Austin Karp

So a long, long way to go, but this is the storyline surrounding baseball during its World Series.

And there are no viewership numbers to share around the World Series, but going into Friday's Game 1, SBJ's Austin Karp reported that baseball's playoff viewership is down 6% year over year, But it's still the second best postseason since 2018.

It's actually up 8% compared to the same point two years ago.

Remember, they were definitely boosted by Dodgers Blue Jays last year.

Watt has been working for CBS since June 2023, initially in the studio and subsequently in the game booth as of 2025.

Our Austin Karp notes that it affects the potential off-season of NFL analyst Dominoes, with ESPN's Troy Aikman looking like he will be a free agent.

But Watt has now locked down this role and will get his first crack at a Super Bowl in February 2028.

One final NFL media news item from the desk of Karp.

Coming up on the pod, the future for the 2014 CFP and ESPN? Is more sports the right medicine for Netflix's woes and Fox's Joe Davis talks baseball ahead of the World Series? Welcome into the SBJ Sports Media Podcast.

I'm Austin Karp.

And I'm Josh Carpenter.

Austin, what a weekend it was in college football.

And finally, thank you for listening.

Please make sure to like and subscribe to the pod wherever you get your podcasts.

For Josh Carpenter, I'm Austin Karp.

Make good choices out there, and we'll talk to you all again next week.

We have John Lewis, founder and editor of Sports Media Watch.

Austin Karp, sports media reporter and columnist.

and podcaster for Sports Business Journal, Chad Finn, the sports media columnist for the Boston Globe.

I've been told in pre-show meetings that John Lewis and Chad Finn might have workers at their relative abodes.

They had the likes of Sam Presti and Mark Cuban and Chris Del Conte all speaking, and now Joe Castiglione will play a major role in that program.

And on this week's SBJ Sports Media Podcast, my colleagues Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter break down Netflix acquisition of World Cup rights in Spain and the ramifications of a potentially expanded 24-team CFP.

Also, longtime sports media experts and SBJ contributors Jon Cozener and Ed Desser join the show to talk about their new book, Inside the Big Business of Sports Media.

All that and more on the SBJ Sports Media Podcast, available now wherever you get your podcasts.

This is your Morning Buzzcast for Wednesday, October 14th.

I'm Austin Karp, and it was on this day in the year 1066 that William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II of England at the Battle of Hastings, leading to the Norman Conquest of England.

As we learned in my AP European History class in high school, a very seminal moment in not just English history, but European history.

While not quite the same seminal moment in European history, Netflix on Tuesday announced a small invasion of its own, taking over domestic media rights in Spain and the tiny principality of Andorra for the 2030 FIFA Men's World Cup.

He also digs into why ESPN isn't really sweating this negotiating window with the CFP.

Well, that does it for your Morning Buzzcast for Wednesday, October 14th.

I'm Austin Karp.

We'll see if the Dodgers can get a win in this NLCS tonight in game three.

Be good to each other.

Austin Karp will bring you the Buzzcast tomorrow.

I'll return on Thursday.

[upbeat music]

This is your Morning Buzzcast for Friday, October ninth.

I'm Austin Karp.

Well, it was on this day, 30 years ago, that 12-year-old Jeffrey Mayer, he reached over the right field wall at Yankee Stadium and interfered with a ball hit by Derek Jeter that was ruled a home run, tying the game with the Orioles in game one of the ALCS in the bottom of the eighth.

Now, I'm not normally one for schadenfreude, but here we are in twenty twenty-six, and all over my social media feeds yesterday, this lifelong Orioles fan got to watch as Yankee fans completely melted down over their own fan interference, getting called on Wednesday night's ALDS game three, also at Yankee Stadium.

Chopra and I, we discuss why IMAX made sense for this film, why exploring the milestone of Steph Curry's 4,000th three-pointer made for a good film, and how he sees the evolving sports documentary space.

So that does it for your Morning Buzzcast for Friday, October 9th.

I'm Austin Karp.

I'm gonna be headed to Atlanta this weekend for what looks like a monsoon game between Georgia Tech and Duke.