-year exclusive deal for NFL Thursday Night Football, most major live sports events remain on linear television. Pay TV platforms should continue to secure live sports content, Greeson said, but he  warned that sports rights could eventually become too expensive for linear TV distributors.

“There is a point at which the exorbitant fees MVPDs pay to license sports are no longer worth the cost,” he said.■

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of October 17-23, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio's Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio's TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

The NFL continues to score with watch-time, accounting for 5.34% of minutes watched from October 17-23, down slightly from the previous week's 6.83%.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Major League Baseball moves up a notch to second place from third the previous week, although it had a slight decline in watch-time (down to 3.67% from 3.71%).
• The first games of the new National Basketball Association season racked up 1.60% of minutes watched, placing the NBA at No. 4 and making the top four programs by watch-time all sports.
• Week-over-week newcomers include NFL RedZone (0.38%) and Paw Patrol (0.35%), moving into the No. 20 and No. 25 chart positions, respectively.
• Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. both jump up the chart, fueled by new episodes as well as reruns on Ion.

Yet again CBS is the most-watched network, with NFL and college football combined delivering 14.49% of its total watch-time.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from October 17-23:

• TNT has the most notable week-over-week rank increase, moving up to No. 9 from No. 22, with NBA games accounting for nearly half (45.51%) of minutes watched on the network.
• Fox moves from No. 4 to No. 3, with watch-time increasing by 1%, up to 6.94%. Over a third of the network’s minutes watched came from NFL and college football.
• Hallmark Channel, which has already started airing holiday and Christmas movies in earnest, moves into eighth place from No. 13, with 2.10% of watch-time (up from 1.60% the previous week).
• Bravo is the sole week-over-week newcomer to the chart, inching up to No. 24 from No. 26 previously.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the real-time TV measurement company. Rankings are by share of TV ad impressions, for new episodes only.

The NFL's winning streak continues as it again takes first place for share of TV ad impressions (10.09%), a slight decrease from the previous week's 12.92%. MLB and college football retain their positions at second (8.07%) and third place (6.60%), respectively.

More insights about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• NBA action jumps into the top five with a 1.97% share of impressions, but still lags behind football and baseball.
• Although The Voice maintained its 0.95% impressions share, it falls to No. 10 from No. 8 the previous week, while The Young and the Restless remains at No. 9 but had a slight increase in impressions share (from 0.91% to 1.04%).
• The Bold and The Beautiful moves up from No. 33 to No. 25 week-over-week, having increased its impressions share from 0.45% to 0.55%.
• Morning shows Good Morning America, Today and CBS Mornings each had modest impressions share increases from the previous week, and although Today moves into sixth place from seventh last time, GMA falls to fifth from fourth in the ranking. CBS Mornings stays at No. 15.

For the fifth week in a row, CBS takes first place for TV ad impressions share, although it saw a slight decrease week-over-week, falling to 14.36% from 18.49%. 

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• ABC moves into second place with an 11.58% impressions share, fueled in part by a 41.1% week-over-week impressions increase from college football.
• Thanks in part to the doubling of NFL impressions week-over-week, Fox also jumps up a spot, landing at No. 4 with a 9.29% impressions share, up from 6.81% the previous week.
• TNT vaults into the ranking at No. 12, up from No. 54 the previous week, propelled by the new NBA season, which had a 79.7% impressions share on the network.
• Hallmark Channel also had an increase in impressions share, up to 0.94% from 0.46% previously, driven by the premieres of three new Christmas movies.

This weekend’s lineup of live TV sports events features a rare Sports Equinox where on Sunday for just the 28th time all four major sports leagues will have regular-season or postseason games in play. 

Sunday’s action begins on the baseball field with Game 4 of the Major League Baseball American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros on TBS. Also on Sunday, the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies battle in Game Five of their National League Championship Series on Fox.

On the football field, week seven of the National Football League regular-season kicks off with afternoon regional game telecasts on CBS and Fox, as well as an NBC Sunday Night Football matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins.

The National Basketball Association enters the first weekend of its 2022-23 regular season with a Sunday primetime doubleheader on NBA TV featuring the Washington Wizards versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Phoenix Suns vs. the L.A. Clippers.    

On the ice, ESPN will air a National Hockey League matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings. 

Pro soccer will also be in play Sunday with Peacock, CNBC and USA Network offering seven Premier League games combined, while ESPN is airing a Major League Soccer doubleheader.

Saturday’s events include a slate of college football games, beginning with second-ranked Ohio State hosting Iowa on Fox, No. 3 Tennessee playing UT Martin on SEC Network, and fifth-ranked Clemson battling No. 14 Syracuse on ABC. 

The lineup for the remaining top 10-ranked schools includes No. 6 Alabama-Mississippi State (ESPN), No.7 Ole Miss-LSU (CBS), No. 8 TCU-Kansas State (FS1), and No. 9 UCLA-No. 10 Oregon (Fox).

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will distribute the UFC 280 pay-per-view mixed martial arts fight card featuring the main event bout between Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. ■  

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of October 10-16, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Once again the NFL is dominating watch-time, accounting for 6.83% of minutes watched from October 10-16, up slightly from the previous week’s 6.31%. 

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• The top 10 programs all retain their positions week-over-week, although NFL and MLB were the only two that saw increased watch-time, with baseball being boosted by the division series.
• Murder, She Wrote jumps into the ranking as Hallmark Movies & Mysteries aired additional episodes in tribute to Angela Lansbury, who died on October 11 at the age of 96. The show captured over 41% of the network’s watch-time for the week.
• The only other week-over-week newcomer to our top 25 is The First 48, moving from No. 26 to No. 19.
• Blue Bloods, which recently kicked off season 13, moves up a spot to No. 11, although total watch-time had a slight decline (0.51% to 0.49%).

