Bill Belichick will join the Pat McAfee Show to provide NFL Draft coverage, with an Omaha Productions deal also reportedly imminent. Plus: Diamond Sports gets judge’s approval on disclosure statement; FOX reaches deal to broadcast The Basketball Tournament this summer.
Belichick to join McAfee for the NFL Draft, sign with Omaha
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will team up with the Pat McAfee Show to contribute NFL Draft coverage, McAfee announced on his show Wednesday. After failing to land a head coaching job for the upcoming season, Belichick’s name has been floated for a number of opportunities in the media. The Pat McAfee Show‘s annual “Draft Spectacular” will be his first official assignment.
ESPN.com also reported Wednesday that Belichick is expected to sign a deal with Peyton Manning‘s Omaha Productions for the upcoming NFL season while the coach bides his time before next year’s coaching cycle. Belichick’s attraction towards McAfee and the alt-cast focused Omaha seemingly confirms last month’s reporting in The Athletic that he is not interested in a traditional studio or analyst role. (Pat McAfee, 4.17) (ESPN, 4.17) (The Athletic 3.27)
Diamond Sports takes next step in bankruptcy court
In a brief court hearing Wednesday, Diamond Sports took another step towards executing its Amazon-financed restructuring. Judge Chris Lopez approved a disclosure statement submitted by Diamond that will serve as a roadmap for the company as they emerge from bankruptcy. The confirmation of Diamond’s disclosure statement will occur in court on June 18th, pending any prior objections from MLB, the NBA, or NHL.
The key hurdle for Diamond’s restructure is its ongoing negotiations with two key distributors: Comcast and DirecTV. In addition to Charter, with whom Diamond came to terms with earlier this month, the three distributors make up 81% of Diamond’s affiliate revenue.
As for where Diamond stands with the leagues, the company has submitted proposals to the NBA and NHL, though the NBA will not consider signing a long-term renewal with Diamond prior to securing its national media rights agreements. Diamond and MLB find themselves in a more tenuous spot, with the league indicating it is ready to move on after the current season if Diamond does not address concerns about future liquidation or financial reorganization. (The Athletic, 4.17) (Sportico, 4.17)
FOX and TBT reach multi-year deal
FOX and The Basketball Tournament (TBT), the $1 million winner-take-all summer hoops event, have reached a multi-year media rights agreement, the network announced Thursday. The network will broadcast 27 games of the upcoming tournament live on FOX, FS1, and FS2. Since its inception in 2014, ESPN has been the sole television partner for TBT. Last year, ESPN aired just 20 games on its linear properties ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU, with the remaining games airing on ESPN+.
Financial terms for the FOX-TBT agreement were not disclosed. The deal marks the addition of another basketball property for FOX, who recently announced the creation of the “College Basketball Crown,” a tournament intended to compete with the NIT and comprised of college basketball teams not selected for the NCAA Tournament. (FOX, 4.18)
