Roku will package its premium sports content on a new free ad-supported sports (FAST) channel set to launch on August 12. 

The Roku Sports Channel will feature the streaming service’s top-tier sports content, including its weekly MLB Sunday Leadoff live baseball games, live races from Formula E auto racing, and, later this year, NBA G-League games. The channel will also feature sports-themed Roku original programming, including NFL Draft: The Pick Is In, WWE: Next Gen, and Fight Inc: Inside the UFC.

In addition, the channel will include content from Roku partners, including classic boxing matches from boxing promotion company Top Rank, combat sports from Swerve Sports and poker-themed entertainment from PokerGO. 

Also: Roku Beats Forecasts in Q2, Sales Grow 14% to $968 Million

“A curated always-on channel that leads our viewer through the wide variety of premium sports content available for free on The Roku Channel, Roku Sports Channel is an exciting addition to our expanding sports offering," Roku Media head of sports Joe Franzetta said in a statement. “We continue to see audiences enjoy the familiar, lean-back experience FAST offers, especially with sports. Sports is one of our most popular channel genres on The Roku Channel, which makes us so excited to make it even easier for audiences to jump to Roku’s standout programming.” 

The UEFA Euro 2024 soccer tournament Round of 16 and ESPN’s UFC 303 mixed martial arts pay-per-view event highlight the live televised sports events airing during the last weekend of June.  

FS1on Saturday will televise UEFA Euro 2024 matches between Switzerland and Italy, and Germany and Denmark. On Sunday, Fox will cover the England-Slovakia and Spain-Georgia matches. 

In the NWSL on Saturday, ESPN will televise the Bay FC-Racing Louisville FC game while Ion airs the Washington Spirit-North Carolina Courage and Utah Royals-Portland Thorns FC matches. 

In the octagon, ESPN will distribute the UFC 303 pay-per-view event featuring the Alex Pereira-Jiri Prochazka light heavyweight championship rematch bout. Pereira defeated Prochazka in UFC 295 this past November. In the boxing ring, ESPN on Saturday will air the junior welterweight title fight between titleholder Teofimo Lopez and Steve Claggett, while DAZN streams the WBC junior bantamweight title bout between champion Juan Francisco Estrada and Jesse Rodriguez. 

In golf, CBS and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and NBC and Golf Channel will televise the US Senior Open. 

ABC will offer weekend coverage of the X Games from Ventura, Calif. On the baseball field, Roku Tv will stream a Sunday morning matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Atlanta Braves, while ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will feature the World Series Champion Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles.

On the basketball court, ESPN on Sunday will air a WNBA doubleheader featuring the Atlanta Dream-New York Liberty and Indiana Fever-Phoenix Mercury matchups. 

The flagship Pac-12 Network, as well as its various regional sister channels, will leave the pay TV programming grid at the end of June (or slightly after), according to a letter sent by distribution partner Charter Communications to its subscribers.

Last week’s Arizona vs. Stanford conference tournament baseball game was the network’s final live broadcast.

The departure marks a sad ending for the erstwhile “Conference of Champions,” with the storied Pac-12 collegiate sports league ultimately disbanding mainly because its TV distribution deals performed so poorly. 

Also read: Pac-12 ADs Spurn Apple Subscription Streaming Deal, Tragically Dismantle the 108-Year-Old ‘Conference of Champions’

Launched in 2012, Pac-12 Network never found its footing, beset by carriage issues almost from its beginning — most notably, a long-running distribution stalemate with DirecTV. 

In December, the regional sports network announced that it would lay off more than 100 employees in the first half of 2024.

And with all but two of its member schools set to depart for rival athletic leagues the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC in the summer, the Pac-12 conference itself will be down to just Washington State and Oregon State.

With the discontinuation of Pac-12 Networks, denizens of those two remaining schools can watch a selection of Oregon State and Washington State home games on broadcast network The CW. 

Netflix’s highly anticipated Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match on June 20 in Arlington, Texas, has been postponed less than a week after Tyson suffered a medical incident on an airplane.