CBS continues to lead our network ranking, thanks mostly to football. NFL and college football combined for over 36% of the total watch-time on CBS, up from 19% combined the previous week.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from October 10-16:

• Fox Sports 1 rockets from No. 31 to No. 8 week-over-week, thanks in part to MLB games and the pre/post-game coverage.
• Other top 25 newcomers include TNT (from No. 27 to No. 22) and Discovery Channel (No. 26 to No. 24).
• TBS jumps up to No. 7 from No. 16, with MLB games delivering over 68% of the watch-time.
• Although TLC and TV Land both move up a spot, they had modest decreases in week-over-week watch-time (from 1.08% to 1.04% and 1.06% to 1.01%, respectively).

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the real-time TV measurement company. Rankings are by share of TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

The NFL maintains its upward trajectory, delivering the highest share of TV ad impressions (12.88%), a slight increase from the previous week's 12.51%. MLB overtakes college football, with 8.32% and 7.25% share in impressions, respectively. 

More insights about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Although The Price Is Right maintained its 1.15% share of impressions from last week, it moves up to No. 5 (from No. 8 previously).
• News- and talk-related programs sit in 13 of the 25 spots in our ranking, led by Good Morning America at No. 4.
• General Hospital increased its ad impressions week-over-week, from 0.64% to 0.68%.
• Both ABC World News Tonight With David Muir and NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt increased their share of impressions and move up the ranking compared with the previous week.

CBS is No. 1 in ranking of networks by share of TV ad impressions for the fourth week in a row. The network delivered 18.6% on TV ad impressions from October 10-16, up from 16.1% the previous week. 

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• TBS and Fox Deportes are new week-over-week arrivals in our ranking, with ad impression increases driven by MLB games.
• Speaking of MLB, Fox Sports 1 grew its share of TV ad impressions from 1.57% to 3.79%, thanks in large part to baseball games.
• Hallmark saw a slight increase in impressions share, up to 0.46% from 0.42% the previous week, as it continued to lean into fall-themed programming.
• Bravo also grew its share of TV ad impressions from 0.67% to 0.70%, driven in part by new episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Below Deck Mediterranean.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Oct. 3-9, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio's Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio's TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

The NFL is atop our watch-time ranking for the fifth straight week. NFL games accounted for 6.31% of minutes watched from Oct. 3-9, down slightly from 6.97% the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• MLB's new wildcard round helped boost baseball's minutes watched week-over-week from 0.65% to 1.82%.
• Blue Bloods' season 13 premiere helped drive the show from No. 24 to No. 12 by watch-time week-over-week.
• Syndicated sitcoms like Two and a Half Men (from No. 26 to No. 17) and The Golden Girls (No. 23 to No. 20) make week-over-week gains in our ranking.
• Other week-over-week newcomers to our top 25 include Ridiculousness (No. 21), Family Feud (No. 22), Tucker Carlson Tonight (No. 23), Love It or List It (No. 24) and The Voice (No. 31).

CBS is No. 1 on our list of most-watched networks for the second consecutive week, thanks in large part to football. College football and the NFL combined for over 19% of watch-time on CBS, with the Alabama vs. Texas A&M thriller catching a larger share of minutes watched than the network’s NFL games.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from Oct. 3-9:

• ION's slate of syndicated procedurals helped fuel a week-over-week jump from No. 11 to No. 7.
• ESPN2 vaults up to No. 14 (from No. 31 the previous week), as college football and MLB Playoff games pushed the network's watch-time up week-over-week.
• Additional week-over-week newcomers in our top 25 include History (from No. 27 to No. 24) and Bravo (from No. 28 to No. 25).
• Hallmark hops from No. 13 to No. 10 by minutes watched, as the network leaned into a combination of syndicated sitcoms and fall-focused seasonal movies.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the real-time TV measurement company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only.

The NFL delivered the highest share of TV ad impressions once again, with 12.51% from Oct. 3-9. That's down from 14.45% the previous week as the MLB Playoffs helped baseball grab a larger share of the weekend's live sports audience (and impressions).

More insights about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Speaking of MLB action, the weekend's wildcard round was a big part of why baseball nearly doubled its share of ad impressions week-over-week, from 0.89% to 1.84%.
• Bachelor in Paradise's two-night format on ABC helped fuel a week-over-week jump in TV ad impressions – from 0.44% to 0.94%.
• Univision's Los Ricos También Lloran reboot increased its ad impressions week-over-week – from 0.38% to 0.72%.
• The View is one of several news- and talk-focused programs to grow its week-over-week impressions – by 30%.

CBS is No. 1 in our TV-ad-impressions-by-network ranking for a third straight week. The network delivered 16.1% of TV ad impressions from Oct. 3-9, which is down from 18.1% the previous week.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• Hallmark and Food Network are new week-over-week arrivals in our ranking, as both have been leaning into Halloween and fall-centric programs.
• Bravo TV ad impressions increased by 39% week-over-week, thanks to its typical slate of reality programming (including the season premiere of Real Housewives of Potomac).
• The top three Spanish-language networks (Telemundo, Univision, UniMás) all rise in our week-over-week, led by Univision, which moves from No. 10 to No. 8.
• Despite maintaining its No. 5 ranking week-over-week, Fox grew its share of TV ad impressions from 5.5% to 8.1% (with more than half of impressions coming from Sunday afternoon's NFL doubleheader).

This weekend’s lineup of live TV sports events begins on the baseball diamond as Major League Baseball’s first-ever Wild Card Series round concludes.

On Saturday, ESPN will televise the second game of the best-of-three game series featuring  the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays, after Seattle won the first game on Friday, as well as the second game of the San Diego Padres-New York Mets series.

Also Saturday, ESPN2 will air the second game of the Tampa Bay Rays-Cleveland Guardians series as the Rays look to even up the matchup, and the Philadelphia Phillies-St. Louis Cardinals series, in which the Phillies lead one game to none. 

On Sunday, ESPN, ABC and ESPN2 will combine to provide game three coverage from the four MLB Wild Card Series if necessary.    

On the racetrack, NBC on Saturday will air the NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive for the Cure 250 race, and on Sunday will televise the NASCAR Cup Roval 400 race. Also on Sunday ESPN2 will televise the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix race. 

