Sony is shutting down Playstation Vue; ESPN will no longer air musical performances during Monday Night Football halftime; Pat Forde is joining Sports Illustrated; CBS is making changes to its golf roster.
Sony shutting down Playstation Vue in January
Sony announced Tuesday that it will shut down its Playstation Vue streaming service at the end of January. Vue, which debuted in 2015, carried a number of cable sports channels, including the ESPN networks, FS1, and each of the “Big Four” league-specific networks (NFL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV and NHL Network). Earlier this week, Sony was reported to be seeking a buyer for the service.
The pending demise of Vue comes as one of its competitors — AT&T — has experienced significant declines in subscribers to its AT&T TV Now streaming service (as well as its traditional DirecTV satellite offering). [AP 10.29, The Information 10.24]
ESPN ends musical performances during MNF halftime
ESPN will no longer air musical performances during its Monday Night Football halftime shows, the network confirmed to Advertising Age on Monday. The performances, which debuted last year, were a mix of pre-recorded and live on-site segments that comprised the bulk of ESPN’s halftime coverage. [AdAge 10.28]
Yahoo!’s Forde joining SI
Yahoo! Sports writer Pat Forde is joining Sports Illustrated, the company announced Tuesday. Forde, who joined Yahoo! in 2011 after a previous run with ESPN, will serve as a senior writer across SI platforms. His hiring comes less than a month after SI — under new management by startup company The Maven — laid off numerous staffers. [SI 10.29]
CBS adds Love III, cuts Kostis and McCord
CBS Sports announced Tuesday that it has hired Davis Love III as a full-time golf analyst, just days after confirming to Golfweek that it is letting go Peter Kostis and Gary McCord. Kostis had been with CBS since 1992 and McCord since 1986. Love III, who will debut on CBS at Torrey Pines in January, will work all CBS events, including the Masters and PGA Championship. [CBS Sports; Golfweek 10.29]
