LIV Golf is in discussions with Fox Sports for 2025; Taylor Rooks will lead Amazon’s NBA studio coverage; NFL flex scheduling changes; and more.
LIV Golf nearing deal with Fox
Sources told Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal that LIV Golf is in high-level discussions with Fox Sports about a broadcast deal to begin in 2025. Whether Fox would pay a rights fee and whether the matches would air on Fox or FS1 is not yet determined. The league’s deal with the CW contained an option for a third year, which the network did not pick up. Outlets with existing relationships to the rival PGA Tour (i.e. CBS, NBC, and ESPN) have steered clear of LIV Golf, leaving Fox as one of the only major contenders.
The tour has modified its 2025 schedule to conclude in August, before Fox’s football coverage would begin.
Taylor Rooks to lead Amazon NBA studio
Amazon has landed on Taylor Rooks to lead its studio coverage of the NBA on Prime Video next season, according to The Athletic. Rooks currently works as a sideline reporter for the NBA on TNT and works as a feature reporter for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video.
Previous reporting suggests Dirk Nowitzki could join Rooks as an analyst in the studio, as well as Blake Griffin and current TNT analyst Stan Van Gundy.
Changes announced to NFL Week 16, 17
The NFL announced Monday changes to its Week 16 schedule, specifically moving Patriots-Bills from 1:00 to 4:25 on CBS. Browns-Bengals also moved from FOX to CBS. Speculation was present about the viability of Buccaneers-Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, but Dallas’s unwavering drawing power was apparently enough to keep that game in primetime.
The league also announced Tuesday its December 28 Saturday tripleheader on NFL Network. Chargers-Patriots will lead off at 1 PM, followed by Broncos-Bengals at 4:30 PM and Cardinals-Rams at 8:15 PM. Colts-Giants and Falcons-Commanders will move to Sunday, with the latter replacing Dolphins-Browns on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Packers-Vikings and Cowboys-Eagles will remain the lead games in FOX’s afternoon doubleheader.
Plus: All-Star Game, Doris Burke, Super League, Olympics
— The NBA officially announced the four-team mini-tournament format for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. The champion of the Rising Stars game will be captained by Candace Parker, with the remaining three teams drafted by Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O’Neal from a pool of 24 players. The draft will be televised during TNT’s studio coverage on February 6.
— ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke will not call Tuesday’s NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas between the Bucks and Thunder on ABC as she is under the weather. Burke was present in Vegas on Saturday for the game between the Rockets and Thunder, but is feeling slightly unwell. Mike Breen, Richard Jefferson, and Lisa Salters will handle commentary.
–The proposed Pan-Europe club league, commonly known as the “Super League,” has rebranded as the “Unify League” and is now seeking official recognition from UEFA. The league intends to launch a global direct-to-consumer streaming platform called Unify that will televise all matches between free and paid tiers. The “Super League” concept originated in 2021, with 12 marquee Spanish, Italian, and English clubs set to participate as permanent members of an international club league with an NFL-like structure and was met with immediate backlash from fans, uninvited clubs, and sporting officials. The new league intends to begin play with 96 men’s teams and a four-tier structure.
— Organizers of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy have designated Lake Placid, NY as a “Plan B” site for the bobsled, luge, and skeleton competitions if the planned facility in Cortina cannot be rebuilt in time. If the track is not ready for its test competition in March 2025, plans for US-based components may advance. The sliding competitions are mostly scheduled in the evening hours local time, suggesting that if they are moved to New York, NBC could get the opportunity to showcase these events live in primetime, which would otherwise not be possible for a Europe-based Olympics.
