Formula 1 is reportedly looking to keep F1 TV in the United States under its next rights deal; SEC commissioner Greg Sankey discusses expansion of the College Football Playoff; and Allison Williams is said to be joining NFL broadcasts on FOX Sports. Plus additional news surrounding the NHL, NBA, ESPYS and Players Era Festival.
Formula 1 aiming to continue F1 TV in United States
With reports indicating that Formula 1 is leaning towards selecting Apple as its United States partner holding broadcasting rights starting next year, the motorsport league could remain accessible through a familiar domain. Formula One Management, the company owned by Liberty Media, is said to be aiming to continue F1 TV in the country within its next rights deal, according to a source cited by Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal.
This service first launched in 2018, and it has granted users the ability to stream all race weekend sessions and various other features. The continuation of F1 TV in the United States would provide viewers with two OTT platforms to view races and other events surrounding the entity. The F1 TV platform has co-existed as ESPN has broadcast the races through linear and digital platforms under media rights deals dating back to 2018.
Dylan Byers of Puck News recently reported that new Liberty Media chief executive officer Derek Chang met with Apple executives Tim Cook and Eddy Cue at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference. On top of that, he conveyed that Apple offered $150 million per annum for the rights and explained that Liberty Media would be likely to accept the proposal.
Sankey expresses support for CFP expansion
As the format of the Colllege Football Playoff remains ambiguous after next season, Sankey expressed his support for its expansion beyond 12 teams, explaining that it “can be positive and should be pursued.” Yet he mentioned that the CFP could remain in its 12-team format containing the five conference champions if no agreement regarding a new format is ultimately reached.
At the moment, the 12 participating teams consist of the five conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked schools as determined by the CFP selection committee. There have been discussions about a model in which the aforementioned conference champions plus 11 at-large teams would qualify, and it was reported by Heather Dinich of ESPN as “gaining traction” after the conference held its spring meetings in late May. Brett Yormark, the commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, explained last week that the 5+11 model would be “the right format” for the conference long term, which would grant two automatic bids per year to the entity.
ESPN and the College Football Playoff reached a new six-year agreement reportedly worth $7.8 billion starting in the 2026-27 season that grants the network rights to the entire tournament, along with placing the National Championship Game on ABC for the first time.
Williams joining FOX Sports NFL broadcasts
FOX Sports has promoted sideline reporter Allison Williams to its coverage of the National Football League, according to a report from Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. Williams, who first joined the company in August 2022 following a stint at ESPN, has been contributing to college football broadcasts working alongside play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti and analyst Brock Huard for three seasons.
Under her new role, she will be assuming the position previously held by Laura Okmin, who had been with the company for 23 years. Okmin had previously worked with play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler and analyst Daryl “Moose” Johnston, but it remains unknown if Williams will pair with the same broadcast team.
Plus: NHL tripleheader, NBA, ESPYS, Players Era Festival
- The NHL will begin the 2025-26 regular season with a tripleheader of games airing on Tuesday, Oct. 7 televised exclusively by ESPN in the United States and Rogers Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. Matchups include Blackhawks-Panthers (5 p.m. EST), Penguins-Rangers (8 p.m. EST) and Avalanche-Kings (10:30 p.m. EST), and the full regular-season schedule will be revealed this Wednesday at 1 p.m. EST.
- A potential national streaming RSN for the NBA may not launch until the 2027-28 season, according to a report by Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. While sources cited indicate that the league could have created the platform amid finalizing its national media rights deals, it was said to have considered local television as “a prohibitive revenue source.”
- ESPN has revealed that this Wednesday’s presentation of the 2025 “ESPYS” from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif. will honor Diana Taurasi and Alex Morgan with the Icon Award recognizing their careers and impact in professional sports. The network is also going to air an edition of “SportsCenter: 50 States in 50 Days” from the red carpet featuring anchors Kevin Neghandi and Elle Duncan.
- TNT Sports will exclusively present the 31-game Players Era college basketball tournament for the second consecutive year during Thanksgiving Week. Various prominent men’s and women’s basketball teams are featured as part of the schedule, such as Tennessee, St. John’s, Creighton and Rutgers.
