ESPN/ABC is preparing a bid for Thursday Night Football. In other news, ESPN has picked Jon Gruden‘s replacement — at least for one night — and the new Mike Greenberg morning show will launch April 2.
ESPN Will Bid on TNF For ABC
ESPN will bid on NFL
Thursday Night Football rights with the intention of placing the games on ABC,
Sports Business Journal reported Monday. It was not immediately clear whether the “surprise” bid will be competitive. ESPN/ABC did not make a competitive offer the last time it bid on
TNF rights in 2014.
The NFL is still accepting bids even though its deadline for submissions passed on Sunday. ESPN/ABC joins FOX and incumbents CBS and NBC as bidders for the much-maligned package, which despite middling ratings and a potentially harmful impact on other game windows (to say nothing of player health) is still television’s #2 show in ratings, viewership and adults 18-49. CBS and NBC are paying $450 million per year under the current deal. [Sports Business Daily 1.15]
ESPN Taps Hasselbeck For Pro Bowl
ESPN NFL analyst
Matt Hasselbeck will call the NFL Pro Bowl alongside
Sean McDonough on January 28, filling the role vacated by former Monday Night Football analyst — and new Raiders coach —
Jon Gruden. Hasselbeck’s previous experience in the broadcast booth came during his playing career in 2014, when he called a game for FOX during a bye week. Since joining ESPN in 2016, he has been confined to the studio.
In a statement announcing the assignment last week, ESPN said it has already begun the process of selecting Gruden’s replacement and is looking at candidates both in and outside of the company. It expects to make a decision “this spring.” [ESPN PR 1.12]
Greenberg Show Launching April 2
ESPN announced last week that its new
Mike Greenberg-led morning show will be titled “Get Up!” and debut on April 2. As previously announced, Greenberg will be working alongside
Michelle Beadle and
Jalen Rose. Despite their new daily roles on a New York-based talk show, Beadle and Rose will continue in their current roles on ESPN’s Los Angeles-based NBA studio broadcasts. [ESPN PR
1.12]