The fight was postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up on May 26 during a flight to Los Angeles and will be rescheduled for a date to be announced by June 7, according to the event’s promoter, Most Valuable Promotions. The sanctioned fight would have been the 57-year-old Tyson’s first since 2005. 

“The upcoming highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will unfortunately be postponed,” MVP said in a statement. “During a follow-up consultation on Thursday with medical professionals on his recent ulcer flare-up, the recommendation is for Mike Tyson to do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training with no limitations."

The fighters were expected to box eight 2-minute rounds — in traditional pro fights, rounds are usually 3 minutes — and the boxers’ gloves would have weighed 14 ounces instead of the standard 10 ounces.

The fight would have been Netflix’s first foray into boxing and the latest in a number of live sports events distributed by the streaming service. Last November, Netflix distributed the Netflix Cup golf tournament pitting Formula 1 drivers against professional golfers, as well as the March 3 Netflix Slam tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. 

Netflix last month also struck a three-year deal to stream a pair of National Football League games on Christmas Day. 

Below is the full press release from Most Valuable Promotions: 

The upcoming highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will unfortunately be postponed. During a follow-up consultation on Thursday with medical professionals on his recent ulcer flare-up, the recommendation is for Mike Tyson to do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training with no limitations.

Both Mike and Jake are in agreement that it is only fair to ensure that both athletes have equal training time to prepare for this important match and are able to compete at the highest level. The health and well-being of athletes is our top priority, and we fully support Mike in taking the necessary time to allow him to perform at the level he expects of himself.

Mike is expected to return to his full training schedule in the coming weeks and is eager to get back in the ring. MVP anticipates rescheduling the match to later this year at AT&T Stadium, and we look forward to an exciting and well-prepared contest between these two exceptional athletes. The new date of the fight will be announced by next Friday, June 7th. 

“I want to thank my fans around the world for their support and understanding during this time. Unfortunately, due to my ulcer flareup, I have been advised by my doctor to lighten my training for a few weeks to rest and recover,” said Mike Tyson. “My body is in better overall shape than it has been since the 1990s and I will be back to my full training schedule soon. Jake Paul, this may have bought you some time, but in the end you will still be knocked out and out of boxing for good. I appreciate everyone’s patience and can't wait to deliver an unforgettable performance later this year.”

“I fully support postponing the event so Mike Tyson has no excuses come fight night,” said Jake Paul. “My fans know I don’t want to face Iron Mike at anything but his best, but let there be no mistake — when he steps into the ring with me, I will be ready to claim my W with a sensational finish. Paul vs Tyson will be one for the ages, and I promise to bring my best for this once-in-a-lifetime matchup.”

The NHL’s march to the Stanley Cup Final, the UFC 302 pay-per-view event and the final week of the UFL’s regular season highlight the list of live TV sports events airing during the first weekend of June. 

The NHL playoffs continue on Saturday with ABC’s telecast of Game 6 of the New York Rangers-Florida Panthers Eastern Conference Final, with the Panthers holding a 3-2 lead. On Sunday, TNT will televise Game 6 of the Dallas Stars-Edmonton Oilers Western Conference Final, which is tied at two games apiece heading into Friday night’s action.

In the octagon, ESPN will distribute the UFC 302 mixed martial arts pay-per-view event featuring the main event bout between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Dustin Poirier. 

On the football field, the UFL’s final regular season weekend takes place with ESPN airing Saturday’s Michigan Panthers-Birmingham Stallions game and Fox airing the San Antonio Brahmas-St. Louis Battlehawks game. On Sunday, ESPN will televise the Arlington Renegades-D.C. Defenders contest, while Fox carries the Houston Roughnecks-Memphis Showboats game. 

On the racetrack, Fox on Saturday will air the NASCAR Truck Toyota 200 race. On Sunday, USA Network will televise the IndyCar Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix race and FS1 will air the NASCAR Cup Enjoy Illinois 300 race. 

On the links, NBC will offer weekend final-round coverage of the U.S. Women’s Open, while CBS and Golf Channel air the PGA’s Canadian Open tournament. 

