Pitaro said moving on from "SC6" had "nothing to do" with the show's talent, Michael Smith and Jemele Hillespn images
ESPN and UFC reached a five-year TV rights deal in May, and ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro noted UFC is a "league with a young audience -- younger than the average audience on ESPN today." He said UFC is "embracing innovation, is excited to try new things and to experiment." Pitaro also said ESPN is "very pleased" with what it is seeing from the new 6:00pm ET "SportsCenter." Pitaro said of the now-canceled 6:00pm show "SC6," "We tried something new a year ago and it didn't work -- it had nothing to do with, in my opinion, the talent [Jemele Hill and Michael Smith]. The format did not work, and we've made a change" (MULTICHANNEL NEWS, 8/20 issue).
BACK IN ACTION: THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch cited sources as saying that Ryen Russillo will "re-up with ESPN shortly." The new deal will "likely include a podcast element & guest spots on studio shows." ESPN brass "really liked his work on 'Get Up!' last week" (TWITTER.com, 8/20). SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL's Liz Mullen noted ICM Partners signed Russillo in "all areas, including broadcasting, publishing, personal appearances, branding and screenwriting." Russillo will be "represented by Ted Chervin, Mark Zimmerman, Will Horowitz and Michael Charny." He had "been represented by CAA, but has been without representation for about two years" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/20 issue).
MAKE OR BREAK: THE ATHLETIC's Deitsch cited sources as saying that ESPN believes the future of "Get Up!" is "now tied to its viewership performance during the NFL season." Deitsch speculated there will be "some new part-time additions to the show sometime this fall." But the "main issue for 'Get Up!' remains the same since prior to the debut." What is the "compelling reason to watch?" (THEATHLETIC.com, 8/20).
