Fubo calls out NBCUniversal amid an ongoing blackout of its networks; the CFP extends a format deadline with ESPN; and Joe Buck will be on GMA ahead of “Monday Night Football” in Week 13. Plus news on Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCSN, Netflix and Damon Amendolara.
Fubo calls out NBCU amid carriage dispute
Fubo on Tuesday accused NBCUniversal of pressuring it “to add expensive, non-sports channels,” which would raise prices for Fubo subscribers as the company seeks to offer lower-cost options like its “Fubo Sports” skinny bundle. The streaming MVPD, which is in day four of a blackout of NBCU channels, also alleged that NBCU wants it to sign a multiyear agreement to distribute Versant-owned channels. Fubo only wishes to ink a one-year deal and believes that NBCU is looking for “Fubo subscribers to subsidize these channels.”
Fubo also claimed that NBCUniversal is ‘discriminating’ against its service and subscribers by not permitting Peacock to be integrated into its channels store, noting that the company had reached similar distribution arrangements with YouTube TV and Amazon’s Prime Video. NBCUniversal countered that Fubo had been “offered the same terms agreed to by hundreds of other distributors.”
“Unfortunately, this is par for the course for Fubo — they’ve dropped numerous networks in recent years at the expense of their customers, who continue to lose content,” an NBCUniversal spokesperson said in a statement. Fubo dropped the SportsNet New York RSN this past April, of which 8% is owned by Comcast’s NBC Sports Group.
Fubo, which recently merged with Disney-owned Hulu + Live TV to form a new business, remains its own distinct streaming offering. The U.S. Department of Justice approved the merger amid the government shutdown when a “voluntary timing agreement” during the federal review process expired. The transaction came following a settlement when Fubo sued Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery for their Venu Sports joint streaming venture.
CFP, ESPN extend deadline to finalize 2026 format
The College Football Playoff and ESPN have agreed to extend the deadline by which a new playoff format must be finalized from December 1 to January 23, it was announced this week. David Rumsey of Front Office Sports reported that the CFP requested the extension and was a “one-time exception.”
“We appreciate the continued partnership and collaboration with ESPN as we work through the important elements that will shape the future of the College Football Playoff,” Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP, said in a statement. “While no change to the current format is definite, this extension will allow the Management Committee additional time to evaluate the second year of the expanded playoff and ensure any potential modifications are carefully considered, fully vetted, and in the best interests of student-athletes, schools, and fans.”
The College Football Playoff moved to a 12-team format beginning in 2023, and ESPN agreed to expand its current package under the final two years of its media rights deal. ESPN also reached a new six-year media rights agreement with the CFP reportedly worth $7.8 billion that covers the yet-to-be-determined next era of the playoff.
Several Power Four commissioners have been pushing for CFP expansion, including Tony Pettiti of the Big Ten. Pettiti had reportedly pitched increasing the field to either 24 or 28 teams, the former of which would grant both his conference and the SEC seven automatic bids. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told Seth Emerson of The Athletic that reaching a 16-team CFP should be a “priority” for those “in conference leadership.”
Buck to anchor GMA, call MNF in same day
ESPN “Monday Night Football” play-by-play voice Joe Buck will serve as a guest anchor on “Good Morning America” in New York City and then proceed to call the Giants-Patriots “Monday Night Football” game in Foxborough, Ma., on Monday, Dec. 1. Buck previously worked two assignments in one day with Fox Sports when he called a Giants-49ers game and NLCS Cardinals-Giants matchup in 2012. Over the summer, he appeared on GMA for a week while anchor George Stephanopoulos took some time off.
ESPN president of content Burke Magnus said in a statement that Buck’s “impact on The Walt Disney Company goes well beyond the broadcast booth” and that they would “continue to find new ways to leverage his talent across the company.” Outside of “MNF,” Buck has appeared on some ESPN studio programming and participated in the company’s Upfront multiple times.
Buck is one of several ESPN personalities who have appeared on “GMA” this year as it has moved into 7 Hudson Square, where the ABC News program shares studio space with several ESPN shows. Malika Andrews, Laura Rutledge and Stephen A. Smith have guest anchored the show, while Elle Duncan, Mike Greenberg, Herm Edwards and Katie Feeney are among those who have been interviewed.
Disney CEO Bob Iger honored “GMA” as it celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this month, officially dedicating the production space as the “Good Morning America Studio.” The space had previously been known as Studio C and films adjacent to “The View,” “Live with Kelly and Mark” and “ABC 7 Eyewitness News.”
Plus: WBD, NBCSN, Netflix, Damon Amendolara
- Warner Bros. Discovery is asking its potential buyers — a list that reportedly includes Paramount, Comcast and Netflix — to submit “new, sweetened offers” in a second round of bidding by next Monday, according to a report from Michelle F. Davis, Josh Sisco and Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg. WBD could enter an exclusive negotiating period with one of the companies upon reviewing offers, according to people familiar with the matter cited in the report.
- About a week after its launch on YouTube TV, NBC Sports Network is now available on Comcast Xfinity cable within select packages. The linear network, which contains some Peacock sports content outside of exclusive NFL games and Olympics programming, is expected to eventually have additional distribution as well.
- The sports docuseries “Starting 5” will not be continuing for a third season on Netflix, it was reported by Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal on Monday. The project had previously featured NBA stars such as LeBron James, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Kevin Durant, but “various third-party numbers weren’t looking good for the series,” per The Entertainment Strategy Guy on Substack.
- Damon Amendolara has agreed to a contract extension with SiriusXM under which he will continue hosting on Mad Dog Sports Radio and NFL Radio, Sports Media Watch has confirmed. The news, as first reported by Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing, extends Amendolara’s tenure with the station that first began in 2023 after moving over from CBS Sports Radio.
