When famed wrestler Sting described his character change from a clean-cut babyface to a darker, enigmatic character in 1996, he provided the proper axiom for predicting the longer term. The Stinger remarked, “The only thing that is certain about Sting is that nothing is certain.”

This also applies to sports media. There are some trends which are obvious (increased investment in women's sports media; legacy media consolidation and layoffs; Netflix becoming a bigger sports provider; more media focused on sports betting revenue), but who knows? Nevertheless, we provide you with some guesses for 2025.

1. Tom Brady will retire from broadcasting before the beginning of the 2025 NFL season

I've said before that I might bet big money on Brady not ending his 10-year, $375 million contract with Fox, given all of his various business interests outside of broadcasting, including property. That stays true. The safer prediction could be for Brady to desert his Fox contract after three or 4 years. But I'll be daring and say that Brady delves deeper into the Las Vegas Raiders within the offseason and decides to go all-in with NFL ownership and his production company by the beginning of the following NFL season.

2. WNBA viewership will increase in 2025

This shouldn’t be a moment for ladies’s sports. There has been a movement for a while. Game 5 of the WNBA Finals – a 67-62 extra time thriller won by the New York Liberty – averaged 2.15 million viewers, the most-watched WNBA Finals game in 25 years. The final round was watched by a median of 1.6 million viewers, 115 percent greater than last season. It was the culmination of a unbelievable yr in attendance for the league – and we're keen to say that the catalyst for the rise in attendance was interest in Caitlin Clark. In total, there have been 32 WNBA television windows amongst its media partners that reached the 1 million viewer mark throughout the 2024 season, including the WNBA Draft. This broke the previous record of 15.

Starting with the 2026 season, you'll see latest partners NBC and Amazon Prime Video on a long-term TV rights deal, and it is best to expect them to speculate significant marketing dollars. Under the brand new agreements, Disney, NBC and Amazon will distribute greater than 125 regular-season and playoff games nationwide each season, including not less than 25 regular-season games on Disney platforms, 50 regular-season games on NBCUniversal platforms and 30 games the regular season. Season games on Amazon Prime Video. Thanks to the brand new 3-on-3 women's basketball league, Unrivaled, launching in January 2025, the league can be getting a lift from a brand new franchise (Golden State Valkyries) and more off-season exposure for star players.

Clark's star will proceed to rise, and in case you think malicious actors bashing her for culture war points can have an impact on viewership, I refer you to those that predicted NFL viewership will probably be gone without end. For the WNBA, the arrow is pointing up.

3. ESPN Flagship will probably be an fast hit

ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service, codenamed “Flagship,” will allow consumers to access the complete range of ESPN networks with out a traditional pay-TV subscription. This includes all of ESPN+'s programming offerings and what’s currently airing on linear ESPN. There may even be integration with ESPN Fantasy and ESPN Bet. The starting price is reportedly between $25 and $30 per 30 days, and I feel this price will initially attract consumers. I feel early subscriber numbers will exceed expectations, especially given recent strong growth in YouTube TV.

Research firm MoffettNathanson, which provides media, communications and technology trends to institutional investors, released a note this month by which it forecast that “after an initial investment of $75 million in fiscal year (fiscal year) 2025, around the Getting the service up and running (probably). (a launch at the end of fiscal year 2025, in time for the start of the NFL season), we expect an initial one million paid subscribers in fiscal year 2026, resulting in subscription revenue of just over $200 million and advertising revenue of $20 million.” I expect this number to be higher by fiscal yr 2026.

4. Kevin Harlan will watch NBA games for Amazon Prime Video

Ian Eagle has made a deal as one among Amazon's lead broadcasters, and I expect Harlan to affix him. A 1-2 game-winning combination with Eagle and Harlan will immediately give the streamer massive credibility within the live game space.

5. ESPN will terminate its current MLB contract after the 2025 season

This might be the closest thing to a layup prediction. MoffettNathanson said Disney/ESPN could save as much as $600 million in expenses by leaving, although most expect the contract to be restructured. Will ESPN get local games for Flagship?

6. UFC will probably be split between ESPN and Netflix

No inside information from me – only a guess that UFC finally ends up imitating WWE and landing its product on each Disney and Netflix. And so Netflix begins to push hard for sports rights.

7. ESPN finally commits to hosting a each day studio show dedicated to women's basketball throughout the WNBA season

They have an impressive crowd-pleaser in Clark, a litany of interesting all-stars from A'ja Wilson to Kelsey Plum, and an appetite for storylines on and off the sphere. If ESPN wants the credit for constructing women's basketball in America, because it all the time does, it's in no way up for discussion given its quite a few distribution channels. If this doesn't exist next yr, the network must be dismantled.

