August 28, 2024

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ESPN isn’t just about national coverage anymore. Front Office Sports was in Bristol today to hear about the big plans Jimmy Pitaro, the network’s chairman, has to bring regional games straight to your screen. Could this be a game-changer for local sports broadcasting?

Meanwhile in college football, FOS has learned that Colorado alleged Oregon accessed its private football data after their 2023 game. Get the full details in this exclusive [[link removed]] by senior reporter A.J. Perez.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

ESPN’s Pitaro: RSN Turmoil Is Chance to Expand Local Game Coverage [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

BRISTOL, Conn. — The most expansive of the U.S. national sports media networks wants to be a major player on the regional level, too.

ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro (above) said Wednesday that the Disney-owned property is aiming to position itself as a meaningful response to the accelerating disruption across the regional sports network industry. That turbulence includes the ongoing bankruptcy of Bally Sports parent Diamond Sports Group [[link removed]], a significant winnowing of Root Sports [[link removed]], and viewership and subscriber declines for many other RSNs amid fast-growing cord-cutting by consumers.

But ESPN is developing a series of measures to air locally oriented games on various platforms.

“That is an industry that is changing very, very rapidly,” Pitaro said of RSNs at a media day at ESPN headquarters held with reporters. “Every day, it seems I’m reading about another team that is changing their approach in terms of local, in-market games. We want to be at least part of the solution. … We are very interested in stepping up here.”

Deal structures for ESPN could potentially take a variety of forms, including striking rights deals directly with teams or partnering on a larger basis. In this latter area, Pitaro mentioned a potential scenario in which it worked with Major League Baseball as it increasingly looks to pool a critical mass of local team rights [[link removed]] to distribute through the league.

“We are very interested in continuing to identify partnerships on a team-specific basis,” Pitaro said in response to a Front Office Sports question. “That said, if Major League Baseball is able to put together a group of teams, we would love to be able to … do a larger deal that, quite honestly, would be simpler than having to do individual team deals.”

Flagship Talk

Pitaro also highlighted the expanding efforts to develop a direct-to-consumer version of the flagship ESPN network. That offering is still scheduled to debut in the early fall of 2025 [[link removed]], a timetable laid out previously by Disney leadership.

Beyond acting as a key hedge against cord-cutting and the winnowing of the traditional cable bundle, a full DTC version of ESPN is also predicated on a full set of features. The forthcoming service will include all ESPN networks, including ESPN+, embedded within it, along with full integration with ESPN fantasy and ESPN Bet, statistics, merchandising and commerce, and personalized features.

“Flagship [DTC] is a top priority for ESPN. It’s a top priority for the Walt Disney Company,” Pitaro said. “It’s an understatement to say we have all hands on deck from a product and development perspective.”

The flagship DTC version of ESPN is also eyed as a key tool in the regional sports strategy with its ability to geotarget users.

Elsewhere on the streaming front, Pitaro largely demurred on the subject of Venu Sports. The streaming service bundling content from Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery is currently blocked from debuting amid an ongoing legal battle with FuboTV. The trio of Venu Sports backers are appealing the ruling [[link removed]].

“We do respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling,” he said. “We are appealing, and believe that Venu is a pro-competitive service, pro-consumer, pro-sports fan, and believe it’s giving the sports fan another option.”

Dream Job

Pitaro has been frequently mentioned as a potential successor [[link removed]] to Disney CEO Bob Iger when he steps down at the end of 2026. But Pitaro, a longtime confidante of Iger, insisted his approach to running ESPN has not changed amid that speculation, and maintained he is very happy in his current position.

“I will tell you, without any hesitation, that I am sitting in my dream job,” he said. “I literally grew up wanting to work here. Even the years I was competing against this place, I wanted to work here.”

EVENT

Front Office Sports’ inaugural Tuned In sports media summit will come to life Sept. 10 as a one-day event in New York City. Led in part by senior media reporter Mike McCarthy, this event will feature intimate discussions with leaders from ESPN, NBC, YouTube, Roku, and more.

Register now [[link removed]].

PGA Tour Set to Wrap Season Without Answers on Potential LIV Golf Union [[link removed]]

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The PGA Tour will conclude its season this weekend with no end in sight to the ongoing negotiations with the financial backers of LIV Golf aimed at unifying the divided men’s professional game.

Speaking Wednesday ahead of the Tour Championship, which tees off Thursday, commissioner Jay Monahan said there is no deadline in place to reach a deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which could invest up to $3 billion [[link removed]] in the new for-profit entity PGA Tour Enterprises. “I don’t think we want to restrict ourselves in that way,” Monahan said at his annual press conference at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. “We want to achieve the best and right outcome at the right time.”

That’s a stark contrast from this time last year, when the PGA Tour and PIF were operating under a self-imposed—and eventually missed [[link removed]]—Dec. 31, 2023, deadline to come to a definitive deal after announcing a bombshell framework agreement last June. On Wednesday, Monahan reiterated his stance that he won’t negotiate in public, and he offered few details about where talks with the PIF stand.

