The 43-minute sports media podcast was shot in front of a live studio audience as part of the “Off The Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports” series.

THE RUNDOWN …

• Why Netflix’s vision for sports is not just a sports strategy

• The evolution of Netflix’s strategy and what sports provides for the business

For access to our twice-a-week podcasts sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

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• Why Netflix added more NFL and wanted to own Christmas

• How the NFL game deal sprung out of social media

• The race to the first game and setting a then streaming record

• Why boxing has done so well on Netflix

• The surprise of Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul

• Assessing how the World Baseball Classic did in Japan

• Netflix has MLB’s Opening Night, Home Run Derby and Field of Dreams, why does that work

• Marchand criticized Netflix’s Opening Night presentation in a column for The Athletic, Spitzer gave his response

• The difficulty of networks, like Fox and ESPN, not allowing their exclusive on-air personalities to appear on Netflix anymore

• Why Netflix wants to be the most talent friendly network

• How the Elle Duncan deal works

• How does Spitzer looking at adding more on-air personalities

• The Women’s World Cup next year is the most ambitious project yet

• What is the thinking behind acquiring the Women’s World Cup

• What is Gabe Spitzer’s backstory

• How he started at ESPN in 2005 out of Wesleyan

• Learning how to make documentaries at HBO

• How he moved from Fox Sports to Netflix

• What is the culture of Netflix

• Why failing is important at Netflix

• How the first big live deal with WWE came together

• Grading the WWE deal

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• What is the best documentary that Spitzer has been a part of

• What’s it like working on “Harry and Meghan”

• How do you get subjects to buy in on documentaries

• Beckham’s reaction around the world to his doc

• The one big documentary still out there is …

• How interested is Netflix in the Men’s World Cup

• How does Spitzer look at AI

• Where does Spitzer see Netflix in sports in five years or 10 years

• What’s the hardest part of Spitzer’s job

• How many pitches does Spitzer receive

• Who have been the most important mentors for Spitzer

• Does Spitzer wish he had become a sports writer

Related Podcasts: Mark Shapiro, Hans Schroeder, Christian Oestlien, Jay Marine, Rick Cordella & Don Garber

• Sign-up: Off the Record with Matt Hong on June 9th

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

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Why Gary Bettman was so right on John Tortorella. What to make of the Derek Jeter in the booth. And the ever popular “Cakes are Baking” game.

It is a 36-minute edition of Andrew Marchand & Jon Meterparel: Everybody Loves Sports Media.

RUNDOWN ….

• HEADLINES: Why Amazon Prime Video has arrived in sports

• How the NFL is letting Netflix have the strategy it wants

• The schedule did not favor Sunday afternoons

• Gary Bettman puts John Tortorella & Las Vegas in the media penalty box

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• WHAT’s UP/WHAT’s DOWN: NFL Schedule Release, NBC MLB Booth, Chargers Social Media, Udonis Haslem

  ---

• THE QUESTIONS

• Evaluating Amazon Prime Video’s first year with NBA games

• The Steve Nash issue

• Shams vs. Amazon on the MVP story

• The NBA has found their next TV superstar … MJ, LeBron and now

• NBC’s Michael Jordan is compared to the Great Gatsby by Meterparel

• The surprising result of the official Marchand PrimeTime Schedule Ratings™

• The impact of CBS, Fox, Red Zone and Sunday Ticket

• NFL must be careful not to lose scarcity

• The lessons of the Premier League

• The big reason Bettman had to put the hammer down on Tortorella

• The hypocrisy of Tortorella and others

• Assessing the Ronda Rousey event for Netflix

• What to make of the Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Burkhardt Fox Red Sox-Yankees booth for June 6

• The new viral term of “Grand Sham” for when a teams is on four different platforms in four days

• How about a “Triple Clown” when it is three

• Papa Clicker on WFAN’s Steve Somers’ book

• How Papa Clicker listened to Somers under the covers

• Cakes are Baking Game: Jim Nantz … Reggie Jackson … Ron Mercer

• “Off the Record” with Matt Hong on June 9th

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Gabe Spitzer is The Main Event

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It’s “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand."

