The ESPN/Jason Witten marriage is facing a potential obstacle. In other news, Amazon is staying in the Thursday Night Football business, Fox is keeping most of its World Cup broadcasters in the U.S., and ESPN is parting ways with a SportsCenter anchor.
Witten Weighing Last Minute Offer From ESPN Rival
Dallas Cowboys TE Jason Witten, who is reportedly set to retire and join ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast team, is now weighing an last-minute offer from an unnamed rival network, ESPN.com reported Sunday. Witten, who is also being persuaded by Cowboys brass to remain with the team, is expected to make a decision by Wednesday. [ESPN.com 4.29]
Amazon Will Continue Streaming TNF
Amazon has reached a two-year contract extension with the NFL to continue streaming Thursday Night Football games. Under the agreement, which was announced last Thursday, Amazon will again stream the 11 Thursday Night Football over-the-air simulcasts via its Amazon Prime service. For the first time, those streams will also be available on Amazon’s Twitch streaming platform. [NFL PR 4.26]
Most Fox World Cup Broadcasters Will Work From L.A.
Only two of Fox Sports’ six World Cup broadcast teams will cover the event on-site, The Associated Press reported last week, with the remaining broadcasters calling matches from Fox Sports’ Los Angeles studios. The on-site teams — John Strong and Stu Holden and J.P. Dellacamera and Tony Meola — will call all matches from the quarterfinals through the final. [AP 4.25 via Awful Announcing 4.25]
ESPN’s Kerney Exits
ESPN SportsCenter anchor Lisa Kerney is leaving the network, she announced on her Twitter account Friday. Kerney had been with ESPN since 2014, after previous stints with MLB Network and local affiliates in Seattle and New York. [Lisa Kerney/Twitter 4.27]