The PGA Tour has already released its 2025 schedule. LIV Golf will conclude its 2024 season with two events in Chicago and Dallas next month.

Time for Payday

The Tour Championship will pay out nearly $83 million to its 30-player field, part of the $100 million FedExCup Playoffs bonus [[link removed]]. Once again using a staggered start based on performance during the regular season and two previous playoff events, here are the top five and what they would earn if they finished status quo:

1st: Scottie Scheffler (-10), $25 million 2nd: Xander Schauffele (-8), $12.5 million 3rd: Hideki Matsuyama (-7), $7.5 million 4th: Keegan Bradley (-6), $6 million 5th: Ludvig Åberg (-5), $5 million

The remaining 25 players will start between -4 and even par. The top 12 players will all earn at least $1 million, and last place still gets $550,000—typically a payment reserved for a top-five finish at many Tour events.

SPONSORED BY 3D DIGITAL VENUE

Tickets, Please

In 10 years, what will you use to get into a ballpark, stadium, or arena for a game, and what will the experience look like once you’re in? The answer isn’t so clear, and the only thing everyone agrees on is things could look dramatically different.

Join us Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Ticketing [[link removed]], supported by 3D Digital Venue.

From new technology and utilizing consumer data to QR codes, NFC chips, and fingerprint scans, all of the changes will get their moment at our latest virtual summit featuring industry experts fluent in ticketing innovation.

Register now [[link removed]].

LOUD AND CLEAR More Like a Marathon

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

“The season is, for sure, too long. I think it needs to be changed.”

—Iga Świątek (above), the top-ranked women’s tennis player, said after her first-round match [[link removed]] at the US Open on Tuesday when asked about the schedule for professional tennis players. The 2022 US Open winner said she thinks it would be better for fans if there were a less demanding schedule because it would stop them from pulling out of some tournaments and help prevent injury.

Other tennis stars, including Novak Djokovic, have complained about the grueling, yearlong tennis schedule in the past [[link removed]]. Some, such as Coco Gauff [[link removed]] and Ons Jabeur [[link removed].], have also cited poor scheduling within specific tournaments, including during the most recent French Open.

NIL WATCH Welcome to the Family

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Front Office Sports keeps you updated on the latest NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals shaping college sports. Here’s who is cashing in now:

Athlete: Shedeur Sanders Sport: Football School: Colorado Brand: Nike

The deal: The 22-year-old quarterback is following in the footsteps of his father, Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, by signing an endorsement deal with the Swoosh. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal with Shedeur Sanders (above) includes footwear and apparel. The elder Sanders reunited with Nike [[link removed]] last year after a decade-long stint with Under Armour. Nike also outfits Colorado’s football team.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Travis Kelce ⬆ The Chiefs star tight end and boyfriend of pop star Taylor Swift has purchased an ownership stake in a 3-year-old racehorse named Swift Delivery. Kelce (above) has attended several Kentucky Derbys in recent years.

ESPN ⬆ The network averaged one million viewers for Formula One’s return from its summer break [[link removed]] at the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday. That’s a 3% bump over the 2023 race and has ESPN pacing 6% above its full-season F1 average viewership last year [[link removed]] of 1.11 million.

Chiefs ⬆ The two-time defending Super Bowl champions have signed actor Rob Riggle, a noted Kansas City fan, to cohost their season kickoff pregame show that will stream online Sept. 5 ahead of the NFL opener against the Ravens.

Big Ten Network ⬇ Comcast/Xfinity customers on the West Coast are at risk of missing USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington college football game broadcasts this weekend due to a new carriage dispute [[link removed]] between the conference channel and TV provider.

SPONSORED BY UBS

Beyond the Mic With Method Man

During Hot 97’s 2024 Summer Jam concert at UBS Arena, Wu-Tang Clan’s Method Man discussed his legendary music career with Wale Ogunleye, UBS head of sports and entertainment. During their conversation [[link removed]], Method Man shared his thoughts on life beyond the mic, including his career as an actor, his thoughts on legacy, and his love and support for lacrosse, a sport he was first introduced to as a teenager growing up in Hempstead, Long Island.

Be sure to check out the full conversation [[link removed]] to hear more.

Conversation Starters Netflix has released the first look at its new docuseries on the 2023–2024 NBA season. Watch it here [[link removed]]. UCF revealed some new features to its football stadium coming in 2026, including four levels and lodge seating. Take a look [[link removed]]. The NASCAR Cup Series is heading to Mexico City in 2025 [[link removed]] for its first points race outside of the U.S. in 67 years. Editors’ Picks Colorado Alleged Oregon Accessed Its Private Football Data Last Season [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Colorado alleged Oregon accessed its online service that contains practice video. NFLPA Sues DraftKings for $65 Million Over NFT Deal [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The NFLPA says DraftKings owes roughly $65 million for breaching their contract. ESPN’s New Streaming Guide to Include Games on Rival Networks [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]ESPN has partnered with NESN and Monumental Sports for the feature. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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