Shaq is staying put at TNT. Also: ABC reportedly has the inside track on an NFL package, ESPN has extended its Little League deal, and more.
TNT reaches extension with Shaq
Turner Sports announced Monday that it has reached a multi-year contract extension with NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal, who will continue in his current roles on TNT and NBA TV and add new responsibilities on other WarnerMedia platforms. O’Neal, who has been with Turner since retiring from the NBA in 2011, is set to contribute to CNN’s annual New Year’s special, executive produce projects for Bleacher Report, and distribute his podcast through WarnerMedia’s podcast network.
O’Neal will also host a new show on NBA TV focused on the business of basketball. [Turner Sports]
Report: ABC in line for NFL package
Front Office Sports reported Friday that ABC is in “increasingly strong position” to acquire an NFL package, with the league said to share Disney’s interest in making it happen. As noted in the report, negotiations between the NFL and the networks are still in the early stages.
ABC, which has simulcast ESPN’s NFL Wild Card, Pro Bowl and NFL Draft coverage in recent years, is scheduled to air its first Monday Night Football game since 2005 next month — a simulcast of ESPN’s Week 2 Saints-Raiders game. [Related: NFL TV schedule.] [Front Office Sports 8.21]
ESPN extends Little League through 2030
ESPN announced Sunday that it has reached an eight-year contract extension to continue televising Little League baseball and softball through 2030. Under the extension, which takes effect in 2023 and runs through 2030, the ESPN networks will carry games from all Little League baseball and softball tournaments. As noted by the Patriot-News (Pa.), ESPN had already been carrying most of those games, though it was not required to under the previous deal.
Upon the conclusion of the contract, Little League games will have aired on ABC for 67 years and ESPN for 47. [ESPN PR 8.23, PennLive.com 8.23]
Plus: Layoffs, Kyle Long, Daily Wager
Turner Sports’ Bleacher Report has laid off at least ten staffers at B/R Mag, including former New York Times NBA writer Howard Beck, according to Awful Announcing. … CBS Sports has hired former NFL G Kyle Long as an analyst for “That Other Pregame Show” on CBS Sports Network. … The ESPN gambling show “Daily Wager” is scheduled to return from hiatus September 8, when it will make its debut from ESPN’s new Las Vegas studio. ESPN announced Tuesday that it has signed the show’s host Doug Kezirian to a multi-year contract extension. [Awful Announcing 8.24, CBS Sports PR, ESPN PR 8.24, ESPN PR 8.25]
