Ryan Clark apologizes to Peter Schrager; TNT Sports airs its final broadcast on NBA TV; and Liberty Media is “pretty far along” regarding U.S. media rights for Formula 1. Plus news on Lachlan Murdoch, Stephen Curry, Ken Dryden and WPIX-TV.
Clark issues apology to Schrager
ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark apologized Friday night for an on-and-off-air interaction with Peter Schrager on “Get Up” earlier in the day. During an on-air debate, Clark attributed one of Schrager’s opinions to his being a “non-player,” leading Schrager to ask Clark not to “belittle” him and Clark to respond by admonishing Schrager to “not get mad, and let me finish for once.”
That night, Clark apologized on social media for an exchange that he said extended off-the-air. “I value working with Peter and look forward to this season,” Clark wrote on X. “My focus will remain on professionalism, teamwork, and being a better teammate moving forward.” Both analysts appeared together on the Monday edition of “NFL Live.”
Earlier in the year, Clark issued multiple apologies after bringing up his former ESPN colleague Robert Griffin III‘s two interracial marriages in a back-and-forth about Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.
Clark has been working at ESPN since announcing his retirement from the National Football League in 2015, and he has become a regular presence on the network through his positions on the cast of “NFL Live” and “Monday Night Countdown.” In addition, he is entering his third year as the host of “Inside the NFL,” currently airing on the X platform, and has also collaborated with Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor on “The Pivot” podcast.
TNT Sports airs final broadcast on NBA TV
TNT Sports aired its final original broadcast on NBA TV this past Saturday leading up to the enshrinement ceremony for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Host Jared Greenberg said as the Hall of Fame pre-show was signing off that it was the last TNT Sports NBA TV production, ending the sides’ 17-year partnership. The two entities earlier this year announced that they would be parting ways and the league is planning to move production in house starting on Wednesday, Oct. 1. More information about the future of the network and its game schedule will be shared prior to that date.
Warner Bros. Discovery will continue to operate NBA TV until that date, so it would seem that there will be no live original programming on the network for the next three weeks — which includes the start of NBA training camps and media days and two rounds of the WNBA playoffs.
NBA TV has been broadcasting out from the TNT Sports studio facilities in Atlanta, Ga. since TNT took over production in 2008. The league-branded network will continue to air regular season games in the new NBA media rights deal, but it will no longer carry playoff games.
Although TNT Sports is no longer operating NBA TV or the NBA website, the division is has a global license to create, produce and disseminate “new and existing NBA content across its platforms” as part of a settlement with the NBA last year that pays the company a reported $70 million/year. TNT Sports will also continue to produce its “Inside the NBA” studio show, which it is licensing to ESPN and ABC starting this season. Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TNT Sports, is also receiving NBA telecast rights in several international markets over the next 11 years.
Chang: F1 “pretty far along” on Formula 1 U.S. media rights
Liberty Media chief executive officer Derek Chang said Monday that the company is “pretty far along” in U.S. media rights negotiations for Formula 1 and that it is “happy and comfortable” about where it will end up. According to several previous reports, Apple is expected to acquire the rights, with The Wall Street Journal reporting in July that the streamer had submitted a bid worth as much as $150 million/year for U.S. broadcasting rights for the racing property.
“I think it’s been pretty well documented in terms of the negotiations,” Chang said at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia & Technology Conference. “We are pretty far along and we’re pretty happy and comfortable with sort of where we’re going to end up. Hopefully we’ll have something to talk about relatively soon.” F1 races currently air on ESPN, which has held rights since 2018 for a reported figure of around $90 million per year.
Apple Studios produced a original film on F1 racing featuring award-winning actor Brad Pitt that Liberty Media said assisted a 40% YoY increase in second-quarter revenue. The venture was theatrically released in June, and it will become available to stream on the Apple TV+ at a later date.
“In the U.S., we’ve been on a pretty nice growth path with Austin and then Miami and now Vegas, which we’re very proud of and very happy with sort of how that’s going,” Chang said. “I think bringing in a partner who amplifies a lot of that for us on an overall holistic basis and driving that engagement with fans is what’s important. Again, we, as I said earlier, are looking forward to successful conclusions of this process here relatively soon.”
Plus: Lachlan Murdoch, Stephen Curry, Ken Dryden, WPIX-TV
- Lachlan Murdoch will gain control of voting shares over Fox Corporation and News Corp. after a deal to purchase shares from his three oldest siblings for a reported $1.1 billion each, ending litigation and dissolving the existing family trust.
- Unanimous Media, a production company co-founded by Golden State Warriors G Stephen Curry and producer Erick Peyton, has signed with CAA for representation, according to a report by Ethan Shanfeld of Variety. The company has worked on scripted comedy series, documentaries and podcasts, including a partnership with iHeartMedia.
- Former NHL goaltender and six-time Stanley Cup champion Ken Dryden passed away at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer, it was announced on Saturday. Dryden was on the broadcast with play-by-play announcer Al Michaels for the “Miracle on Ice” game as the United States defeated the Soviet Union during the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.
- WPIX-TV has renewed its multiplatform agreement with SportsNet New York to carry select New York Mets games on broadcast television through 2028. The deal, which extends the partnership between the two networks past two decades, includes 25 regular-season games and five spring training contests.