NBA and NHL post-season coverage leads the list of live TV sports events airing on cable and linear channels this weekend. 

ABC on Saturday will televise game three of the Boston Celtics-Cleveland Cavaliers series, with teams splitting the first two games. ABC will also air Game 3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Dallas Mavericks series, which is tied at one game each.

On Sunday afternoon, ABC will air Game 4 of the New York Knicks-Indiana Pacers, with the Knicks up two games to none heading into Friday night’s action. TNT will air Game 4 of Denver Nuggets-Minnesota Timberwolves, with the defending champion Nuggets down two games to none going into Friday night’s game.

On the ice, TNT on Saturday will air a pair of Game 4 matchups between the New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. TBS on Sunday will feature Game 4 telecasts from both the Florida Panthers-Boston Bruins series as well as the Edmonton Oilers-Vancouver Canucks series. 

On the baseball diamond, ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will feature National League East rivals the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

On the links, CBS will air weekend coverage of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament, while on the racetrack NBC on Saturday will televise the Sonsio Grand Prix IndyCar race. 

With Iowa star player Caitlin Clark having declared her intention to enter the WNBA draft after leading women's basketball to previously unimaginable TV ratings heights, the league and its broadcast partner, ESPN, are making plans or what could finally be a breakout season. 

On Wednesday, the WNBA and ESPN announced that the league’s 28th regular season, set to tip off May 14, will include at least 25 nationally presented games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

Factoring in 27 potential postseason games — pending how long individual playoff series go — the 2024 WNBA season, presented in sponsorship collaboration with Google, could feature up to 52 games.

In addition, the WNBA All-Star Game, sponsored by AT&T, will air in primetime on ABC from Phoenix (8:30 p.m. ET on July 20) for the second consecutive year.

Each of the league's 12 teams will be shown nationally this year, with some teams appearing up to eight times. 

Notable: The Indiana Fever have the No. 1 selection in Monday's 2024 WNBA Draft, a State Farm-sponsored event that will be shown live on ESPN staring at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Fever will almost undoubtedly pick Clark, the top all-time scorer among both men's and women's college hoops. 

Not surprisingly, the Fever — which already has WNBA Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston on its roster — will be one of the teams that appears on Disney-owned networks eight times. 

The season will tip off May 14 with a doubleheader, starting with the Fever visiting the Connecticut Sun for a 7:30 p.m. ET game. 

Later that night, the Las Vegas Aces — led by two-time Most Valuable Players A’ja Wilson and Candace Parker— will begin their quest to become the first WNBA team to win three consecutive titles in more than 20 years when they host the Brittney Griner-led Phoenix Mercury.

The game will be preceded by WNBA Countdown, which will feature coverage of the Aces’ championship ring ceremony and championship banner anveiling.

Following the conclusion of the 2024 regular season on Sept. 19, ESPN will once again collaborate with the WNBA to broadcast all playoff games. 

The implosion of the regional sports network business has allowed local broadcasters to step into the breach with live local pro-sports telecasts. The question now is: Can stations keep and even grow their sports stature, or will they get stuck on the bench once direct-to-consumer operations hit their stride?

The bankruptcy plight of Diamond Sports Group and its lineup of Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks — as well as Warner Bros. Discovery’s 2023 decision to walk away from its regional sports networks in Denver, Houston, Pittsburgh and Seattle — opened the door for several major-market stations to distribute games over the air that for decades had been available only to pay TV subscribers. 

Yet as the RSN business shakes out and streaming becomes a more viable revenue-generating distribution platform, it’s unclear if the current momentum for over-the-air local sports telecasts is sustainable or short-lived.   

“Broadcast right now is a near-term solution for the teams, but eventually sports will follow the money and play on the most lucrative platforms,” television analyst John Mansell said.

Lineup Shifts

In the past year, several pro sports teams have moved their in-market games from regional sports networks to broadcast stations, providing a wide and broad television audience for valuable live sports programming. Much of that was due to the March 2023 Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy filing, which allowed Sinclair-owned RSN subsidiary to renegotiate some rights deals in an effort to salvage a viable business model.

