Also: Roku Channel to air Sunday MLB baseball While back to normalcy is the word at Upfronts week after years of interruptions (from labor unrest and Covid), unfortunately so are the stupid and awful presentations to advertisers with Jimmy Fallon headlining NBC’s and Fox featuring Rob Lowe and new Fox Sports football analyst Tom Brady. One tradition that didn’t return […]
Say so long to the name but not the RSN: Bally Sports is getting a rebrand this fall. It’s like Diamond’s regional sports networks are sticking around after all. As part of its reorganization plan last week, a Houston bankruptcy judge approved two key items: a $450 million debtor-in-possession financing package and a $495 million settlement from Sinclair, who […]
Also: KC radio personality killed in parade shooting; MLB to produce Colorado Rockies games; TVNewsCheck might stick around after all – for a price One of the most despised individuals in conservative circles might become the largest shareholder in one of America’s biggest radio companies. George Soros – who is known as a force in progressive politics, is on track […]
Justice Department to analyze deal as the NFL pushes back The planned sports streaming venture proposed by Disney’s ESPN, Fox Corporation, and Warner Bros. Discovery could be finished before it even gets off the ground. Two significant developments took place this week as the Department of Justice (DOJ) is now looking at the proposed joint venture for anti-trust concerns. The […]
Arrival puts Peacock, Paramount Plus, and YouTubeTV on notice In huge sports media news, three major media companies – The Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox Corporation are teaming up to launch a brand-new sports streaming service likely to launch this fall – perhaps just in time for the NFL season. The news broke on CNBC this afternoon. […]
But the South Side team isn’t the league’s worst-rated Even though neither the Cubs and the White Sox made the playoffs this year, at least one team managed to score a victory in the ratings department. According to final 2023 regular-season ratings released Tuesday (see below), the Cubs scored an increase for a season where they played better than they […]
Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are om strike outside of Paramount Studios in Hollywood. With no settlement in sight, the entire 2023-24 TV season for scripted shows could be wiped out When SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA on the picket lines on July 12, the entire industry shut down and the thinking was, this would spur some kind of progress in […]
Revamped app launched Tuesday As their subsidiary Diamond Sports Group struggles to pay MLB teams and saw two of them fly the coop, things are faring much better for Sinclair in Chicago. Marquee Sports Network – the joint venture between the Maryland-based broadcaster and the Chicago Cubs announced Tuesday a new, direct-to-consumer service to stream games for fans in […]
Suns and Diamondbacks bail on bankrupt RSN The sun is setting on Bally Sports Arizona in the Valley Of The Sun as Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks are the latest team to bail on the company who runs the regional sports network. A significant development took place Monday as Bally’s bankrupt owner Diamond Sports Group skipped its rights payment to […]
Also: MLB takes over San Diego Padres local broadcasts; Fox 32’s Mike Flannery calls it a career; Director’s Guild reaches tentative agreement with studios Chicago native Jason Matheson’s talk show is getting another chance in his hometown. Starting today, the Minneapolis-based daytime talk show host returns to the airwaves in Chicago with a two-month run of The Jason Show on […]
Also: B96 hires Canavah’s replacement; Diamond Sports Group skips payments to Guardians and Twins; Extra renewed for season thirty The other shoe has dropped in Warner Bros.’ decision to exit the court genre as Marilyn Milian has signed with Allen Media Group for a new hour-long court show, Justice For The People With Judge Milan, debuting this fall. “We at […]
Impact might not be felt immediately The nation’s biggest regional sports network chain just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but of all the talk and bluster about its implosion, they actually might come out fine. Well, maybe. Bally Sports parent Diamond Sports Group entered those waters last Tuesday with the Southern District of Texas bankruptcy court as the company – […]
Also: Sling adds ABC 7 to its lineup – at a cost; MLB possibly looking at reclaiming local rights as RSNs creater; Chicago media comings and goings Joining a trend of veteran series handing out multi-year renewals, the latest came this week when Debmar-Mercury announced it has re-upped Family Feud through 2026, taking the show to its 27th consecutive season […]
Also: NBC 5 makes a new hire while a Baltimore TV reporter gets fired. The second edition of The Field Of Dreams game didn’t have the theatrics of last year’s contest, but still drew a healthy amount of eyeballs. The game featured two teams who were already out of playoff contention this season: The 44-64 Chicago Cubs and the […]
Apple lands their first major sports package A few months ago during a game, soon-to-retire Chicago Blackhawks broadcaster Pat Foley bemoaned the shift of sports from linear TV to streaming, pointing out the only way to watch the team’s next game was if you were an ESPN+ subscriber, as the NHL struck a deal last year with Disney for […]