The Official "Espn First Take , FS1 Undisputed, Sportscenter , Sports Radio, Podcasts etc" Thread.
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Only thing with Bomani moving his show to a podcast is I hope it doesn't affect him doing The Evening Jones. He always says he has it written into his contract that je gets to keep that show
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http://awfulannouncing.com/mma/ufc-seeks-media-rights-hike-att-time-warner-wwe.htmlUFC seeks big media rights hike, finds tepid interest
The UFC’s television contract with Fox expires next year, and there’s been plenty of speculation about where their non-pay-per-view fights might end up. Showtime has been mentioned as a potential destination, and UFC president Dana White has spoken about perhaps getting streaming services involved. That may well be necessary (at least in bidding) if they hope to meet their projections of $450 million annually in non-PPV media rights revenue, which would be a big hike from the current $120 million they receive (on average) each year from Fox.
But the UFC may have a hard time reaching that goal, as John Ourand reports in Sports Business Journal that broadcasters aren’t offering anywhere near what the organization is asking for so far:
The UFC’s seven-year deal with Fox ends next year. The current Fox deal is worth an average of $120 million per year, with the fee jumping to $160 million in the final year of the deal, sources said.
Fox allowed its exclusive negotiating window to lapse early last month without submitting a formal bid. Sources say the two sides would like to continue their deal, but as of now are far apart in price. Fox Sports President Eric Shanks told Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and co-President Mark Shapiro that Fox was prepared to make an offer worth around $200 million per year, less than half of the $450 million per year average the UFC wants.
Talks between the two are ongoing. Shanks has remained in steady contact with Emanuel and Shapiro, sources said.
Executives with CBS, ESPN, NBC Sports and Turner Sports took the UFC’s meetings over the past month, during which UFC executives presented a deck outlining the growth of the UFC and justifying why its media rights should increase.
Turner Sports executives showed the most interest in a potential deal, sources said. But uncertainty over the pending AT&T-Time Warner merger, which currently is experiencing trouble as it moves through the Justice Department, has dampened enthusiasm for a UFC deal. A merged AT&T-Time Warner could let DirecTV handle the UFC’s pay-per-view, AT&T oversee UFC’s mobile apps and Turner use UFC content on its channels and OTT platform.
It’s interesting that the Justice Department roadblocks to the AT&T – Time Warner deal may wind up impacting the UFC’s media rights, but that makes some sense. As Ourand notes, the UFC is perhaps more compelling for a combined company than it is for Turner alone, as there are synergies with AT&T and DirecTV. And beyond that, with plenty of questions about the future of the Time Warner unit as a whole thanks to the delay of this acquisition, Turner may not be too eager to make big, splashy moves until they know more about what their corporate structure will look like going forward.
Now, it should be noted that there’s still time here; there’s a year left on that Fox deal, and the AT&T – Time Warner situation is quite fluid, with many speculating that AT&T could eventually win in court if it came to that. So Turner may still wind up being a player in the UFC negotiations, and while their presence alone may not drive the deal up to the desired $450 million annually, having more serious bidders should raise the price at least a little. At the very least, though, the AT&T – Time Warner delay seems to have put a damper on UFC negotiations here.
There are other factors possibly weighing these rights down, too. One is that it’s not clear yet what the streaming services situation is; the UFC has met with digital companies like Amazon and Oath (the Verizon-owned company that’s combined AOL and Yahoo), but it’s not yet specified if they’re angling to sell those companies a full broadcast package like what Fox had a separate carved-out package (and if the latter, what content that would take away from the broadcast deal). And that speaks to a larger potential concern for broadcasters; the UFC’s broadcast fights have often underwhelmed in interest and ratings thanks to many of the top fighters being regularly put on pay-per-view, so broadcasters have to be curious about just what level of UFC content they’re getting and what kind of guarantees they’ll have there.
Beyond that, too, there’s marketplace competition. Good ? …that’s Vince McMahon’s music:
Complicating matters is the fact that WWE’s rights are up in the fall of 2019. WWE’s scripted programming and audience makeup is much different than the UFC’s. But a channel like FS1 could look at WWE as acceptable replacement programming in case it loses UFC rights.
WWE executives met with Fox executives in Los Angeles earlier this summer, with Shanks meeting with the WWE’s top executives, including George Barrios, chief strategy and financial officer, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque, executive vice president of talent, live events and creative.
The meeting was part of a WWE road show where it spoke with various networks, including CBS and Disney, plus digital companies like Amazon and YouTube to show the power of its programming.
Because WWE’s exclusive negotiating window with NBC doesn’t end until the spring of 2018, they did not negotiate contract points or talk about rights fees. WWE will make around $180 million from its NBC deal in 2017.
