The NFL Draft is likely to stay put with its current TV home; Shannon Sharpe faces assault allegations in court; CFP leaders to discuss incorporating TV ratings into postseason selections; more MLB teams are available to stream locally.
ESPN expected to retain NFL Draft
ESPN is expected to retain rights to televise the NFL Draft, according to reports from Puck’s John Ourand and Sports Business Journal’s Mollie Cahillane. The network has carried the draft annually for nearly 50 years and appears to have beaten out other bids from Fox and Google for the league’s flagship offseason event.
In addition to ESPN’s rights, the NFL plans to sell international rights to a streaming platform, with Google, Netflix, and Prime Video all showing interest. It’s also possible streaming coverage could coexist with ESPN’s coverage in the US. ESPN’s coverage already airs alongside the NFL’s own telecast on NFL Network and NFL+.
Ourand did not note whether the renewal has any effect on the ongoing negotiations between the two sides regarding a sale of NFL Media to ESPN.
Shannon Sharpe sued
An anonymous woman has filed a lawsuit in Nevada state court against multiplatform sports personality Shannon Sharpe accusing him of sexual assault and battery, according to Pro Football Talk. The plaintiff, who was previously involved in a consensual relationship with Sharpe, seeks more than $50 million from the defendant. The plaintiff’s legal representation includes Tony Buzbee, who was among those who represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuits against quarterback Deshaun Watson beginning in 2021.
Sharpe responded on social media denying the allegations, claiming that their relationship was strictly consensual, and dismissing the suit as extortion.
The news comes as Front Office Sports reported last week that Sharpe is expected to sign a new deal exceeding $100 million to license his network of podcast and video content. Sharpe reached a deal last year to expand his appearances on ESPN’s First Take morning show.
CFP leaders to discuss including TV ratings in selection criteria
The College Football Playoff Management Committee, comprised of the ten FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, will host annual meetings this week in Texas to discuss the future format of the CFP. The 2025-26 postseason will be the final edition of the original 12-year contract with ESPN before possible further expansion occurs in 2026-27.
Among the proposals being discussed is automatic bids to the CFP awarded to a conference based on its in season-performance including — a source told ESPN’s Heather Dinich — rewarding leagues with higher television ratings. TV viewership can be attributed to numerous factors (e.g. scheduling, platform availability, game quality, competing games, weather delays, brand appeal), all of which are out of the control of a college football team, making the mere suggestion of using them as a postseason inclusion metric somewhat shocking.
The most popular playoff format among the committee includes fixed automatic bids in a 14-team format: four each for the Big Ten and SEC, two each for the Big 12 and ACC, and two at-large bids. Any proposed format has to be designed to please the interests of the Big Ten and SEC, who could threaten to leave the system and create their own playoff.
MASN launches DTC option
Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) has launched a direct-to-consumer streaming platform for Orioles and Nationals games, it was announced Monday. In-market fans can subscribe to MASN+ for $19.99/month or $89.99 for the remainder of the 2025 season.
The announcement is another step forward in providing access to fans in the region. A long-running carriage dispute with Comcast had kept the network off of cable systems in the area for years until it was finally resolved last month.
The move leaves the Houston Astros on Space City Home Network as the only MLB team without an in-market DTC streaming option in 2025.
