Top Stories
Cohen's Pursuit Of SNY Underway as Cord-Cutters Slash RSN Market
Anthony Crupi, Sportico
That Sterling Equities didn't bundle SNY with the Mets package is believed to have little to do with the Wilpons' desire to retain the property. There are tax issues to be worked out, and at $800 million, the debt that's being carried by the network is onerous.
Crowded Landscape Shows Acceleration of Cord-Cutting
John Ourand, Sports Business Journal
In one respect, TV networks, though, seem unconcerned about these seemingly dire numbers, believing that the crowded marketplace is showing the strength of live sports. But there are some subtle marketplace shifts that are drawing TV executives' attention, particularly when it comes to the acceleration of cord-cutting.
Jumbled Schedules and Dud Matchups Sink College Football TV Ratings
Anthony Crupi, Sportico
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, ratings for the first few weeks of nationally televised college football are down significantly compared to last season, which kicked off with a far more compelling roster of late-summer games. Last Saturday's games averaged 1.3 million viewers and a 0.8 household rating, which marked a decline of 40% and 43%, respectively, compared to 2.18 million viewers/1.4 rating in the compatible windows a year ago.
TBS adds Curtis Granderson in MLB playoffs shakeup
Andrew Marchand, New York Post
TBS' postseason studio show will have a new look led by familiar faces, The Post has learned. Ernie Johnson and Curtis Granderson are in, while Casey Stern and Gary Sheffield are out, according to sources.
Latest '30 for 30′ will delve into the rise and fall of Oscar Pistorius
Richard Deitsch, The Athletic
"The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius," a 339-minute exploration of the South African double-amputee Olympic sprinter convicted of killing his girlfriend, the law school graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day in 2013, debuts on ESPN+ this Sunday. Viewers will have the option to watch the four serialized parts of the film over four nights on ESPN's streaming service or binge the entire film on Sept. 27.
College Sports
Sources: MAC presidents to vote Friday on fall football season
Adam Rittenberg, ESPN
Mid-American Conference presidents will meet Friday and vote on whether to have a fall football season, which likely would be six games, sources told ESPN. The league's presidents also met Tuesday but did not hold a vote then on the season, which likely would begin the weekend of Oct. 24.
Ohio State athletic department pursuing loan to cover projected budget deficit
Joey Kaufman, Buckeye Xtra
Ohio State's athletic department is pursuing a loan from the university as it manages a projected $107 million deficit for the current fiscal year. During a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, athletic director Gene Smith said no terms had been finalized and it was unknown if the loan would have interest.
Saturday's Notre Dame road game at Wake Forest shifts to Dec. 12
Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune
Saturday's ACC road game at Wake Forest (0-2 overall, 0-2 ACC) has been rescheduled for Dec. 12 after an outbreak in COVID-19 cases within the Irish team this week prompted ND officials Tuesday to put practices on hold and postpone the game itself. Both teams had a common open date of Oct. 3, but with seventh-ranked Notre Dame (2-0, 1-0) having 13 players in isolation and another 10 in quarantine, the turnaround for the Irish to have adequate time and players to prep for that weekend also proved to be too short.
Houston, FAU still waiting after virus disrupts 3 more games
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press
The Houston Cougars are again without an opponent and still waiting to play their season opener as COVID-19 issues wiped out three more major college football games Wednesday. The latest team to bail on Houston was North Texas, which said it would not be able to field a team for Saturday's road game after four positive tests this week.
Quidel's antigen tests saved Pac-12 football: A deep dive into the origin of their relationship
Jon Wilner, The San Jose Mercury News
When the Pac-12 announced its partnership with Quidel Corp. for point-of-care tests on Sept. 3 - the Thursday before Labor Day - commissioner Larry Scott described the deal as a "game changer" for the conference. The access to rapid-result COVID-19 antigen tests that could be administered before practice and games solved the first of two daunting challenges (keeping the players safe) and provided vital momentum to eventually clearing the second (convincing officials in California and Oregon to ease health restrictions).