As Ourand notes there, it’s not that WWE’s programming or audience is exactly what the UFC has, but there is some crossover between the properties. And that makes it particularly notable that they’re coming to market at a similar time as the UFC, and talking to many of the same players, both in the traditional broadcast realm and in the digital space. There aren’t a ton of other big sports rights coming to market any time soon, so both of these companies could wind up doing quite well despite that, especially if they manage to get the streaming companies involved.
But it’s easy to see some of these players being okay with landing either the UFC or the WWE, and that could reduce the pressure (and thus, the bidding) for either. We’ll see how it all plays out in the end, but for now, it looks like those $450 million projections from the UFC may be pretty optimistic. -
Only thing with Bomani moving his show to a podcast is I hope it doesn't affect him doing The Evening Jones. He always says he has it written into his contract that je gets to keep that show
I hope he keeps The Evening Jones. That might be the best thing he does. -
It is because he gets to be more of himself. I don't even mind that contractually he can't talk about sports anymore, though those older episodes before he joined ESPN full time in 2013 where he did had some great moments, but his podcast just lets him talk about everything else...and you don't even really agree with him on all his points but you can tell he's genuine in what he says and the points he makes. -
I turned on undisputed then 1st take and they were talkin bout the dallas coonboys simultaneously
They aint done ? since adina howard and bone was poppin but networks stay spammin this wack ass team -
Tommy bilfiger wrote: »I turned on undisputed then 1st take and they were talkin bout the dallas coonboys simultaneously
They aint done ? since adina howard and bone was poppin but networks stay spammin this wack ass team
They’re the most watched team and profitable team in the NFL, of course they gonna get talked about. -
http://awfulannouncing.com/nba/longtime-nba-broadcaster-steve-snapper-jones-passes-away-75.htmlLongtime NBA broadcaster Steve ‘Snapper’ Jones passes away at 75
John Canzano of The Oregonian reports that Steve “Snapper” Jones has died at the age of 75.
After starring in college for the Oregon Ducks’ basketball team, Jones was a three-time All-Star (1970-72) over eight seasons in the ABA, before finishing up his basketball career in the NBA with his hometown Portland Trail Blazers in 1975-76.
While Jones had a terrific basketball career, he’s probably better-known for his outstanding work as a longtime television analyst, particularly as a color commentator for NBA on NBC for 13 years. Jones was frequently paired with his former Blazers teammate Bill Walton in three-man booths on NBC, and their (good-hearted) arguments made for very entertaining television.
Jones started his career as a broadcaster with CBS in 1976, and was also an analyst for TBS, TNT, NBATV. Additionally, he served as analyst for the Trail Blazers and Seattle Sonics, and covered the 1992 Barcelona Olympics for NBC. -
snapper jones was so good calling games
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detcatinva wrote: »snapper jones was so good calling games
Him and Bill Walton bickering was ? classic
RIP -
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Ball game!!!
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playmaker88 wrote: »detcatinva wrote: »snapper jones was so good calling games
Him and Bill Walton bickering was ? classic
RIP
They were great!!! -
RIP to the snapper
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Bomani wasn't even doing his radio shows on Fridays. I figured he would do podcasting, and have time to write columns and do his upcoming tv show.
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Quick question, did they say anything about the Cotto fight today on First Take? Anything, even a mention?
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stringer bell wrote: »
she woke fagan up
blackinstone’s expression says “tough break”
and white dudes expression says “damn ? you loud as ? right now” -
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-12/nfl-harassment-suit-alleges-groping-by-top-executive-ex-playersNFL TV, ESPN Suspend Five Ex-Players Over Harassment Claims
The NFL Network, ESPN and Bill Simmons’ The Ringer have suspended five on-air commentators and a senior executive after allegations of sexual harassment by a former co-worker.
The former football players, including Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, Heath Evans and Ike Taylor, allegedly groped and made sexually explicit comments to Jami Cantor when they were colleagues at the NFL Network, according to a lawsuit filed against NFL Enterprises by Cantor.
The allegations against the retired players and former NFL Network executive producer Eric Weinberger, who’s now president of sports commentator Bill Simmons’s media group, are part of a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. An amended complaint filed Monday detailed specific acts of harassment by several individuals who aren’t named as defendants.
Weinberger sent “several nude pictures of himself and sexually explicit texts” and told Cantor she was “put on earth to pleasure me,” according to the complaint. Cantor says he also pressed his crotch against her shoulder and asked her to touch it.
She said she was also sexually harassed by on-air talent. Faulk would ask Cantor “deeply personal and invasive questions” about her sex life; he also fondled her ? and groped her behind, according to the complaint.