The most recent movement has come from NBA teams taking advantage of the Diamond Sports Group bankruptcy filing by purchasing games on the back end of the 2023-24 NBA regular-season schedule:

• The Milwaukee Bucks in February teamed with Tegna and Weigel Broadcasting to air 10 games on a group of stations including WMLW Milwaukee and WISC Madison. “Over-the-air is an easy and affordable way for Bucks fans to watch our games, and we’re excited to work with Weigel and broadcasters like Tegna to make them widely available,” Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feigin said in a statement.

• Tegna in January also partnered with the Dallas Mavericks to air 10 games on WFAA in March and April. “Providing access to games has always been our top priority,” Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall said at the time of the deal. “We are thrilled to work with WFAA.”

• Gray Television-owned WVUE in New Orleans, along with 10 other Gray stations in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, is currently airing 10 New Orleans Pelicans games under a distribution deal reached in January. “The Pelicans welcome the opportunity to partner with Gray Television in this 10-game deal that will provide over-the-air viewing access to Pelicans games for more than 3 million households and over seven million people across the Gulf South region,” New Orleans Pelicans president Dennis Lauscha said in a statement.

• Gray TV also teamed with the Cleveland Cavaliers to air five games on local station WUAB. Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage told NBA.com at the time of the deal that the partnership allowed the team to “test out a new model of distribution” that could reach more fans across its local footprint. 

Those teams joined the Phoenix Suns and the Utah Jazz, which have been using broadcast stations as their primary local TV outlets since the season began.

The Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury reached distribution deals with Gray Television in mid-2023 after an agreement with Bally Sports Arizona expired. The Utah Jazz began airing games on Sinclair-owned KJZZ Salt Lake City in October, after the team’s deal with the now-shuttered RSN AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain expired. There’s also a Jazz Plus streaming service that offers access to every game for $125 per year. 

It’s not just NBA teams moving to local broadcast. The Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL last summer inked a deal with E.W. Scripps to air games on KMCC Las Vegas and other stations in its TV territory during 2023-24. The Golden Knights also had a local TV deal with AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. 

Sports analyst Lee Berke said he believes the regional sports network business will continue to melt down. 

“The traditional [regional sports network] model is failing — companies are in bankruptcy, and the rest are facing a substantial drop off in pay TV penetration from 8% to 12% a year,” he said. “When you have a network model that’s dependent in large part on affiliate fees, then these networks are suffering. As a result you’re going to see more reduced RSNs and shutdowns in the offering.” 

Even as Diamond fights its way out of bankruptcy, Berke said RSNs will increasingly be pushed onto pay tiers as MVPDs look to generate more revenue for high-priced sports channels from fewer subscribers. He pointed to two recent moves by Comcast — it moved MASN, local TV home of baseball’s Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, and SportsNet Pittsburgh, local rightsholder for MLB’s Pirates and the NHL’s Penguins, from basic to premium tiers. 

Such moves leave broadcast as an attractive option for teams looking to maximize their television reach. “There are two main categories that still generate substantial audiences and substantial profitability [on broadcast stations], and that is news and sports,” Berke said. “News is certainly maxing out, so I think you’re seeing more sports on broadcast right now, and I think those trends are going to continue.” 

But not all industry observers are betting on a resurgence of local pro sports on broadcast TV. While some teams have turned to over-the-air for a select number of games, Mansell doesn’t see a mass migration of local rights back to stations, especially given the continued movement of viewers from linear television to streaming services. 

Mansell, a former senior analyst at Paul Kagan Associates, added that the lure of offering fans a subscription streaming service in local markets would be difficult to turn down as viewership continues to migrate from linear to digital platforms. 

“I think the more likely scenario is a streaming venture, potentially with Amazon or another company and the leagues,” he said. “When you look at how much money the Googles, Amazons and Facebooks have compared to any given cable operator or station owner, it pales in comparison. Sports rights are going to go where the money is.”

