The Green Bay Packers reportedly oppose changes to the Sports Broadcasting Act; Jason McCourty signs an exclusive multiyear deal with ESPN; and Fox denies a report it was miffed with ESPN’s World Cup coverage. Plus news on the WNBA, Apple, Fox Sports and TNT Sports.
Packers reportedly oppose changes to Sports Broadcasting Act
In an article published Tuesday by Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Green Bay Packers released a statement opposing potential changes to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which allows the NFL to collectively negotiate its media rights deals. “The tremendously successful model of pooling media rights and sharing revenue equally amongst teams has allowed the Packers to survive and thrive in the smallest media market in professional sports,” the team said in the statement. “This model is as foundational to the Packers’ existence as the very bricks in Lambeau Field. It is careless and unwise to rearrange the bricks of a foundation which has stood strong for over half a century.”
The SBA was put in place in part to prevent small market teams like the Packers from being outbid by teams in the competing American Football League.
The U.S. federal government is investigating whether the NFL media rights deals with streaming companies are anticompetitive practices, according to a report by Jessica Toonkel and Dana Mattioli of The Wall Street Journal. The investigation is also going to extend into other leagues who are covered by the SBA, per a report by Kelcee Griffis and Josh Sisco of Bloomberg. Earlier in the year, the NFL released a statement that said its “media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry,” pointing to how all of its games are available “in the markets of the competing teams.” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly declined to testify at a U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Sports Broadcasting Act last week.
Two years ago, a federal jury found that the NFL violated antitrust law with the bundling and sale of its NFL Sunday Ticket product, and the plaintiffs were awarded more than $4.5 billion in damages, which could have been tripled under U.S. antitrust law. Although a district court judge later threw out the verdict upon finding that two expert testimonies from the plaintiffs used “flawed methodologies,” the case is currently “pending on appeal” at the Ninth Circuit. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote Wednesday that the “ruling could come at literally any time.”
McCourty inks exclusive deal with ESPN, will not return to CBS NFL coverage
NFL analyst Jason McCourty will appear exclusively on ESPN under a new multiyear deal with the network announced Thursday, extending his time with the company that began almost three years ago. McCourty had also been calling NFL games for CBS Sports since 2023, but he wanted to travel less and will not be returning to the network next season, Sports Media Watch has learned. McCourty worked with play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon, reporter AJ Ross and analyst Charles Davis on CBS NFL broadcasts last year.
While ESPN NFL game coverage is expanding next season with three additional regular-season matchups (part of seven games airing on ESPN-owned NFL Network), McCourty is not scheduled to call games at the moment. He is currently slated to appear on studio programming such as “Get Up,” “First Take,” “NFL Live” and “SportsCenter.” McCourty was previously a member of “Good Morning Football” on NFL Network for nearly three years, but he departed the program ahead of its cross-country move from New York to Los Angeles.
McCourty first joined ESPN as an NFL analyst in September 2024 and has contributed across the network’s studio programming. In addition, he was part of the Netflix broadcast team for its inaugural year of Christmas NFL coverage in 2024, working with his identical twin brother, Devin, and host Laura Rutledge on pregame coverage of Chiefs-Steelers.
Outside of his work on television, he has called NFL games for Westwood One, including a divisional round matchup between the Patriots and Houston Texans in January. McCourty also worked with his brother on select broadcasts of Patriots preseason games for the last three seasons.
Fox denies report it was miffed with ESPN’s World Cup coverage
Fox Sports on Wednesday denied a report by Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports that some of its executives were “frustrated” over a perceived lack of FIFA World Cup coverage on ESPN, specifically of the United States’ win over Paraguay last week.
“This is simply not true,” a Fox Sports spokesman told Andrew Marchand of The Athletic in a statement posted on X. “We are focused on our own coverage of the biggest event in the world, not on what others choose to air. And frankly, it’s insulting to ESPN to suggest they would pass on covering it. This is all absurd.” McCarthy replied to the statement on X and said that he stands by his story.
ESPN is operating under strict restrictions from FIFA that do not permit any non-rightsholders to show more than two minutes of highlights on a single newscast, which must take place on “bona fide television news programs,” per McCarthy. ESPN EVP and executive editor/sports news and entertainment Mike Foss told Drew Lerner of Awful Announcing that despite the restrictions, “ESPN is delivering world-class analysis, journalism, and context.”
Throughout the day on Wednesday, Foss re-tweeted clips from ESPN studio programs talking about the tournament. ESPN president/content Burke Magnus also shared posts criticizing the assertions reported by McCarthy. One of those posts was from Awful Announcing owner/editor Ben Koo, who said that his publication had been pitched a similar story, presumably by Fox personnel, and had passed. In addition to the restrictions on highlights, the beginning of the World Cup coincided with the end of the NBA and Stanley Cup finals, both of which aired on ESPN platforms.
Plus: WNBA, Apple, Fox Sports, TNT Sports
- Versant-owned CNBC has begun simulcasting select WNBA games carried by USA Network, beginning a run of 11 late doubleheader windows this past Wednesday night. USA Sports president Matt Hong said in an interview on CNBC “Squawk Box” Wednesday that the simulcasts are “a promise that we make to not only the WNBA, but all our league partners that we’ll look for new audiences for them.” In other WNBA news, the league is expanding its regular season to 50 games starting next year, as permitted under the new collective bargaining agreement.
- Apple TV is removing the paywall for coverage of the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, making the practice rounds, qualifier and official race free to watch for viewers in the United States. Apple SVP services/health Eddy Cue said last month that “ratings were way up over where they were last year on linear for the first three races significantly,” but Apple has not disclosed any hard data. Although MLS broadcasts on Apple TV still require a subscription, the vast majority of matches were previously behind a second paywall that was eliminated prior to the season after being in place for three years.
- Fox Sports is bringing “Big Noon Kickoff” overseas for the first time, broadcasting live from Wembley Stadium in London prior to the Union Jack Classic between Arizona State and Kansas on Saturday, Sept. 19. The rival “College Gameday” made its first overseas trip two years ago for a season opening game in Ireland.
- Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson is joining TNT Sports as an analyst for its coverage of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge beginning later this month, the company announced Wednesday. In addition to Johnson, the TNT broadcasts will include pre-race and post-race coverage from ESPN host/reporter Marty Smith and analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte and Jamie McMurray. TNT presented the racing circuit’s inaugural in-season tournament last year and is bringing back the broadcast trio featuring Adam Alexander with Earnhardt and Letarte.
