Sports TV News
Media Tells Two Different Stories About NBA All Star Ratings
“The smaller audience is definitely something that the league is concerned about, but given the trend of all sports broadcasts being down, the NBA is still outperforming most of its competition outside of football.”
Published
1 year agoon
By
BSM Staff
The ratings for the NBA All-Star Game were either very bad or very good depending on who you ask and how it is framed.
Let’s start with the bad. It is undeniable that ratings for the NBA, like every sport since the pandemic began, have struggled to draw the TV audience it used to. Sunday night, that fact was crystal clear as the NBA All-Star Game saw its lowest ratings and smallest TV audience ever. Overall viewership was down 24% from last year.
The NBA All-Star Game is the latest sports-TV franchise to take its ratings lumps, as Sunday’s cable telecast marked the lowest turnout in the history of the event. https://t.co/LyQeFCtU7U
— Sportico (@Sportico) March 9, 2021
NBA All Star ratings hit an all time low on Sunday drawing just 5.94 million viewers, down nearly 75% from 1990’s era highs: https://t.co/GH24803pZl
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 9, 2021
NBA All-Star Game takes a sharp nose dive in TV ratings despite new format https://t.co/9DzAhua5gj
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) March 10, 2021
Numbers-wise, the NBA has to be particularly disappointed with the 18-34 demographic. A fanbase that the league touts as one of its strengths only delivered a 2.4 rating.
Now, let’s talk about the good. This is a similar narrative to the Super Bowl. The audience was low by comparison to past events, but compared to the rest of television, the NBA All-Star Game, like the Super Bowl, delivered.
Inside the sports world, the All-Star Game tops every non-football telecast since last year’s World Series. It is the most watched game of the NBA season.
Maybe some older viewers skipped the All-Star Game in favor of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Prince Harry and Megan Markel on CBS, but with that 18-34 demo, basketball beat the royal tell all.
NBA All-Star Game ratings hold up well despite record low
— Sports Media Watch (@paulsen_smw) March 9, 2021
— Most-watched non-football sporting event since last year's World Series
— Beat CBS' much-hyped celebrity interview in A18-34
— Top NBA rating of season (ahead of DAL-LAL on Christmas)https://t.co/WbtA1D71bD
The NBA All-Star Game held up OK against Oprah, Harry and Meghan in the ratings battle on Sunday https://t.co/N7xD1dTnq3
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 9, 2021
Nielsen says Sunday's All-Star Game on TNT was the most-viewed program in prime time for under-45s (3.26 million) … outpacing even the big Oprah interview on CBS (3.01 million)
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 9, 2021
Sports Media Watch (@paulsen_smw) goes deeper on the ratings ins and outs: https://t.co/rLGgExm0pY.
So it was undeniably a good night for the NBA while simultaneously being an undeniably bad one. The smaller audience is definitely something that the league is concerned about, but given the trend of all sports broadcasts being down, the NBA is still outperforming most of its competition outside of football.
Discussions of the NBA’s ratings have come with social implications since 2019, when the league forced then-Rockets GM Daryl Morey to walk back a tweet expressing support for democracy in Hong Kong. For one night only, it seems that the same game provided fodder for both narratives about the country’s interest in the NBA.
Sports TV News
Lauren Shehadi: Ernie Johnson Is The Model For Studio Hosts
“To me, he’s the greatest in-studio host. What he does best is facilitate greatness.”

Published
2 days agoon
May 20, 2022By
Ricky Keeler
In addition to her job at MLB Network being a host on MLB Central, Lauren Shehadi is hosting TBS’s Tuesday night baseball coverage each week with Jimmy Rollins, Curtis Granderson, and Pedro Martinez. The Tuesday night games are new for Turner Sports this year after doing only Sunday games during the regular season in addition to the network’s postseason coverage.
Shehadi was a guest on The Kyle Koster Show this week and she was asked what the goal was for her with the MLB on TBS Tuesday broadcasts. She takes a lot of inspiration from what she sees on Inside The NBA on TNT.
“I always think about Ernie Johnson in the same building. To me, he’s the greatest in-studio host. What he does best is facilitate greatness. He gets the most out of Shaq and Kenny [Smith] and Charles [Barkley]. If there’s no ego involved, it’s all about how the show can be so great.
“You look at him and you think how can I be like that? You want to be authentic and be yourself, but in the sense of getting the best out of your guys and girls that you talk to every day. That was my goal going in, Be authentic.”
Shehadi said she gets to spend a lot of time with Johnson and the rest of the Turner Sports crew. Tuesday nights tend to be something of a corporate family reunion.
“On Tuesday nights, we all sit in a room and we all watch NBA, MLB, and NHL when it’s on. We get Shaq’s reaction to Sandy Alcantara’s slider in real-time. What we see from Inside The NBA is when they do demos. When they get up and walk and they are casual and they do little bits, that’s what we try to take to our show, but we want it to feel authentic.”