Baseball’s DTC Play

Indeed, Major League Baseball will offer local-market games of the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks on a subscription direct-to-consumer streaming basis in 2024 as it looks to create a league-owned in-market DTC platform in 2025. Baseball already offers such a product to out-of-market viewers in MLB.tv. 

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in February during team owner meetings in Orlando, Florida, that he needs more than half of the MLB’s 30 clubs to make the service work. 

And Amazon will invest $115 million in Diamond Sports Group’s financial restructuring in an effort to set itself up to potentially gain streaming rights to live games in local markets.  

Mansell also pointed to the flexibility that the digital platforms can provide, including alternative feeds, player cameras and sports betting-themed feeds that would complement the telecasts. 

Berke acknowledged the revenue potential of streaming services, but believes teams will want to combine local telecasts with streaming options to give fans the ability to view the games on multiple platforms. Teams such as the Phoenix Suns offer both local game broadcasts for free as well as via the Suns Live direct-to-consumer streaming platform for $14.99 per month, he noted. 

“It’s a revamped approach to how these games are being distributed — you have increased viewership and increased value for your ad inventory with the [broadcast] business model,” Berke said. “Then you add streaming in to maintain your revenue growth and the value of the franchise going forward.” 

A new survey from Hub Entertainment Research shows just how much influence live sports has over a consumer’s choice of streaming platform. The analysts suggest that after years of “peak TV,” buzzy, scripted originals are no longer enough to attract and hold subscribers.

Conducted in January, Hub interviewed 3,016 U.S. sports fans age 13 to 74 for its semiannual study, What’s the Score: The Evolution of Sports Media.

“These findings reinforce that sports content will have a big impact on the next stage of the streaming wars, and might entirely settle them,” Hub principal Jon Giegengack said. “There are lots of sports fans, and they care more about the sports they follow than anything else on TV. As expensive as rights have become, they may turn out to be the best investment: hours and hours of unique content which comes with a built-in audience that tunes in every season without fail.” 

 Key findings include:

80% of sports fans say that during the season, content about their favorite sport is more important than other things they watch on TV. More than one-third (36%) say it’s much more important than other kinds of content.

75% of avid fans indicated that they would be likely to sign up for a new streaming subscription if they needed it to watch a sport they follow. 

27% often stay on the same channel to watch the show that comes on after a live game and another 38% do so “occasionally,” helping new shows cut through the clutter to find an audience.

As the sun rises on 2024, a lot of light is shining on the future of sports and its relationship with broadcast television. For fans, things seem to be getting more complicated. Many games are only available through subscription, be it cable, satellite or a streamer. For the first time ever, most of the country had to pay to watch an NFL playoff game in January.

The immediate risk of going behind paywalls might not initially seem huge for some teams. Devoted fans are likely to follow their teams wherever they are — and the beat goes on … for now.

But where do the new fans come from? How does someone become a fan of something they can’t sample for free? What happens to franchises that are still in the process of establishing rabid fan bases?

And as of right now, streaming isn’t working for everyone — and that is going to impact the casual fan. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the NFL playoff game I mentioned earlier — Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins, streaming on Peacock — was the lowest-rated wild-card playoff game dating back to 1991-92.

Built by Broadcast

It’s important to remember the NFL wasn’t always the juggernaut it is now. There was a time it was firmly behind baseball and the product was — for quite a while — considered to be inferior to college football. The legend of the NFL’s growth dates to December 28, 1958, when Johnny Unitas led the Baltimore Colts to the NFL championship in a nationally televised game that changed the future of the league. A fan base — and the NFL’s legacy — was truly born that day. Less than a decade later, the Super Bowl existed and the marriage of broadcast TV to professional football was forged.  

Could that have happened behind a paywall? 

There are reasons for optimism for broadcast sports. Our sister Gray Television station in Phoenix is now showing Phoenix Suns and Mercury games over the air across the state. Here in Atlanta, we’re proud to be showing 10 Hawks games across our stations in early 2024 — returning the NBA team to WPCH, where it aired over 30 years ago. 

