Tag: TV

Oregon State head coach Trent Bray watches his team compete during the Oregon State Spring Game at Reser Stadium on Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Corvallis, Ore.

Pac-12 inks TV deals for Oregon St., Wazzu home games

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Oregon State and Washington State home football games will be back on The CW this coming season, with CBS and ESPN also in the mix, as part of a media rights deal the Pac-12 Conference signed with the three networks.

The Pac-12 made the deals with an eye toward the 2026 season, when the league will add five current members of the Mountain West Conference — Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Colorado State and Boise State — along with Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference.

Gonzaga does not have a football program, so to qualify for the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the Pac-12 will need to bring in at least one additional full-time member with a football program.

The CW will handle nine games while ESPN and CBS (along with Paramount+) will get two games apiece. In 2024, The CW broadcast nine games, with the other four shown on Fox.

In Week 2 on Sept. 6, The CW will showcase previews of the new Pac-12 with Washington State hosting San Diego State and Fresno State visiting Oregon State. Washington State and Oregon State will meet in a home-and-home series in November.

ESPN will broadcast Cal at Oregon State on Aug. 30 and Houston at Oregon State on Sept. 26. CBS has the Apple Cup on Sept. 20 featuring Washington State at Washington and Washington State at Oregon State on Nov. 1.

Financial terms were not disclosed for the deal.

Despite having just two schools in the conference in 2024, Pac-12 football averaged 431,000 viewers over 12 telecasts last season on The CW and 1.99 million on the two Fox games.

–Field Level Media

Feb 27, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A Super Bowl Vince Lombardi Trophy at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine Experience at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Record Super Bowl LIX audience boosted to 191.1M by Nielsen

Posted on | by Field Level Media

For the second time since Super Bowl LIX, Nielsen has adjusted its calculation of how many people tuned into the game.

What was already a record audience now stands at 191.9 million people who viewed at least one minute of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Nielsen said Friday.

The game averaged 127.7 million viewers across Fox, Fox Deportes, Telemundo and streaming services, according to Nielsen. On Feb. 18, the company released results from a new Big Data + Panel “Reach” methodology that found 182.8 million unique viewers watched at least one minute of Super Bowl LIX.

A recalculation has now added more than nine million new viewers to the final count.

For comparison, last year’s Super Bowl in which Kansas City defeated San Francisco set the previous record at 182.2 million.

Big Data + Panel Reach replaced the company’s previously used Total Audience metric.

–Field Level Media

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Netflix Christmas GameDay cake seen after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Netflix ‘definitely’ eyeing Sunday NFL package

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Netflix has called an audible and now plans to pursue a Sunday NFL package following its successful Christmas Day debut last season.

Bela Bajaria, the chief content officer for the streaming giant, confirmed the strategy shift on a recent episode of “The Town” podcast.

“I definitely want the Sunday (afternoon) games,” Bajaria said when asked which package she would be interested in pursuing when NFL media rights become available.

The NFL’s current Sunday afternoon rights deals with CBS and Fox run through the 2033 season. However, the NFL has opt-out clauses in most of its agreements after the 2029 season, according to Front Office Sports.

Bajaria’s public comments are in stark contrast to remarks made last month by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos during a fourth-quarter earnings call with industry analysts.

Sarandos called the economics of pursuing a full-season, big-league sports schedule “extremely challenging.”

“If there was a path where we could actually make the economics work, for both us and the leagues, we would certainly explore (it),” Sarandos said. “But right now, we believe that the live events business is where we really want to be.”

Netflix’s Christmas doubleheader — Kansas City Chiefs-Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans — broke NFL streaming records with average audiences of more than 24 million viewers.

–Field Level Media

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; A general view as Fox NFL Sunday co-host Terry Bradshaw interviews Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) after winning against Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Fox projections put Super Bowl viewership at record high

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Despite the Super Bowl being a blowout, an average of 126 million U.S. viewers tuned in to see the Philadelphia Eagles thrash the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 on Sunday, according to estimates Monday from Fox Sports.

The game in New Orleans was available for viewing on Fox, Telemundo, Fox Deportes, Tubi and the NFL digital’s channels.

The old record of 123.7 million was set a year ago when the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime on a game shown by CBS, Nickelodeon, Univision and streaming channels.

Fox projected the peak viewership for Sunday was 135.7 million in the second quarter, from 8-8:15 p.m. ET. By halftime, the Eagles led 24-0 and the competitive portion of the game was essentially over.

Tubi, which made the broadcast available for free, drew 13.6 million viewers, part of a total of 14.5 million people estimated to have streamed the game.