When Shehadi isn’t hosting Turner Sports’ baseball coverage, she is a part of MLB Central every weekday on MLB Network with Robert Flores and Mark DeRosa. On that show, the goal for her is how to make baseball relatable to everyone:
“That’s the sweet spot of MLB Central. No question is silly. Nobody is smarter than the other. We laugh at ourselves. We laugh at each other. It is just a fun 4 hours, grab your coffee, let’s talk the game, let’s laugh because life is short and baseball is fun.”
Ricky Keeler
Ricky Keeler is a reporter for BSM with a primary focus on sports media podcasts and national personalities. He is also an active podcaster with an interest in pursuing a career in sports media. You can find him on Twitter @Rickinator555 or reach him by email at RickJKeeler@gmail.com.
Sports TV News
AT&T Sportsnet’s Kelsey Wingert Shows Off Stitches After Being Drilled Line Drive
“The veteran reporter is expected to get married in June. Doctors are “hoping” the scar doesn’t effect her big day.”

Published
2 days agoon
May 20, 2022By
Jasper Jones
Baseball reporters at the regional level have some of the toughest jobs in all of sports. Not only do they cover each for all 162 games, but there’s always the potential for getting drilled by a foul ball.
While all MLB ball clubs have expanded their netting this season to protect fans sitting close to the field, Rockies sideline reporter Kelsey Wingert suffered a nasty injury via a foul ball earlier this week.
A scary incident took place on Monday’s outing against the Rockies and San Francisco Giants at Coors Field in Denver. In the ninth inning, Giants outfielder Austin Slater hit a foul ball off Daniel Bard, with the ball heading straight to the dugout, right where Wingert was standing while reporting for AT&T Sportsnet.
After getting attended to by the Rockies medical staff and walking it off, giving fans a “thumbs up,” Wingert ended up having to go to the hospital where she received multiple stitches to her forehead.
The 29-year-old reporter took to Twitter on Wednesday to express her gratitude towards the Rockies organization and AT&T Sportsnet general manager David Woodman, who along with his wife Paula, stayed by her side at the hospital.
Checking in – Monday, I took a 95 MPH line drive to my head.
— Kelsey Wingert (@KelsWingert) May 18, 2022
The @Rockies & @ATTSportsNetRM have treated me like family. Getting me treatment & to the best hospital ASAP. I was at hospital for 5 hours w/ David Woodman (GM of AT&T SN), his wife, Paula & my producer Alison Vigil. pic.twitter.com/UzhlCzclNE
“I had a CT scan to make sure there was no internal bleeding or fractures and all came back clear. Thank God,” Wingert said on Twitter Wednesday. “The stitches will have to come out in a week. I’m very lucky it wasn’t worse. It was just really scary and bummed me out given the circumstances.”
You would think this was the first time Wingert got hit by a ball but back in 2018 while working for Fox Sports and the Atlanta Braves she was struck by a foul ball while standing near a camera past the Braves dugout, resulting in a fractured eye socket.
Wingert retweeted a photo taken of her black eye after returning home where she made light of what could’ve been an awful occurrence.
There’s nothing that @Starburst jellybeans can’t fix right? My rockstar friend @KelsWingert is back home and doing well after getting hit in the eye on a foul ball last night working the @Braves game! Talk about a warrior! pic.twitter.com/mTWHIjEUe5
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) March 31, 2018
While recovering from her wound, Wingert will be taking a few games off. The veteran reporter is expected to get married in June. Doctors are “hoping” the scar doesn’t effect her big day.
Jasper Jones
Jasper Jones writes sports media news stories for BSM. He is also a sports content producer for Audacy’s sports team. You can find him on Twitter @JonesJ2342 or email him at Jasper.Jones@Audacy.com.
Sports TV News
Greg Olsen To Partner With Kevin Burkhardt For Super Bowl LVII
“Last season was the first Burkhardt and Olsen worked together. They largely won rave reviews.”
Published
3 days agoon
May 20, 2022By
BSM Staff
The deal isn’t done yet, but Andrew Marchand of The New York Post reports that Greg Olsen is on his way to joining Kevin Burkhardt in the top NFL booth at FOX. Although Tom Brady will take over that role after he retires and leaves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Olsen will spend at least this season on FOX’s A-Team.
Last season was the first Burkhardt and Olsen worked together. They largely won rave reviews.
Earlier this year, the former Panther told The Mac Attack on WFNZ in Charlotte that he was disappointed he didn’t get to call a postseason game. He will more than make up for that in 2023. As Burkhardt’s partner, Olsen is in line to be the analyst for Super Bowl LVII.
Marchand writes that we could get a taste of what is to come in February. He speculates that if the Buccaneers are not in the Super Bowl, it is possible Tom Brady could make his FOX debut, either in the booth alongside Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen or as part of the network’s studio show.
Now, FOX has to make a decision about it’s number 2 NFL booth. According to Marchand, Drew Brees is a candidate to be the analyst. Adam Amin and Joe Davis have emerged as candidates for the play-by-play role.