Fox Sports National Networks President Jamie Horowitz said that he "wants to make a hard shift toward opinion and personalities" on FS1's studio shows, according to Michael McCarthy of SPORTING NEWS. He said that "top TV opinionists don't become free agents very often," and that when they do become available "he wants them to know he's interested." That includes ESPN's Skip Bayless, whose "contract is up this year." Horowitz: "Of course, I'm interested in Skip. I'm interested in Stephen A. [Smith] and Michael (Smith) and Jemele [Hill] and (Tony) Kornheiser and (Michael) Wilbon. Just like ESPN and Fox were both interested in Colin [Cowherd]." Horowitz also said traditional highlight shows like "SportsCenter" are "dinosaurs." He said that today's sports fans "don't wait to watch Steph Curry on a highlight show," as they have "already watched what he did on their mobile devices." McCarthy notes the "Embrace Debate" format "pioneered by Bayless and Smith is widely loathed" by many TV observers inside and outside ESPN. However, "First Take" has "grown into the No. 1 studio show on ESPN2." Horowitz believes FS1 "can do to ESPN what Fox News did to former cable news leader CNN: outflank a decades-long incumbent by being provocative and opinionated." But he "knows that if he's going to 'disrupt' the current marketplace," he better have "'habit-forming' programming in place to retain viewers who make the switch to FS1/FS2" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 3/25).
