Recent sports media news, including ESPN sending its NBA studio team to Friday’s Heat home opener, FOX continuing to use its NFL music on MLB telecasts, and Cablevision reimbursing subscribers who watch the World Series online.
- ESPN’s KIA NBA Countdown will originate from Miami for Friday’s Magic/Heat NBA regular season game, the first home game for the Heat trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Stuart Scott will host, with analysts Jon Barry, Michael Wilbon and Magic Johnson. ESPN’s SportsCenter will also air segments from Miami, hosted by Hannah Storm with analyst Jalen Rose. (ESPN)
- FOX will continue using its NFL theme song on Major League Baseball coverage, and other sports as well. FOX Sports President Eric Shanks said in a conference call earlier this week that FOX “decided that baseball deserved a fast-pace, more upbeat music,” as opposed to the “much slower, probably kind of cathedral music” that had been used previously.” Shanks: “You’ll start to see that same theme across all of our sports. It’s become a real FOX Sports theme.” (MLB.com)
- Cablevision announced on Wednesday that it will reimburse subscribers who buy MLB.com’s Postseason.TV package, which would allow them to watch the ongoing Rangers/Giants World Series. Cablevision and News Corporation are involved in a high-profile dispute, which has resulted in New York FOX affiliate WNYW being blacked out on Cablevision systems. (TV By The Numbers)
