The Taylor Swift effect had a huge impact on ratings of Sunday Night Football, as the Chiefs/Jets thriller on NBC was the most-watched Sunday show since Super Bowl LVII in February.

The broadcast averaged 27 million viewers, up 22% year over year. Viewership peaked at an estimated 29.4 million between 9:30-9:45 p.m. NBC Sports accounts for the two most-watched NFL games so far this season.

The Swift effect was evident in viewership in teen girls aged 12-17, women 18-24, and 35+. Viewership in those demographics was up 53%, 24%, and 34% respectively compared to the season-to-date average of the first three weeks of SNF. The broadcast featured a Taylor Swift-themed open, which has been viewed eight million times.

The game also drew in the largest streaming audience ever for a Sunday regular season game. The average minute audience across Peacock, NBC Sports, and NFL digital platforms was 1.85 million viewers.

It’s unclear whether Swift will be in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon as the Chiefs take on the Vikings. But if she is, the marquee late window game on CBS with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will stand to also see a viewership bump.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright isn’t riding off into the sunset after calling it a career on Sunday. Instead, he’s joining FOX Sports.

In an appearance on Foul Territory with AJ Pierzynski on Monday, Wainwright casually let slip that he would be joining Pierzynski on an upcoming broadcast. After realizing that they were clear to talk about it, Wainwright announced that he would be a part of FOX’s ALDS broadcast team.

Specifically, Wainwright will join Pierzynski and Adam Amin as the crew covering the series between the defending World Series champion Houston Astros and the winner of the Blue Jays/Twins wild card series.

“Congratulations, welcome to the broadcasting world, and congratulations you get to work with me…again,” Pierzynski said, alluding to the brief stint the two had calling postseason baseball in 2020 with FOX Sports.

“That’s really all I wanted as a retirement gift was to spend more time with you AJ,” Wainwright joked. “That was what I wanted.”

Wainwright felt like he, AJ and Amin will have a great time calling those games together based on their previous experience.

“I’m looking forward to it though,” Wainwright said. “I have fun watching baseball games. I felt like you and I were a good team a couple of years ago so we need to run that back.”

Space City Home Network, previously known as AT&T SportsNet Southwest, will debut in Houston Tuesday.

The rebranded regional sports network has been acquired by the Houston Astros and the Houston Rockets from Warner Bros. Discovery, with the two professional sports teams joining forces to form their own cable outlet. Both the Rockets and Astros have long held an interest in acquiring the network. A report from March of this year claimed the two franchises were working alongside WBD to gain control of the cable channel.

“The change will be a seamless transition for fans as they will be able to continue to access Rockets and Astros games on the same channels they currently utilize,” the Astros said in a statement. “The network will be owned by the Rockets and Astros going forward and will operate as a joint venture of the two organizations.”

“We’ve had a strong relationship with the talent and staff at AT&T SportsNet in broadcasting Rockets games over the years and are excited to have that live on as Space City Home Network,” said Rockets President of Business Operations Gretchen Sheirr.  “We’ve worked alongside the Astros and network personnel to ensure this will be a smooth changeover for our fans and look forward to the positive impact this collaboration and local ownership will have on our broadcast.”

The first live game broadcast will take place on Wednesday, October 10th, as the Rockets will open their preseason schedule against the Indiana Pacers. The Houston Astros will make their debut on the network in 2024.

Space City Home Network launches just days before the Astros begin their quest to win back-to-back World Series championships. The Astros will face the winner of the Minnesota Twins/Toronto Blue Jays series in the American League Divisional Series later this month.