College Football enters its sixth week of the regular season with top-ranked Alabama matching up against Texas A&M on CBS, second-ranked Georgia hosting Auburn on CBS, third-ranked Ohio State battling Big Ten rival Michigan State on ABC, fourth-ranked Michigan traveling to play Indiana on Fox and fifth-ranked Clemson facing  Boston College on ABC. Other games featuring top 10-ranked teams include No. 6 USC-Washington State (Fox), No.7 Oklahoma State-Texas Tech (FS1), No. 8 Tennessee-LSU (ESPN) and No. 9 Ole Miss-Vanderbilt (SEC Network).

In the boxing ring, Showtime will televise a super welterweight title fight between champion Sebastian Fundora and challenger Carlos Ocampo and a junior bantamweight championship bout between titleholder Fernando Martinez and Jerwin Ancajas.

USA, NBC, CNBC and Peacock will continue its weekend coverage of Premier League soccer matches with nine live game telecasts combined.

Sunday’s pro football coverage features a NFL Network Sunday morning telecast from London featuring the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers, afternoon regional game coverage on Fox and CBS, and an NBC Sunday Night Football game telecast between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens. ■  

Major League Baseball will launch its first ever Wild Card Series round of postseason games Friday, with ESPN, ABC and ESPN2 airing all games from four, best-of-three game series.

The new format, which added new Wild Card teams in both the American and National Leagues, debuts October 7 with first games of four three-game series: Cleveland Guardians-Tampa Bay Rays on ESPN; St. Louis Cardinals-Philadelphia Phillies on ABC; Toronto Blue Jays-Seattle Mariners on ESPN; and New York Mets-San Diego Padres on ESPN, according to network officials. 

Saturday's games include Tampa Bay-Cleveland (ESPN2), Seattle-Toronto (ESPN), San Diego-Mets (ESPN) and Philadelphia-St. Louis (ESPN2). 

If necessary, Sunday’s games start with Seattle-Toronto (ABC), Tampa Bay-Cleveland (ESPN), San Diego-Mets (ESPN) and Philadelphia-St. Louis (ESPN2).

The winners of the two American League Wild Card Series will play the two highest-seed division champions, the New York Yankees and Houston Astros, while the National League Wild Card series winners will face the top-seeded division champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. ■ 

This weekend’s busy lineup of live TV sports events begins on the gridiron as the National Football League kicks off its opening weekend of regular season games. 

Along with Sunday regional coverage of NFL games on CBS and Fox, NBC will air its first Sunday Night Football game featuring two of the league’s more popular teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.

This weekend’s college football schedule begins with top ranked Alabama facing Texas on Fox and second-ranked Georgia taking on Samford on SEC Network. Third-ranked Ohio State will match up with Arkansas State on the Big Ten Network, fourth-ranked Michigan battling Hawai’i on Big Ten Network and fifth-ranked Clemson going up against Furman on the ACC Network.

The rest of the top ten ranked teams include No. 6 Texas A&M-Appalachian State (ESPN2), No. 7 Oklahoma-Kent State (ESPN Plus), No. 8 Notre Dame-Marshall (NBC), No. 9 Baylor-BYU (ESPN) and No. 10 USC at Stanford (ABC).

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will distribute the UFC 279 mixed martial arts pay-per-view event featuring the main event bout between welterweights Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz. 

The U.S. Open tennis tournament will conclude this weekend with the women’s finals match airing on ESPN Saturday and the men’s finals airing live Sunday afternoon.

The Major League Baseball season continues to wind down with ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball coverage of the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs contest.■ 

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of Aug. 22-28, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Another week of preseason games kept the National Football League at the top of our watch-time ranking. From August 22-28, the NFL sprinted to 2.57% of minutes watched, not too different from its 2.56% mark the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• The Little League Baseball World Series increased its watch-time to 1.36% (No. 2 overall) in its second week of action across ESPN, ABC and ESPN2.
• The PGA Tour Championship concluded with Rory McIlroy coming behind for the win, and the event scored 1.13% of watch-time in the process.
• Other week-over-week newcomers in our top 25 include "week zero" college football action (from N/A to No. 5), Chicago P.D. (from No. 28 to No. 18) and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (from No. 31 to No. 20).
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit continues its dominance as the most-watched scripted show, increasing minutes watched from 0.94% to 1.14% week-over-week.

NBC stays atop our list of most-watched networks for a third straight week, as the conclusion of the PGA Tour Championship helped power the network to No. 1 again. At 6.15%, NBC's share of watch-time was just barely above last week's (6.12%).

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from August 22-28:

• CBS gained ground by minutes watched, going from 5.80% to 6.14%, courtesy of NFL preseason action (among other programming).
• Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon pushed HBO to the spot just outside our ranking, at No. 26.
• Both INSP and TNT join this week’s ranking (at No. 23 and No. 24, respectively) after being absent the previous week.
• Friends helped power TBS to a one-spot jump from No. 18 to No. 17 in our ranking week-over-week, as the show accounted for nearly 26% of watch-time on the network.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

As the field narrows for the Little League World Series, the event jumps from No. 6 to No. 1 by TV ad impressions week-over-week. Nearly 48% of those appeared on ABC, while the rest were split between ESPN (primarily) and ESPN2.

More insights about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Sports accounts for six of the top 10 spots in our ranking this week. Beyond the Little League World Series, the NFL (No. 2), SportsCenter (No. 5), college football (No. 6), MLB (No. 7) and PGA Tour Championship (No. 9) also appear.
• Two of the biggest risers in recent months have been Morning Joe (MSNBC) and Jesse Watters Primetime (Fox News), which have both gradually climbed the ad-impressions rankings after beginning the summer outside the top 25.
• America’s Got Talent qualifier rounds continue to deliver TV ad impressions, as the competition show grows modestly from 1.29% to 1.31% of impressions week-over-week.
• Good Morning America and Today each drop by one spot in our ranking week-over-week, despite both actually making slight week-over-week gains by share of TV ad impressions.

