Connect with us
Jim Cutler Demos

Sports TV News

FOX Adds New Analysts For NASCAR XFinity Series Races

“Joining their roster of analysts for Xfinity races is Tony Stewart and the Busch brothers.”

Brandon Contes

Published

on

Shortly after it was reported Kevin Harvick was ending his role as a lead analyst during NASCAR Xfinity Series races, FOX announced the addition of a few new contributors. Joining their roster of analysts for Xfinity races is Tony Stewart and the Busch brothers. The trio is added to a group of FOX analysts that includes Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and more. 

Both full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitors, Keselowski began calling Xfinity races in 2015, with Bowyer joining the roster of analysts in 2019. Kurt and Kyle Busch join them as full-time NASCAR drivers to also work for FOX as analysts, while the retired Tony Stewart was inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame earlier this year. 

Stewart will make his debut Apr. 25 at Talladega Superspeedway alongside Bowyer and play-by-play announcer Adam Alexander. Kurt Busch began calling races last year for FOX, while Kyle will make his debut for just one day this season. The Busch brothers will partner as broadcasters Apr. 4 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“The sibling rivalry between us has been genuine over the years,” Kurt Busch said in the press announcement. “It was very unique in the beginning with our racing, but as we both have mellowed a bit, we’ll have fun in the booth going back and forth … It’s our favorite track, a track that spoke to us early in our career, and that’s how this opportunity came together. It seemed organic from FOX. When you see guys on TV calling races or football games, the gang you see from the field to the booth, that’s where Kyle and I will be going back and forth. It will probably get lost in ‘Busch translation’ at some point on what we both think needs to happen, and that’s part of the fun of it all.”

The NASCAR Xfinity Series began this past weekend with Keselowski and Bowyer calling the season opener alongside play-by-play voice Adam Alexander, Saturday, Feb. 15.

“The XFINITY Series is a steppingstone of our sport,” said Bowyer who took on an expanded role with FOX this year. “We all used that steppingstone to get to this (driving) opportunity in Cup. To be able to go back and sell the story of the Xfinity Series — these new kids coming up through the ranks — is important.”

Bowyer will participate in nine NXS broadcasts this season, more than any other driver. Joining Bowyer, Stewart, Keselowski and the Busch brothers as FOX analysts will be Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Chad Knaus, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray and Michael Waltrip.

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Sports TV News

ESPN Coverage of Men’s NIT Tournament Quarterfinals Up 33% vs. 2023

Viewership of the Men’s NIT Quarterfinals on ESPN were up 33 percent compared to last year and featured two games that averaged over one million viewers.

Avatar photo

Published

on

Even the NIT is riding the recent hot streak of live sports viewership numbers. According to data provided by ESPN, the 2024 NIT Quarterfinals are up 33 percent compared to last year’s tournament. Perhaps more surprisingly, two NIT quarterfinal games topped one million viewers.

The network’s Georgia/Ohio State matchup averaged 1.03 million viewers, while the Cincinnati/Indiana State contest averaged 1.02 million viewers. These two games were the most-watched NIT games since 2017 — including title games. Both Georgia and Ohio State have rabid fanbases, while many thought Indiana State was unjustly left out of the March Madness tournament, which could be a reason why viewers tuned in.

Much of the focus this season has been on the women’s game, thanks to Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks, led by Dawn Staley. ESPN just had its most-watched women’s college basketball season since 2008-09 because of the increased interest in the women’s game. The men’s game, however, hasn’t been heralded as much this season for whatever reason, mostly because numbers seem to be holding steady compared to previous years. However, if the NIT is posting viewership wins, that should bode well for the NCAA Tournament’s incoming viewership totals.

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

Sports TV News

Report: NFL to Put Christmas Day Doubleheader Up For Bids

Bidding is expected to start at $50 million among the current NFL media partners but some think the games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

Avatar photo

Published

on

NFL Logo

The NFL will reportedly put its Christmas Day games up for auction, allowing its current media partners to bid for the games. Now, it’s up to CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC, and Prime Video to pay up for rights to one of these two marquee games.

According to Front Office Sports Michael McCarthy, preference will be given to linear networks, so Prime Video and Peacock may sit this one out. Bidding is expected to start at $50 million but McCarthy and his sources expect that number to rise. John Kosner, the former ESPN executive, thinks the new Christmas Day games could sell for $75 million to $100 million apiece.

The NFL announced a Wednesday Christmas Day doubleheader during its annual league meetings. The league originally said it wouldn’t force games on Christmas Day if the holiday fell on an odd day of the week, though as the NFL continues to put games on days outside of Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and sometimes Saturdays, we’re running out of days that don’t feature NFL football.

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading

Sports TV News

Colorado Rockies & DirecTV Reach Agreement to Carry Games on TV

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination for their favorite local teams. We will continue to work with MLB…so fans can get their games.”

Avatar photo

Published

on

Colorado Rockies

Breathe easy, Rockies fans — you will be able to watch your club on linear TV this year. At the buzzer, DirecTV and the Colorado Rockies agreed on terms to distribute the team’s games throughout its local service.

Starting today, DirecTV Choice subscribers across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Southern Idaho, Western Nebraska, and Northern New Mexico can now watch the Rockies on a special channel simply titled, “ROCKIES.” The games will be available on DirecTV and DirecTV STREAM via channel 683.

“Colorado sports fans have made DIRECTV the top destination to get all their favorite local teams,” said Rob Thun, chief content officer of DIRECTV. “We will continue to work with MLB, the NBA, NHL, and other top leagues and their local franchises so the most avid fans can get the games they want while other customers have more choice over the content they want to pay to have in their homes.”

Reports just days ago out of Colorado said there were “no guarantees” the Rockies would not find a TV home in time for Opening Day following the sunsetting of AT&T SportsNet. The only other way to watch the team is to use its direct-to-consumer Rockies.tv streaming service, which fans say is too pricey for a team that lost 103 games last season. Luckily, the team was able to secure a TV home for 2024, though the future is still uncertain.

Sign up for the BSM 8@8

The Top 8 Sports Media Stories of the Day, sent directly to your inbox, every morning at 8am ET.

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Advertisement

Upcoming Events

Barrett Media Writers

Copyright © 2024 Barrett Media.