ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose is retiring from the network due to Parkinson’s disease. Plus: Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti says the conference will play more Friday night games on Fox; French Ligue 1 looks to increase exposure with Cup matches on U.S. soil.
Barry Melrose retires from ESPN due to Parkinson’s
ESPN NHL analyst Barry Melrose, for years the single voice most associated with the network’s hockey coverage, is retiring due to Parkinson’s disease. The news was first shared Tuesday afternoon — hours ahead of the opening of the NHL season — by his longtime colleague John Buccigross. Save for a brief coaching stint with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, Melrose had been with ESPN since 1994 — and for the 17 years between ESPN NHL rights deals from 2004 to 2021, often served as the company’s lone NHL analyst.
Melrose had taken on a lesser role since ESPN regained NHL rights two years ago.
In addition to his ESPN role, Melrose also worked as an analyst for NHL Network.
Big Ten to play at least nine Friday games on Fox networks next season
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti told The Athletic in a piece published Tuesday that the conference will play nine or more Friday night games on the Fox networks during the 2024 season. It was not clear whether those would be on FS1, FOX or both. The Big Ten will play five Friday night games on Fox properties this season (excluding Black Friday).
Fox, who recently decided not to renew Friday Night Smackdown with WWE, now has scheduling inventory open on Friday evenings. With Fox paying a pro rata fee to the Big Ten for the addition of USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, the network would like to add more primetime single game windows.
According to the report, some schools like Michigan will not play in Friday evening games. Further, the report mentions Ohio State, Penn State, and Iowa have “logistical challenges that prevent them from hosting except in specific circumstances.” The implication: the Friday night window will see a heavy dose of the new west coast additions to the conference, along with smaller Big Ten brands like Nebraska, Maryland, or Rutgers. (The Athletic, 10.10)
Ligue 1 may play Cup games in U.S. as part of new media rights
Top flight French soccer league Ligue 1 is searching for an American media rights partner, and may contest matches on U.S. soil to sweeten the deal per Sports Business Journal. BeIN Sports currently holds the rights to broadcast Ligue 1 outside of France, paying $85m annually. However, the channel reaches fewer than 9.5 million homes in the United States, and the league would like to generate more exposure after its current deal expires this season.
To entice potential media rights partners in the U.S., Ligue 1 has suggested they will play “meaningful” matches in America to create more attractive inventory. According to the report, French clubs would compete for a trophy akin to the French Cup or French League Cup in front of American fans in American stadiums.
European club soccer has proven to be valuable inventory for direct-to-consumer services like Peacock (English Premier League), Paramount+ (Italian Serie A), and ESPN+ (German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga). Ligue 1 is the only remaining “Big 5” league without widespread distribution in the United States. (SBJ, 10.9)
