Breaking down the MLB team exodus from Main Street; ESPN and the NFL get a deal done early; and all things media with Octagon’s William Mao episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 5, 2026 · 35 MIN

Breaking down the MLB team exodus from Main Street; ESPN and the NFL get a deal done early; and all things media with Octagon’s William Mao

from The Sports Media Podcast · host Sports Business Journal

On this week's pod, host and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp brings on colleague Tom Friend to talk about the latest with Main Street Sports Group and its RSNs. Then, Karp gets into the closing of the NFL-ESPN equity deal and what surprised him. Then, Octagon media rights expert William Mao joins the pod to dish on the NFL, college sports, a potential squeeze on mid-tier properties and more. Sign up for SBJ 360, our free, daily newsletter. SBJ 360 delivers a concise, high-level overview of the most important stories shaping the sports industry. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 5, 2026

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On this week's pod, host and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp brings on colleague Tom Friend to talk about the latest with Main Street Sports Group and its RSNs. Then, Karp gets into the closing of the NFL-ESPN equity deal and what surprised him. Then, Octagon media rights expert William Mao joins the pod to dish on the NFL, college sports, a potential squeeze on mid-tier properties and more.

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Breaking down the MLB team exodus from Main Street; ESPN and the NFL get a deal done early; and all things media with Octagon’s William Mao

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