MLB ALL-STAR EVENTS: WINS FOR FOX, ESPN
Last week’s MLB All-Star Game peaked at 8.1 million viewers and averaged 7.2 million, a slight decrease from 2024, but still the most-watched all-star event in sports and Fox’s highest-rated broadcast since Super Bowl Sunday. The previous night’s Home Run Derby, carried by ESPN, saw a year-over-year increase, averaging 5.72 million viewers versus last year’s 5.45 million. It was also a win for the National League; after giving up a 6-0 lead when the American League tied things up late in the game, the NL took the win with the first-ever “swing-off.” (The Big Lead: July 15, 2025; Sports Illustrated: July 16, 2025)
CTV ADVERTISERS SHOULD TAKE PAUSE
If you’ve ever paused something you were watching on CTV to read a text, grab another cup of coffee, or because nature called, you’re not alone. According to a study from Magna and DirecTV, 81% of us do exactly that. Their report, “The Pause: Reaching TV Viewers during Can’t-Miss Moments,” finds that most viewers pause for one to five minutes, and just over ten percent pause for as much as 15 minutes. Pause ads (messages or offers that appear when content is paused) have proven effective, with 51% of viewers taking action after exposure. There are some generational differences (see chart), but across all age groups, the pause ads are preferred over frozen screens. (EMARKETER: July 21, 2025)
LINEAR STILL DELIVERS THE MOST TV IMPRESSIONS
Even as streaming platforms continue to expand their advertising reach, linear TV represents 86 percent of all TV impressions year-to-date. iSpot.TV reports that CBS leads the pack among TV networks, with an 8.1% share of impressions, followed by Fox News Channel, ABC, NBC, and ESPN. Fox News was up 35% versus this time last year, benefitting from a tumultuous start to 2025. (CNN saw a 16% increase, placing ninth; MSNBC dipped 7% and landed in 13th.) Overall, across the first half of the year, linear TV ad spend is up just over 3% at $21.9 billion. (MedaPost: July 24, 2025)
VIEWERS FRUSTRATED BY STREAMED SPORTS
As streaming platforms continue to become players in the world of sports carriage rights, many consumers struggle to adjust. For instance, thirty percent of those surveyed by research firm Parks Associates say that they don’t subscribe to the service carrying an event they wanted to watch. And those who can access the content have experienced technical issues. Overall, 18% cite poor video quality—a figure that increases when we look at younger viewers. Among sports viewers aged 18-24, 31% complained about freezing and buffering, 25% cited insufficient bandwidth, and 20% experienced lag. The higher incidence of dissatisfaction among younger viewers is due, in part, to the interactivity they engage in: features like multi-view and in-game stats put greater strain on Internet capacity. (Advanced Television: July 22, 2025)
THIS WEEK IN VIDEO HISTORY
July 27, 1993 – NBC’s Olympic Exclusivity NBC became the exclusive home of the Olympics beginning with the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. The price tag was $456 million—chump change when you consider that they spent another $1.27 billion to secure the events for 2000 through 2004, $4.38 billion for 2014 through 2020, and $7.75 billion for the rights through 2032.
Click here to see gymnast Kerri Strug win the gold medal for the vault despite having badly injured her ankle on her previous attempt.
