The past year will likely go down as one of the most important in the history of sports media, featuring a $52.4B deal between longtime rivals, a retired NFLer taking the broadcast booth by storm and John Skipper abruptly resigning from the most powerful position in the space. Laid out below are some of the most unforgettable storylines from an eventful year in TV, print, online and OTT channels.
BRISTOL SPOTLIGHT: ESPN President John Skipper stunned the sports business world at the end of the year by resigning to address a substance abuse issue, leaving only days after headlining a company-wide meeting at Bristol HQ. Former ESPN President George Bodenheimer has returned in an interim role as Disney looks to find the next leader for the net. Meanwhile, ESPN saw turnover elsewhere, as Aaron Boone took the reigns of the Yankees and Dan Shulman quietly signed off from "Sunday Night Baseball." As for the net itself, another tough year of layoffs dominated headlines across the board, coupled with some unwanted press over a vague social media policy and a President Trump/Jemele Hill dustup.
DEAL HEARD AROUND THE WORLD: A November news report that Disney was considering taking on 21st Century Fox assets sent waves through the industry, as Bob Iger found the opportunity to take control of another movie studio and 22 RSNs as Disney readies its OTT service for ‘19. The deal, completed in mid-December, saw Disney essentially double-down on live sports television as a strategy to combat ESPN’s heavily-reported financial woes. And while the potential awkwardness of Fox Sports/ESPN personalities under one roof was obvious to all, FS1, FS2 and Fox' stake in the Big Ten Network remained with their parent company.
CALL IT LIKE HE SEES IT: The NFL offseason featured a new Tony Romo rumor each day, with fans constantly speculating if the gunslinger would join a QB-starved team after handing the Cowboy reins to Dak Prescott. Instead, Romo chose a different path. Romo hitched his wagon to CBS, partnering with Jim Nantz to form the net’s No. 1 broadcast team for the ’17-18 season. What followed was eerily similar to Romo’s quick rise to stardom with the ‘Boys back in ’06: instant acclaim. As the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn wrote, "I can’t come up with another name that has impressed so soon while also giving the viewer confidence that he’s only going to get better.” Whether it was correctly predicting plays, offering fresh insight on players he had personally went up against or even discussing his movie tastes during a weather delay, Romo connected with audiences from day one.
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