FOX will begin its Major League Baseball coverage with a special matchup of the league’s two biggest draws. In other news, TNT is removing some commercial breaks from its “Players Only” NBA coverage, and the 2024 Olympics is down to two sites NBC would surely approve of.
FOX to Start MLB Coverage Early With Yankees/Cubs
- The FOX broadcast network will begin its Major League Baseball coverage this season with a special, fully national Yankees/Cubs game on May 6, two weeks earlier than the network’s usual season debut. It will be just the second fully national regular season game on FOX in the past 13 years, along with Rays/Yankees in Alex Rodriguez‘ final game last August. (Fox Sports)
TNT Ditching Some Commercial Breaks For “Players Only” NBA
- TNT will not take between-quarter commercial breaks during its “Players Only” NBA broadcasts, instead filling that time with sponsored Area 21 studio segments, Sports Business Journal reported Monday. Each between-quarter segment will be sold to a single advertiser whose brand will be integrated into the segment. In the case of State Farm, that will include “on-set signage,” “on-screen graphics,” and even a 30-second ad “produced by Turner and [featuring] the network’s stars.” (Sports Business Journal 2.20)
2024 Olympics Down to L.A., Paris
- Budapest, Hungary, dropped out of the bidding for the 2024 Olympic Games Wednesday, ensuring that the event will take place either in Los Angeles or Paris, France — the United States or one of the world’s iconic cities. Voting on the site will take place in September. The 2024 Olympics, like every edition through 2032, will air on NBC. (L.A. Times 2.22)
