The Dallas Mavericks are headed over-the-air under a new deal with TEGNA. Plus: talks between the NFL and ESPN concerning NFL Media have gone dormant; Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon has been let go; the NWSL sets additional distribution for Alex Morgan’s final match.
Mavericks going over-the-air with new TEGNA deal
The Dallas Mavericks on Friday announced a multi-year rights deal with TEGNA to distribute games via over-the-air affiliates in Dallas and surrounding markets. Under the deal, games will air on TEGNA-owned Dallas stations KMPX-IND and WFAA-ABC, with the latter carrying at least 15 games per season (in addition to Mavericks games carried by ABC nationally).
The Mavericks also intend to launch a companion streaming service, though a team executive told the Dallas Morning News that there is no timetable on a potential launch.
Mavericks games previously aired on Bally Sports Southwest. The Mavericks join the NHL Stars in leaving the RSN, which is mired in bankruptcy. The Stars moved their games to a new free streaming service (Victory+), and there had been some speculation that the service could serve as a home for Mavericks games.
Chances fading of ESPN taking over NFL Media
The NFL has made little progress on a deal to shift control of its media operation to ESPN, John Ourand of Puck reported Thursday. The sides had been in advanced talks on a deal that would have also given the NFL an equity stake in ESPN, but those conversations have “cooled considerably” and are now on the back burner.
Per Ourand, it is not clear whether any other suitors are interested in taking control of NFL Media, which the league has been trying to cede since 2021.
Sinclair fires Tennis Channel CEO Solomon
Sinclair has let go longtime Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon, Joe Flint of The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, a move tied to Solomon taking an active role with the “Dr. Phil” McGraw company Merit Street Media. Sinclair reportedly viewed Solomon’s Merit Street role as a “growing distraction.”
Though Solomon was deeply involved in talks to sell Tennis Channel, his departure is not expected to impact those efforts.
Morgan farewell gets additional TV coverage
Sunday’s San Diego-North Carolina NWSL match, marking the final NWSL match in the career of the retiring Alex Morgan, will be simulcast across ESPN2, ESPN+, Prime Video, Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network, it was announced Friday, marking a first for the league. The NWSL said the simulcast would be a first for women’s sports generally, but Game 1 of the 1998 WNBA Finals aired across both ESPN and Lifetime.
The match was originally slated to air only on Paramount+ (and the league’s NWSL+ service).