8. The Pac-12 will acquire not less than one major media company for its media rights

In November, the Pac-12 announced that Octagon would serve because the official agency to guide the conference through the media rights landscape. That signals to me that somebody with some weight will bite, and I take a flyer that it should be WBD Sports, whose 2024 yr was defined by the lack of the rights to the NBA on TNT. Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State and Utah State join Oregon State and Washington State for the 2026-27 season. The league needs one other football school to fulfill the edge and remain recognized as a conference inside the FBS division.

9. ESPN hires an lively player or coach for the NBA Finals

It's been clear for a while that ESPN management doesn't desire a two-person booth for NBA Finals coverage. It's also clear that the network wants an enormous name (e.g. Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers) within the highlight for the sale.

Who could that be? My colleague Andrew Marchand posited on this June article that ESPN should already be courting the likes of LeBron James or Steph Curry in the event that they were ever to contemplate broadcasting. This is an interesting long-term game. What I feel may be very likely in 2025 is that somebody like Chris Paul will probably be a guest analyst for the Finals. Longtime NBA coach Monty Williams would even be an interesting individual case.

ESPN NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski is retiring from broadcasting and returning to his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, to tackle the newly created position of general manager of the lads's basketball program, the Atlantic 10 school announced Wednesday.

Wojnarowski will assume a big selection of responsibilities alongside coach Mark Schmidt and his team. His duties include specializing in name, image and likeness opportunities, managing transfer portals, recruiting and maintaining relationships with former players.

“I am thrilled and honored to return to St. Bonaventure and serve the university,” Wojnarowski said in a press release from the varsity in Allegany, New York. “I hope to share with members of our community some of the best practices I have learned from the NBA's most successful franchises and minds and aim to open doors for our players worldwide, both on and off the court.”

Wojnarowski graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a level in journalism in 1991 and received an honorary doctorate from the varsity in 2022. The 55-year-old has worked at ESPN since 2017 and decided to retire despite still having a contract he signed with the broadcaster in 2022.

Wojnarowski, who previously worked at Yahoo Sports and The Record of New Jersey, was twice APSE Columnist of the Year and was named National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association for the three-year period from 2017 to 2019.

Schmidt called the addition of Wojnarowski to his staff a “home run,” adding, “This move is critical to navigating the new landscape of college basketball in the NIL and recruiting and retaining new players.”

St. Bonaventure is positioned within the Allegany Mountains in southwestern New York State, a couple of 90-minute drive south of Buffalo.

The Catholic school, which has an enrollment of about 2,000 students, is seeking to capitalize on Wojnarowski's notoriety while following other programs that created the GM role within the NIL era. He is best known for breaking NBA news with so-called “Woj Bombs” on social media.

“While we will miss his daily performance, we completely understand his decision to change his lifestyle and slow down,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a press release. “We know he will continue to be successful in this next chapter, and he has our shared gratitude and support.”

Bob Beretta, vice chairman and director of intercollegiate athletics at St. Bonaventure University, called Wojnarowski's signing an “incredible opportunity” for the varsity to utilize his many basketball contacts.

“At a time of tremendous turmoil in college sports, we are sending a clear message that St. Bonaventure continues to be at the forefront of change,” Beretta said. “The fact that the preeminent journalist in his field is willing to give up a lucrative media career to serve his alma mater in a support role is a testament to his love and passion for Bona.”

Originally published: September 18, 2024 at 9:16 am

Walt Disney Co. shut down ESPN and other DirecTV channels on Sunday, minutes before kickoff of a high-profile USC football game and in the course of the U.S. Open tennis tournament – to the anger of sports fans who were within the midst of a bitter contract dispute.

More than 10 million DirecTV and U-Verse video customers were drawn into the dispute when DirecTV lost the rights to broadcast Disney programming, including Disney-owned ABC television stations.

The two corporations had been negotiating for weeks at DirecTV headquarters, but were unable to agree on a brand new licensing agreement by the September 1 deadline.

The ban is the newest sign of the strain on traditional TV broadcasters as their customers switch to streaming.

“Consumers will blame someone, but really both companies had to put themselves in this situation,” Ross Benes, senior analyst at Emarketer, said recently.

Here’s what it is best to know in regards to the dispute:

Why does this occur?

Pay-TV providers like DirecTV have seen dramatic increases in the price of licensing programming as their customer bases have shrunk resulting from cable cancellations. TV providers are struggling to make cash from their video channels and fear that big price increases will only drive away more customers.