The reaction on social media when we announced this over the holidays was tremendous: “Awesome News!!” “That’s Outstanding.” “People should always be able to see some of their local teams’ games on TV, period.” “Awesome. About time.” 

It’s not just viewers who are excited. Our sales team is talking to new advertisers who want to be a part of live sports.

Live and Local

We’ve also launched the Peachtree Sports Network with the goal of sharing live sports all across Georgia — from pro basketball and hockey to lacrosse and the Ultimate Frisbee Association, as well as high school sports. The idea is to give fans the games they want but also to grow more fans — people who can watch a game for free, then watch another game, then another …

I grew up in a household of casual sports fans just interested enough to know who won each game in some sports, but certainly not watching nightly. Would I have become the crazy sports fan I am if I hadn’t watched football, baseball, basketball and hockey for free on broadcast television as a kid? Televised games on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings were what did it.

At their best, sports bring the people in this country together. We root for our teams, buy the gear, read about them, watch and listen to shows that talk about them. In many cases, we even pay the taxes that help fund stadiums and arenas. All of that became possible once fans didn’t actually have to attend the games to be part of the action. From listening to reports of the World Series over the telegraph to the evolution into radio and television, mass broadcast created mass fan bases. 

Now, suddenly, we’re at a crossroads. Are sports going to remain something that everyone can be part of, or will they become private games played in publicly financed buildings available only to people willing to swipe their credit card?

The promise of rights fees may be alluring, but teams that go behind paywalls are  putting a ceiling on how big their businesses can be. In the end, no matter what someone is selling, if people don’t know what the product is, they’re just not going to buy it. 

Some of the biggest companies in the television sports business — Fox, The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery — are teaming up to create a jointly owned platform that would stream their sports assets and make it easier for fans to find the games they want to watch.

The deal comes at a time when broadcast and cable companies are worried about not being able to afford sports, which draw the biggest ratings on TV. 

Streaming companies are grabbing rights to more and more sports and live events, from Thursday Night Football on Prime Video to WWE Monday Night Raw on Netflix.

By subscribing to the new standalone app under development, sports fans would have access to the linear sports networks including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews ABC, Fox, FS1, FS2, BTN, TNT, TBS, truTV, as well as ESPN Plus.

The app will carry content from the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, major college sports, UFC, the PGA Tour, Grand Slam tennis, the FIFA World Cup and cycling.

The partners are hoping to get the new app up and running by the fall, in time for football season.

The venture will operate like a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMPVD) and pay sub fees for the networks it carries.

That means that while the partners share in the venture’s profits and losses, each media company will generate revenues  based on the sub fees of the networks included in the new skinny sports bundle.

That means that Disney–with ESPN and ABC in the mix–will probably generate more revenue than WBD, whose CNN and HBO won’t be in the package, or Fox, which won’t be getting paid for Fox News Channel.

Because Fox, Disney and WBD are essentially selling existing channels to a new distributor, their deals with the sports leagues did not need to be renegotiated.

In the future each of the partners will continue to negotiate sports rights for their own networks. They do not plan to combine resources to bid for increasingly expensive sports rights, according to a source familiar with the deal.

The companies did not disclose a price point for the service, but some sources said it is expected to be in the $50 a month ballpark–less than other MVPDs with more entertainment programming.

With the new venture carrying the ABC and Fox broadcasting networks, its unclear how local programming will be addressed.

“The launch of this new streaming sports service is a significant moment for Disney and ESPN, a major win for sports fans, and an important step forward for the media business,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said. “This means the full suite of ESPN channels will be available to consumers alongside the sports programming of other industry leaders as part of a differentiated sports-centric service. I’m grateful to Jimmy Pitaro and the team at ESPN, who are at the forefront of innovating on behalf of consumers to create new offerings with more choice and greater value.”

Disney has been trying to figure out the streaming future of ESPN and has been talking about ESPN going direct-to-consumer at some point in the near future. The DTC version of ESPN will give subscribers access to ESPN’s linear channels in an even skinnier bundle. It is also likely to have personalization, betting and fantasy features that will distinguish it from both ESPN Plus and the new sports joint venture.

