In Philadelphia, Bob Fernandez notes beIN Sports, which televises European soccer games, "pulled its channels from Comcast" yesterday after the two companies "failed to agree to new terms for a distribution agreement, which includes subscriber fees." The prior agreement "expired at midnight Tuesday." Verizon said yesterday that its beIN Sports contract "was expiring and the two sides were far apart on a deal." Verizon Media Relations Manager Raymond McConville said beIN Sports would "likely be pulled from its systems in Philadelphia and other East Coast areas at midnight." Spain's La Liga "begins its season in about two weeks." La Liga is beIN Sports' "top soccer property" in the U.S. (PHILLY.com, 8/1).
PASSING THE TIME: In N.Y., Mollie Walker notes SNY Mets broadcasters Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling and Gary Cohen "resorted to their favorite boring-game habit" of "reading from the Mets' media guide" during the eighth inning of the team's 25-4 loss against the Nationals on Tuesday night. In an "attempt to lighten the broadcast, the three commentators passed around the guide and shared stories" from the '69 World Series. The broadcast was a "bright spot in what was the most abysmal loss in Mets history" (N.Y. POST, 8/2).
BEACH BODY: SOUTHFLORIDA.com's Ben Crandell notes a highlight of Dan Le Batard's new agreement with ESPN Radio is a "new series of long-form interview specials, six per year for four years, that will offer Le Batard leading intimate conversations with two figures from across the sports, entertainment and cultural spectrum." The project -- with a working title of “The Art of Conversation” -- is in its "earliest stages of development, and Le Batard is reluctant to name names, but his proposal for the first show is a must-see pairing of a major South Florida sports eminence with a global rock ’n’ roll icon" (SOUTHFLORIDA.com, 8/1).
BIRD'S EYE VIEW: CBS Sports will roll out several technology enhancements for its third- and fourth-round coverage of the PGA Championship next week at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis. Among them is the use of 4D replay on the Par 4 15th hole, becoming the first network to use such tech on a golf broadcast. For the first time at the PGA, CBS will implement Hawk-Eye Green Technology for players’ putts and will use the Toptracer feature on all 18 holes. Cup mics also will be utilized on specific holes, and CBS said it will introduce new on-screen graphics (THE DAILY).