The cost of carrying television networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) and sports channels corresponding to ESPN has skyrocketed as broadcasters seek to pass on the value increases they’ve promised to sports leagues and conferences. These price increases must increasingly be borne by the shrinking variety of traditional pay-TV subscribers.

DirecTV asked Disney for flexibility to supply smaller, genre-specific packages. Disney has long required pay-TV corporations to hold its cable channels, including ESPN, within the homes of most of its customers. ESPN is the costliest basic cable channel, costing providers nearly $10 per thirty days per subscriber household.

This has led to one of the crucial sensitive points in the present dispute: Disney's “minimum penetration” requirements for its channels, including ESPN. Disney requires that ESPN be broadcast to about 82 percent of DirecTV subscribers.

Minimum penetration has allowed Disney to gather huge fees over time, even from subscribers who don't watch much sports. Pay-TV corporations need to pay penalties in the event that they don't meet the minimum threshold.

DirecTV argues that it’s unfair to burden these subscribers with the high cost of sports programming, since lower than 40% of its customers repeatedly watch Disney sports content. Disney counters that the corporate has invested heavily in high-quality programming and has offered its channels, including ESPN, to DirecTV at market prices.

DirecTV is attempting to lower these penetration rates and reduce the fees it has to pay if it doesn't meet the edge.

The satellite provider also points out that only 10% of its customers repeatedly watch children's programs, but greater than 80% of its subscribers pay for these channels.

In addition, DirecTV and other distributors have also chafed at efforts by Disney and other entertainment giants to construct their very own streaming services that compete with their longtime partners, the pay-TV corporations. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Corp. teamed up this 12 months to construct a sports streaming service called Venu as a substitute for corporations like DirecTV. The effort was challenged in court, and a federal judge in New York issued a short lived restraining order temporarily blocking Venu from launching.

How long will this dispute last?

That is unclear.

A 12 months ago an analogous dispute between Disney and Charter Communicationswhich operates the Spectrum service, lasted 12 days.

Following that bitter battle, Charter dropped some smaller Disney-owned channels, including Freeform, and won the precise to supply Disney streaming services, including Disney+, as a part of its package. But the outage proved costly for Charter, which lost more subscribers than expected.

The suspension ended just as ESPN's first Monday Night Football game of the season began.

Usually a dispute ends when either side feel the economic consequences.

“There is always a lot at stake,” said Benes. “But if [DirecTV doesn’t] If there are not any more ESPN channels in the subsequent three months, that can result in much more cable TV cancellations. That could possibly be one other nail within the coffin.”

Which programs could be affected?

Customers living in cities where a Disney-owned ABC television station, such as KABC-TV Channel 7 in Los Angeles, can be expected to experience interruptions to some of their favorite shows, including “Good Morning America,” “Jeopardy” and local newscasts. Disney owns eight ABC stations, including those in San Francisco, Fresno, New York, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia and Raleigh-Durham.

Right now, the biggest pain is being felt by sports fans. College football fans are still upset about missing Sunday's clash between USC and Louisiana State University, in which the 23rd-ranked Trojans achieve an exciting last-minute victory over the Tigers in 13th place.

ESPN owns the rights to the US Open tennis tournament, which is in the final rounds of men's and women's quarterfinals and semifinals, with the finals taking place this weekend.

College football also plays a big role on ABC and ESPN.

Monday Night Football on ESPN and ABC kicks off with a high-profile matchup between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, two markets served by ABC-owned networks. The game is expected to feature the return of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending injury in last year's MNF opener.

ABC will also host the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump on September 10. However, the debate will also be broadcast by other networks.

The Disney-owned channel will also broadcast the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards show on September 15, meaning millions of customers will not be able to watch the TV fan fest – hosted by father-son comedy duo Eugene and Dan Levy — if the dispute lasts for more than two weeks.

Is there a workaround?

Viewers can receive ABC signals via a digital Over-the-air antennaBut that won't help viewers of Disney cable channels ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, FX or National Geographic.

Competing services offering Disney's cable channels include YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV (owned by Disney), FuboTV, and traditional cable and satellite providers including Charter Spectrum, Cox Communications, Comcast and Dish Networks.

Can I get a refund?

Yes, sort of. DirecTV is offering its customers a $20 credit as compensation for the outage. must apply for the loan to an upcoming bill.

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit www.latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Originally published: September 4, 2024 at 11:21 am

Mike Greenberg can be the brand new host of “Sunday NFL Countdown” as ESPN assembles its roster for the primary Super Bowl in 2027, a source acquainted with the matter said Tuesday.

