Chris Simms is leaving NBC “Football Night in America,” while Mike Florio is remaining with the show; John Malone believes Paramount is “highly likely” to succeed in closing its WBD merger; and the NWSL is reportedly not expected to vote on flipping its calendar at an upcoming meeting. Plus news on WWE, Telemundo, Donna Brothers and John Garrett.
Simms leaving, Florio remaining as part of NBC ‘FNIA’ changes next season
Chris Simms announced his departure from NBC’s “Football Night in America” pregame show on “PFT Live” Monday, saying that he was informed of the change last week. Simms was a regular presence in studio alongside Maria Taylor, Devin McCourty and Jason Garrett.
Mike Florio, who has been a member of “Football Night in America” since 2010, will be returning to the program next season. With the show moving fully on-site from “Sunday Night Football” games this season, Florio said on “PFT Live” that he will not be able to appear every week, as he balances travel to game sites with his existing responsiblities. “I struggle with it because I want to be there every single week,” Florio said, “but there’s a way to balance it where I can be a hell of a lot more productive rather than spending all day Saturday and maybe Friday trying to get to wherever the game is.”
Simms is the second full-time cast member to depart “Football Night” this offseason. Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy said that NBC told him that he would not be back on “Football Night in America” in the fall. Dungy had primarily appeared on site with Jac Collinsworth and Rodney Harrison, both of whom may reportedly not be back next year. Although Simms is leaving the NFL studio program, his roles with “PFT Live” and “Chris Simms Unbuttoned” are not going to be impacted.
NBC officially announced Sunday that former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin would be joining “Football Night in America” starting next season. The network officially opens the NFL regular-season slate on Wednesday, Sept. 9 in a matchup featuring the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
Malone: Paramount “highly likely” to succeed in closing WBD merger
Warner Bros. Discovery chair emeritus John Malone said during an appearance as part of an event hosted by The Paley Center last Thursday that he believes that Paramount is “highly likely” to succeed with its merger transaction with Warner Bros. Discovery despite opposition from state attorneys general, per John Saavedra of Cablefax. Malone suggested that the company will “have to make some concessions, probably in California,” whose attorney general Rob Bonta said in February that the transaction is “not a done deal” and promised a “vigorous” review.
Paramount began its quest for WBD by issuing a series of unsolicited offers that triggered a formal bidding process. Initially losing out to Netflix, the company made an all-cash, $31/share hostile bid that WBD ultimately deemed to constitute “a Company Superior Proposal.” Netflix declined to match and received the $2.8 billion termination fee from Paramount on behalf of WBD. Malone called the process “the most interesting business negotiation” in which he has been involved. WBD stockholders approved the Paramount transaction at a special meeting last week.
Paramount issued a petition to the FCC on Monday to allow sovereign wealth funds to acquire 49.5% equity in the combined company, a figure that nearly doubles the 25% limit established in the Communications Act of 1934, according to a report by Alex Weprin of The Hollywood Reporter. If the companies are able to successfully complete the $111 billion deal, the voting equity stakes in Paramount would be held by the Ellison Family and RedBird Capital.
NWSL reportedly not expected to vote on potential calendar flip at upcoming meeting
The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is no longer expected to vote on a potential shift to a fall-to-spring calendar after players voiced opposition, according to a report by Pardeep Cattry of CBS Sports. Should the NWSL opt to change the calendar at some point, its collective bargaining agreement requires the league to give the “NWSL Players Association at least a year’s notice” and create a schedule committee including union input, per Cattry’s report.
The NWSL Players Association said in a statement earlier this month that the league had not yet met a consistent, league-wide standard for navigating “weather-related disruptions,” which it believes is a prerequisite for any calendar change. “Our top priorities in any scenario are protecting and promoting Player health, safety, and performance. As a general matter, a majority of Players polled on this question currently oppose flipping the calendar.”
An NWSL spokesperson provided a statement to CBS Sports explaining that the league “has been actively evaluating its competition calendar, including the potential to align more closely with the international soccer landscape.” The NWSL has not reached a decision at this time, the spokesperson added, noting that the league was “taking input from all key stakeholders.”
If such a move comes to fruition, it would mark the second time a U.S.-based soccer league voted to alter its schedule in recent years. Major League Soccer is moving to a summer-to-spring schedule starting next year, which places the entity in line with other international soccer leagues.
Plus: WWE, Telemundo, Donna Brothers, John Garrett
- The CW Network is acquiring the broadcast rights for WWE “NXT” premium live events under a multiyear deal, officially bringing the events to broadcast television after previously airing on Peacock, it was announced Tuesday. Since the Peacock deal ended last month, the events have been available through YouTube.
- Telemundo has added several former soccer players to its broadcast roster for coverage of the FIFA World Cup, including Mexico M Andrés Guardado and Spain M José María Gutiérrez Hernández. In addition, Ecuador RB Antonio Valencia, Panama F Julio César Dely Valdés and former Argentina head coach José Pékerman will be part of the broadcast roster. Telemundo, which has the U.S. Spanish-language rights for the World Cup this year, plans to air 92 out of 104 matches on its broadcast network.
- Donna Brothers is working her final Kentucky Derby broadcast for NBC Sports on Saturday, culminating her 26-year tenure on the first leg of the Triple Crown. Brothers, a former horse racing jockey joined NBC in 2000 after a previous stint working for Churchill Downs as an analyst. She is the only member of the announcing team to have taken part in all 26 NBC broadcasts of the Kentucky Derby.
- Longtime Vancouver Canucks and “Hockey Night in Canada” analyst John Garrett passed away at the age of 74, it was announced by Rogers Sportsnet on Tuesday. Garrett, who formerly played for 13 seasons as a goaltender across the WHA and NHL, also worked local broadcasts for the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
