Diamond Sports Group will have to pay teams full value of media rights agreements, a judge ruled Thursday. Plus: Shannon Sharpe is stepping away from FS1 and Undisputed, Pat McAfee‘s ESPN salary released, and networks begin college football schedule releases.
Diamond must pay teams 100% of contract value
A judge ruled Thursday that Diamond Sports Group, operator of the Bally Sports RSNs, must pay the full value of media rights agreements to the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Texas Rangers.
Diamond and MLB began bankruptcy proceedings in Houston on Wednesday to determine whether the RSN conglomerate is liable to make rights payments to teams whose contracts they deemed not profitable.
The hearings revealed a tense relationship between the two parties, with the MLB calling Diamond’s tactic of withholding rights payments as a bargaining chip for teams’ direct-to-consumer rights “blackmail.” Diamond sought to reduce payments by 25% to reflect “fair market value” as cord cutting continues to burden RSNs.
Earlier this week, Diamond failed to send payment to the San Diego Padres before the end of a 30-day grace period, officially ceding the team’s rights back to the MLB. (The Athletic 5.31)
Shannon Sharpe out at FS1
Shannon Sharpe and Fox Sports have reportedly reached a buyout agreement according to the New York Post. Sharpe’s final appearance on Undisputed will air following the conclusion of the NBA Finals.
Sharpe and co-host Skip Bayless began hosting Undisputed together in 2016, following the departure of Bayless from ESPN’s First Take.
Sharpe will also move his “Club Shay Shay” podcast off of Fox Sports platforms as part of the buyout. It is unclear what Fox’s plans are to replace Sharpe. (NY Post 5.31)
Pat McAfee deal worth $85m with ESPN
ESPN contributor Pat McAfee’s freshly-inked deal with the company will pay him $85m over five years, per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. McAfee is walking away from a previous deal with FanDuel worth $120m over four years.
McAfee has cited ESPN’s vast resources and wide distribution as reasons for the move. On the SI Media with Jimmy Traina podcast, McAfee revealed that his show will air on ESPN from noon to 2pm beginning this fall, with simulcasts on ESPN+ and the ESPN YouTube page. The third hour of the show will be available on ESPN’s digital platforms.
McAfee will continue his duties on College Gameday as part of the deal. (NY Post 5.31)
Networks release early season college football schedules
Early season television schedules for the upcoming college football season have been released by the networks.
The 2023-24 season marks the beginning of new media rights agreements for the Big Ten, where games will be broadcast across FOX, NBC, and CBS. This will be the final season of the Saturday afternoon SEC on CBS package — ESPN/ABC will take over rights to the marquee SEC games next year.
NBC’s primetime Big Ten package will kick off with West Virginia at Penn State on September 2nd. The network will close out their inaugural Big Ten package with a couple of premier match ups: Michigan State at Ohio State in The Horseshoe on November 11th and Penn State at Michigan State at Ford Field on Black Friday.
CBS will open its Big Ten slate with Ohio State at Indiana on September 2nd, the first of seven games on the network. The first two air in the network’s traditional 3:30 PM ET Saturday window, but once the SEC on CBS begins in week three, remaining Big Ten matchups will air sporadically at Noon ET or in primetime. (Network PR)