The Topics …

• How Katz received his first break into sports for ABC’s Munich Olympics

• Roone Arledge was brilliant and unpredictable

• The lessons from Roone

  ****** PAID SUBSCRIBERS ******

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• The Monday Night Football traveling circus with Don Ohlmeyer, Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and Don Meredith

• Ohlmeyer’s influence on Katz’ career

• How a family decision changed Katz’ career

• Working for Al Michaels’ father and the relationship that grew from it

• Going to ESPN and making up the rules

• His Steve Bornstein connection began in Bristol

• Launching ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Radio …

• Why he chose to go to ABC Sports as president

• How he ended up at the NFL

• What was Katz’ best Cosell story

• The sad and touching story when Katz had to tell Cosell his show was being canceled

• Why Cosell didn’t want anything to do with broadcasting at the end of his life

• Amazing Cosell being Cosell story

• Witnessing Michaels’ career from beginning to now

• Cleaning house at Monday Night Football

• Ohlmeyer felt like he was casting a sitcom and landed on Dennis Miller as an analyst

• Ohlmeyer was one and done as the MNF producer

• His fondness for Fred Gaudelli

• How Katz and Sandy Montag brought Madden to ABC from Fox

• Miller tried to stay on with Madden

• ABC vs. ESPN: Cultural war

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• Bodenheimer receiving the the top ESPN job over Katz

• One of the the shows that Katz was most proud of as it was full circle

• The impact of Mark McCormack’s untimely death

• How did Katz get control of the NFL schedule

• Launching NFL Network

• Katz’ advantage on scheduling came from his TV background

• The big items Katz tried to add to the schedule

• Hurricane Katrina and trying to figure out the Saints’ games

• Being popular, not being popular and the Pope

• How did he deal with the personal requests from owners, etc.

• What does Katz think of the ESPN and NFL Network, etc. equity deal

• Why retirement is overrated …

• His wife has a great line …

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  RELATED PODCASTS: Mark Shapiro I and Mark Shapiro II, Jay Marine, Rick Cordella, Hans Schroeder, Christian Oestlien, Laura Rutledge, Mike Soltys, Chris LaPlaca, Booger McFarland, Greg Hughes, Adam Schefter, Peter King, Fred Gaudelli, Drew Esocoff, Traug Keller, Peter Schrager, Jay Glazer, Ian Rappoport, Kevin Clark, Joe Buck, Ian Eagle, Jim Nantz, Adam Schein, Cam Heyward, Eli Manning, Jason McCourty, Damien Woody

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

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THE TOPICS …

• Big week for Netflix and Gabe Spitzer

• The significance of YouTube potentially doing fewer NFL games

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  ****** PAID SUBSCRIBERS *****

• Assessing President Trump’s “$1,000 per game” comments on the NFL and TV

• Rupert Murdoch behind the scenes

• Where is the leverage for the NFL in opt-out talks

• Peter Schrager & SportsCenter take the lead as ESPN gets serious about its post-Around The Horn plans

• The potential opportunity for Schrager to join the top pantheon at ESPN

• Laura Rutledge should already be in that company

• Steve Kerr returns at Golden State and Tim Legler and top analysts are likely popping Champagne

• The Marc Stein and Tim Kawakami Kerr reports followed by Burke Magnus’ reaction

• Ourand vs. Meterparel comps … Mays & Mantle …

• Where Draymond Green may be picking up some bad TV habits

• Why no commericals in NHL OT

• Scott Hansen & Mel Kiper Jr.’s special skill is needed

• New Feature: Everybody Loves Local

• On the clock: Grading Yankees’ YES broadcast featuring Michael Kay, David Cone, Joe Girardi, Paul O’Neill and produced by Troy Benjamin

• The Clicker ratings are in …

• The Netflix’s “Full Swing” documentary story-telling

• The Men’s NCAA Tournament moves to 76 teams and the TV advertising angle

• Ted Turner’s legacy, “America’s Team,” TNT and the NBA and Fred Hickman/Nick Charles legacy

• Cakes are Baking is a sensation all over college campuses: Chris Berman, Brad Marchand & Bono

• Off The Record with Netflix VP Gabe Spitzer on May 12th

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Howard Katz is The Main Event

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Ourand joins “The Main Event with Andrew Marchand” for his monthly visit.

