Mets analyst Ron Darling is taking a leave of absence due to health issues. Also: Mike Tirico is returning to the NHL broadcast booth; ESPN has acquired additional Big 12 football championships; Disney is willing to spin off the RSNs it acquired from Fox.
Darling to take leave due to medical issue
SNY and TBS Major League Baseball analyst Ron Darling announced on-air Saturday that he is taking a leave of absence to undergo surgery next week on a “large mass” in his chest. He expects to return to the air next month. Darling said the mass was discovered during recent tests he underwent after not feeling well the past few months.
Darling will be replaced on Mets coverage by Todd Zeile. TBS does not begin its MLB schedule until July. [SI.com 4.13; Twitter 4.13]
Tirico to call NHL playoff games
NBC Sports broadcaster Mike Tirico, who called an NHL game for the first time in February, will begin calling Stanley Cup playoff games this week. He missed the first five days of the postseason covering the Masters. Tirico has previously contributed to Stanley Cup playoff coverage as a studio host. [NBC Sports PR 4.8]
ESPN picks up Big 12 football title games
ESPN last week reached an agreement with the Big 12 conference to carry the Big 12 football championship game in 2019, 2021 and 2023. The network already held rights to the title game in even years. As Sports Business Journal reported earlier this year, Fox Sports passed on picking up the odd-year title games.
The new agreement, which is separate from ESPN’s existing deal with the conference, also calls for a number of Big 12 events to air on the ESPN Plus subscription service. That includes one exclusive football game per school, and every men’s basketball game not slated to air on an ESPN linear network.
According to Sports Business Daily, the new agreement is worth a total of $40 million. [ESPN PR 4.10; Sports Business Daily 4.10]
Disney reportedly willing to spin off RSNs
Disney is considering whether to spin off the 21 regional sports networks it acquired from 21st Century Fox last month, rather than sell the properties below a certain unspecified threshold, New York Post reported Sunday. The RSNs have been valued in excess of $20 billion, but there has been some question as to whether they will sell for even half that amount. As reported by the Post earlier this year, the U.S. justice department is willing to let Disney spin off, rather than sell, the networks. [NYP 4.14]
