NBC is again planning to add its regional sports networks to Peacock; Diamond Sports seeks immediate approval of its new FanDuel naming rights deal; ex-TNT NBA analyst Jamal Crawford has interest from ESPN, NBC and Amazon.
NBC again plans to add its RSNs to Peacock
The NBC streaming service Peacock is expected to add the four remaining NBC-branded regional sports networks by early next year, Jessica Toonkel of The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, though details have yet to be finalized and the timeline is not set in stone. Per the report, one option being discussed is to distribute the RSNs as add-ons in the local markets.
Regardless of the implementation, the RSNs would remain available through traditional cable distribution.
NBC has considered distributing its RSNs through Peacock before. WSJ reported three years ago that the company had abandoned plans to add its Philadelphia RSN to the streaming service over concerns that it would drive up the price.
Diamond seeks emergency approval for FanDuel deal
Diamond Sports Group, operator of the Bally Sports-branded RSNs, said in a Tuesday court filing that it has agreed to a naming rights deal with FanDuel to replace its expiring agreement with Bally’s, which ends at the conclusion of the MLB season. (Diamond rejected the Bally’s deal as part of a March settlement with parent company Sinclair, which still had control of the RSNs when the naming rights agreement was negotiated in 2020.)
Diamond is seeking emergency approval from the bankruptcy court to begin the new agreement as soon as next week, as FanDuel negotiated the right to terminate the deal if approval is not granted by Monday.
The FanDuel deal covers only the 2024-25 NBA and NHL seasons, but will automatically convert to a multi-year deal in May, in the event that Diamond is still operating as a going concern at that point.
The deal had been in the works for months, but Tuesday’s filing — which was not widely reported until Wednesday — marked the first official announcement.
ESPN, NBC, Amazon, said to have interest in ex-TNT analyst Crawford
ESPN, NBC and Amazon have each expressed interest in the services of now-former TNT NBA analyst Jamal Crawford, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported Wednesday. Crawford, who served as a studio and more recently game analyst for TNT since 2022, left the network in the offseason.
Crawford, who in announcing his free agency this summer said he expects to continue calling games, could conceivably work for ESPN as soon as this season, as the network seeks to shore up an analyst bench that has weathered the firings of Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson and subsequent departures of Doc Rivers and J.J. Redick.
He would have to wait until the new NBA media rights deal begins next year to call games for NBC or Amazon, though it is hardly unprecedented for analysts to join a network a year ahead of a new deal.
In the meantime, Crawford will call a small package of Knicks games for MSG Network this season.