The Topics …

• The opening explanation about the leverage issue for the NFL

• Does the NFL have enough time to get a deal done by the fall

• The David Ellison change of ownership trend

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  ——-Paid Subscribers——-

  For access to our full twice-a-week podcasts, sign-up as a free or paid subscriber at AndrewMarchand.com

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• What is Amazon Prime Video thinking

• How much is NBC’s NBA deal impacting the NFL

• The UFC issue

• Brian Rolapp’s point about the $30 billion TV rights pie and what’s left

• What should ESPN be asking the NFL for

• What is Fox willing to say to the NFL on deals and why it may wait

• The government factor

• Ourand asks if Don Garber changed Marchand’s mind on MLS’ Apple deal

• Maybe broadcast helps the NFL with the NBA & Kentucky Derby on NBC as examples

• How the playoffs show that Adam Silver & and Bill Koenig hit a home run

• The big reason NBC and Prime Video has made a good first impression

• Apple TV has learned some things

• Why Ourand thinks the all-30 MLB local plan will happen

• Why ESPN and TNT may want to go early with the NHL

• Why what Rolapp is trying to do with the PGA Tour makes sense

• What the David Roberts retirement in August means in Bristol

• Mike Foss is a young executive with a lot of runway

• Off The Record with Netflix VP Gabe Spitzer on May 12th

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

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Topics:

• Why there will never be another John Sterling

• Michael Kay & Suzyn Waldman & Sterling

• Why Sterling was a medical marvel

• How big of a deal is Amazon Prime Video’s Duke agreement

• The Big 10 TV number that was incredible

• Lindsay Schanzer, Donna Brothers and the Kentucky Derby review

• Kevin Harlan was all over the Magic meltdown

• A new NBA playoff play-by-player who sounds like he belongs

• Breaking down the ESPN NHL teams from Sean McDonough to Mike Monaco to Bob Wischusen and the big desk led by Steve Levy

• What to make of Russell Wilson potentially on CBS’ NFL Today

• The latest on ESPN’s No. 2 NFL booth

• Inside The CW and ESPN app hook-up

• Don Garber’s prediction for the next MLS-Apple TV-like deal

• A new host instead of Meterparel

• Did Inside The NBA go too far with Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini graphic

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• Does anyone know who produces Inside The NBA

• What to make of the ESPN exec moves with David Roberts retiring and Mike Foss expected to rise

• Papa Clicker Book Review: The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup by Jonathan Wilson

• Cakes Our Baking Game: Marchand goes in 1-for-6. There are three envelopes ….

• Off The Record with Netflix VP Gabe Spitzer on May 12th

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Don Garber is The Main Event

You are invited to our next “Off The Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports” at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12th, with Netflix’s VP of Sports, Gabe Spitzer, in Midtown Manhattan. The 45-minute discussion will begin around 4:30. There are hors d’oeuvres and cocktails for free prior and after the interview. Please sign-up here. It is free. Spaces is limited. Paid subscriber receive preferential treatment. As always, thank you for your support as it means so much to our whole team.

Past guests have included Jimmy Pitaro, Rick Cordella, Gary Bettman, Jay Marine, Mark Shapiro, Hans Schroeder, Christian Oestlien and Don Garber.

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The interview was taped in front of live studio audience as part of the “Off The Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports” series.

