Fox networks may be pulled from YouTube TV; former Tennis Channel chairman and CEO Ken Solomon has filed a lawsuit; and Versant is reportedly holding a golf event in mid-December. Plus news on UNC Football, the WNBA CBA, SEC Network and “Inside the NBA.”
Fox networks could be pulled from YouTube TV
Fox Corporation-owned television networks — including the FOX broadcast channel, FS1, FS2 and Big Ten Network — could be pulled from Google-owned YouTube TV if the sides do not reach a new carriage deal by a 5 PM ET Wednesday deadline. The potential expiration of the sides’ deal comes days before the start of the college football season — including the season premiere of “Big Noon Kickoff” and a marquee matchup between Ohio State and Texas — and less than two weeks before until the start of the NFL. Fox and its local affiliates began pushing messages about the potential lapse on Monday.
“While Fox remains committed to reaching a fair agreement with Google’s YouTube TV, we are disappointed that Google continually exploits its outsized influence by proposing terms that are out of step with the marketplace,” Fox said in a statement. “We are alerting Fox viewers who are YouTube TV subscribers that they could lose access to much of their favorite news, sports, entertainment and local station programming unless Google engages in a meaningful way soon.”
Fox said that it has made various offers to YouTube TV that it terms “customer friendly.” YouTube contends that it is working to reach an agreement and that it would provide its members with a $10 credit should Fox content become “unavailable for an extended period of time.” In a blog post written by YouTube CEO Neal Mohan in February 2024, he stated that the vMVPD service has more than 8 million subscribers.
“Our current agreement with Fox is approaching its renewal date and we are in active and ongoing negotiations to continue carrying their content,” YouTube said in a blog post. “Fox is asking for payments that are far higher than what partners with comparable content offerings receive. Our priority is to reach a deal that reflects the value of their content and is fair for both sides without passing on additional costs to our subscribers.”
Solomon reportedly suing Tennis Channel, Sinclair
Ken Solomon, the former chairman and CEO of Tennis Channel, is reportedly suing the network, parent company Sinclair Broadcast Group and multiple Sinclair executives alleging wrongful termination in violation of public policy, breach of contract and defamation. The complaint was filed this past Friday in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, according to Rob Schaefer of Sports Business Journal.
Joe Flint of The Wall Street Journal reported that Sinclair cited Solomon being involved “in activities not related to the Tennis Channel as cause for his departure.” One of these ventures with which the company reportedly took issue was his role as a board member and adviser for Merit Street Media. As reported by Schaefer, Solomon issued a formal request to join the media company in this role and it “was approved in writing.” Solomon had been working at the Tennis Channel since 2005, and he remained an employee as Sinclair purchased the network 11 years later for $350 million.
Sinclair had been considering a sale of Tennis Channel, and Solomon was directed by Sinclair chairman David Smith to lead the process of such in 2023. The obligation “required consistent travel” and resulted in Bill Simon, the current Tennis Channel president, taking on day-to-day network management. Solomon also alleged that Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley “demanded he be present” at network headquarters in California five days per week, contrary to an earlier directive from Smith.
Last August, Solomon claims that Smith was told to either accept a “perfunctory” chairman title or to be fired. Solomon declined to step down, and he was allegedly notified via text that his last day on the job would be Monday, Sept. 9. Sinclair is said to have notified Solomon that “he was being terminated for cause” effective Wednesday, Sept. 11. Schaefer reported that Solomon is looking for compensatory and punitive damages, along with statutory penalties and attorney fees.
McIlroy, Scheffler expected to headline Versant golf event
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are expected to headline a new “all-star type” golf event on Versant-owned networks in mid-December, according to Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal. The event would feature two four-person teams that would likely be part of a “U.S. versus international, all-star skills-type format.” The contest would air on multiple networks owned by Versant, which will be formed out of a spin transaction from Comcast Corporation expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Sources cited in the report indicate involvement from event and production groups that were involved in “The Showdown” last year that featured players from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf entities. That event was produced by BZ Entertainment, which was also involved in the development of “The Match” series on TNT. EverWonder Studio was also part of “The Showdown” event last December, and it is joining BZ Entertainment and Octagon in working with Versant on this effort.
LIV Golf players would reportedly not be competing in the upcoming event, and the PGA Tour is said to have signed off on the proceedings. The event, per sources, would occur the week after the Grant Thornton Invitational, which officially concludes on Sunday, Dec. 14.
Plus: UNC Football, WNBA CBA, SEC Network, ‘Inside the NBA’
- As head coach Bill Belichick enters his first season leading the University of North Carolina Tar Heels football program, the team will take part in a season-long docuseries. This season-long show, which will be produced by EverWonder Studio, is going to stream on Hulu later in the fall and showcase the team and its personnel.
- With the October 31 deadline for the WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Players Association to reach a new collective bargaining agreement approaching, Annie Constable of Front Office Sports reported it being “increasingly likely” a deal will not be completed in time. Within her report, she cited a source familiar with negotiations who explained that an extension of this deadline would “likely be necessary to avoid an immediate work stoppage.”
- SEC Network has announced it has re-signed on-air personalities Cole Cubelic, Chris Doering, Roman Harper, Alyssa Lang, Jordan Rodgers, Matt Stinchcomb and Benjamin Watson. In addition, the ESPN-owned broadcast entity divulged that former national champion coach Gene Chizik is returning to the network as a studio analyst and will appear on SEC Now during the fall.
- Longtime TNT Sports studio analyst Charles Barkley reiterated last week that he still does not know how the details of how “Inside the NBA” will air on ESPN. “We have no parameters of what the show’s going to be, so that’s a little disconcerting to be flat-out honest with you, but hey, it is what it is,” Barkley said during an interview with “The Bettor Angle” on BetMGM Network.
