CBS News and Showtime Sports have announced an agreement that expands the "60 Minutes" brand to include a new sports news show titled "60 Minutes of Sports." The program will debut in November on Showtime and be co-executive produced by "60 Minutes" Exec Producer Jeff Fager and "60 Minutes" Exec Editor Bill Owens. Each month, "60 Minutes of Sports" will feature two original segments and one updated "60 Minutes" classic sports story from the program's archive. In addition, each broadcast will contain an interview with a sports newsmaker (Showtime). In N.Y., Brian Stelter noted CBS "already repurposes old stories from '60 Minutes' for themed editions on the cable channels VH1 and CNBC." But “60 Minutes of Sports” will "include new stories specifically for the Showtime audience." The new program "may be a sign of Showtime’s eagerness to challenge its bigger rival HBO in the category of sports." For many years HBO has "televised a monthly sports newsmagazine, 'Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel.'" Showtime "already televises 'Inside the NFL' -- which began on HBO -- 'Inside NASCAR' and some mixed martial arts events" (NYTIMES.com, 9/13).
