Sports Media Briefs: Netflix Sacks Bigger NFL Deals; NBA TV Scores More Games, Shows; YouTube TV Could Lose ESPN?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.

Netflix Discounts Reports Of Bigger NFL Package
Netflix now has the rights to two exclusive Christmas NFL games, but don’t expect the streamer to seek a larger package anytime soon. Company co-CEO Greg Peters just told Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw that a full package of games doesn’t fit its strategy of streaming special sports events, such as boxing, the Christmas games and a celebrity golf tournament, rather than carrying dozens of games during a single season. To learn more, click here.

‘Reimagined’ NBA TV to Offer 60 Live Games; Primetime Show; International Games
The NBA, which now has full control of NBA TV after the league’s deal with TBS expired, said today that the ‘reimagined’ channel will offer ‘nonstop basketball’ programming starting Wednesday, October 15. The NBA TV lineup will include 60 live regular season games, a primetime show featuring ex-players such as John Wall and Rudy Gay, and international games featuring top prospects. To learn more about the league’s plans for NBA TV, click here.

ESPN Announces ‘Inside the NBA’ Plans
Starting with the 2025/26 season, ESPN will carry the Inside the NBA pre-game, halftime and post-game shows featuring host Ernie Johnson and analysts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal. The show was previously on TNT but the network lost the rights to NBA basketball so ESPN is picking it up. ESPN last week announced that Inside the NBA will debut on the network’s regular TV channel on Wednesday, October 22 from 6-7 p.m. ET and 6:30-7 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 23. You will be able to watch it with the pay TV ESPN channel or the ESPN Unlimited app. To learn more, click here.

Ernie Johnson with an emotional sign-off from 'Inside the NBA' on TNT. 🏀📺🎙️❤️ #NBA pic.twitter.com/bQnGdPvtOe

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 1, 2025

NBC Sports Says League Can’t Take Away 2030 Super Bowl
Various news reports suggest the NFL may soon renegotiate its TV carriage deals, a few years before they expire. If that occurs, NBC Sports prez Rick Cordella tells Sports Media Watch that the network will carry the 2030 Super Bowl even if it fails to extend its current contract beyond the 2029 season. NBC will also carry this season’s Super Bowl on February 8, 2026. To learn more, click here.

YouTube TV Faces ESPN Carriage Fight Next
Now that YouTube TV has negotiated a new agreement with NBC, the streamer must turn its attention to its deal with Disney which is expected to end by month’s end. Neither company has commented, but the possibility that the nation’s biggest live streaming service could lose ESPN will make this one to watch.

Mark Sanchez’s First Interview Since Stabbing, Arrest
Former New York Jets QB and now Fox Sports analyst Mark Sanchez told reporters yesterday that he’s focused on recovering from a stab wound he encountered during a fight with a truck driver in Indianapolis last week. Sanchez, who was arrested for his part in the skirmish, was booked and fingerprinted by police over the weekend, a condition for him to leave Indianapolis. It’s unclear when Sanchez will return to the broadcasting booth, but it won’t be soon based on how the 38-year-old looked yesterday. To learn more, click here.

As he left the jail, Sanchez told us he is "focused on his recovery" and thanked first responders and the hospital staff. Says his trauma surgeon "saved my life" and that he is recovering slowly. pic.twitter.com/QiLaZ9knmm

— Max Lewis (@MaxLewisTV) October 12, 2025

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