“We’re pumped to bring the Fox Sports portfolio to this new and exciting platform,” Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch said. “We believe the service will provide passionate fans outside of the traditional bundle an array of amazing sports content all in one place.”

Added WBD CEO David Zaslav: “At Warner Bros Discovery, our ambition is always to connect our leading content and brands with as many viewers as possible, and this exciting joint venture and the unparalleled combination of marquee sports rights and access to the greatest sporting events in the world allows us to do just that. This new sports service exemplifies our ability as an industry to drive innovation and provide consumers with more choice, enjoyment and value and we’re thrilled to deliver it to sports fans.”

The new venture would be one-third owned by Fox, ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery. It will be run by an independent management team reporting to a board that will have equal representation from its owners.

According to someone familiar with the situation, Comcast NBCUniversal and Paramount Global, which also hold substantial sports rights, were not asked to participate in the discussions that led to the joint venture. It is unclear if they would be able join if that was something they wanted.

A list of sports properties that could be offered by the new joint venture: 

It was probably inevitable Congress would start looking into the move of sports to streaming platforms.

Pay TV knows the feeling of being the free TV spoiler when it comes to sports siphoning, in that case from broadcast — think Monday Night Football’s move to ESPN — but now multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) are the ones complaining about losing access to big-ticket sports.

That was made clear at what was described as an “educational” hearing, titled “TV Timeout: Understanding Sports Media Rights” in the Communications and Technology Subcommittee on Wednesday (January 31).

Also Read: The Game’s on Cable

“One of the most pressing issues facing the video industry is the migration of key sports programming from pay TV to the ‘direct-to-consumer’ offerings of the largest programmers, like Peacock, Amazon, and WarnerMedia,” DirecTV chief content officer Rob Thun said.

The current flashpoint was the January 13 Peacock-exclusive Kansas Chiefs-Miami Dolphins NFL wild card playoff game.

Rep. Kathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chair of the parent Energy & Commerce Committee, called it a streaming-only game, but technically that was not the case since it was available via broadcast in the teams' home markets, as is the case with Monday Night Football (though the Hollywood writers and actors strikes led to ABC simulcasting most games this season).

Rodgers also cited Amazon’s deal with the Bally Sports regional sports networks for MLB, NBA and NHL games. She even cited scripted sports siphoning, with Netflix as the new home to WWE’s Monday Night Raw.

Subcommittee chairman Bob Latta (R-Ohio), called the “transition” of sports to streaming a “pivotal shift” and cited the Peacock exclusive, pointing out that it was the most streamed event in U.S. history.

But he also pointed out that the Peacock platform’s comparatively limited reach made it the least-watched playoff game so far this year.

“[I]f sports programming is the lifeblood of our media ecosystem, we must ask what it means if this valuable content increasingly moves from local broadcast stations to national platforms, like most streaming services,” ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said. 

Both Pallone and Latta signaled Congress would also be looking to get educated on the impact of the escalating cost of sports rights, which has been driven by the expanded competition for rights among broadcast, cable and streaming.

“Escalating sports licensing fees have been a major driver of increasing pay TV costs, even for consumers who don’t watch sports,” said Pallone, offering one of the arguments long made by fans of a la carte programming. “This has contributed to cord-cutting.”

He added: “[T]he rise of online streaming options, including games that air exclusively online, has caused significant confusion among consumers, with 60% saying they have trouble finding the games they want to watch.” 

Football action, led by the College Football Playoff, dominates the schedule of live sports events on TV over the New Year’s holiday weekend.

ESPN on New Year’s Day will air the College Football Playoff semifinal games, including top-ranked Michigan facing No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl and second-ranked Washington battling No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Also on January 1, ESPN will televise the Fiesta Bowl between No. 23 Liberty and No. 8 Oregon. 

On Saturday, ESPN will televise the Cotton Bowl (No. 9 Missouri-No. 7 Ohio State), the Peach Bowl (No. 11 Ole Miss-No. 10 Penn State), and the Orange Bowl (No. 6 Georgia-No. 5 Florida State). 