Greenberg replaces Sam Ponder, who was fired last week with one 12 months and over $1 million left on her contract. While she’s going to receive her full salary, ESPN has taken the step to scrub up its books as its fiscal 12 months ends at the top of September.

But Ponder's decision must also boost Greenberg, a longtime favorite of ESPN executives. As host of the each day shows “Get Up” on television and “Greeny” on radio, Greenberg is already a ubiquitous presence on the network. Greenberg was briefly the lead NBA anchor before relinquishing those duties to Malika Andrews last season. He also hosts the NFL Draft on ESPN, which is taken into account a prestigious job.

Greenberg, 57, gets the job ahead of Laura Rutledge, a rising star on the network. Although Rutledge, the host of each day “NFL Live,” is on the rise, that is the second time within the last 12 months that she has lost out to a longtime ESPN anchor.

Just before last season, Scott Van Pelt was named host of Monday Night Football's “NFL Countdown,” replacing Rutledge. Van Pelt's Monday program also received an overhaul, with Jason Kelce replacing the recently fired Robert Griffin III. Kelce is a guest on Mondays alongside analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark.

On Sunday, Greenberg's essential appearance will feature Randy Moss, Tedy Bruschi, Rex Ryan and Alex Smith, in addition to insider Adam Schefter.

ESPN and ABC will broadcast the Super Bowl for the primary time in 2027, and network executives are designing their weekly sets for this big moment in the corporate's history.

Required reading

ESPN has fired Sunday NFL Countdown host Samantha Ponder and analyst Robert Griffin III, sources acquainted with the changes said Thursday.

The decisions were made for financial reasons as ESPN closes its fiscal 12 months at the tip of September, based on a source acquainted with the matter. Both Ponder and Griffin earned greater than seven figures. Both were informed of ESPN's decision on Thursday morning, a source acquainted with the choice said. Neither Griffin nor Ponder responded to requests for comment, but Griffin has referred to the move in posts on X.

“I am grateful for so many people who have helped me grow during my time at ESPN because they are some of the best in the business. … THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my family during my playing days and my career as a presenter so far,” he wrote.

Ponder was entering the ultimate season of a three-year deal value greater than $3 million, sources briefed on her contract said. She was working only in the distinguished role of host of the “Sunday NFL Countdown” and was essentially off for the remaining of the 12 months. ESPN normally reserves those sorts of dates for the Joe Bucks, Troy Aikmans and Peyton Mannings of its world.

Possible successors to Ponder include “NFL Live” host Laura Rutledge and “Get Up” host Mike Greenberg. According to sources acquainted with the network's internal discussions, Greenberg is taken into account the favourite.

The severance packages for Ponder and Griffin are the one moves ESPN is making at the moment, but the corporate could make more pay cuts by the tip of September. However, the cuts are unlikely to be nearly as bad as last June, when around 20 big names were let go, including well-known figures reminiscent of Jeff Van Gundy, Suzy Kolber and Jalen Rose.

Griffin, who was considered a rising star at ESPN last 12 months, had two years left on his contract. He was hired three years ago after interest from Fox Sports and ESPN, where sources at each networks raved about what they called probably the greatest auditions they’d ever seen.

Last season, he was considered ESPN's second-best college football game analyst, together with Sean McDonough, however the job went to Greg McElroy.

ESPN declined to comment.

With Griffin's stock price falling, he was a major candidate for firing. His seven-figure annual salary might be maintained, but his role had shrunk a lot that ESPN decided not to maintain him.

The first real sign that Griffin was regressing was his removal from Monday Night Countdown, where he was featured on the premier pregame show for 2 years. ESPN hired Jason Kelce within the offseason to interchange Griffin.

Last season, Griffin was also a member of one in every of ESPN's top college game broadcast teams, working with live commentator Bob Wischusen.

Fox Sports has shown interest in Griffin through the years. When the network was searching for a substitute for Reggie Bush on its pregame show “Big Noon Kickoff,” Griffin was at the highest of the list, however the selection fell on one other former Heisman winner, Mark Ingram II.

Griffin is lively on social media and speaks out on quite a lot of topics, although there have been controversies at ESPN. Ponder doesn’t post as much on social media as Griffin, but has sometimes spoken out on transgender athletes and other politically charged topics.

In 2017, Ponder was given the glory of replacing the legendary Chris Berman on “Countdown.”

Berman, perhaps probably the most famous anchor within the network's history, stepped right down to make way for Ponder. She didn't have much NFL experience, having worked her way up at ESPN by playing a serious role on the legendary pregame show “College GameDay.”

Required reading