Hey everybody, this is Richard Ditch and welcome to the sports media podcast.

My producer is Patrick Antenetti.

Three guests this week, two segments.

First up, Mike Tariko, the host in Play-by-Play broadcaster for NBC sports, fresh off, being the

prime time host of the Olympic Games.

We had a really good conversation about his Beijing Olympics experience, the environment

for China for NBC sports, his thoughts on Beijing being the least watched Olympics ever,

his commentary on Camilla Valieva, as well as the IOC. Then we get into the NFL, the prospect of Al Michaels leaving for Amazon and taking over Sunday night football, Mike navigating wanting to do the NFL, but also knowing that Al Michaels is still in the booth. The researchers who work for the Olympics and just what they do to provide people

like Mike Tarrico so much invaluable material and data. And then we get into a little bit of

sort of wishcasting. And Mike says he, his dream would be to call an NBA game with Charles

Barkley if that was possible. After Tarariko, it is Austin Karp of the

Sports Business Journal and John Lewis of Sports Media Watch. We have a roundtable on the Beijing

Olympics viewership, which again, lowest in history. What to make the Olympic brand going forward.

NFL scheduling games on Christmas Day.

Daytona 500 viewership and what that means for NASCAR's brand.

A quick thing on the PGA tour in Phil Mickelson.

And then we finish with what kind of viewership the NCAA tournament might get.

So Mike Tariko in the first segment, followed by Austin Karp and John Lewis,

coming up on the sports media podcast.

All right.

The intro here will be shorter than I gave him at the top.

But if you are a sports fan in the United States, you certainly know who Mike Tariko is,

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