ESPN instead of the regular "OTL" program will air an NFL-heavy edition of "SportsCenter"ESPN IMAGES
THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch reported "OTL" will "not air on Mondays this fall" as the net alters its daily lineup to accommodate "MNF." The net will "air 'SportsCenter' at that time on Monday (1:00pm ET), with that edition of SC having a high percentage of NFL content." The news is "frustrating for the staff of the show, especially given the PR and gravitas they provide ESPN when the company needs it" (THEATHLETIC.com, 7/30).
SATELLITE CAMPUS: In Virginia, David Teel notes the "paramount" challenge for ESPN and Disney over the next 12 months regarding the ACC Network will be "securing carriage deals with the nation's top cable and satellite providers." Those negotiations likely will be "public, protracted and, perhaps, contentious." Disney and ESPN already have "one carriage agreement" with Altice, a "primary cable provider" in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and the fourth-largest provider behind Comcast, Charter and Cox. However, as SEC Network showed, ACC fans "shouldn't expect similar deals this far in advance," even with Disney and ESPN's "considerable portfolio and, therefore, leverage with providers" (Hampton Roads DAILY PRESS, 7/31).
JUMPING THE ROUTE: AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Andrew Bucholtz noted Pro Football HOFer Deion Sanders may have announced that he is the subject of an upcoming "30 for 30" installment in an "unusual fashion." Sanders yesterday tweeted, "Had a great time shooting the interview for my @30for30 with @nflfilms. This winter, you'll hear the #Truth #Primetime." Bucholtz wrote it "sure seems like" Sanders announced the film before ESPN was ready to, as the ESPN press site yesterday "had nothing on it" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 7/30).