• How MLS, led by Bob Kraft & Lamar Hunt, recruited Garber from the NFL

• The 1994 World Cup and how it led to MLS with a $5M loan

• John Skipper and the fuel of the sport

• What the ESPN deal did for MLS …

• How has the media environment changed over Garber’s career

• How new stadiums, Messi, Beckham lead to globalization and more viewership

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• What is like to sit across from David & Victoria Beckham

• What was Garber & MLS’ plan going into the rights negotiations that saw them leave ESPN & Fox as its main partners for Apple TV in 2022

• The issue with MLS’ old start times …

• “We made a very bold move” with Apple

• What were Garber’s expectations of the Apple deal

• Garber says that MLS was early on going direct to consumer

• Garber believes another major property will do a similar deal in next five years

• How the MLS is “upside down,” which is not a bad thing

• His admiration of the NHL’s setup

• How Garber looks at the disruptive phase of technology

• The data from Apple is so specific it is impacting MLS’ rosters

• How you take the Red Bulls’ young players success and turn into good business

• Will we get relegation in MLS

• A member of the studio audience is a big MLS relegation fan … and Garber is a great about it

• Garber explains MLS’ financial reasons against it

• “They would have no place to play.”

• Garber opens the door open a crack for promotion and relegation

• Garber didn’t realize how big Messi would be

• Does Messi happen without Apple ….

• Beckham designing the Miami logo

• Could the fan in the audience replace Jon Meterparel

• The World Cup will be “100 Super Bowls”

• What will the World Cup do for MLS

• How does he look at “pay to play” youth issue

• Frank Isola and Garber’s soccer neighbor

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• Off The Record with Netflix VP of Sports Gabe Spitzer on May 12th

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel on Tuesday

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In the 41-minute sports media podcast, Andrew Marchand & Jon Meterparel hand out the TV grades for ESPN, NFL Network, ABC & Pat McAfee. Plus, inside the Mike Tomlin move to ESPN, the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini saga continues, NBA, Joe Buck, Darren Rovell and more.

Topics:

• Marchand & Meterparel hand out grades & analysis on Mike Greenberg, Pat McAfee, Rich Eisen, Booger McFarland, Ian Rapoport, Rece Davis, Ty Schmit, Kirk Herbstreit, Joel Klatt, Daniel Jeremiah and more

• Big “Off the Record with Andrew Marchand presented by WSC Sports” announcement

• The Roger Goodell-Greenberg interview evaluated

• A new Clicker contributor chimes in on Chris Carlin & ESPN Radio coverage

• ESPN vs. NFLN: Which is a better draft show?

• How execs should asses their draft coverage

• Mel Kiper Jr. impersonation matchup …

• Inside the Mike Tomlin Sweepstakes

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• Where the Vrabel and Russini saga is now ….

• The accountability issue …

• The nickname for the Pats’ Saturday draft choices

• Why Eric Collins struggled on Celtics-76ers

• The NBA local broadcast first round issue is overrated

• Why YouTube TV is good for the content providers

• The Prime Video issue …

• Darren Rovell lit up new “Sports Jeopardy” host Joe Buck for some reason … Marchand & Meterparel react

• FaZe Rugg vs. Buck: Who ya got?

• Birthday Age Game: On the clock: George Gervin, Corey Seager & Bridget Moynahan

• Meterparel tells his ex-wife story from the 1998 NFL draft

• Off The Record with Netflix VP Gabe Spitzer on May 12th

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Don Garber is The Main Event Thursday

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In the 36-minute sports media podcast, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah explains his incredible Chris Mortensen relationship, how he prepares for the draft, his top hits and misses and if wants to be a GM one day

The Topics …

• As a kid, did Jeremiah grow up wanting to be a draftnik

• “Who the heck is Mel Kiper” is an all-timer

• The disappointment of the Cowboys missing out on a future Hall of Famer

• Jeremiah’s Keith Smart connection

• Chris Mortensen randomly in his living room ...

• His aunt was Indiana’s women’s coach during the Bobby Knight era ...

• The back story of being introduced to Mortensen from his dad’s reach as a pastor

• “Why is Chris Mortensen in my living room ...”

• How Mortensen took Jeremiah under his wing

• Reggie White, attending games, going to Bristol ...

• Working the draft with Mort and then meeting Jay Rothman

• How Jeremiah began his career at ESPN

• Really nice tales about what Mortensen was like ...