The official ratings for the Super Bowl, calculated by Nielsen, are due to be announced on Tuesday.

The Super Bowl is annually the most watched U.S. telecast of the year. In fact, 19 of the top 20 most-viewed telecasts in national history are Super Bowls, the lone exception being the final episode of the sitcom “M*A*S*H,” which drew 105.9 million viewers in 1983.

Until this year’s official numbers come out, No. 1 on the list is last year’s Super Bowl, and No. 2 is the Super Bowl from February 2023, when 115 million saw the Chiefs edge the Eagles 38-35 in Glendale, Ariz.

–Field Level Media

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) talk with reporter Melissa Stark after defeating the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Chiefs-Ravens opener draws top Thursday opener rating

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The dramatic first game of the NFL season between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens drew record viewership numbers for a Thursday opener.

An average of 28.9 million people watched the game, which the host Chiefs won 27-20 when an apparent last-second Ravens touchdown was overturned on a video review.

The NFL first started Thursday openers in 2002. The previous high rating for one of those contests was 27.6 million in 2015, when the New England Patriots opposed the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Last year’s Thursday opener, in which the Detroit Lions upset the Chiefs, was seen by 27.5 million.

The total from the Chiefs-Ravens game included 24.3 million watching on NBC plus 4.6 million viewers on Peacock plus NFL and NBC streaming options.

Viewership reached its high point in the second quarter at 33 million, around 9:30-9:45 p.m. ET. The game didn’t end until nearly midnight ET due in part to a pregame weather delay.

According to NBC, among the 44 markets whose ratings were available, the biggest markets for the game were Kansas City (43.4 rating, 80 share), Baltimore (24.5, 60), Denver (18.0, 50), St. Louis (17.0, 46) and Norfolk, Va. (16.9, 49). The rating is the percent of all televisions in the market watching, while the share is the percent of television in use at the time that were watching.

–Field Level Media

Dec 16, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions fans dressed in Christmas attire react in the first half against the Denver Broncos at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Big bidding expected for NFL Christmas games

Posted on | by Field Level Media

There will be a hot commodity on the market ahead of next holiday season: a pair of NFL games on Christmas Day.

The league plans to auction off the TV rights to those two games to the highest bidder, with the price starting at $50 million per game, Front Office Sports reported Thursday.

In an unexpected move, the NFL decided to schedule a doubleheader on Christmas Day, which falls on a Wednesday in 2024. NFL executives pointed to the ratings the three Christmas games got in 2023; each were among the top 10 in ratings in the regular season, per the Wall Street Journal.

Because games on a Wednesday would not fall under any preexisting contract, the league will allow all its TV and streaming partners — CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN-ABC and Amazon Prime — to duke it out for the rights.

There have been only two NFL games played on a Wednesday since 1949. One was when the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants were moved off a Thursday to avoid conflicting with the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The other was when the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers were scheduled to play on Thanksgiving but the game was pushed back three times due to COVID-19.

This will be the fifth straight season the NFL has played on Christmas, encroaching on a sports day typically dominated by the NBA.

–Field Level Media

Sep 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) runs on to the field at MetLife Stadium before the game against the Buffalo Bills. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Jets-Bills sets “Monday Night Football” viewership mark

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The “Monday Night Football” game between the visiting Buffalo Bills and New York Jets drew more than 22.6 million viewers, the most since ESPN began airing the NFL broadcast in 2006.

The game featured the much-anticipated Jets debut of quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who exited after tearing his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap.

Despite Rodgers’ early departure, the Jets beat the Bills 22-16 in overtime on Xavier Gipson’s 65-yard punt return for a touchdown. The Jets announced on Tuesday that Rodgers would miss the rest of the season.

The game, which aired on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes, broke the network’s record that was set in 2009, when the Green Bay Packers faced their former quarterback Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. That game drew 21.8 million viewers.

The viewership total for this year’s season opener of “Monday Night Football” was up 14 percent from last year’s opener (Denver Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks) that drew a then-record 19.8 million viewers for a Week 1 Monday night contest.

The breakdown for the Monday viewership included 11.7 million watching on ABC, 9.4 million on ESPN and 1.52 million on ESPN2, which aired the “ManningCast” alternate feed featuring Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.

Sports Business Journal noted that the total MNF viewership this week topped the most recent totals for the College Football Playoff final, the men’s NCAA Tournament final, the Kentucky Derby, the Oscars and the Grammy Awards.

–Field Level Media

Dec 19, 2022; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) walks off the field after the Packers defeated the Los Angeles Rams at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

YouTubeTV wins Sunday Ticket rights starting in ’23

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Sunday Ticket is moving to YouTube TV subscription streaming service starting with the 2023 season.

