SI Media Mailbag: MLB All-Star Game vs. HR Derby, NFL Sunday Ticket and More

In Jimmy Traina’s SI Media Mailbag, he answers several questions regarding NFL Sunday Ticket, whether HR Derby can draw more viewers than the All-Star Game and more.

Welcome to the 14th installment of a weekly mailbag that I will be writing about the world of sports media (and anything else you want to chime in on). Please email me any questions you have to Jimmy.Traina@si.com or send them via Twitter.

We start this week with an email question.

Jimmy, huge fan of your writing and podcast. As someone who follows sports media closely, you are the best source of information. My question for you is regarding the MLB All-Star Game and HR Derby. Is this the year that Home Run Derby gets bigger viewership/ratings than the actual All-Star Game? I think it could happen. Unfortunately, the MLB All-Star Game has become as bad as the other ones. I never thought I would say that, but it is true. There is nothing like watching a nine-inning game with at least 60 players appearing! HR Derby is a terrific event for social media. I think this is the year. Let me know your thoughts. —Thanks, Eric Larson

While the Home Run Derby gets a ton more play on social media than the All-Star Game, I don’t think it will pass the Mid-Summer Classic in viewership this season.

Here are recent viewership numbers for each event.

All-Star Game
2022: 7.51
2021: 8.32
2020: No game
2019: 8.14
2018: 8.69

HR Derby
2022: 6.87
2021: 7.12
2020: No HR Derby
2019: 6.19
2018: 5.89

Last year’s All-Star Game on Fox was the lowest rated of all time but still generated 7.51 million viewers, which is a huge number in today’s television world. The Home Run Derby, on ESPN, drew 6.87 million viewers. I still think that’s a wide-enough gap where the All-Star Game will come out on top. 

One caveat: We don't know the participants yet for the HR Derby. If Shohei Ohtani is in there, the ratings battle could get extremely close.

Any info on the YouTube TV Sunday Ticket details? Multiple games on one screen? Multiple devices?

— Craig Slater (@Slatertime11) June 28, 2023

There will be one RedZone channel this year, and it will be hosted by Scott Hanson. The channel will be available to all DirecTV subscribers this season. In the past, the RedZone channel was available to only NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers on DirecTV.

YouTube has already said it will offer multiview—known as “mosaic mode.” However, we don’t know yet if YouTube will allow viewers to pick the games they want for multiview or if YouTube will choose the games that air on multiview, as DirecTV did when it had the Sunday Ticket package.

After initially saying users would be limited to watching Sunday Ticket on two devices at once, YouTube reversed course and said it wouldn’t limit the number of devices you can watch on your home network.

No info has been released yet, and I wouldn’t expect to get any info until the season starts. While YouTube did offer a $100 discount if you signed by the first week of June (I signed up!), the majority of people won’t subscribe until we get much closer to the NFL season.

When will cbs and fox announce their nfl broadcast booths?

— Isles Mets Jets fan (@bigjimfan) June 27, 2023

Fox and CBS usually announce their NFL broadcast crews in mid-August.

How soon before there’s a Saudi football league and they take all the nfl’s best players?

— J🍩ey Bag 🍩f D🍩nuts 🍩 (@joeybagovdonuts) June 27, 2023

This is probably a naive answer, but I don’t see this ever happening. The NFL isn’t golf. 

Why doesn’t TNT do a postgame show after each NBA Finals game?

— Ken Pires (@KPires78) June 27, 2023

It wouldn’t be cost effective for TNT to air a postgame show for games they aren’t airing, but I’d love for this to happen just to see how many people would flip over from ABC/ESPN to TNT just to watch Ernie, Chuck, Kenny and Shaq.

With the eventuality of DTC for all sport channels, do you see certain content (TV show podcasts, Youtube content) going behind a paywall and only be available to DTC & cable tv subscribers with a possible limit for non-subscribers?

— JerseyJoe (@Joefromjers) June 28, 2023

I absolutely see this happening eventually with successful shows that have a large fan base that will pay for content. 

Not a question but a request: please comment on the NYC attack on pizza ovens.

— DrNachoMD (@DrNachoMD) June 27, 2023

Despite what you've seen on social media, there hasn't been an attack on pizza ovens in New York City. 

How high was Chrissy that he couldn’t hear his whole family enter his condo for the intervention? What could knock you out so bad? For me it would be a chicken parm sandwich

— Black Bear (@MistaBear7) June 27, 2023

Christopher was once so high he didn’t realize he sat on little Cosette and killed her, so it would make sense he’d be so out of it that he didn’t hear everyone come into his apartment to do the intervention.

As for what would knock me out, pancakes always seem to do a number on me. The concept of “light and fluffy” pancakes is a myth. They always go down so easily, but end up feeling like lead in your stomach an hour later.