  Subscribe now

• Did he consider following his father’s footsteps into the ministry

• How close was Jeremiah to being an NFL player

• How does Jeremiah approach his draft preparation

• The minute details of how he goes about it all

• Why Jeremiah doesn’t first type out his info and opinions

• How does Jeremiah look at analyzing picks

• Jason Kelce and no one knows anything

• The evaluation Jeremiah is most proud of ...

• The evaluation Jeremiah would like a do-over on ...

• The “scout school” that teams have

• Evaluating how they missed on Tom Brady

• Looking for clues of what you were doing wrong

• More draft do-overs ....

• Comparing the combine and games in evaluations

• Why seeing quarterbacks live is important

• The QB body language issue ...

• What has Mel Kiper Jr. meant to the draft ...

• The special connection Jeremiah has with him

• Does Jeremiah have dreams of being a GM

• What does the ESPN ownership of NFL Network mean to Jeremiah

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  Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber Sign-Up on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

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The Topics …

• As a kid, did Jeremiah grow up wanting to be a draftnik

• “Who the heck is Mel Kiper” is an all-timer

• The disappointment of the Cowboys missing out on a future Hall of Famer

• Jeremiah’s Keith Smart connection

• Chris Mortensen randomly in his living room ...

• His aunt was Indiana’s women’s coach during the Bobby Knight era ...

• The back story of being introduced to Mortensen from his dad’s reach as a pastor

• “Why is Chris Mortensen in my living room ...”

• How Mortensen took Jeremiah under his wing

• Reggie White, attending games, going to Bristol ...

• Working the draft with Mort and then meeting Jay Rothman

• How Jeremiah began his career at ESPN

• Really nice tales about what Mortensen was like ...

  Subscribe now

• Did he consider following his father’s footsteps into the ministry

• How close was Jeremiah to being an NFL player

• How does Jeremiah approach his draft preparation

• The minute details of how he goes about it all

• Why Jeremiah doesn’t first type out his info and opinions

• How does Jeremiah look at analyzing picks

• Jason Kelce and no one knows anything

• The evaluation Jeremiah is most proud of ...

• The evaluation Jeremiah would like a do-over on ...

• The “scout school” that teams have

• Evaluating how they missed on Tom Brady

• Looking for clues of what you were doing wrong

• More draft do-overs ....

• Comparing the combine and games in evaluations

• Why seeing quarterbacks live is important

• The QB body language issue ...

• What has Mel Kiper Jr. meant to the draft ...

• The special connection Jeremiah has with him

• Does Jeremiah have dreams of being a GM

• What does the ESPN ownership of NFL Network mean to Jeremiah

  ---

  Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber Sign-Up on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

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Plus, the Dianna Russini resignation from The Athletic, Prime Video’s slow NBA playoff start, Charles Barkley brings it, MLBN shines during a tragedy, MLB analysts overdoing it, YouTube’s NFL quest, World Cup transport fiasco & Papa Clicker’s Mike Vaccaro “Bosses of the Bronx” review.

The Topics …

• How to assess ESPN going all in on WWE & WrestleMania

• Is WWESPN better for WWE or ESPN …

• Not taking Charles Barkley and “Inside The NBA” for granted …

• MLB Network’s strong work during a tragedy

• Prime Video starts its NBA playoffs slow

• MLB game analysts have to stop doing this …

• Perception of Stephen A. Smith at WrestleMania

• Why ESPN did the WWE deal

• How Paul Fortenbaugh and others stood out on ESPN’s WWE coverage

• What to make of the Dianna Russini resignation from The Athletic

• What is going on with Mike Vrabel

• The big production question if YouTube adds five more NFL games

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• What was YouTube’s issue on its first NFL game

• The younger broadcaster approach …

• Has it been easy or difficult to find the NBA playoff games …

• Is Prime Video’s NBA pregame good?

• What works with the NBA on NBC

• The forthcoming World Cup fan fiasco

• The Dallas Wings’ PR team was lost

• The WNBA wants to be covered, but not covered …

• The Big 3 Dallas Mavericks story from back in the day

• Does Mike Vaccaro’s “The Bosses of the Bronx” receive an all-time Papa Clicker score?

