Versant discusses the potential future of its sports portfolio; ESPN is reportedly absorbing NFL Network talent contracts; and Lauren Shehadi is said to be joining the full slate of Netflix MLB broadcasts this season. Plus news on the SBA, Troy Murray, IndyCar and Kylen Mills.
Kini: Versant to offset cost of future sports rights
Speaking at Deutsche Bank’s 34th Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference Tuesday, Versant CFO/COO Anand Kini said that the company will only acquire additional sports rights if it can offset the cost. Kini: “We’re going to look at the overall programming lineup that we have and say, ‘Where are we spending elsewhere?’ I think we’re going to make those trade-offs there.”
Versant has a long-term goal of deriving 50% of its revenue from non-pay television sources and expects “high single-digit growth” this year from Platforms businesses, including GolfNow and SportsEngine.
Kini said Versant will remain disciplined and opportunistic in the marketplace for sports rights, echoing the sentiment of CEO Mark Lazarus. While that rules out bidding for the likes of the NFL, Kini suggested that the upcoming NFL rights negotiations could open the door for Versant to acquire other properties, noting that the league’s existing partners are likely to experience a “pretty significant rights reset” and could either sublicense or fail to renew their rights to other properties.
ESPN to reportedly absorb NFL Network contracts
ESPN plans to absorb the contracts of NFL Network talent as it continues integrating the formerly league-owned channel into its portfolio, according to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. The network would honor existing contracts through their current terms, after which talent would need to negotiate with management at ESPN. New contracts would reportedly require “mutual interest on both sides” and alignment with “the network’s future direction.”
ESPN president of content Burke Magnus said on the “SI Media” podcast last year that ESPN wanted to preserve NFL Network’s “very different brand and a very different voice.”
Several former ESPN talent are seemingly lined up to make returns to the network under this arrangement, including Sara Walsh, Cameron Wolfe, Jane Slater, Stacey Dales and Mike Yam. Various former NFL Network staffers have joined ESPN over the years as well, such as Peter Schrager, Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington. Longtime host Rich Eisen has been appearing on both NFL Network and ESPN platforms under a licensing agreement where his weekday talk show airs on ESPN’s direct-to-consumer platform and ESPN Radio.
The ESPN-NFL Media agreement officially closed in late January. As a result, ESPN has been able to add NFL Network into its linear network selection ahead of the 2026 season, which culminates in The Walt Disney Company broadcasting Super Bowl LXI next February.
Shehadi to reportedly work on slate of Netflix MLB broadcasts
Lauren Shehadi will be the reporter for the inaugural Major League Baseball events on Netflix, according to a report by Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports. Shehadi, who also hosts and reports on MLB coverage for both MLB Network and TNT Sports, will reportedly be part of the streamer’s Opening Night, Home Run Derby and Field of Dreams Game broadcasts. Netflix is entering the first season of a three-year media rights deal with Major League Baseball reportedly worth $35 million annually.
Shehadi has been working at MLB Network since 2012 where she has appeared across a variety of programming, primarily as a host on “MLB Central” and “Hot Stove” in recent years. In addition to reporting on baseball, Shehadi has also been part of March Madness coverage from TNT Sports for the last several years. Shehadi will be reporting on this year’s tournament until the regional finals, working with play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan and analysts Robbie Hummel and Stan Van Gundy.
Sports Media Watch reported Tuesday morning that MLB Network host/play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian is expected to call the Netflix MLB Opening game, barring any last-minute change of plans. Netflix has not announced the addition of analysts for its game and studio coverage, the latter of which will be anchored by lead sports host Elle Duncan.
Plus: SBA, Troy Murray, IndyCar, Kylen Mills
- Two U.S. senators plan to introduce bipartisan legislation that would amend the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 so that college conferences would be allowed to pool their media rights, it was announced Friday. The move follows a study commissioned by the Big Ten and SEC conferences that called the feasibility of pooling media rights “dangerously unworkable.”
- The Chicago Blackhawks announced that radio analyst Troy Murray passed away on Saturday at the age of 63 after a battle with cancer. Murray, who worked alongside play-by-play announcer John Wiedeman for approximately two decades, called three Stanley Cup championships and also worked as a studio analyst on television broadcasts. Prior to broadcasting games, Murray played for the Blackhawks and four other NHL teams, finishing his playing career with the Colorado Avalanche as a Stanley Cup champion.
- IndyCar Series president Doug Boies told Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal that the series is open to pushing its schedule further into the football season if it is possible to get a direct lead-in from Fox NFL games. But he cautioned that IndyCar does not want “to go too far into the fall,” instead pushing “a week or two or even three beyond where we are right now, but not much beyond that.”
- Kylen Mills has joined the broadcast team for San Francisco Giants games on NBC Sports Bay Area where she will host pregame and postgame coverage. Mills formerly worked for the network on its coverage of the Athletics and San Jose State basketball, and she has also hosted for Big Ten Network.
