ESPN will debut a new early morning edition of SportsCenter next year. In other news, ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning is moving to ABC’s Times Square studios, and golf’s British Open could announce a new television deal this summer.
ESPN to Launch New Early Morning SportsCenter
- ESPN will officially announce Tuesday that it will debut a new two-hour SportsCenter on weekday mornings starting next February. Titled SportsCenter AM, the shows will air from 7-9 AM ET each day and be patterned after the regular Top 10 segment. The show is part of an apparent push to expand ESPN’s early morning offerings and integrate them with ABC’s Good Morning America. ESPN previously abandoned plans to air a 6-9 AM SportsCenter block in 2008.
ESPN’s Mike and Mike Moving to Times Square
- ESPN announced Monday that the Mike and Mike in the Morning television simulcast will move from ESPN’s Bristol headquarters to ABC’s Times Square studios in February. Mike and Mike will tape on the floor above Good Morning America, and the two shows are expected to share both talent and guests. (ESPN Media Zone)
R&A Wants New British Open TV Deal This Summer
- Sports Business Journal reported Monday that The R&A, which organizes the British Open golf tournament, is seeking bids for U.S. television rights to the event and hopes to reach a new deal this summer. ESPN’s deal to carry the British Open expires after 2017, and both Fox Sports and NBC Sports are said to be interested in swiping the rights. (Sports Business Journal)
