The TNT-produced “Inside the NBA” is nearly a month away from its next episode, but if ESPN executive Burke Magnus has his way, there may not be any extended breaks in future seasons.
ESPN president of content Burke Magnus told Jimmy Traina on the latest “SI Media” podcast that he expects ESPN and TNT Sports to discuss in the offseason a more consistent schedule of TNT-produced NBA studio shows on ESPN “that will allow for more flexibility, more regularity throughout the season from beginning to end.”
The TNT-produced “NBA Tip-Off” and “Inside the NBA” aired adjacent to ESPN NBA games in three of the first four weeks this season, but are now in the midst of a ten-week stretch where they will only be on the air Christmas Day.
Magnus, as he did in a previous podcast interview with Richard Deitsch of The Athletic, said the backloaded schedule is at the request of TNT Sports. He told Traina that ESPN’s agreement to license “Inside the NBA” limits the network to a certain number of shows and includes a provision calling for “the vast majority of them to be after January 1st.”
Calling the sporadic schedule an “imperfect situation from our perspective,” Magnus said that it is ESPN’s preference to have the show “be more regular throughout the season.” Accomplishing that goal might mean increasing the number of shows the network can air, or spreading those shows around “more evenly.” Starting January 24, “Inside” will begin a two-month run where it will often be on multiple times per week.
On nights when “Inside the NBA” does not air, ESPN is running its in-house NBA studio show “NBA Countdown.” As had been known for months, that show no longer features Stephen A. Smith in a regular role, a decision that was negotiated as part of Smith’s recent contract extension. But when ESPN revealed the official “Countdown” cast last week, some publications and social media feeds incorrectly characterized the move as a demotion.
Magnus said that Smith’s increasing role outside of ESPN has limited his availability to appear on shows like “Countdown,” but that the network still has the option to put him on the pregame show “from time to time.” Magnus: “I’m sure you’ll see him on ‘NBA Countdown’ throughout the year.”
Beyond the pregame shows, Magnus also addressed the new lead ESPN NBA booth of Mike Breen, Richard Jefferson and Tim Legler, saying that the trio will work together exclusively on ESPN games this season, rather than the mix-and-match combinations the network used in past years. “We want them to have as many reps as they can possibly get on big games prior to the postseason.”
