The PCSA has reportedly been revised to allow existing media rights deals to continue; a new streaming coalition officially launches; and more than half of the WTGL regular season will be on broadcast television. Plus news on Ryan Clark, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chris Berman and the Chicago Blackhawks.
PCSA reportedly revised to permit existing media rights deals to continue
The Protect College Sports Act has reportedly been revised to allow conferences to continue their existing media rights deals with the College Football Playoff, NCAA Tournament and television networks through the end of their respective terms in the event that they ultimately choose to pool their media rights. As noted by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, that would mean any potential pooling of rights would be unlikely before 2036, when the last of the current deals — the ACC media rights deal with ESPN — is set to expire. The first of the Power Four conference deals to expire is the Big Ten’s pact with Paramount, Comcast and Fox Corporation, which ends in 2030.
The legislation would allow conferences to collectively sell media rights under an antitrust exemption in the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. An additional change to the PCSA would bar any federal or state lawsuits contesting a school or conference’s decision to opt out of a potential pooled rights solution.
The SEC and Big Ten agreed to support the Protect College Sports Act this summer after negotiating concessions into the bill, including one related to third-party NIL deals. Earlier in the year, both conferences distributed a study against pooling media rights that claimed doing so could “ultimately destabilize the college sports ecosystem.” The study also said that immediately pooling rights would require exiting or terminating the existing deals, which it claimed “would be tantamount to nationalizing the college sports media market.”
The bill mandates a minimum of one free local broadcast option for football and basketball games in the markets of the competing teams, similar to the approach the NFL has taken regarding its games on cable and streaming services, and would create a protected window for the annual Army-Navy football game, which takes place on the second Saturday of December.
Netflix, Amazon, YouTube launch streaming coalition
Netflix, Amazon and YouTube launched the Streaming Access and Choice Alliance earlier this week as founding members to advocate “for pro-competition policies” as the federal government scrutinizes sports leagues’ deals with streaming companies. TechNet, a network of technology CEOs, is leading the venture.
“Streaming and digital entertainment companies offer audiences better features and value for their money,” Mike Ward, SVP/federal policy and government relations for TechNet, said in a statement. “The industry and its customers deserve a dedicated voice in Washington, D.C., advocating for policies that enable innovation and address the needs of today’s consumers.”
The streaming services in the coalition have taken different approaches to live sports, with Netflix focused on showcasing marquee standalone events and Amazon’s Prime Video acquiring season-long packages. YouTube has largely focused on acquiring sports through ingesting content from other streaming services for its vMVPD. Content from ESPN Unlimited, for example, recently became available within the YouTube TV interface through select plans.
Earlier in the year, the FCC received public comments from companies urging the government to review the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 to determine if its antitrust protections span beyond broadcast television. Fox Corporation stated that sports programming being delivered through streaming services could have “a dramatic impact on both consumers and local journalism if it becomes the default means by which Americans watch live sports.” Streaming has steadily grown its proportion of P2+ total-day viewing over the years, most recently holding a 49% share for July per Nielsen, the highest share of the year thus far.
WTGL airing more than half of regular-season matches on broadcast television
The WTGL is scheduled for eight matches on broadcast television during its inaugural season, constituting more than half of its 15-match schedule, it was announced Wednesday. Six of those matches are scheduled for Scripps-owned ION, with the remaining two scheduled to air on ABC as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, Nov. 29. By comparison, the men’s TGL has had only one window on broadcast in its first two seasons.
The indoor women’s golf league, which is launching in November under a partnership between TMRW Sports and the LPGA, debuts November 8 with a matchup between Los Angeles and New York on ESPN at 3 PM ET, the only time the WTGL will be on the ESPN flagship network this season. ESPN2 and ION will split the semifinals, with ESPN2 carrying the entirety of the best-of-three Finals on December 22 and 23.
The WTGL is just the latest addition to the ION portfolio, which this week has expanded to include the college football East-West Bowl. ION, which has reach of more than 128 million homes in the United States, is adding more college football to its portfolio, which already includes Big Sky Conference games since the 2022-23 season. The game had been televised by NFL Network since 2011, which recently moved under ESPN ownership as part of an equity transaction involving select NFL Media assets.
ION also added a women’s college basketball event on December 16 — the Scripps Sports Women’s Basketball Showcase — pitting UCLA against Duke and USC facing Miami — along with a full-season media rights deal with the PWHL.
Plus: Ryan Clark, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chris Berman, Chicago Blackhawks
- Former ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark has started his own weekly studio program in partnership with NFL Films and under the brand of his “The Pivot” podcast. The show features Clark alongside former NFL players in LB Channing Crowder and RB Fred Taylor featuring discussions, breaking down plays and other football-related content. Clark was informed that he was being laid off from his job at ESPN this past July in the midst of a taping of “NFL Live,” according to a report by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers will simulcast 15 regular-season games for free over the air on Rock Entertainment Sports Network, along with Gray Media-owned CBS 19 (WOIO-TV) and MyNet 43 (WUAB-TV) in Cleveland, Ohio, it was announced Tuesday. The Cavaliers are one of several teams that moved from a Main Street Sports Group-owned RSN to DAZN this offseason as the exclusive rightsholder for its regional games. Gray Media stations have simulcast Cavaliers basketball in the past, most recently broadcasting a five-game package in the second half of last season.
- ESPN studio host Chris Berman will anchor a recurring feature looking at his personal top 20 Super Bowl moments as part of the network’s NFL coverage this season. Berman, who has been with the network since shortly after its launch in 1979, has covered the Super Bowl 44 times in person and will reveal a new moment from his rankings each week on Monday editions of “NFL Live.”
- The Chicago Blackhawks have signed a multiyear broadcast rights extension with WGN Radio ahead of the 2026-27 NHL season, it was announced on Monday. Blackhawks radio broadcasts, which have aired on WGN since 2008, will once again feature play-by-play announcer John Wiedeman in his 20th season, working with analyst Steve Konroyd, who is taking on the role full time after calling select games last season. Konroyd formerly worked as a studio analyst and also contributed to some game broadcasts for 16 years starting in 2005. Charlie Roumeliotis is returning for his third season as the host for pregame, intermission and postgame programming.