• The “Cakes are Baking” Game is born. Play along …

• Sign-up: Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Daniel Jeremiah is The Main Event

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TOPICS ….

• Bill Belichick vs. Rex Ryan and inside their media rules

• Woody on growing up with a severe speech impediment

• His career on the field and off have been more than his wildest dreams

• How his speech impediment impacted who he has become

• Why he became a “gentle giant”

• Why he went on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” where he lost 107 pounds

• Would he do it again …

• Why do offensive linemen lose so much weight after playing

• Woody was in the inaugural NFL broadcasting boot camp

• His big decision about playing or broadcasting …

• The biggest lesson that Belichick mentioned to him that has impacted his broadcasting career

• It is easier to criticize now because he’s further away from playing

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• He has seven kids so those free Disney passes come in handy

• His youngest child’s wild football recruitment

• The grand piano and Woody’s plan to play it on SportsCenter

• What would he play?

• The seven-person family road trips …

• How close to he came to going to FS1 to pair with Craig Carton

• Any interest in games

• Does the “Same Old Jets” really exist

• What’s next …

• His 14-year-old is just like dad

• Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber Sign-Up on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

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Topics …

• What networks could learn from The Masters’ presentation

• The “Electronic Wizard” gets his due

• The 1986 Masterpiece

• Roger Goodell is in a place you never want to be in

• CBS was lost on the 18th hole

• Assessing CBS’ overall coverage of The Masters

• Dottie Pepper and who excelled during the tournament

• What Amazon Prime Video did right on its Masters’ debut and how it applies to its other sports

• What do we make of Mark Jones’ more than three decade run of ESPN

• Mike Breen criticizes the NBA over first round broadcast setup

• This is the money-making part of the ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock & Amazon Prime Video deals

• What to make of the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel situation and investigation

• FCC Chairman Brendan Carr tweeting Marchand’s Athletic column on Amazon, The Masters & the Super Bowl

• Does the DOJ probe hurt the NFL’s leverage in TV renegotiations

• Jay Marine and the “fullness of time” Super Bowl

• What to make of Joe Buck telling Richard Deitsch he wants to finish his career at ESPN

• The interesting move of Ex-Washington Postie Ben Strauss turning up at ESPN and doing some media stories

• Who was the 2018 World Series MVP

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  Other elements ….

• Turk Wendell gave Marchand a yellow card in the Mets’ clubhouse

• Meterparel’s famous fantasy baseball league

• Meterparel and the Ithacan

• New potential show feature

• Sign-up: Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Damien Woody is The Main Event

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In the 36-minute podcast, Marchand & Ourand also go into Ourand’s ESPN’s mini-layoff report and have some fun with Ourand’s Chris Berman nickname.

The Topics ….

• How the networks’ attitude might be changing in the game of chicken

• Why CBS is a different scenario compared to the other networks

• Where the leverage points stand in negotiations and budgets

• Why FCC and Congress are worth watching

• Kitchen tabling the process of stripping the NFL anti-trust exemption

• How much credence does this idea have

• Why Hollywood and other sports are so nervous about the new NFL talks

• Gaming out a post-CBS deal with Fox and others up next

• The rights holder would pay more if they got this criteria from the NFL

• The four-corners strategy

• Why would you go early if you are the networks and why not

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• The NFL is a league of its own on TV, which is why these talks are so important

• Marchand & Ourand make predictions on who has deals before next season’s kickoff … and they disagree

• Is YouTube leverage as a free service or not ….

• Marchand’s Ourand social media strategy

• What is Ourand’s thought process in reporting that 30 non-on-air ESPN folks will be let go

• ESPN and the YouTube TV factor …

• Assessing the Chris Berman-like “Grande Ourand” nickname

• Ourand flip flops on predictions

• The Best Berman nicknames & bloopers

• ICYMI Pod: NFL Media Rights Projections 1.0

• Sign-up: Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

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The Topics …

• The Schefter succession talk is ….

