LibGuides: SMT_T280: The Business of Sports Media: Recommended Resources

Official Websites of Popular Leagues/Conferences

Who owns the broadcast game rights?

team/league website (e.g. National Football League Record & Fact Book, NFL Team Media Guides)
Wikipedia: a well-sourced Wikipedia entry includes a References section that might direct you to authoritative sources of information (e.g. National Football League on television)

Who owns the radio broadcast rights?

team/league website (e.g. National Football League Record & Fact Book)

Network Profile

Network's website (e.g. ESPN, Inc. Fact Sheet from ESPN MediaZone)

Annual Reports of the network's parent company (public companies only)

For example, if you are researching ESPN, parent The Walt Disney Company's 2017 Annual Report contains "estimated subscribers (in millions)" on pg. 2. Company Annual Reports, which also contain financials, can be found in the Investor Relations section of the company's website.

If you don't know who owns the network, you might find the answer in a report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC):

18th Annual Video Competition Report (formal title: Annual Assessment of the Status of Competition in the Market for the Delivery of Video Programming)

For easy-to-download financials, private company information, and other details not available on the network/network parent website, use the resources listed in our "Researching a Company" library guide linked below:

Researching a Company
by Christopher Lezenby Last Updated Mar 22, 2024 654 views this year

Also, try the subscription database Statista, an excellent resource for statistics on many topics:

Statista This link opens in a new window
Largest available data aggregator for statistics, offering more than one million statistics and facts from more than 18,000 sources within the United States and internationally. Statistics, statistical dossiers, reports, surveys, and market studies are categorized into industries, broad topics, countries, and consumer, digital, and mobility markets. Global Consumer Survey covers more than 50 industries, more than 5,000 international brands, and additional topics from a global perspective. Business Plan Export aids in market modeling, business case development, and profit and loss statement creation.

If you are still missing Network Profile details after trying these sources:

use the Article Databases on the right of this page to search articles in news, trade, and popular publications for the missing information.

What assets does the team/league also control?

Consider: website, streaming, pre/post "shoulder" programming

team/league website: look for media kits (e.g. 2017 NFL.com Media Kit)

Article Databases

Articles from news sources and trade and popular magazines contain updated information regarding broadcasting rights agreements and related details. Search in the databases below, using the subject filters to refine results as needed.

If Drexel does not have access to the full-text version of an article, click the "Borrow this item through Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad)" button on the Get It page. You will be directed to log into ILLiad where you can complete and submit your article request. You will receive an email with a link to the full-text article.

SPORTDiscus with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Covers the topics of sports, physical fitness, sports medicine, nutrition, exercise physiology, sport & exercise psychology, recreation, leisure studies, tourism, occupational health & therapy, public health and more, on an international scale. Content includes academic journal, magazine, and trade publication articles, books, conference proceedings, research papers, and reports. Alert: This database has recently implemented some updates that are causing limited search results. For advanced searching, Boolean operators must be capitalized (AND, OR). Contact the health sciences team for assistance at health-sciences@drexel.libanswers.com.
Keywords: athlete, athletics, coach, dance, exercise, fitness, kinesiology, leisure, officiating, physical, physiology, recreation, therapy, training, sport management
ABI/INFORM Collection (formerly ABI Complete) This link opens in a new window
Covers U.S. and international business and economic conditions, trends, corporate strategies, management techniques, marketing, product development, and competitive information. Content types include: scholarly and trade journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, working papers, conference materials, case studies, books, audio, video, and company, country, industry, and market research reports. The ABI/INFORM Collection is comprised of ABI/INFORM Dateline (local and regional business publications), ABI/INFORM Global (in-depth coverage from thousands of publications), and ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry (in-depth coverage of companies, products, executives, trends and other topics).
Keywords: accounting, banking, company, country, economy, finance, industry, international, marketing, management, operations, policy

SNL Kagan Media & Communications Report, available in full-text from 6/27/2007 to present through the ABI/INFORM Collection database, may be particularly useful.

Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
ALERT (February 2024) - EBSCOhost (CINAHL) has recently implemented some updates that are causing limited search results. For advanced searching, Boolean operators must be capitalized (AND, OR). Contact librarians@drexel.libanswers.com for assistance. Contains materials covering all aspects of U.S. and international business and economics research. Content types include: scholarly and trade journal, magazine, and newspaper articles, working papers, conference materials, case studies, books, audio, video, company profiles, SWOT analyses, and company, country, industry, and market research reports.
Factiva This link opens in a new window
Provides access to sources of local, regional, national, and international news, general insight, selected financial information and profiles for publicly traded U.S. and international companies, industry reports, quotes for financial instruments, and stock market data. News content types include: newspapers, magazines, media transcripts, wire services, transcripts, images, blogs, and websites.
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Central is a multidisciplinary research database covering business, health and medical, social sciences, art and humanities, education, science and technology, religion, and other disciplines. Content includes full-text articles from scholarly journals, trade and professional publications, newspapers, and magazines plus dissertations, working papers, case studies, market research reports, and more.
Regional Business News This link opens in a new window
Full text (1990 to present, updated daily) for more than 100 regional business publications for the United States and Canadian provinces. Content types include magazines, newspapers, newswires, radio and television news transcripts, and trade publications.
Keywords: news, region

Web Resources

For additional information and statistics, try these free online resources:

The Futon Critic
Articles and information regarding prime time programming on broadcast and cable networks in the U.S. Includes Nielsen ratings.
IndieWire
Source for film and television news, reviews, interviews, global festival coverage and more.
Nielsen
Nielsen is a global measurement and data analytics company focused on the media, advertising, retail and fast-moving consumer goods industries. Free content includes Top 10 lists, reports, and news articles.
Sports Illustrated: Sports Media and Tech
Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB)
TVB is the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s $21 billion local broadcast television industry. Its members include over 800 individual television stations, television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters and associate members.
TV By The Numbers
TV by the Numbers collects and analyzes U.S. television ratings data (including Nielsen ratings). It is a part of Tribune Media Services' Screener television news/listings site (formerly Zap2it).

For radio:

Nielsen Audio
Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) collects radio broadcasting audience data. Free content includes radio ratings and radio market survey population, rankings, and information.
StationRatings.com
Provides radio station rankings and ratings, portions from Nielsen data sources.

SMT_T280: The Business of Sports Media: Recommended Resources

Relevant questions and where to find the answers