The FIFA Club World Cup has found a linear TV home; one of New York’s regional sports network is facing financial woes; FIFA planning halftime show for 2026 World Cup final; and more.
TNT to sublicense Club World Cup matches
TNT Sports has reached an agreement with DAZN to sublicense a select number of matches from the upcoming 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. TNT, TBS, and truTV will combine to air 24 of the 63 matches (including the final) from the international club tournament, which is being held in the United States in an expanded format for the first time. The remaining matches will remain exclusive to DAZN, which secured global streaming rights to the competition. Univision, UniMas, and TUDN have already acquired Spanish-language US sublicense rights for the tournament.
TNT and DAZN will also co-produce studio programming surrounding the matches. TNT Sports is also the television home of US Soccer, and will air friendlies and other competitions leading up to the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
The tournament kicks off on June 14, when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF face off against Egypt’s Al Ahly.
MSG Network nearing bankruptcy
MSG Network is approaching bankruptcy, with hundreds of millions in debt payments coming due, according to Front Office Sports. Owner James Dolan cited the upcoming new NBA national media deals, which provide more exclusive rights to the national outlets, as a cause for the RSN’s inability to fulfill programming covenants with distributors. Additionally, MSG Network has not been immune from the broader cord-cutting trend facing all of television. Of the three major RSNs in the New York City area (MSG, YES, and SNY), MSG is the only one that does not air Major League Baseball, and is therefore in a weaker position than the other two, despite television rights to New York’s most popular winter teams: the Knicks and Rangers.
Bankruptcy proceedings could cause the network to restructure its rights deals with teams to ensure profitability. Main Street Sports, the owner of the FanDuel Sports Network RSNs, recently emerged from its own bankruptcy proceedings with greatly reduced rights fees to a number of local teams.
FIFA planning “Super Bowl-style” halftime show for 2026 World Cup final
The final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature a “Super Bowl-style” halftime show for the first time, according to FIFA president tradition Gianni Infantino. British rock group Coldplay has been tapped to finalize the “list of artists” that will perform at the match, which will be held on July 19, 2026 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The World Cup has often been associated with global musical celebrations, and coverage usually features one more anthems written specifically for the event. FIFA announced last week that a different artist representing each host city would create a unique remix of the 2026 World Cup theme song.
No decision was announced if the World Cup match will feature a halftime period extended beyond the typical fifteen minutes. The NFL’s Super Bowl expands halftime from the standard thirteen minutes to thirty minutes to feature the headlining performer each year.
Plus: Reali, Boxing, Champ Week
— ESPN has made “no decisions” about the future of “Around the Horn” host Tony Reali after the show ends its run in May, according to Jimmy Traina of SI.com. Reali has been with ESPN since the debut of Pardon the Interruption in 2001 and hosted “Around the Horn” since 2004.
— TKO Group, the parent company of WWE and UFC, announced Wednesday that it has secured a multi-year agreement with the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority to create a new boxing promotion in the country. The business will be led by UFC CEO Dana White and WWE president Nick Kahn. The first event will be held in 2026. In a social media video, White said details would be forthcoming about television rights. The partnership will be with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the nearly $1 trillion state-controlled investment entity responsible for other Saudi sports projects, including LIV Golf and the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
— ESPN announced Tuesday its top men’s college basketball team of Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas will be on the call for the final of the SEC men’s basketball tournament, rather than the ACC as they have for many years. Dave O’Brien and Cory Alexander will call the ACC title game for the first time instead. Karl Ravech and Jimmy Dykes, who have typically worked the SEC final, will instead call the early rounds of the SEC Tournament on SEC Network.