• Adam Silver vs. Rob Manfred comparison

• Where do Ian Eagle, Grant Hill and Bill Raftery rank in all-time college hoops TV history

• Why are the “Chainsmokers” doing a concert between Final Four games

• On a Fox MLB booth: One up, One down

• Yahoo’s Tom Haberstroh’s tremendous article about how the terrible number of stars playing on ABC/ ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video

• Don’t teach people not to care, which the NBA is in danger of doing

• Who are the favorites to be in ESPN’s No. 2 NFL booth

• A name ESPN is considering after some felt it wronged him

• More on Schefter, Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo

• The Tomlin Sweepstakes: Who is in the lead and who is likely out

• The big money ask …

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• Reacting to Netflix’s Elle Duncan’s comments about the platform being criticized for its MLB coverage

• What ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage should learn from Netflix’s Opening Day

• Analyzing the Men’s and Women’s Final Four coverage

• Amazon Prime Video will have The Masters this week for the first time

• Do we care about the new “Hard Knocks” …

• If John Ourand had a Chris Berman nickname, what would it be ….

• Sign-up: Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: John Ourand is The Main Event

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Soltys is one of the producers on “Sports Heaven: The Birth of ESPN,” that debuts on Monday, April 6th. It’s also an audiobook.

FULL RUNDOWN …

• ESPN, ‘Sports Heaven’ & the greatest media success story ever told

• What was the feeling around ESPN in 1979 when it launched

• The “believers” vs. the “crazy idea” square-off

• Bill Rasmussen, who founded ESPN, got fired and …

• Why Bristol, CT as ESPN’s headquarters & the advantage of the location

• George Bodenheimer & culture

• The odd office Soltys started his career in

• The story behind how SportsCenter became SportsCenter

• The alternative names for SportsCenter

• How Rasmussen’s first idea was just to only do Connecticut sports

• And then an RCA satellite salesman came by and …

• Technical difficulties …

• What was Chris Berman like in the early years

• Running to the banks to deposit checks to make sure they worked

• The NFL and MLB made it feel like ESPN had arrived

• George Brett bringing back Chris Berman’s nicknames after an executive killed them

• How SC Top 10 is still a big deal

• The $51M NFL deal for the Sunday Night package in 1987

• Who are the three most important people in ESPN’s history

• The Bodenheimer-Jimmy Pitaro comparison

• John Skipper was the most fun top exec — and Cuba

• Steve Bornstein fought to keep SportsCenter going

• The credibility of Chet Simmons as ESPN president

• ESPN tried putting business news into its programs, and Soltys wasn’t a fan of it

• Richard Branson and the spirit of just trying stuff

• The ESPN-ABC Sports war

• Rudy Martzke, Phil Mushnick, Richard Sandomir, et. al. …

• How Mark Shapiro brought the media attention to another level

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• All the major newspapers had a sports media columnist and “the straws that stir the drink.”

• Martzke’s Sunday greeting to Soltys after church

• Soltys, Keith Olbermann and the greatest sports PR quote in history

• Soltys liked working with Olbermann

• The quote was buried in the USA Today column

• “He didn’t burn bridges here, he napalmed them”

• The media relations game and Martzke

• What’s next for the documentary

• The 1979 culture of ESPN is still alive in 2026

• “I’ll work for free,” were the magic words

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  Some Related Podcasts (there are more)

• Chris LaPlaca, Mark Shapiro, Adam Schefter, Greg Hughes, Traug Keller

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• Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber Sign-Up on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

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THE RUNDOWN …

• The danger for leagues, teams and networks …

• What NBC got right on its MLB presentation

• Clayton Kershaw’s start

• Stephen A. Smith’s poor judgement

• Neil Walker needed a Red Bull

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• How difficult it is to watch all the Yankee games

• Why you have to make it easy for fans today more than ever

• Marchand at Mike Vaccaro’s book signing and a mini-review

• The bad polling around fans watching sports

• The issues with the Nate Burleson “Game Show” CBS NCAA approach

• Meterparel was not a fan of the lack of basketball analysis from Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith

• Meterparel got more texts about the college hoops studio than anything ever in TV

• The comparison of the Jamal Mashburn-led TNT show to CBS’

