NFL Network Hires Tomlinson

NFL Network hired former NFLer LaDainian Tomlinson for its "First on the Field" Sunday morning show, which launches at 7:00am ET on NFL Sundays. Tomlinson, who retired during the offseason, will join hosts Melissa Stark and Sterling Sharpe and NFL Insider Michael Lombardi on the two-hour sho ...

ESPN Signs New MLB Deal Through '21

ESPN has agreed to a deal that locks down MLB rights into the next decade, according to several sources. The eight-year deal is worth $5.6B (an average of $700M per year), approximately doubling the amount ESPN currently pays the league. ESPN now pays MLB nearly $306M per year for domestic TV right ...

Tags: Media, MLB, ESPN

Sources: ESPN Extends MLB Rights

ESPN has agreed to a deal that locks down MLB rights into the next decade, according to several sources. The eight-year deal is worth $5.6B (an average of $700M per year), approximately doubling the nearly $306M ESPN currently pays MLB every year for domestic TV rights. The new deal adds in digital, ...

NFL Net, Cablevision Agree To Carriage Deal

NFL Network signed up one of its two remaining major holdouts today when Cablevision signed a multiyear deal to carry NFL Network and NFL RedZone. The channels will go live on Cablevision systems tomorrow: NFL Net on Cablevision's expanded basic package (iO Preferred) and NFL RedZone on its sports t ...

Tags: Media, NFL, Cablevision

FSN Content Dropped From Comcast RSNs

NBC Sports Group dropped all FSN programming and the DirecTV-owned "The Dan Patrick Show" from its Comcast SportsNet RSNs on Aug. 1 after failing to reach a new programming deal. Part of FSN's programming is a national college football package of 36 games (including from the Big 12 and Conference US ...

TWC Drops NFL Net For Former Insight Subs

Time Warner Cable last night dropped NFL Network and NFL RedZone from former Insight subscribers, the network said. It remains unclear how many subscribers NFL Net lost. Insight had 679,000 video subscribers when TWC bought it last August for a reported $3B. It is not clear how many of those custome ...

Tags: Media, NFL

Lazarus Defends Tape-Delay Strategy

NBC Sports Chair Mark Lazarus defended his network’s decision to show some marquee Olympic sports, like swimming and gymnastics, on tape delay in NBC’s primetime window. Addressing the topic for the first time since the London Games started, Lazarus told THE DAILY that the early TV ratin ...

Tags: Olympics, NBC

TWC To Drop NFL Net From Former Insight Subs

NFL Network is about to lose more than to 600,000 subscribers on Tuesday, as its contract with Insight Communications ends and Time Warner Cable -- Insight's new owner -- has opted not to renew the deal. NFL Network says TWC has not negotiated to extend the deal and expects it to expire July 31. In ...

Tags: Media, NFL

David Hill Moving Within News Corp.

David Hill is leaving Fox Sports for a new job at News Corp., the company announced late this afternoon as part of a restructuring of its media and entertainment properties. Hill, who launched Fox Sports in '93, becomes News Corp. Senior Exec VP, where he will focus on programming and digital init ...

Mark Ford Talks About SI's Latest TV Venture

The first episode of "Sports Illustrated" is launching tomorrow on NBC Sports Network at 9:00pm ET, and the hour-long show will highlight four stories: Orioles prospect Dylan Bundy, MMA, open-water swimmer Alex Meyer and the '92 Dream Team scrimmage. This show is the first in the series, which will ...

Tags: Media, Sports Illustrated, NBC