Apple has revealed its enhanced coverage plans for Lionel Messi‘s MLS debut. Plus: Scott Van Pelt and Laura Rutledge are frontrunners for Monday Night Countdown host; David Neal to step down as Executive Producer at FOX Sports after FIFA Women’s World Cup; Phoenix Suns and Mercury go forward with Gray TV deal.
Apple expands coverage for Messi
Apple announced enhanced coverage on MLS Season Pass to coincide with Lionel Messi’s debut for Inter Miami. Messi is expected to make his debut Friday in a Leagues Cup match against Liga MX side Cruz Azul.
Apple announced they will enhance the production around Inter Miami games to include a Skycam, drone, steadicam and four slow-motion cameras. In addition to airing Messi’s arrival ceremony to a sold-out DRV PNK Stadium Sunday evening, Apple plans to stream live coverage of his first training session on Tuesday morning.
The English-language broadcast team for Inter Miami’s first two Leagues Cup games will be Jake Zivin, Taylor Twellman, and Katie Witham. The broadcast will include a one-hour on site pregame show and a postgame show following the match. (MLS, 7.15)
Van Pelt and Rutledge frontrunners for Countdown gig
Per the New York Post, Scott Van Pelt and Laura Rutledge have surfaced as the leading candidates for the host chair on Monday Night Countdown. The position became available following layoffs at ESPN that resulted in Suzy Kolber being let go.
Scott Van Pelt currently hosts the late-night SportsCenter that bears his name, while Rutledge hosts ESPN’s afternoon program NFL Live.
Van Pelt’s SportsCenter already serves as the de facto postgame show for Monday Night Football as ESPN opts to forego traditional postgame coverage in favor of the flagship show.
The New York Post report notes that while Van Pelt and Rutledge are the frontrunners, ESPN will remain open to other candidates. (NYP, 7.17)
New Suns, Mercury, deal now official
The NBA Phoenix Suns and WNBA Mercury will move forward with a new media rights deal with Gray Television and Kiswe after incumbent rightsholder Diamond Sports Group failed to submit an offer prior to their deadline.
The original deal with Gray TV was blocked in May after a bankruptcy judge ruled that Diamond Sports Group had first rights of refusal for a new broadcast agreement. The Suns deal is for up to five years, while the Mercury are signed on for two years.
The Suns and Mercury can now officially be added to the growing list of franchises ditching their RSNs in favor of over-the-air broadcast, joining the Utah Jazz and Las Vegas Golden Knights. (Front Office Sports, 7.14)
David Neal steps down at FOX
FOX Sports Executive Producer and VP of Production David Neal is stepping down following the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Neal joined FOX in 2012 following 30 years at NBC Sports, where he was the Executive Producer for Olympic coverage.
Neal is responsible for developing several bedrocks of FOX’s soccer coverage including Carli Lloyd, Aly Wagner, and Stu Holden.
Throughout his career, Neal has produced five World Cups, nine Olympics, four NBA finals, and two World Series. (SBJ, 7.17)
