Fox Sports’ Gus Johnson is “doing well” after leaving a broadcast midgame due to illness. Plus: the latest on Pac-12 and LIV Golf media rights, and more.
Gus Johnson “doing well” after midgame exit
Fox Sports college football voice Gus Johnson is said to be “doing well” and set to return to his play-by-play duties next week after leaving Saturday’s Oklahoma-Nebraska broadcast at halftime due to illness. In Johnson’s absence, analyst Joel Klatt handled play-by-play for the second half with studio analyst Brady Quinn joining him in the booth. (Fox Sports PR)
Pac-12 interested in Amazon with options limited
The Pac-12 is interested in pursuing a media rights deal with Amazon, the San Jose Mercury News reported this week, though it was not immediately clear whether Amazon has reciprocal interest. Per the report, the Pac-12 is not expected to see interest from NBC or CBS should it fail to reach extensions with incumbent partners ESPN and Fox. The conference entered an exclusive negotiating window with the latter two networks earlier in the summer, but it was not clear when exactly that period began — or correspondingly when it will end. (Mercury-News 9.13, 9.16)
Amazon, Apple, turn down LIV Tour
Amazon and Apple have turned down the opportunity to acquire media rights to the LIV Golf tour, The Wall Street Journal reported this week. The streaming giants join the major linear networks — ESPN, CBS, NBC and Fox — in passing on the rights, per the report. In the case of ESPN, CBS and NBC, existing deals with the PGA Tour make a LIV deal highly unlikely. LIV currently streams its events through YouTube and DAZN, the latter through a no-cash deal. (WSJ 9.15)
Plus: D-Wade, CFP timeslot, Spanish-language MLB
TNT NBA analyst Dwyane Wade is leaving the network after three seasons, the New York Post reported this week. Per the report, the decision was made by Wade and the sides part with no ill will. Wade, part owner of the Utah Jazz, joined TNT fresh from retirement in the 2019-20 season and was part of the network’s Tuesday NBA studio. … ESPN announced this week that the College Football Playoff National Championship will kick off at 7:30 PM ET, an hour earlier than the traditional 8:30 start. In other national championship scheduling news, this season’s FCS title game is set for Sunday, January 8, the day of Week 18 of the NFL season, with coverage on ABC at 2 PM ET. The game had typically aired on a Saturday. … MLB Network will air Spanish-language simulcasts of every American League Division and Championship Series, it was announced this week. English-language coverage airs on TBS, which unlike ESPN and Fox does not have a dedicated Spanish-language sister network. (NYP 9.13, ESPN PR, MLB Network PR)
