Talk about a throwback type of week. NASCAR announced its new championship format will be a return to the \u201cChase\u201d style format the sport used from 2004-13. Another return will be golfer Brooks Koepka, who will come back to the PGA Tour after more than three years with LIV Golf as part of a new program from the Tour allowing LIV Golfers compete on the tour as soon as this month. Meanwhile, another betting scandal reared its head as it was revealed that more than two dozen men have been charged in a point-shaving scheme that involved 39 college basketball players on 17 Division I teams that led to 29 games being fixed.<\/p>\n
Here are some highlights from the week:<\/p>\n
AUDIO & VIDEO<\/p>\n
On this week\u2019s Sports Media Podcast<\/a>, host and SBJ media reporter Austin Karp looks at the latest movement in the battle for WBD, as well how the numbers looked around NFL Wild Card weekend and the CFP semifinals. Plus, some chatter on the latest with MLB teams and RSNs and Fanatics getting into the content production business. Then, a conversation with TikTok executive Kat Marquez on how the platform views sports, as well as a talk with the new head of Playfly Media, Nick Cartan.Missed Morning Buzzcast<\/a> this week? SBJ\u2019s Austin Karp and Joe Lemire take you through the biggest stories influencing sports business.<\/p>\n SBJ EARLY ACCESS (Jan. 19 issue): <\/p>\n SBJ\u2019s Ben Portnoy dives into how six months into its existence, the College Sports Commission is preparing for its first real enforcement tests<\/a>.<\/p>\n SBJ\u2019s Mary Gaughan takes a look inside the ACC\u2019s Charlotte HQ<\/a>, which includes the high-tech Game Day Operations Center that can support up to 10 games simultaneously.<\/p>\n EDITOR\u2019S PICKS<\/p>\n TURNING BACK THE CLOCK: NASCAR is bringing back its \u201cChase\u201d style championship format<\/a> starting this season, though it will have some differences to the original formula.<\/p>\n TEAMWORK: NASCAR\u2019s N.C.-based production hub<\/a> has given the racing body a creative boost, and now it\u2019s set to help other sports productions while generating a new revenue stream for NASCAR.<\/p>\n HOT START: The NBA is beginning 2026 with viewership up 18%<\/a> from the same period last season, a strong sign for the league as it begins the first year of its new media deal.<\/p>\n MONEY MOVE: The Cubs made a major splash in free agency by signing 3B Alex Bregman in a move that re-establishes the club as a major-market force<\/a>.<\/p>\n HOOPS SCANDAL: Federal prosecutors detailed a college basketball point-shaving<\/a> scheme involving NCAA Division I players that offers the clearest picture yet of one of the most sprawling gambling cases in American sports history.<\/p>\n UNDER A DOME: A majority of the NFL schedule in 2031 will be played under a roof if all current stadium plans come to fruition as franchises eye year-round climate control<\/a>.<\/p>\n