ESPN yesterday during its annual upfront presentation announced that in '16, it "would simulcast its coverage of an NFL wild card game on the ABC broadcast network," which "is something of a surprise" given that the game was part of ESPN’s $15B rights deal that kicked in last season and runs through '21, according to Joe Flint of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Having an NFL playoff game air exclusively on ESPN, as was the case last season, gave the network "additional leverage to command high subscription fees from pay-TV providers." Nonetheless, ESPN President John Skipper said that the move "is designed to help the game draw a bigger audience." Skipper, when asked if the NFL pressured ESPN to share the game with ABC to increase the size of the audience, said, "We brought the idea to them." Pay-TV distributors, "while not thrilled with ESPN losing exclusivity of the game, said it was not a complete surprise." Meanwhile, ESPN "is also relocating its 'ESPY Awards' to the broadcast network." Skipper: "The ESPYs, we felt, could use a little shot in the arm" (WSJ.com, 5/12). Skipper said that the moves "were not part of a planned reinvigoration of sports on the ABC broadcast network, which carries NBA regular season and playoff games." Skipper: "This doesn’t portend some dramatic shift in our emphasis." He added that he "wanted to drive more audience to the playoff game" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/13).
DON'T BE THAT GUY: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir notes Bill Simmons "was unseen and unmentioned during ESPN’s upfront presentation to advertisers on Tuesday -- as if he had never existed." Skipper later reiterated that the breakup "was not about money." Sandomir notes Simmons "was seeking a substantial increase in his annual salary," which was estimated to be $5M. Skipper: "It’s about what he wants to do, what value that creates, what we want to do together and deciding whether there was going to be a match. We decided ultimately there wouldn’t be" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/13). The N.Y. TIMES' Sandomir wrote do not expect Simmons to "say anything, at least about his departure, until he and ESPN are legally done with each other." Talent contracts like Simmons’ typically "contain nondisparagement clauses, so if Simmons strikes out angrily before negotiating his exit -- if, say, he verbally slapped Skipper or ESPN -- he would forfeit about a third of his estimated $5 million salary, based on just over four months left on his contract" (NYTIMES.com, 5/12). In California, Michael Lev writes wherever Simmons lands, column writing "has to be part of the deal" because it is his "first love." Lev: "I also see an interview-show component, whether it’s in podcast or some other form. Finally, there has to be a connection with the NBA, or at least an opportunity to pontificate on it." The most logical destination that "satisfies all three is Turner/Bleacher Report." Bleacher Report "would provide a forum for Simmons to write" expansive columns. It is "also possible Simmons will do something no one has conceived of yet" due to the fact that he "always has been a step ahead that way" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 5/13).
AND HERE'S SCOTTY: In DC, Matt Bonesteel noted ESPN, which yesterday announced that Scott Van Pelt will now anchor midnight episodes of "SportsCenter" solo, "has long sought to produce a late-night sports program that resembles the highly profitable talk shows found on the major over-the-air networks." The timing of the “SportsCenter” shake-up "is far from coincidental." Ratings for ESPN’s flagship show "have been sagging for some time now, and the network also announced Tuesday that it was adding two hours of live 'SportsCenter'" from 7:00am ET to 9:00am starting in February. Van Pelt’s new late-night responsibilities "mean that his afternoon radio show with Ryen Russillo will be coming to an end when Van Pelt takes over the midnight 'SportsCenter' in late summer." The new “SportsCenter” will "incorporate some elements of the radio show" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/12).