Reports from multiple outlets pegged the exclusive, multi-year agreement at nearly $2 billion per year.

NFL Sunday Ticket carries each out-of-market regular-season game every week and launched in 1994, distributed on DirecTV’s satellite service since its inception.

In a joint release Thursday, the NFL said Sunday Ticket would be available as an add-on package on YouTube TV or standalone a-la-carte offering on YouTube Primetime Channels.

The NFL said in a statement on Thursday that carriage agreements with commercial establishments, such as bars and restaurants, are under discussion and driven by Google, which owns YouTube TV. Updated NFL Sunday Ticket product features and functionality will be announced ahead of the 2023 NFL season, the league said.

“We’re excited to bring NFL Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels and usher in a new era of how fans across the United States watch and follow the NFL,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “For a number of years, we have been focused on increased digital distribution of our games and this partnership is yet another example of us looking towards the future and building the next generation of NFL fans.”

The NFL isn’t new to YouTube. The league has channels for all 32 NFL clubs, 10 official League channels including NFL Films, NFL Network, and the NFL’s Hispanic channel, Mundo NFL.

“As the ways fans enjoy NFL football evolve in a changing media landscape, partnerships with innovators like YouTube will ensure that more games are available to more fans,” said Robert Kraft, Owner of the New England Patriots and Chairman of the NFL’s Media Committee. “This partnership will grow our game for future generations and allow them to follow their favorite sport.”

YouTube TV subscription streaming service offers live and on-demand TV from over 100 channels through a simple and award-winning experience. Viewers have access to local and national live sports, breaking news, shows, movies, and more, and can tune in on any screen (phone, tablet, TV, computer).

–Field Level Media

Nov 24, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) catches a pass for a first down as New York Giants cornerback Darnay Holmes (30) defends during the second half of the game between the Cowboys and the Giants at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Giants-Cowboys most watched regular-season game in NFL history

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The NFL said Friday that the Thanksgiving Day game between the host Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants set a regular-season viewership record.

The FOX broadcast averaged 42 million viewers, according to the league.

Dallas has played on Thanksgiving for 45 straight seasons and 55 times overall. This year was the first time since 1992 that it played its division rival from New York, the largest media market in the country, on the holiday. Both teams entered the game 7-3, adding to the interest.

The Cowboys beat the Giants 28-20.

The league said it also set a record for its Thanksgiving Day “total unduplicated audience” of 138 million.

The Buffalo Bills, one of the AFC’s best teams, beat the host Detroit Lions 28-25 on a late field goal in the early game. The host Minnesota Vikings topped the New England Patriots 33-26 in the nightcap.

The average viewership across the tripleheader was 33.5 million viewers per game.

The news comes as the NFL and Amazon plan to begin staging a single Black Friday game beginning in 2023.

–Field Level Media

Quarterback C.J. Stroud is preparing for a potentially historic redshirt sophomore season at Ohio State. REDO Ohio State QB CJ Stroud

Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud: Share TV windfall with players

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud would gladly celebrate the billions fetched by the Big Ten conference in a landmark broadcast rights agreement.

Stroud is among student-athlete leaders who have discussed sharing in profits for the conference with commissioner Kevin Warren, though nothing is imminent in terms of disbursements to athletes as part of the deal with FOX, CBS and NBC that begins in July 2023.

The 20-year-old was a Heisman finalist in 2021 with 44 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also has more than $2.5 million in Name, Image and Likeness agreements with Value City Furniture, Designer Shoe Warehouse, Express and a car dealership.

Warren said in July at Big Ten Media Days that dialogue is taking place among students and conference administrators.

“I want to be a great listener to figure out what is important to them. It’s so easy to talk about money and share money, but what does that really mean?” Warren said. “I want to make sure that I listen and learn to be able to have big ears and a small mouth to truly understand what’s important to them.”

Stroud told USA Today the time to share is now.

The Big Ten announced their new rights agreement one week after ESPN announced it was out of the talks. In addition to three high-profile networks, more streaming options — such as NBC’s Peacock — will be employed to maximize carriage and all-important advertising opportunities.

“I definitely think it should be shared,” Stroud said. “But if not, at the end of the day, we have the NIL space. We can do it that way. The new college world is turning around, and I’m here for it.”

The Big Ten also plans to add at least two schools, UCLA and USC, in 2024 and shares profits equally among member institutions. Warren said in July he didn’t know if future profits would add a layer to include players or if members would be responsible for determining how and when to share the wealth.

–Field Level Media