The NCAA Selection Show is moving to TBS this year. In other news, Comcast could top Disney’s bid for 21st Century Fox assets, MLB Network has hired Joe Girardi, and Allen Bestwick is returning to ESPN.
NCAA Selection Show Moving to TBS
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will move from CBS to TBS this season, CBS and Turner Sports announced Wednesday. According to
Sports Business Daily, Turner Sports has rights to broadcast the Selection Show in years when it televises the Final Four and National Championship. It did not exercise those rights two years ago, when it carried the final games for the first time.
With TBS televising the event, the Selection Show will move to Turner’s Atlanta studio. It will expand from last year’s 90 minute runtime to the much-maligned two-hour format used two years ago, and return to a 6 PM ET start for the first time since 2015.
CBS and TBS will now alternate carrying the Selection Show until the end of the television deal in 2032. [CBS/Turner, Sports Business Daily 2.7]
Comcast Could Top Disney’s Fox Bid
According to CNBC, Comcast is weighing whether to top Disney’s $52.4 billion bid to acquire most of 21st Century Fox. In negotiations late last year, Comcast was reportedly willing to pay “significantly more” than Disney for the Fox assets, which include the Fox Sports regional networks, but Fox chairman
Rupert Murdoch was concerned that a deal with Comcast would attract greater regulatory scrutiny. Comcast owns NBC Universal and is a competitor with Fox in the regional sports network space, whereas Disney owns no RSNs.
While the Disney-Fox deal was already officially announced last year, Comcast could persuade 21st Century Fox stockholders to vote against Murdoch’s wishes. According to the CNBC report, Disney is already considering responses to a potential Comcast bid. [CNBC 2.5 via Awful Announcing 2.7]
Fmr. Yankee Manager Girardi Joins MLB Network
Former New York Yankees manager
Joe Girardi has joined MLB Network. The news was announced Wednesday and he made his on-air debut on
MLB Tonight not long after. Girardi most recently worked for Fox Sports and YES Network in 2007 and had a previous stint with ESPN Radio. Sporting News first reported the move. [MLB.com
2.7, Sporting News
2.7]
Bestwick Returning to ABC IndyCar Coverage
ESPN is bringing back its IndyCar broadcast team of
Allen Bestwick,
Scott Goodyear and
Eddie Cheever, network spokesperson
Andy Hall said on
Twitter Wednesday. In addition,
Dr. Jerry Punch will return for the Indianapolis 500.
Bestwick and Punch were included in ESPN’s massive talent cuts last year, though both finished out the IndyCar season. They are thus far the only casualties of the layoffs to return to the network. ESPN reportedly wanted to bring back Ron Jaworski last year, but was rebuffed by parent company Disney. [ESPN; Andy Hall/Twitter 2.7]