Taylor sent Cantor “sexually inappropriate” pictures and a video of him ? in the shower, according to the filing. Donovan McNabb, a former analyst, also texted her explicit comments, according to the complaint.
Inappropriate Photos
Faulk, Taylor and Evans have been suspended pending the investigation, said Alex Riethmiller, a spokesman for the NFL Network. McNabb now works for ESPN, which said in a statement that neither the former quarterback nor another employee identified in the complaint, Eric Davis, would appear on its networks during an NFL investigation into the allegations.
Weinberger has been suspended from Simmons’s media properties, including The Ringer website, according to a statement. He hung up the phone when reached by a Bloomberg reporter, and Simmons didn’t return emails seeking comment on the allegations.
Joel Segal, who represents Taylor, didn’t immediately return a voicemail seeking comment. Jordan Bazant, who represents Faulk and Evans, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations. Representatives for McNabb didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Cantor first filed her case in October, claiming wrongful termination. Laura Horton, a lawyer for Cantor, said by phone, “It’s outrageous conduct and I fully intend to hold the NFL Network responsible.”
While several men across politics, media, entertainment and the technology industry have been fired over allegations of sexual harassment, this is the most sweeping indictment to surface at the intersection of sports and media.
Earlier this year, Fox Sports fired executive Jamie Horowitz after allegations of harassment; former big-league catcher and Toronto Blue Jays analyst Gregg Zaun was let go for inappropriate behavior toward female coworkers; and former NFL quarterback Warren Moon was accused of harassment. None have the star power or name recognition among casual sports fans like Faulk or McNabb.
Live Programming
At the NFL Network, Weinberger helped create and oversee the network’s live programming, and when Simmons praised his professional record when he hired him. “He’s a talented guy with an impeccable reputation, someone who is uniquely equipped to help me build an innovative multimedia company from scratch,” Simmons said in a 2015 statement.
“I know from experience that you’re only as good as the people around you, and Eric is one of the very best,” he said at the time.
Cantor said she complained about the sexual advances from former NFL players to Marc Watts, the league’s talent coordinator but that he did nothing. According to the complaint, he told her, “It’s part of the job when you look the way you do.” Watts didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Cantor said she also raised concerns about other working conditions at the network, including a failure to reimburse her for expenses and a lack of compensation for the hours she worked. She was terminated by her supervisor at the NFL in October 2016, when she was 51, and replaced by a 30-year-old, according to the complaint.
The revelations and suspensions are the latest in a series of challenges to the NFL, which is coping with falling television ratings amid player protests and public rebukes from President Donald Trump. Earlier this fall, fans witnessed a the owners’ public fight over whether to extend Commissioner Roger Goodell’s contract.
At one point, furious that Goodell suspended star running back Ezekiel Elliott after an accusation of domestic violence, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones threatened to sue his fellow owners. Jones eventually yielded, and the contract was ratified. Elliott will be eligible to play when Dallas hosts the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 24. -
http://awfulannouncing.com/nfl/sports-reporter-lindsay-mccormick-details-experience-inappropriate-behavior-nfl-network.htmlSports reporter Lindsay McCormick details her own experience of inappropriate behavior at NFL Network
This week NFL Network has been rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct by a number of prominent employees. With the #MeToo movement having an impact on almost every walk of life, it was only a matter of time before the sports media became part of the story. A former NFL Network employee filed suit against the network and named the likes of Marshall Faulk, Eric Davis, Heath Evans, Ike Taylor, and Donovan McNabb as well as executive Eric Weinberger regarding serious allegations of sexual harassment.
The lawsuit details going public has led to the suspension of the talent remaining at NFL Network as well as McNabb and Davis who now work at ESPN and Weinberger who now works for The Ringer.
On Wednesday another person has come forward with her own experience of inappropriate behavior at NFL Network. This time it was sports reporter Lindsay McCormick.
McCormick posted this message on her Instagram page, detailing an interview with a hiring manager at NFL Network. She says that the executive asked her point blank if she planned on getting “knocked up.” McCormick also says that the unnamed executive no longer works for the network.
McCormick is an Auburn grad and Houston native and has done a myriad of work across sports media for the likes of ESPNU, NBC, CBS, and others.
Obviously it’s pretty disturbing if an executive is using “having a child” as a disqualifying trait for a future female employee, and in such a crass, discriminatory way as well. And this story combined with the multiple suspensions we’ve seen coming from the lawsuit against the network makes one wonder if there is or was a culture problem that exists at NFL Network.
These stories certainly align with everything else we’ve been hearing throughout the last several months of women speaking up about being mistreated across society. It takes a lot of courage for women to share these stories publicly and time will tell whether more similar accounts will emerge from NFL Network or elsewhere in sports media.
