Diamond Sports Group is reportedly close to a naming rights agreement with FanDuel. Plus: JJ Redick looks to be a leading candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching vacancy; Jason McCourty is leaving Good Morning Football; Paramount and Skydance have reportedly agreed to terms for a merger.
Diamond and FanDuel close in on naming rights agreement
Diamond Sports Group and FanDuel are reportedly nearing a deal that would grant the sportsbook naming rights to the 18 regional sports networks under the Diamond umbrella, Bloomberg reported Monday. Diamond’s current branding deal with Bally’s Corp. is set to expire at the end of the 2024 MLB season as part of the company’s ongoing bankruptcy processions. As part of the deal, FanDuel will take an equity stake in Diamond and provide programming on the networks. During a virtual status meeting in bankruptcy court on Tuesday, Diamond seemed to confirm the Bloomberg report, though did not mention FanDuel by name. (Bloomberg, 6.3) (Sportico, 6.4)
JJ Redick top candidate for Lakers job
ESPN NBA analyst JJ Redick has emerged as one of the top candidates for the Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job, per The Athletic on Tuesday. Earlier this season, Redick was promoted to ESPN’s top NBA crew after Doc Rivers‘ departure to coach the Milwaukee Bucks. ESPN is in danger of losing a fourth lead NBA analyst in a year after firing Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson — who called 15 NBA Finals together — following last season’s playoffs.
Redick, alongside Doris Burke and Mike Breen, will be on the call for the NBA Finals starting Thursday. Should the Lakers settle on Redick, ESPN must decide whether to dig deeper into its bench, perhaps elevating Richard Jefferson to the lead team, or go with a two person booth of Breen and Burke. Notably, Redick’s quick ascension in media has most recently included a podcast he co-hosts with LeBron James, though it is reported that James is not involved in the Lakers’ coaching search. (The Athletic, 6.4)
Jason McCourty leaving Good Morning Football
At least one quarter of the Good Morning Football panel will not relocate to Los Angeles as Jason McCourty is reportedly set to leave the show, per The Athletic on Wednesday. McCourty filled the spot vacated by Nate Burleson in 2021 after his departure for CBS This Morning. Ongoing cost cutting measures at NFL Media spurred the show’s move from New York, where the league rented studio space, to Los Angeles, where the NFL owns its studios. In addition to the cross-country move, Good Morning Football will take on a new format this upcoming season, airing two hours on NFL Network while a separate two hour show will be syndicated to local affiliates across the country.
As for the other members of the Good Morning Football team, Jamie Erdahl has already announced her intentions to relocate to Los Angeles for the show. Per the report, Kyle Brandt will not be moving west, but will contribute to the show in some capacity from New York. Peter Schrager‘s future with the show is still unclear. Two names floated as possible replacements for McCourty were Manti Te’o and Akbar Gbajabiamila. (The Athletic, 6.5)
Paramount and Skydance agree to terms of a merger
As has been floated for months, Paramount and Skydance have reportedly agreed to the terms of a merger, CNBC reported Monday. Skydance will be backed by private equity firms RedBird Capital and KKR in the deal. The reports of an agreement come weeks after a competing offer from private equity firm Apollo Global Management and Sony Pictures was reported. However, the Skydance deal is now for a reported $15 per share, up substantially from the $11 per share price that was cited in earlier reporting. The merger will keep Paramount and all of its existing properties such as CBS, Showtime, and Nickelodeon, under one umbrella, whereas the potential Apollo-Sony deal would have seen much of Paramount sold for parts. (CNBC, 6.5)
