Fans Bemoan Cost to Watch Sports

AP News’ Maya Sweedler writes, “For many dedicated sports fans, keeping up with their favorite teams has become a juggling act.”

September 17, 2025

Many Sports Fans Are Unhappy With How Much It Costs to Watch Their Games, an AP-NORC Poll Finds
AP News’ Maya Sweedler writes, “For many dedicated sports fans, keeping up with their favorite teams has become a juggling act. Activate an NFL package in August, unsubscribe after the Super Bowl and before the NBA playoffs get underway, then subscribe to the NBA’s service. Grudgingly keep paying the cable bill because it’s the only way to get the local baseball team. Throw in a subscription to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service for college football.

“This patchwork of expensive subscriptions, cable packages and password shares is common for many sports fans, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, and it leaves them beholden to multiple platforms at a cost no one seems to like.”
^{AP News}

Tom Brady Was in Coaches' Box During Raiders' Loss to Chargers, Reportedly Talks With OC Chip Kelly Multiple Times a Week
Yahoo Sports’ Ryan writes, “It's easy to see why [Raiders offensive coordinator Chip] Kelly and the Raiders would want to consult with Brady, who had his purchase of a minority stake in the Raiders approved officially last year. He won seven Super Bowls throughout his 23 seasons in the league and is widely considered one of the best players in the history of the sport. Utilizing him to make your team better feels like a no-brainer.

“Brady is the lead analyst with Fox and calls games across the league each week as part of his broadcast job. That makes Kelly’s reported revelation that he talks with Brady multiple times a week and goes through film and game plans with him significant.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Peacock to Put NBA Game Analysts on Team Benches
SBJ’s Tom Friend reports: “NBC has gained approval from the NBA and the league’s coaches to place a game analyst on each bench during ‘Peacock NBA Monday’ broadcasts this season, rather than have them sit in their traditional spots next to the play-by-play announcer. The network is calling the innovation ‘On The Bench,’ where dueling game analysts will have access to huddles, strategy and the basic inner sanctum of the team, as long as they use discretion when commenting on what they have seen and heard.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Sets Early NFL TV Ratings Mark
FOS’ Eric Fisher writes, “It wasn’t a Super Bowl–type audience for Sunday’s high-profile Eagles-Chiefs game, but the Super Bowl LIX rematch on Fox nonetheless posted by far the largest audience of the young 2025 NFL season. The network said late Tuesday that it averaged 33.8 million viewers for the Philadelphia–Kansas City matchup, easily setting a new standard for the most-watched game through the first two weeks of the season and representing the most-watched Week 2 NFL game in league history.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Amazon Says It Wants to Broadcast a Super Bowl
FOS’ Andrew Goodrich writes, “Amazon has its sights set on its next big venture into NFL media rights: the Super Bowl. Jay Marine, Amazon’s VP and Global Head of Sports, already helped manufacture an 11-year $11 billion media rights deal to exclusively air Thursday Night Football. But Marine wants more.
^{Front Office Sports}

Masters Adds Four Hours of Coverage for 2026 Via Amazon Prime Video
SBJ’s Josh Carpenter reports: “The Masters is adding four hours of broadcast coverage in 2026 via Amazon Prime Video, which will pick up the tournament on Thursday and Friday. Amazon will carry the event from 1-3pm ET on Thursday and Friday, leading into ESPN’s coverage from 3-7:30pm. The Amazon feed will be a full broadcast and won’t impact the Masters’ streaming options on Masters.com.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

ESPN Programming Around First WWE Event Includes ‘SportsCenter’ On-Site, Haliburton Appearances
SBJ’s Austin Karp writes, “ESPN is bringing its full weight to programming around the company’s first WWE premium live event on Saturday, as Wrestlepalooza will feature multiple pre-event shows, ‘SportsCenter’ on site the day prior and a significant social media presence. The event is set for the new ESPN app on Saturday night, exclusively for subscribers at the ESPN Unlimited level in the U.S.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

NWSL Adds Victory+ As fifth U.S. Media Partner, Expands Deals With ESPN, CBS
SBJ’s Alex Silverman reports: “The NWSL has expanded its distribution of live matches for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, signing a new agreement making digital platform Victory+ its fifth national media partner in the U.S. and expanding its existing linear agreements with ESPN and CBS Sports. The additional inventory, which SBJ first reported the league was shopping earlier this year, is the result of the league expanding its regular season from 182 total matches in 2025 to 240 in 2026 based on the addition of expansion franchises in Denver and Boston.
^{Sports Business Journal}

LOVB, Versant Sign Multiyear Media-Rights Deal for Matches on USA Network
SBJ’s Austin Karp reports: “Versant and League One Volleyball have a new multiyear media-rights pact that will begin in January, with USA Network set to begin airing primetime LOVB matches on Wednesday nights at 8pm ET. The deal includes rights for LOVB’s playoffs for USA Network. The addition of LOVB increases USA Network’s women’s sports portfolio, as the cable channel will begin airing select WNBA games as well in 2026 under a new rights pact.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

TNT Sports Renews With MLB Analyst Ron Darling
TNT Sports has agreed to a multiyear contract renewal with longtime MLB color analyst Ron Darling. Darling is repped by Steve Rosner at 16W Marketing. MLB’s national deal with Turner runs through the 2028 season. All of MLB’s national rights are up in three years. Darling, 65, has been the MLB on TBS lead game analyst for both regular and postseason games since 2008.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Molly Qerim, Host of ESPN’s ‘First Take’ for 10 Years, Announces Departure From Network
The Athletic’s Zach Powell writes, “Qerim joined ESPN in 2006 and stayed at the network for four years, hosting college football and fantasy football shows. After stops at CBS Sports, covering college football and basketball, and the NFL Network, she covered many major sporting events, like the Super Bowl.

“After returning to ESPN, she was a fill-in host on “First Take” before becoming the permanent host in 2015, when the network paired her with long-time analyst Stephen A. Smith. In 2023, the two-hour show achieved its most-watched year to date.”
^{The Athletic}

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The Big 12’s Unexpected Rise: Houston, Utah, UCF and Arizona are a Combined 11-0. Are They For Real?
AP News’ Dave Skretta writes, “Houston hasn’t even been tested in wins over Stephen F. Austin, Rice and the Buffaloes. Utah’s drubbing of UCLA helped to get Bruins coach DeShaun Foster fired. UCF has passed its first two tests in the Scott Frost Era, Part II. And the Wildcats landed the best win of them all by beating Kansas State, which is more pretender than Big 12 contender at this point.

“As league play gets going in earnest, will the upside-down nature of the Big 12 bear out the rest of the way?”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Diego Pavia, NCAA to Dispute House Settlement in Eligibility Hearing
Sportico’s Michael McCann reports: “The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit will hold a key hearing on Tuesday regarding how many years Division I college football players should be eligible to play. 

“The hearing specifically concerns the NCAA’s appeal of Chief U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr.’s ruling last December to grant Vanderbilt quarterback and former JUCO transfer Diego Pavia a preliminary injunction to play this fall. 

“Pavia, 24, is now in his sixth college season; he played his first two seasons at JUCO New Mexico Military Institute and last four at New Mexico State and Vanderbilt. The NCAA limits eligibility to four seasons of intercollegiate competition—including JUCO and D-II competition—within a five-year period.”
^Sportico

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