ABC News has suspended a reporter for an erroneous report during breaking news coverage of Kobe Bryant’s death. Also: the FOX NFL theme will only be used on football from now on; FS1 and NBCSN are in fewer than 80 million homes; ESPN has a new deal with BYU.
ABC News suspends reporter for error in Kobe coverage
ABC News reporter Matt Gutman — who reported on Sunday that all four of Kobe Bryant’s daughters were involved in the helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others — has been suspended. Gutman apologized for the erroneous report on his Twitter account Sunday and told the Los Angeles Times Wednesday that he will hold himself “accountable for a terrible mistake, which I deeply regret.” Gutman has been with ABC News since 2008.
In other news related to the Bryant tragedy, ESPN announced Thursday that it will air the 2009 Spike Lee documentary Kobe Doin’ Work tonight at 6:30 PM ET, its latest programming change since the crash. ESPN previously re-aired Bryant’s final NBA game on Monday night. ESPN’s previously-scheduled Louisville-Notre Dame women’s college basketball game will move to ESPNEWS. [LA Times 1.29 via Awful Announcing 1.29; ESPN PR 1.30]
FOX NFL theme will only be used on NFL, CFB from now on
The NFL on FOX theme will only be used on NFL and college football games starting this fall, Fox Sports executive producer Brad Zager told Sports Business Daily last week. Fox began using the NFL theme on all of its sports programming in 2010. Zager said that Fox will be using a new theme for its XFL coverage that starts next month. It is unclear whether it will debut a new theme for Major League Baseball, or simply revert to the theme that had been used from 1996-10. [Sports Business Daily 1.29]
FS1, NBCSN, now in fewer than 80 million homes
Fox Sports 1 and NBCSN are now in fewer than 80 million homes, Sports Business Daily reported Thursday, with the FS1 mark of 79.87 million the lowest in network history. NBCSN, at 79.88 million, was in its fewest homes since 2014. [Sports Business Daily 1.30]
ESPN reaches new deal with BYU
ESPN announced Thursday that it has reached a new seven-year media rights extension with BYU to continue televising the Cougars’ home football games through 2026. Under the deal, ESPN will continue to have first pick of BYU home football games, with a minimum of four airing across the ESPN family of networks. BYU is contractually obligated to play in one of the ESPN-owned bowl games in 2020, 2022 and 2024, unless the team is not bowl-eligible or has been picked for the New Year’s Six. [ESPN PR 1.30]
