Charles Barkley sheds light on his TNT contract; the creator of “Sport Science” has died; Scott Hanson set for another run with RedZone; and CBS inks new deal for women’s UEFA coverage.
Two more years for Chuck in new deal
TNT NBA studio analyst Charles Barkley said on The Dan Patrick Show Monday that his new contract with TNT is for two additional years. The new contract includes appearances on “Inside the NBA” — which will be licensed to ESPN and ABC next season — as well as other work for TNT. The deal is a revision from the ten-year contract Barkley signed with TNT in 2022, prior to the network losing NBA rights.
For ESPN, questions around the show’s schedule and format remain unanswered, according to Barkley. As far as a potential new TNT show, Barkley said the “Inside” crew taped a pilot episode of a new program, but that the nature of the show remains in flux and that it was difficult without the rights to show NBA highlights.
Barkley’s colleagues Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith are also under new contracts, with O’Neal’s reportedly a five-year deal and Smith’s of an unknown multi-year length.
It should be noted that Barkley’s public statements regarding his career future have been notoriously unreliable.
“Sport Science” host John Brenkus dies at 54
Sports television personality and “Sport Science” creator John Brenkus died Sunday at the age of 54. Brenkus — who was open about his mental health struggles — had suffered from depression, his family said.
“Sport Science,” which originally aired on Fox Sports Net in 2007 before moving to ESPN as a SportsCenter segment in 2010, won six Emmy awards for its innovative educational approach to the physical and biological sciences behind popular athletes. Brenkus also created BASE Productions and Brinx.TV, a platform on which Brenkus continued to appear after ESPN phased out his appearances in 2017.
Hanson confirmed to return to RedZone
NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson confirmed Friday he will return to his position as the host of the NFL’s whiparound program this season. Hanson’s contract expired this summer and renewal talks with NFL Media had stretched throughout the offseason. Financial details were not reported but according to Front Office Sports, the agreement is a “long-term deal.”
Last month, it was announced that Hanson will return to host Peacock’s “Gold Zone” coverage for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics, a role he began with the Paris games in 2024.
CBS inks Women’s UEFA deal
CBS Sports has secured English-language broadcast rights to the expanded UEFA Women’s Champions league in a five-year deal beginning this fall, it was announced on Saturday. The acquisition means CBS will have rights to all top-level UEFA club competitions through 2030.
All 75 matches will air on Paramount+, with “select matches” simulcast on CBS Sports Network or the FAST Golazo Network. The announcement did not mention the CBS broadcast network, which has aired multiple matches annually from the men’s tournament (including the Final) since 2020.
It was reported last month that Disney+ has acquired rights to the Women’s tournament in European territories. In the US, Univision will provide Spanish-language coverage.