• The full , fine tooth breakdown of Eagle, Raftery Hill on the clasic call of the UConn-Duke ending

• What grade does the trio receive

• How did the rest of the NCAA Men’s crews fare on the weekend

• Netflix-MLB review

• “Love is Blind” vs. “Opening Day Pregame Show”

• The Rob Manfred interview was …

• What worked on the Netflix stream

• Barry Bonds was …

• Why Netflix needs versatility

• Michael Jordan is on every network, but …

• The Tiger Woods DUI coverage was …

• Papa Clicker Review: The Art of Tennis by Nicholas Fox Weber

• A couple of corrections

• A special cakes are baking for Momma Meterparel

• Sign-up: Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Mike Soltys is The Main Event

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The RUNDOWN …

• What changed the most in Keller’s more than two decades at ESPN

• Why everyone is now their own program director

• The unbelievable job a current New York radio executive has done

• Why Joe Rogan and Stephen A. Smith are the Paul Harveys of today

• What has changed about new hosts on the air in the current climate

• The advice that Keller gave to ESPN that helped lead to Colin Cowherd’s discovery

• The power of YouTube

• Stephen A’s quality for success

• Tirico could have been a big hit on another medium

• The insecurity of talent

• How Cowherd and Smith were different

• Why Paul Harvey was the GOAT

• Harvey had the ear of presidents

• Stephen A.’s preparation

• Working with Mitch Dolan on Hannity national launch and dealing with Roger Ailes

• Why Keller left ABC Radio Networks for ESPN Radio in 2004

• What was it like reporting directly into a young Mark Shapiro

• Keller’s assessment of Shapiro’s potential

• Why did ESPN New York never go fully local to compete with WFAN

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• Keller’s thoughts on the longevity of “The Michael Kay Show”

• The Larry David story on Marchand’s job

• ESPN New York vs. Mike Francesa

• Rush Limbaugh struggled when he first started

• Radio and podcasting need patience

• The reason Keller wanted clean radio

• What happened at the end with Mike Greenberg & Mike Golic

• What Keller is most proud of in his career

• Freddy Rolon, Patrick Polking, Sean Breen, Tim McCarthy and Amanda Gifford and the “We, not an I” approach

• How Scott Van Pelt’s radio impacted his SportsCenter rise

• Why Keller would put Van Pelt and Ryen Russillo back together

• The PTSD of running the Talent Office

• How Nick Khan changed the ESPN game

• What was running ESPN Deportes like

• The Justin Connolly and Rolon connections

• Keller retired and thought he was going to retire, but America Magazine called

• Keller loved it, but now has fully retired

• Ourand’s jealousy

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• Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber Sign-Up on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Marchand & Meterparel

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THE RUNDOWN …

• Why the NCAA Tournament is the hardest and best assignment

• Grading all 8 CBS & TNT Sports announce teams on Clicker Rating System

• The No. 1 team was …

• The lowest score went to …

• Candace Parker was on Friday, but not Sunday, why?

• Why put together three-person teams on short notice

• Jason Benetti filling in for Brian Anderson and reaction

• Who will analyze a Final Four one day who is not right now

• Who is a “poor man’s Ian Eagle”

• Why one analyst could be a little more positive

• The team that Marchand & Meterparel were divided on

• Which duo could be a riser

• Nate Burleson or Adam Zucker, who ya got

• Which sideline reporter asked good, concise questions

• How the NFL opt-out negotiations hangs over everything

• Emerging big name NFL TV free agent to watch

• Mike Tomlin’s status

• Is Barry Bonds an inspiring choice for Netflix

• Zlatan to Fox and who else it thought about for the World Cup

• Laura Rutledge’s move to leave SEC Nation

• The fallout from the Rutledge move

• The WBC’s big numbers, which we went deep on last week

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• What’s Up & What’s down (at the beginning)

• What’s Up: Howie Rose & Steve Lappas

• What’s Down: Tom Brady & Charles Barkley

• Sign-up: Off The Record with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Thursday, April 23rd

• Subscribe at AndrewMarchand.com

• On Deck: Traug Keller is The Main Event

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