Fox News stays in the top spot in our TV-ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the ninth consecutive week. The network delivered 13.90% of impressions, down from 14.72% the previous week.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• ABC hops up one spot from No. 3 to No. 2 week-over-week, thanks in part to Little League World Series action (nearly 11% of TV ad impressions on the network during the timeframe).
• Both Telemundo and Univision delivered a higher share of TV ad impressions week-over-week, as Telemundo in particular is paced by Top Chef VIP (almost 26% of impressions).
• HGTV grew its share of TV ad impressions from 1.16% to 1.47% week-over-week, with new episodes of Help! I Wrecked My House leading the way (about one in seven impressions for the network).
• PGA Tour Championship coverage propelled Golf Channel from No. 20 to No. 15 week-over-week by share of TV ad impressions.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of August 8-14, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

With preseason action now in full swing, the National Football League sprints to the top of our watch-time ranking. From August 8-14, the NFL scored 2.24% of minutes watched, up from 0.55% the previous week when there was only one game.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• In the lead-up to the annual Little League World Series, Little League baseball picked up 1.30% of watch-time while appearing on ESPN and ESPN2.
• Aligning with the FBI’s search of former President Trump’s residence, minutes-watched climbed week-over-week for Tucker Carlson Tonight (from No. 26 to No. 22) and Hannity (from No. 29 to No. 24).
• The FedEx St. Jude Championship, which was decided by a playoff on Sunday, propelled the PGA Tour from No. 17 to No. 8 by watch-time week-over-week.
• Chicago Fire syndicated airings jump from No. 32 to No. 14 week-over-week, barely trailing Chicago P.D. by watch-time.

NBC moves from No. 3 to No. 1 week-over-week on our list of most-watched networks. Thanks in part to the weekend’s PGA Tour action, the network tallied 6.13% of watch-time, which is up from 5.95% the previous week.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from August 8-14:

• All three major cable news networks grew watch-time week-over-week as a result of Mar-a-Lago FBI search coverage. Fox News moves from No. 4 to No. 2, CNN jumps from No. 12 to No. 7, and MSNBC rises from No. 14 to No. 9.
• Preseason games fueled NFL Network's return to our ranking, appearing at No. 12 by minutes watched after being absent since spring's NFL Draft.
• Speaking of sports, NFL and MLB games helped push The CW’s modest jump from No. 24 to No. 22 by watch-time week-over-week.
• Instead of professionals, it was amateur players pacing ESPN’s run from No. 9 to No. 6 by watch-time week-over-week, as Little League baseball accounts for over 51% of the network’s minutes watched.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Good Morning America keeps its No. 1 spot by TV ad impressions, delivering 2.39% from August 8-14 (up slightly from 2.35% the previous week).

More insights about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Week one with a full NFL preseason slate elevated the league from No. 16 to No. 5 by TV ad impressions week-over-week.
• Sports-related programming accounts for five of the top 10 programs in our ranking, led by SportsCenter (1.95% of impressions), then MLB games (1.88%), NFL (1.61%), Little League baseball (1.53%) and PGA Tour golf (1.44%).
• With two episodes from August 8-14 (vs. one from Aug. 1-7), America’s Got Talent leaps from No. 22 to No. 12 by TV ad impressions week-over-week.
• Daytime soap operas account for four of the top 25 programs by TV ad impressions, including The Young and The Restless (No. 8), Days of Our Lives (No. 18), General Hospital (No. 23) and The Bold and The Beautiful (No. 24).

Fox News retains its spot at No. 1 in our TV-ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the seventh week in a row. In part due to weekend coverage of the Trump FBI search, the network delivered 14.09% of impressions, up from 13.46% the previous week.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• Coinciding with cable news viewership rising, TV ad impressions also climbed across the three major networks. Combined ad impressions for Fox News, MSNBC and CNN were 28.63% of TV – versus 24.87% the previous week.
• Preseason games pushed NFL Network to 5.4x more TV ad impressions week-over-week, as the network sits at No. 10 in our ranking for Aug. 8-14.
• Fox TV ad impressions climb from 1.48% to 1.91% week-over-week, as MLB impressions nearly double on the network week-over-week.
• NBC increases TV ad impressions week-over-week from 10.64% to 10.73%, thanks in part to America’s Got Talent and golf.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of August 1-7, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

After a one-week hiatus, Major League Baseball scores the most TV watch-time again. From August 1-7, MLB games collected 1.10% of minutes watched, which is up from 0.92% the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Chicago P.D. -- one of four crime procedurals in our ranking’s top 10 spots -- jumps from No. 28 to No. 8 by watch-time week-over-week.
• The National Football League returned with just one preseason game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, which is enough to land at No. 10 in our ranking.
• After not being listed among the top 50 programs by watch-time the previous week, syndicated airings of The Golden Girls soar to No. 19.
• Speaking of syndication, Seinfeld reruns make modest gains week-over-week from 0.37% to 0.40% of minutes watched, fueling a move from No. 29 to No. 24 in our ranking.

CBS remains atop our list of most-watched networks for the third week in a row, with 6.15% of watch-time (down slightly from 6.24% the previous week). CBS minutes watched were led by CBS Mornings (7.76%), followed closely by The Price Is Right (7.72%).

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from August 1-7:

• HGTV hops from No. 9 to No. 7 week-over-week in our ranking, led by airings of My Lottery Dream Home and Love It or List It.
• USA Network grows week-over-week watch-time from 1.61% to 1.70%, with over a third of those minutes attributable to syndicated airings of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
• TNT is the lone week-over-week newcomer in our ranking, as NCIS: New Orleans reruns help fuel a move from No. 28 to No. 25.
• Bravo is buoyed by the Below Deck series of programs (with over 35% of the network’s watch-time), as it floats from No. 22 to No. 20 week-over-week.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Good Morning America holds onto its No. 1 spot by TV ad impressions, delivering 2.35% from August 1-7 (down slightly from 2.37% the previous week).

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• MLB games (2.15% of impressions) and SportsCenter (1.94%) are the only sports-related programming among the top 10.
• The NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Game accounts for 1.12% of TV ad impressions – No. 16 on the week.
• CMA Fest rides country music interest to No. 15 this week after airing on ABC.
• Big Brother TV ad impressions jump from No. 15 to No. 11 week-over-week as the show’s contestant pool continues to narrow.

