As expected, MLB analyst David Cone is leaving ESPN as it shifts away from “Sunday Night Baseball.” Plus: an update on the WNBA negotiations as its collective bargaining agreement is set to expire; what changes are in store at Golf Channel under Versant; and more.
MLB analyst Cone leaving ESPN
ESPN “Sunday Night Baseball” analyst David Cone is not returning to the network this coming season, per multiple reports Friday. Cone primarily works as a Yankees analyst for YES Network, but was able to add “Sunday Night Baseball” duties in 2022 without disrupting his other responsibilities. But with ESPN’s baseball coverage shifting from Sunday nights to a weeknight-heavy schedule starting this season, it was no secret that his role would likely come to an end.
ESPN executive of content Burke Magnus had told Jimmy Traina of the “SI Media” podcast last year that Cone’s availability was “primarily based on the fact that it was Sunday Night Baseball.” That package is moving to NBCUniversal starting this season.
There is no word yet on whether ESPN will retain the rest of its lead MLB team, which otherwise consisted of play-by-play voice Karl Ravech, analyst Eduardo Perez and reporter Buster Olney. In the same Traina interview, Magnus said that ESPN ‘loved’ its MLB booth. “We think it’s pretty good, really good.” The trio of Ravech, Cone and Perez was ESPN’s ninth-different lead MLB broadcast booth since it moved on from Jon Miller and the late Joe Morgan in 2011.
According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, ESPN is one of the networks interested in the services of Joey Votto, albeit “for a handful of games.”
No lockout or strike yet as WNBA CBA set to expire
The WNBA does not intend to lock out players upon the expiration of its twice-extended CBA Friday night, per multiple reports. Instead, the league and union will continue to negotiate under the expired CBA, which has always been an option in collective bargaining negotiations (indeed, there is plenty of precedent for leagues continuing to even play games under an expired agreement).
While there will not be an immediate work stoppage, the WNBA players union last year gave permission for its executive committee to authorize a strike if need be. There has never been a strike or lockout in the history of the WNBA, though collective bargaining negotiations have previously gone down to the wire.
The WNBA and the union are said to be far apart in reaching a new CBA. The league, which has seen its viewership grow dramatically since Caitlin Clark was drafted two years ago, is reportedly offering the players more than half of net revenue. But the players are seeking 30% of gross revenue. The difference between the players receiving a cut of revenue before or after expenses would appear to be the key financial conflict.
According to Alexa Philippou of ESPN, the WNBA is projecting losses of $700 million over the life of the CBA if it accepts the players’ proposal, a figure that the union argued does not include expansion fees from the league’s five upcoming teams.
Golf Channel streaming will shift to new app, relaunched website
Golf Channel will unveil a new app next month that — along with GolfChannel.com — will serve as the streaming home of the Versant-owned network, EVP and GM Tom Knapp told Dylan Dethier of Golf.com this week. As part of its spinoff from Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, Golf Channel and the other USA Sports networks are no longer tied to the Peacock streaming service, though it should be noted that events on those networks were rarely carried by Peacock even when they were all part of the same umbrella.
It is a virtual lock that the new app will require authentication, as USA Sports president Matt Hong has said repeatedly that the company will rely on authentication as its streaming strategy, rather than developing a direct-to-subscriber app.
As far as the content on Golf Channel — which was one of several Versant-owned networks to unveil a new logo this month — Knapp said that live event broadcasts will be unchanged, but the surrounding shoulder programming will shift focus to “the business and lifestyle of golf.” He noted that Golf Channel had previously shifted its approach to “more about live competition, but now we want to touch a broader cross-section of golf fan.” Knapp: “Let’s continue to widen the net and focus on the golf lifestyle.”
Knapp also said Golf Channel will ramp up its live morning programming, using the Gary Williams show “5 Clubs” as an example. The network will starting next week begin a lineup of daily shows anchored by “5 Clubs” Mondays-Wednesdays, plus the “Golf Channel Podcast with Rex [Hoggard] and [Ryan] Lav[ner]”, “The Symlie [Kaufmann] Show,” “The Vanity Index Podcast,” and “The Big Swing with Jimmy Roberts.”
Plus: Paramount-WBD update, new NBC NFL graphics, NASCAR ownership, ESPN extensions
- Paramount on Wednesday filed a letter to the U.S. House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee describing the agreed-to Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery streaming and studio assets as “presumptively unlawful,” the latest effort by the David Ellison-owned company to scuttle the deal and acquire the entirety of WBD for itself. In the letter, Paramount chief legal officer Makan Delrahim argued that the Netflix deal would “further cement its dominance in streaming video on demand.”
- NBC will debut a new scorebug and insert graphics for its NFL games over Wild Card weekend, replacing the look it had been using since Super Bowl 56 four years ago, according to Ken Kerschbaumer of Sports Video Group. Traditionally, networks wait until the Super Bowl to debut new graphics, as FOX did on last year’s game. But NBC executives Rob Hyland and Drew Esocoff told Kerschbaumer that unveiling the new look earlier will help address any potential issues before the Super Bowl. Hyland: “Let’s get it right for the Super Bowl, not save it for the Super Bowl.”
- Media companies and private equity firms have held “informal” discussions with NASCAR about potentially buying a minority stake in the organization, according to John Ourand of Puck. NASCAR is still owned by the family of the man who founded it, Bill France Sr. in 1948. It would be unsurprising if one of the media companies involved was Fox, which has held NASCAR rights since 2001 and recently bought a minority stake in Penske Entertainment, owner of the IndyCar Series.
- ESPN has reached multi-year contract extensions with fantasy sports writer Eric Karabell and betting analyst Doug Greenberg, it was announced this week. Both will continue in their current roles. Karabell is entering his 29th year with ESPN and Greenberg his third.
