On today's episode of the SMW Podcast, Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner discuss the latest NCAA and XFL ratings news, plus (alongside contributor Adam Gostomelsky) host Apple TV lead MLS analyst Taylor Twellman joins the show for an impassioned and wide ranging interview.

Twellman discusses what the MLS deal with Apple TV means for the state of the league, how MLS can grow its audience despite a limited linear reach, dispels some misconceptions about the new deal, and gets into how coverage of the league has changed in its first few weeks on Apple. Then Twellman discusses soccer more broadly, and why the notion of the "big 4" leagues in American sports does not give soccer its due. Twellman also dives into topics surrounding the National Team, the state of the USSF, and the importance of the 2026 World Cup for soccer in the United States. Finally, Twellman gets into how he feels about social media, and talks about some scary instances he's had with social media in the past.

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On today's episode of the Sports Media Watch Podcast, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner recap the past weekend of March Madness on both the men's and women's side. Then, the crew hits on the excitement around this year's World Baseball Classic and how that could become a tentpole event for baseball in the future. Lastly, Jon takes on some quick hitters including the upcoming ESPN layoffs, NBA media rights, and our favorite topic -- XFL ratings.

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On today's episode of the Sports Media Watch Podcast, special guest Bill Pidto of MSG Network joins the show to discuss the state of the New York Knicks, what it's like working in the New York City market compared to a national market, and the Golden Age of Sportscenter in the 1990s. Pidto also talks about the launch of ESPN2 and ESPNews, and how those channels changed the landscape for talent at ESPN. Then, Pidto closes out the show matching famous Sportscenter catchphrases to the anchor that coined them, and gives the origin story for his own catchphrase.

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On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis is joined by Drew Lerner to discuss the upcoming NCAA Tournaments, including Stan Van Gundy making his collegiate debut replacing Reggie Miller, the last hurrah for Jim Nantz, and the women's championship game airing on ABC for the first time. Then, the crew gets into NBA and motorsports ratings, the rumors that Adam Silver could be tapped as Bob Iger's successor, and acknowledges the passing of Tampa Bay Rays broadcaster Dave Wills.

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On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis is joined by Drew Lerner to discuss the week's sports media news including how LeBron's injury impacts the end of the NBA regular season, whether or not the league has an injury problem, and Charles Barkley's comments on load management. Then they get into how the XFL's ratings fared in week 2, LIV Golf's opening weekend on The CW, and some more wonky ratings discussion on Nielsen's undercount of Super Bowl viewership.

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On today's episode of the Sports Media Watch Podcast, Dr. Jon Lewis and Drew Lerner dive into a surprisingly jam-packed weekend in sports. Topics include what the NBA should do with the All Star Game to make it watchable, how the XFL fared in its third iteration debut and what success would look like for the league, rumblings that Daytona ratings are down and what the current landscape is for motorsports on TV, the impending Diamond Sports bankruptcy and what it means for the future of RSNs, and the PGA gets its Tiger bump at Riviera but LIV is set for its moment in the spotlight (or at least weekend afternoons on the CW).

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On today's episode, Dr. Jon Lewis is joined by Bill Shea of The Athletic to dive into Super Bowl ratings, Terry Bradshaw's not-so-friendly words for Andy Reid during the Lombardi Trophy ceremony, and Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen's performance. Then, Jon takes on some quick hits about NBC kicking the tires on NBA rights, Derek Jeter to FOX, the Michael Irvin fiasco, LSU/South Carolina's ratings record, LIV Golf on the CW, and the New York Times' handling of the shooting at Michigan State.

Bill Shea on measuring Super Bowl ratings:

"It's kind of like sports gambling ... as we know Nielsen is highly educated guesswork based on extrapolations from their panels. At the end of the day we actually have no idea how many people watched the Super Bowl but we know it was a lot." 

Bill Shea on Terry Bradshaw:

"I think he's probably earned the right to decide when he walks away. If gaffes and things keep mounting, maybe there's a nudge out the door."

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A new iteration of the Sports Media Watch Podcast premieres with Dr. Jon Lewis and host Drew Lerner discussing ratings for the upcoming Super Bowl. Topics discussed include Jon's Super Bowl ratings predictions, a dive into ratings data in the out-of-home era and the inexact science behind Nielsen's measurements, whether Super Bowl ratings deterioration is something for the NFL and networks to worry about, and why Nielsen has chosen to conduct their fast nationals a bit differently this year. Then, Jon takes on some quick hitters and discusses ratings for LeBron's record breaking night, Charles Barkley to CNN rumors, and the drama between FOX and the Biden administration regarding the "traditional" presidential Super Bowl interview.

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From the archives: Wall Street Journal reporter Rachel Bachman talks the rise of women's volleyball and more (from 2022).

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From the archives: media consultant Patrick Crakes in an in-depth discussion about sports TV ratings and more on the SMW Podcast earlier this year (2022).

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