Fox News sits at No. 1 in our TV-ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the sixth consecutive week, delivering 13.46% of impressions (down slightly from 13.55% the previous week).

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• ABC grows its share of TV ad impressions from 11.82% to 12.69% week-over-week, thanks in part to CMA Fest, along with its usual slate of news-related programming.
• MLB Network leaps into the top 10 (up from No. 12 week-over-week), as advertisers benefited from increased fan interest due to the trade deadline.
• USA Network delivers over 57% of its TV ad impressions over the weekend due in large part to interest in NASCAR events and the AIG Women’s Open (golf).
• Lifetime is a week-over-week newcomer in our ranking, moving from No. 26 to No. 20, due in part to Married at First Sight (33.01% of Lifetime’s TV ad impressions on the week).

Dennis Eckersley announced he will depart the Boston Red Sox broadcast team at the end of the season. In the baseball Hall of Fame, Eckersley, who is 67, joined NESN in 2003 as a studio analyst and moved to the broadcast booth in 2009. 

He was both a starting pitcher and a reliever in an MLB career that lasted 24 seasons. He played for the Indians, Cubs, A’s, Cardinals and Red Sox before retiring in 1998. 

Eckersley is an outspoken analyst. NESN noted his “effortless banter and smart analysis.”

“We are fortunate that Dennis has been a part of our Red Sox coverage on NESN for 20 years. His unbridled passion, nuanced insights and Eck humor will be dearly missed and we are thankful for his many contributions to NESN,” Sean McGrail, NESN president and CEO, said. “We wish him the best as he embarks on this next chapter of his life as a grandfather, father, husband and member of Red Sox Nation.”

Eckersley went 197-171 with a 3.50 ERA, and saved 390 games. He won an MVP and a Cy Young Award. 

"After 50 years in Major League Baseball, I am excited about this next chapter of my life," Eckersley said. "I will continue to be an ambassador for the club and a proud member of Red Sox Nation, while transitioning to life after baseball alongside my wife Jennifer, my children and my grandchildren."

Eckersley continued, “I’m forever grateful to NESN, the Red Sox, my family and the fans for supporting me throughout my career and through this decision and I look forward to remaining engaged with the team in a variety of capacities for years to come.” ■

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of July 25-31, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Syndicated Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes hopped from No. 4 to No. 1 by TV watch-time week-over-week. From July 25-31, the show collected 1.39% of minutes watched, up from 0.83% the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Crime-related programming peppers our ranking, as eight of the top 25 shows are crime-focused procedural dramas.
• Speaking of, Law & Order is a big week-over-week mover in our ranking, up from No. 35 to No. 20 by minutes watched.
• HGTV’s Love It or List It also makes a significant move week-over-week, from No. 33 to No. 17 in our ranking.
• The Rocket Mortgage Classic carries the PGA Tour from No. 12 to No. 8 week-over-week by watch-time.

Golf is a big part of why CBS sits atop our list of most-watched networks for the second consecutive week. CBS increased watch-time from 6.03% to 6.24% week-over-week.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from July 25-31:

• With a full slate of Shark Week content, Discovery swims from No. 18 to No. 11 in our ranking, increasing minutes watched from 1.29% to 1.77%.
• NBC stays at No. 3 week-over-week in our ranking, but increases watch-time from 5.55% to 5.84%.
• INSP hops from No. 26 to No. 25 week-over-week, thanks in large part to Gunsmoke syndicated airings (which account for nearly 38% of watch-time on the network).
• TV Land makes its own subtle week-over-week move from No. 21 to No. 20 in our ranking, as audiences tuned into Everybody Loves Raymond and The Andy Griffith Show reruns.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Good Morning America moves up one spot to No. 1 by TV ad impressions week-over-week, delivering 2.37% (down slightly from 2.40% the previous week) from July 25-31.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• News-related programs dominate, accounting for six of the top 10 spots — and 16 of the top 25 programs — by impressions.
• Reality shows make up three of the top 25 in our ranking, led by La casa de los famosos (the Spanish-language version of Celebrity Big Brother) at No. 14.
• Even without the previous week’s All-Star Game, Major League Baseball games stayed among the top five programs by impressions delivered, at 1.89%.
• The PGA Tour leaps from No. 16 to No. 9 week-over-week, as the Rocket Mortgage Classic served up 1.33% of TV ad impressions.

Fox News is parked at No. 1 in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the fifth straight week, delivering 13.55% of impressions (up from 12.71% the previous week).

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• Shark Week helped fuel Discovery Channel’s migration from No. 13 to No. 10 by share of TV ad impressions week-over-week.
• A full week of games and the looming trade deadline boosted MLB Network’s share of TV ad impressions week-over-week, from 1.14% to 1.88%.
• Fox Sports 1 moves from No. 20 to No. 17 in our ranking, thanks in part to baseball and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
• Summer heat waves warm up TV ad impressions for The Weather Channel, which makes a modest climb from No. 27 to No. 25 week-over-week in our ranking.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of July 18-24, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game fueled the sport to the No. 1 spot by watch-time during the week of July 18-24. Between late-week regular season games and Tuesday night’s all-star event, MLB collected 1.14% of minutes watched -- with half of that total attributable to the All-Star Game.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Not included in those MLB totals is the Home Run Derby, which adds another 0.36% of watch-time.
• A lack of much live sports on the week gave rise to procedurals, which occupy five of the top 10 spots, led by NCIS at No. 2.
• Speaking of crime-related shows, Forensic Files soars week-over-week from No. 35 to No. 11 by minutes watched.
• Syndicated sitcoms also continue to be staples for audiences, with four such programs in our ranking this week, including week-over-week top 25 newcomer The Big Bang Theory (up from no. 36 to No. 23).

