ESPN may bid for a smaller share of the Nationwide Series schedule when negotiations with NASCAR begin this year. In other news, the NHL has officially announced a second outdoor game for next season (with more to come), and this year’s Texas Tech/Texas Thanksgiving game will reportedly air on Fox Sports 1.
ESPN May Cut Back on Nationwide Series in New Deal
- ESPN, which currently holds rights to the entire NASCAR Nationwide Series season, may bid only on the second half of the season when rights negotiations begin later this year. According to Sports Business Journal, ESPN has internally discussed bidding only on the Nationwide Series races that correspond with the network’s Sprint Cup schedule. (Sports Business Journal)
NHL Announces Penguins/Blackhawks Outdoor Game
- The Penguins will face the Blackhawks in an outdoor game at Chicago’s Soldier Field next season, the NHL announced Wednesday. The game, which is scheduled for March 1 at 8 PM ET, will be part of the “NHL Stadium Series” — a line-up of several outdoor games from various NHL cities. So far, the NHL has announced only Penguins/Blackhawks and the January 1 Maple Leafs/Red Wings Winter Classic, though TSN reported last month that other games would take place in New York, Los Angeles and Vancouver. (NHL.com)
Texas Thanksgiving Game to Air on FS1
- The Thanksgiving night Texas Tech/Texas college football game will air on Fox Sports 1, the Houston Chronicle reported last month. Under the Big 12 TV contract, Fox Sports had first pick on Thanksgiving weekend games this year. ESPN has already announced that it will televise Mississippi State/Mississippi that night. In related news, ESPN recently announced several Mountain West and Big Ten telecasts, including Air Force/Boise State on September 13 (ESPN), and Notre Dame/Purdue on September 14 (ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC). (Houston Chronicle, ESPN Media Zone [1], [2])
