BYU AD Tom Holmoe said that after having been extended by one year through '19, the school's ESPN contract is "being discussed informally." In Salt Lake City, Kurt Kragthorpe noted questions "exist about BYU’s programming value" after a 4-9 football season in a "changing media landscape." However, Holmoe "sounded confident that the arrangement would continue" beyond '19. BYU's "upcoming home schedule works" in the school's favor, "providing potential ESPN programming" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 6/23).
INSIDER INFORMATION? In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote Bill Simmons' "'inside' look at the NBA Finals on HBO didn't have much inside stuff." Raissman: "Sure looked like the NBA didn't give Simmons' crew much access" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/24).
LACKING A HOOK: AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Joe Lucia wrote the Longhorn Network "never really was able to make an impact that many expected." There are "legitimate questions" about the net's "viability through the final two-thirds" of the 20-year contract between ESPN and Texas. AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Andrew Bucholtz: "We'll wind up with an over-the-top digital/streaming-only version of the Longhorn Network as we get closer to the end of this contract" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 6/22).