CBS leaps from No. 3 to No. 1 in our list of most-watched networks, thanks in part to the return of PGA action after a one-week hiatus. The network increased watch-time from 5.75% to 6.03% week-over-week, which was enough to retake the top spot.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from the week:

• While SportsCenter made up over 24% of minutes watched on ESPN, it’s the MLB Home Run Derby’s one-off appearance that fueled much of the network’s week-over-week climb from No. 14 to No. 10 in our ranking.
• Hallmark Channel moves from No. 8 to No. 7 in our ranking week-over-week, as audiences tuned into syndicated airings of programs like The Golden Girls, Reba and Frasier (among others).
• TNT is the lone week-over-week newcomer in our ranking, via NCIS: New Orleans and a steady slate of superhero movies coinciding with San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend.
• Day One (Sunday) of Shark Week helped drive Discovery Channel up from No. 22 to No. 18 week-over-week, as audiences bit into the network’s shark-focused specials.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Even with fewer games on national TV for the All-Star Break, MLB action still increased impressions by nearly 41% week-over-week. Including the All-Star Game, baseball served up 2.72% of TV ad impressions from July 18-24 to lead all programs.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• News accounts for six of the top 10 programs by share of impressions delivered during the week, led by Good Morning America at 2.40%.
• La casa de los famosos shifts from No. 14 to No. 12 by share of impressions, as the Spanish-language version of Celebrity Big Brother nears the conclusion of season two.
• Impressions climbed almost 20% week-over-week for daytime soap The Young and the Restless, which remains a staple among the top 10 programs in our ranking.
• Jesse Watters Primetime (which technically airs an hour before primetime at 7 p.m. ET) has quietly become the top Fox News evening program for impressions in recent weeks, sitting at No. 20 for July 18-24.

Fox News occupies the No.1 spot in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking for the fourth consecutive week, delivering 12.71% of impressions (up from 12.55% the previous week).

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• Thanks in part to its broadcast of the PGA Tour’s 3M Open, CBS hops from No. 4 to No. 2 in our ranking week-over-week, with its share of impressions rising from 10.54% to 11.87%.
• Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game broadcast helped Fox’s share of impressions more than double week-over-week, from 1.49% to 3.51%.
• Advertisers benefitted from early Shark Week specials on Discovery Channel, as the network grew share of impressions week-over-week from 0.99% to 1.47%.
• HGTV climbs from No. 16 to No. 14 in our ranking with new episodes of shows like Good Bones (13.3% of the network’s impressions), Bargain Block (12.8%) and No Demo Reno (11.3%), among others.

This weekend’s live TV Sports lineup stars on the baseball diamond as Major League Baseball enters the first weekend after its annual All-Star break with FS1’s Saturday night telecast of the Texas Rangers and Oakland A’s matchup. 

On Sunday, Peacock’s afternoon baseball game will pit the Chicago Cubs against the Philadelphia Phillies, while ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will feature the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets. 

On the racetrack, NBC on Saturday will televise the IndyCar Hy-VeeDeels.com 250 race and on Sunday will air the IndyCar Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300. USA Network on Saturday will televise the Xfinity Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 race and on Sunday will air the NASCAR Cup M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 race on Sunday.

USA will feature coverage of the final stages of the Tour de France on Saturday and Sunday, while NBC will offer Saturday coverage of the Track & Field World Championships.

On the links, NBC and Golf Channel will air final round coverage of the Senior British Open, while CBS and Golf Channel will provide weekend coverage of the PGA 3M Open tournament. 

NBA TV will offer WNBA doubleheader game telecasts on Saturday and Sunday, while FS1 will air a Sunday MLS game between the Atlanta United and LA Galaxy.■ 

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of July 4-10, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Wimbledon wins watch-time for a second straight week as audiences watched Novak Djokovic collect the men’s singles title, while Elena Rybakina took home the women’s singles championship. The event accounted for 1.60% of minutes watched from July 4-10, up from 1.30% the previous week.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Shows in syndication are big movers week-over-week, as Chicago Fire leaps from No. 30 to No. 9, Chicago P.D. hops from No. 24 to No. 12, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives pulls in at No. 13 (from No. 28), and Seinfeld climbs from No. 32 to No. 14.
• AMC’s Breaking Bad marathon helped the show break into the top 25 in our ranking with 0.42% of watch-time (after not being listed at all the previous week).
• Below Deck Mediterranean sails to an appearance at No. 18 in our ranking – thanks to its season seven premiere -- after not appearing among the top 50 from June 27-July 3.
• The Scottish Open pushes the PGA Tour’s minutes watched up from 0.52% to 0.74% week-over-week.

CBS is newly atop our list of most-watched networks, with 5.80% of watch-time from July 4-10. The network benefits primarily from the Scottish Open, its usual slate of daytime programming and Big Brother’s season 24 premiere.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from July 4-10:

• ESPN jumps from No. 10 to No. 6 week-over-week, thanks in part to Wimbledon and Major League Baseball.
• Hallmark moves from No. 11 to No. 7 by watch-time week-over-week on the strength of syndicated shows like The Golden Girls, Reba and Frasier (among others).
• FX springs from No. 33 to No. 17 week-over-week, leaning on a Marvel movie marathon to coincide with the theatrical release of Thor: Love & Thunder, plus episode five of hit Jeff Bridges drama The Old Man.
• TNT shifts from No. 24 to No. 21 week-over-week, with audiences flocking to syndicated airings of NCIS: New Orleans, in particular.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

MLB TV ad impressions are climbing at the season’s midway point. For the week of July 4-10, live games accounted for 2.71% of impressions -- up from 2.00% of impressions the previous week.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• On the week, 15 of the top 25 shows by impressions are news- and talk-focused, led by Good Morning America at No. 2 (2.39% of all impressions).
• Big Brother’s 24th season premiered to 0.86% of impressions, which was 25th among all programs.
• ABC World News Tonight with David Muir moves from No. 6 to No. 4 week-over-week, increasing its share of impressions from 1.68% to 1.96%.
• Even with fewer matches week-over-week, Wimbledon didn’t lose much by share of impressions -- going from 1.48% during June 27-July 3, to 1.46% from July 4-10.