--Morning Consult
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- Prospective New York Mets owner Steve Cohen said he intends to hire former Mets general manager Sandy Alderson as the team's president if his purchase of the club is approved by MLB's other owners. Cohen, who needs 23 of the 30 current MLB owners to sign off on the sale, said Alderson would oversee both baseball and business operations, and it is unclear what the move would mean for current Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen. (New York Post)
- MLB designated the independent Atlantic League as its first "partner league," extending their existing relationship through 2023 and expanding it to include joint marketing and promotional efforts. (The Associated Press)
- MLB is said to be pursuing similar relationships with other independent baseball outfits, including the American Association and the Frontier League, and some Minor League Baseball team owners reportedly believe MLB is attempting to use the independent league relationships to create leverage in negotiations about a new Professional Baseball Agreement, the current version of which expires Sept. 30. (The Athletic)
- Pac-12 presidents and chancellors are expected to vote today on the fate of the conference's fall football season, but the lack of movement on relaxing California's state-mandated limits for workouts could reportedly result in the conference announcing plans to start play only when public health restrictions are lifted. While California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said last week that the state would not stand in the way of the Pac-12 playing football this fall, the California Department of Public Health still has restrictions in place that would reportedly make full 11-on-11 practices impossible. (Los Angeles Times)
Cohen's Pursuit Of SNY Underway as Cord-Cutters Slash RSN Market
Anthony Crupi, Sportico
That Sterling Equities didn't bundle SNY with the Mets package is believed to have little to do with the Wilpons' desire to retain the property. There are tax issues to be worked out, and at $800 million, the debt that's being carried by the network is onerous.
Crowded Landscape Shows Acceleration of Cord-Cutting
John Ourand, Sports Business Journal
In one respect, TV networks, though, seem unconcerned about these seemingly dire numbers, believing that the crowded marketplace is showing the strength of live sports. But there are some subtle marketplace shifts that are drawing TV executives' attention, particularly when it comes to the acceleration of cord-cutting.
Jumbled Schedules and Dud Matchups Sink College Football TV Ratings
Anthony Crupi, Sportico
According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, ratings for the first few weeks of nationally televised college football are down significantly compared to last season, which kicked off with a far more compelling roster of late-summer games. Last Saturday's games averaged 1.3 million viewers and a 0.8 household rating, which marked a decline of 40% and 43%, respectively, compared to 2.18 million viewers/1.4 rating in the compatible windows a year ago.
TBS adds Curtis Granderson in MLB playoffs shakeup
Andrew Marchand, New York Post
TBS' postseason studio show will have a new look led by familiar faces, The Post has learned. Ernie Johnson and Curtis Granderson are in, while Casey Stern and Gary Sheffield are out, according to sources.
Latest '30 for 30′ will delve into the rise and fall of Oscar Pistorius
Richard Deitsch, The Athletic
"The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius," a 339-minute exploration of the South African double-amputee Olympic sprinter convicted of killing his girlfriend, the law school graduate and model Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria home on Valentine's Day in 2013, debuts on ESPN+ this Sunday. Viewers will have the option to watch the four serialized parts of the film over four nights on ESPN's streaming service or binge the entire film on Sept. 27.
College Sports
Sources: MAC presidents to vote Friday on fall football season
Adam Rittenberg, ESPN
Mid-American Conference presidents will meet Friday and vote on whether to have a fall football season, which likely would be six games, sources told ESPN. The league's presidents also met Tuesday but did not hold a vote then on the season, which likely would begin the weekend of Oct. 24.
Ohio State athletic department pursuing loan to cover projected budget deficit
Joey Kaufman, Buckeye Xtra
Ohio State's athletic department is pursuing a loan from the university as it manages a projected $107 million deficit for the current fiscal year. During a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, athletic director Gene Smith said no terms had been finalized and it was unknown if the loan would have interest.
Saturday's Notre Dame road game at Wake Forest shifts to Dec. 12
Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune
Saturday's ACC road game at Wake Forest (0-2 overall, 0-2 ACC) has been rescheduled for Dec. 12 after an outbreak in COVID-19 cases within the Irish team this week prompted ND officials Tuesday to put practices on hold and postpone the game itself. Both teams had a common open date of Oct. 3, but with seventh-ranked Notre Dame (2-0, 1-0) having 13 players in isolation and another 10 in quarantine, the turnaround for the Irish to have adequate time and players to prep for that weekend also proved to be too short.
Houston, FAU still waiting after virus disrupts 3 more games
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press
The Houston Cougars are again without an opponent and still waiting to play their season opener as COVID-19 issues wiped out three more major college football games Wednesday. The latest team to bail on Houston was North Texas, which said it would not be able to field a team for Saturday's road game after four positive tests this week.
Quidel's antigen tests saved Pac-12 football: A deep dive into the origin of their relationship
Jon Wilner, The San Jose Mercury News
When the Pac-12 announced its partnership with Quidel Corp. for point-of-care tests on Sept. 3 - the Thursday before Labor Day - commissioner Larry Scott described the deal as a "game changer" for the conference. The access to rapid-result COVID-19 antigen tests that could be administered before practice and games solved the first of two daunting challenges (keeping the players safe) and provided vital momentum to eventually clearing the second (convincing officials in California and Oregon to ease health restrictions).
--Morning Consult
GBO
Ma
