Front Office Sports to produce a nightly syndicated show

Sports business program already cleared in 85 percent of the country

In a first-of-its-kind programming venture, Front Office Sports, a sports business publication owned by Redbird IMI, is launching a nightly, half-hour syndicated strip called Front Office Sports Tonight, already clearing 85 percent of the country with the Fox owned-and-operated stations as the main launch group, debuting September 14.

The program will feature sports business news, with Front Office Sports journalists providing interviews and on-the-ground content. The show’s executive producer is Today alum and former NBC entertainment president and CNN CEO Jeff Zucker, who has taken more than his share of lumps in this space.

Zucker is also CEO of Redbird IMI, which is a joint venture between private equity firm Redbird Capital Partners and the United Arab Emirates-funded International Media Investments, better known as IMI.

“As media changes every day, one thing is clear: sports has never been more important,” said Jeff Zucker, CEO of RedBird IMI and chair of the Front Office Sports board of directors. “And no one covers the business of sports like Front Office Sports. We are thrilled to bring FOS reporting to local television stations across the country, on a daily basis, beginning this fall.” Zucker is one of three executive producers on the show, along with Patrick Dimon and Morgan Hertzan.

“There has never been more interest in the business and culture of sports, with storylines driving just as much attention as the play on the field,” said Front Office Sports CEO Adam White, who founded the publication in 2014 as a student at the University of Miami. “Now consumers will have a place to watch the daily expertise and access that only Front Office Sports can provide.”

The program has found a home in ten Fox duopoly markets, including Chicago’s Fox 32 and Fox Chicago Plus, and other stations in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Washington D.C., Phoenix, Seattle, Orlando, and Minneapolis-St. Paulusa tod (see the tags section below for the Fox stations listed), plus WTXF Philadelphia. “The timing couldn’t be better for this. It fits our strategy, and more importantly our customers, perfectly,” said Frank Cicha, EVP of programming at Fox Television Stations.

Other station groups signing on include Nexstar, Hearst, Sinclair, Gray, Scripps, American Spirit, Lockwood, and Sunbeam.

There is no doubt sports business news – and sports media news, have grown in popularity in the recent years. In the website space, FOS competes with Sports Business Journal, Sports Media Watch, and Awful Announcing. Each website also has sports business & media podcasts, along with The Business Of Sports With Andrew Brandt and Sports Media With Richard Deitsch from Audacy.

CNBC has also jumped into the sports business derby with CNBC Sport, a weekly newsletter and podcast from reporter Alex Sherman.

This is the first production for FOS, with the company handling distribution itself with station sales headed up by syndication veteran Barry Wallach, whose resume include similar positions at Genesis Entertainment and NBCUniversal Syndication Studios. National advertising sales are being handled by Marathon Ventures, although it isn’t known what the national/local barter split will be.

Front Office Sports’ nightly show comes as several studios have cut back on producing first-run syndicated content. Last month, NBCUniversal pulled the plug on its remaining first-run portfolio, after Kelly Clarkson announced she was stepping down from her daytime talk show. Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury shelved Sherri, leaving them with only Family Feud to syndicate for the 2026-27 season.

Front Office Sports Tonight is being targeted for prime access wnd late-night time slots, and could wind up replacing one of shows NBCU canceled, Access Hollywood on some stations.

FOS syndicating the show itself is also notable – but comes with a risk as history shows, independently-syndicated programs have fallen flat on their faces. In 2018, Discovery Channel found out the hard way when its reruns of various programs under the True Crime Files umbrella flopped with viewers, and perhaps the biggest example of all, the failure of USA Today on TV, an ill-fated news magazine form GTG Entertainment, a venture formed between producer Grant Tinker and Gannett just to syndicate the show. The expensive first-run strip floundered on the air between September 12, 1988 and January 7, 1990, never delivering the ratings the syndicator promised.

For local stations, sports have becoming increasingly important, as station groups are concerned about the increasing number of checks streaming services are writing for exclusive rights to sporting events. “The timing is ideal,” Zucker said. “Sports and information is what’s really driving broadcast television these days.” The NFL Network’s Good Morning Football had aired in syndication for the last two seasons through Sony, but its future on local stations for next season is unknown since Disney’s ESPN recently acquired the league’s cable channel.