Fox News is No. 1 again in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking, delivering 12.44% of impressions on the week -- down slightly from 13.0% from June 27-July 3.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• ABC hops from No. 4 to No. 3, with Good Morning America accounting for 22.70% of the network’s impressions for the week.
• While Univision remains at No. 5 week-over-week, the network increases its share of impressions from 5.97% to 6.52%, fueled in part by primetime programs, which account for nearly 35% of Univision’s impressions.
• Fox Sports 1 flies from No. 24 to No. 17 in our ranking week-over-week, due in part to its typical slate of sports talk shows, plus MLB action and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
• USA Network leans on sports programming like the NASCAR Cup Series and Tour De France for its rise by share of TV ad impressions, from 1.44% to 1.56% week-over-week.

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of June 27-July 3, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Wimbledon action drives a watch-time win for tennis, as the event soars to 1.30% of minutes watched with the tournament field narrowing. That’s No. 1 among all programs from June 27-July 3.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• Morning shows are on the rise week-over-week, with Good Morning America climbing from No. 6 to No. 4, Today moving from No. 8 to No. 6, and CBS Mornings progressing from No. 19 to No. 17.
• Marathons drive week-over-week newcomers in our ranking, with Below Deck soaring to No. 9 and Yellowstone jumping to No. 10 (after neither appeared among the top 50 the previous week).
• Feuding fuels more watch-time, as Family Feud hops from No. 23 to No. 20 week-over-week, while Celebrity Family Feud is new to our ranking at No. 21.
• On the week, six different procedurals appear among the 25 most-watched shows, with Blue Bloods notably hopping from No. 32 to No. 22.

ABC stays atop our list of most-watched networks, with 5.94% of watch-time from June 27-July 3. That barely beats out CBS (5.90% of watch-time) for the No. 1 spot, as ABC benefits from its typical morning and daytime programming, plus Wimbledon.

Additional insights around the most-watched networks from June 27-July 3:

• Paramount Network leans into Yellowstone reruns to power a week-over-week jump from No. 35 to No. 21 in our ranking.
• Bravo’s own Below Deck marathon helps set up the network’s move from No. 28 to No. 25 by watch-time week-over-week.
• History drives from No. 22 to No. 19 by minutes watched week-over-week, due in part to coverage of the Barrett-Jackson Live Auction car event from Las Vegas.
• HGTV makes modest gains, jumping from No. 9 to No. 8 week-over-week, with a boost from new House Hunters episodes, plus a Love It Or List It marathon.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

Good Morning America wakes up as the top program by TV ad impressions for the week of June 27-July 3, with 2.59% of the total. The show was No. 2 the week before, with 2.42% of impressions.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• From June 27-July 3, five of the top 10 programs were morning shows, with Today’s third hour making the biggest jump – from 1.10% of impressions to 1.41% week-over-week.
• Wimbledon is a hit for impressions, as the tennis event scores 1.48% for the week across both ABC and ESPN.
• Telemundo’s La Casa de los Famosos soars from No. 27 to No. 11 week-over-week as advertisers flocked to week 8 of the popular reality show’s second season.
• This week’s ranking features four different daytime soap operas: The Young and the Restless (No. 5), General Hospital (No. 17), Days of Our Lives (No. 23) and The Bold and the Beautiful (No. 24).

Fox News is No. 1 in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking, grabbing 13.0% of impressions. That’s up from 12.76% the previous week, when the cable network was No. 2 behind ABC.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions:

• CBS increases from 10.53% to 11.34% of impressions week-over-week, thanks in large part to daytime programming, which accounts for 42.74% of the network’s impressions on the week.
• NBC moves from No. 4 to No. 3 week-over-week in our ranking, with Today and Today’s third hour combining for over 32% of the network’s weekly impressions.
• As baseball nears the All-Star Break, interest heats up for MLB Network, which increases share of impressions week-over-week from 1.88% to 2.39%.
• Ancient Aliens: Declassified delivers 21.57% of impressions for History Channel (No. 18 in our ranking), while the Barrett-Jackson Live Auction is No. 2 with 19.57%.

After scoring an ace with TV commercials featuring Serena Williams, Wonder Woman and The Matrix, DirecTV Stream is looking at baseball seasons and who you going to call?

Would you believe four former MLB superstars dressed up as Ghostbusters? 

In one new spot, the pitch is familiar, with a husband and wife watching TV, explaining how she can switch between a live baseball game and Ghostbusters on demand. She flips back and forth until a giant ghostly Cincinnati Reds mascot threatens the stadium.

To the rescue are all-time greats Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson, arriving in  a replica of the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1 ambulance. These "GOATBusters" carry baseball-bat-style proton packs to cut the mascot down to size.

The spot, starting to run Saturday during the Dodgers-Padres games on MLB, offers viewers $30 off DirecTV Stream over three months.

Also: DirecTV Stream Raises Prices

Another spot mimics the Ghostbusters’ direct-response commercial from their first film.

“Are you haunted by your cable service,” the Big Unit asks.

“Have you noticed strange, frightening fees on your monthly bill,” ARod continues

“Do you experience feelings of dread when you pass by your cable box,” Junior.

“If the answer is yes,” Big Papi says, before the whole group asks “Who you going to call?”

“DirecTV Stream,” an announcer answers. “Now get $30 off over three months.”

“When we launched last August, the initial version of ‘Get Your TV Together' so accurately captured the entertainment magic as well as cheeky nature of the DirecTV Stream brand that we are continuing the franchise this spring,” said Vince Torres, CMO at DirecTV. “As the TV world continues to get complicated, I think viewers will really see our passion to bring sports and entertainment back together, all in one place. And it doesn’t hurt to have the help of Ghostbusters and some of baseball’s greatest icons.”

The campaign will be on TV, outdoor, digital and multimedia channels, DirecTV said. The spots were created by ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day LA.

DirecTV will also be launching creative social assets, including an AR game available on Facebook and Snapchat filters, including one to use while at the ballpark. ■

Comcast NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service confirmed that it will stream a package of 18 Sunday morning Major League Baseball games starting in May.

