Sports Media's AI Future: MLB Deals, Netflix, and Prime's Dominance

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

People Mentioned

• John Fanta (College Basketball Announcer at NBC, formerly Fox Sports) - Praised as an amazing talent to watch in college basketball and for his contributions to Football Night in America and college football.
• Kevin Belby (Agent at CAA) - Mentioned as John Fanta's agent, who was pleased with Fanta's performance at the media innovators event.
• Julie Alexander (Puck) - Reported on potential interested bidders (Comcast and Paramount) for MLS's media rights.
• Brad Schwartz (The CW) - Highlighted for his emphasis on The CW being a streaming free agent and building out its sports portfolio.
• Charlie Neman (Head of Sports Partnerships at Amazon Prime Video) - Guest on the podcast who discussed Prime Video's sports strategy, including NBA, NFL, and the Masters.
• Dirk Nowitzki (Amazon Prime Video NBA Studio Talent) - Mentioned as part of the fresh talent on Prime Video's NBA studio show, making waves with his commentary.
• Steve Nash (Amazon Prime Video NBA Studio Talent) - Part of the new talent on Prime Video's NBA studio show.
• Adonis (Amazon Prime Video NBA Studio Talent) - Part of the new talent on Prime Video's NBA studio show.

Organizations & Institutions

• Amazon Prime Video - Discussed extensively regarding their sports broadcasting strategy for NBA, NFL, and golf, and their "channels" business model.
• ESPN - Details of their new MLB deal, including retaining the Little League Classic, Thursday night games, and acquiring MLB.TV's out-of-market package.
• NBC - Covered for their new MLB deal, including their Sunday Night Baseball package and Peacock's exclusive Sunday morning games.
• Netflix - Mentioned for their new MLB deal, acquiring the Home Run Derby, the opening night game, and the Field of Dreams game.
• Fox Sports - Mentioned as retaining part of the MLB strategy from 2026-2028 and as John Fanta's previous employer.
• TBS - Mentioned as retaining part of the MLB strategy from 2026-2028.
• YouTube TV - Discussed for their carriage deal with Disney, allowing subscribers access to ESPN content previously reserved for the ESPN app.
• The CW - Highlighted for its strategy as a "streaming free agent" and its growing sports portfolio, including ACC football and basketball, Pac-12, NASCAR Xfinity Series, PBR, and WWE NXT.
• MLB - The focus of a major discussion regarding its new media rights deals with ESPN, NBC, Peacock, Netflix, Fox, and TBS.
• NFL - Mentioned for its international package viewership numbers and upcoming rights deals.
• PGA Tour - Referenced for the Black Friday Skins Game reboot on Prime Video.

Events & Programs

• Little League Classic - ESPN will retain this event as part of their new MLB deal.
• Little League World Series - ESPN will retain this event as part of their new MLB deal.
• MLB.TV - The out-of-market package is now owned by ESPN as part of the new MLB deal.
• WrestleMania - Mentioned as a WWE premium live event now accessible to YouTube TV subscribers.
• Survivor Series - Mentioned as a WWE premium live event now accessible to YouTube TV subscribers.
• The Masters - Prime Video will be broadcasting this golf tournament starting in 2026.
• Football Night in America - John Fanta contributes to this program.
• ACC Football and Basketball - Part of The CW's sports portfolio.
• Pac-12 - Part of The CW's sports portfolio.
• NASCAR Xfinity Series - Part of The CW's sports portfolio.
• PBA - Part of The CW's sports portfolio.
• PBR - Part of The CW's sports portfolio.
• WWE NXT - Part of The CW's sports portfolio.
• NFL International Series - Discussed for its record viewership on NFL Network and potential future streaming arrangements.

Websites & Online Resources

• Puck - Source of reporting by Julie Alexander on potential MLS media bidders.