The games will be surrounded by a pre-game and post-game show, all produced by NBC Sports, which first broadcast baseball games in 1939.

The move comes as sports is becoming an increasingly important piece of ammunition in the streaming wars. Apple TV Plus also has a deal with MLB to stream doubleheaders on Friday nights and Amazon, a part owner of the YES Network, will stream Yankees games.

Peacock’s games will start at a new time of 11:30 a.m. for the first six weeks and at noon the following 12 weeks. The early start time gives Peacock an exclusive window when no other MLB teams will be playing, a move designed to maximize Peacock’s audiences size and ad revenues.

Also: Tradition-Bound Baseball is Streaming Into the Future

"We are excited to announce this multi-year partnership with Major League Baseball, which will exclusively offer Peacock subscribers a premium property in a unique time slot for the sport, while continuing NBC Sports’ rich baseball history,” said Pete Bevacqua, chairman, NBC Sports.

The first Peacock game will feature the Chicago White Sox playing the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on May 8. It will be simulcast on NBC.

“As consumption habits continue to evolve, it is important for us to provide new ways for fans who are outside the cable bundle to watch MLB games,” said Noah Garden, MLB chief revenue officer. “This agreement marks an exciting new chapter to the extensive history of innovation between MLB and NBC Sports in delivering exciting baseball action to our fans.”

Peacock has been increasing the amount of sports it carries. In February it had the Olympics and the Super Bowl. It also has Premier League soccer, Notre Dame football, the NTT IndyCar racing series, and WWE wrestling. ■

YES Network said Wednesday that it has partnered with Jomboy Media to produce original content exclusively for both the network’s app and linear channel.

Jomboy is known for its breakdowns of baseball games and other sports -- especially its sometimes salty lip reading segments -- that have been popular with YouTube viewers. According to YES, Jomboy will produce its “distinctive style of original content” exclusively for the YES app, while additional content from the company will appear on both the linear channel and YES app. All of the programming will be promoted heavily on both the YES and Jomboy platforms and both companies will explore “new joint programming concepts,” according to YES.

Jomboy founder Jimmy “Jomboy” O’Brien and partner Jake Storiale were scheduled to appear on YES’ Yankees Hot Stove show tonight (March 23) at 10:30 p.m.  

Also: Apple Gets Rights To Stream 'Friday Night Baseball' Games

Among the programming that will appear exclusively on the YES app are Pitching Coach, a series where former Yankees great and current YES analyst David Cone pairs up with O’Brien and Storiale to provide Blitzball lessons. Blitzball is a backyard baseball game popular on Jomboy. Also exclusive to the app are select Jomboy Watch Party shows that will air in conjunction with select YES Yankees streamed telecasts, additional weekly content and other content to come. 

For both the linear channel and app, Jomboy will produce Best of Talkin’ Yanks, a 30-minute best-of show culled from Jomboy’s popular Talkin’ Yanks podcast; and Toeing the Slab, 30-minute best-of shows from the podcast hosted by Cone, Justin Schackil and James Smyth. Jomboy will also make appearances across existing podcasts like Talkin’ Yanks and YES programs like Yankees Hot Stove. 

Apple said it reached an agreement with Major League Baseball to begin airing weekly Friday Night Baseball double headers, a big swing into sports for Apple TV Plus.

The schedule will start as soon as baseball’s season begins. The season at this point is delayed by a lockout by owners negotiating a new labor deal with the players association.

Sports is becoming a big ticket for streaming services. Comcast's NBCUniversal had also reportedly been in talks to stream baseball via its Peacock direct-to-consumer platform. Amazon will exclusively stream Thursday Night Football. And Apple is reportedly talking With the NFL About Sunday Ticket and taking a stake in NFL Media. 

“Just like all baseball fans, we can’t wait for the season to open,” said Peter Stern, Apple’s VP of services. “Baseball has a special place in the heart of so many Apple customers — not just in the United States, but in many countries around the world. We’re proud to make Apple TV Plus the home for great baseball moments throughout the season.”

Apple’s games will be surrounded by a pre-game and post-game show. 

Apple will also be streaming MLB Big Inning, a live show featuring highlights and look-ins every weeknight during the season. 

“Apple is the ideal partner to bring ‘Friday Night Baseball’ to fans around the world,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer. “Following milestones like the launch of At Bat on day one of the App Store in 2008 to the integration of Apple technology in ballparks across the country, this robust new game package is the perfect next collaboration in our long history of offering quality and innovative content to our fans. With national availability and international reach, MLB on Apple TV Plus offers an exciting new platform to fans that allows a wider audience to connect with the game.”

Friday Night Baseball will be available on Apple TV Plus in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, and will expand to additional countries at a later date. ■

Major League Baseball‘s Chicago Cubs are negotiating with Sinclair Broadcast Group to possibly take the regional sports network they co-own direct-to-consumer, according to the New York Post.

The negotiations come after the Cubs and Sinclair had difficult talks with Comcast to re-up its pay TV distribution license for the channel, Marquee Sports Network. Those negotiations ultimately resulted in the Cubs and Sinclair agreeing to cap licensing costs. 

Also: Sinclair Still Faces Long Odds on DTC Regional Sports Streaming, Despite NBA Deal, Analyst Says

Through its Diamond Sports subsidiary, Sinclair owns — or co-owns — 19 RSNs. The company has recently signed agreements with the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League that include limited DTC streaming rights to local teams covered by those networks. 

Fourteen of Sinclair's RSN's have contracts with local MLB clubs, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed reluctance to cast his league's DTC fortunes with Sinclair, given the nearly $10 billion in debt the company incurred while building its Diamond Sports empire. 

Manfred wants a unified strategy for launching MLB clubs into DTC distribution. But a DTC deal from a marquee team like the Cubs might influence other MLB teams to go it alone with Sinclair. 

TMT equity analysts including the celebrity-likes of Richard Greenfield have been highly skeptical of leveraged Sinclair's ability to pull off a DTC promise the company made to investors last summer. 

Then again, the consensus was that it was unlikely that Sinclair could secure NBA and NHL rights, and that has already been accomplished. ■