Week 17 of the NFL schedule will feature a Saturday ABC and ESPN simulcast of the Dallas Cowboys-Detroit Lions game. On Sunday afternoon, CBS and Fox will televise regional NFL game coverage, while NBC’s Sunday Night Football matchup will feature the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. 

On the basketball court, top-ranked college basketball schools in action on Saturday include second-ranked Kansas against Wichita State on ESPN2 and third-ranked Houston against Pennsylvania on ESPN Plus. On Sunday, fourth-ranked Arizona faces Stanford. On the women’s side, Saturday’s schedule features top-ranked South Carolina meeting East Carolina on ESPN2, second-ranked UCLA playing sixth-ranked USC on the Pac12 Network, fourth-ranked Iowa meeting Minnesota on BTN, and fifth-ranked Texas battling No.10 Baylor on Fox. On Sunday, third-ranked NC State faces Virginia on ACCN. 

On the soccer field, USA Network, Peacock and NBC will combine to feature nine live Premier League games over the three-day holiday weekend.

Viewership numbers for live football games continue to increase as the regular season winds down.

Fox’s December 3 late afternoon NFL window, mostly featuring the Philadelphia Eagles-San Francisco 49’ers game, led all live events for the week of November 27-December 3 with 27.9 million viewers, the fifth-largest audience of the NFL season,  according to Nielsen numbers published by SportsMedia Watch. NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast featuring the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs finished second for the week, averaging 23.56 million viewers.

CBS' Georgia Bulldogs-Alabama Crimson Tide SEC Championship game generated 17.51 million viewers – the second biggest audience for a college football game this year behind the November 25 Ohio State-Michigan game. Prime Video’s November 30 Thursday Night Football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks drew a record 15.25 million viewers for the streaming service.

TNT’s in-season tournament game between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings was the most-watched non-football game this week, averaging 2 million viewers. The game was the most watched of the inaugural tournament, which averaged 1.35 million viewers across ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV, according to SportsMedia Watch.

Viewers feasted on live sports programming during the Thanksgiving week, with pro and college football games generating huge viewership numbers.

NFL football games led the ratings onslaught, generating the three most-watched games of the year led by CBS's Thanksgiving day Washington Commanders-Dallas Cowboys game, which drew 41.76 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings published by SportsMedia Watch. The telecast was the second most-watched NFL regular-season game on record behind only last Thanksgiving’s Giants-Cowboys game, which drew 42 million viewers.

Fox's November 23 Green Bay Packers-Detroit Lions game drew 33 million viewers, while NBC’s San Francisco 49’ers-Seattle Seahawks Thanksgiving evening game drew 24.78 million viewers.

CBS’s November 26 late Sunday afternoon NFL window – mostly featuring the Buffalo Bills-Philadelphia Eagles matchup -- drew 30.90 million viewers for fourth place on the chart. Also, the November 20 Philadelphia Eagles-Kansas City Chiefs Monday Night Football telecast averaged more than 29 million combined viewers across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, ESPN Plus, and ESPN Deportes – the biggest Monday Night Football audience for the Walt Disney Company since 1996, according to ESPN. 

On the college football front, Fox’s November 25 Ohio State-Michigan game drew a season-high 19 million viewers and finished as the most-watched regular season college football game in 12 years. 

The biggest non-football audience was Fox’s Thanksgiving day college basketball game between Michigan State and Arizona, which drew 5.18 million viewers, the largest regular-season college football audience in 15 years, according to SportsMedia Watch. 

Fox’s November 5 slate of late-afternoon NFL telecasts set a new high mark for football telecasts this fall as the league continues to deliver big viewership numbers.

Fox's late Sunday NFL window, mostly featuring the Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game, averaged 27.13 million viewers, the most watched television event since Fox’s February Super Bowl LVII telecast, according to Nielsen TV numbers published by SportsMedia Watch. 

Also on Sunday, NBC’s Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals Sunday Night Football telecast came in second with 18.36 million viewers, followed by CBS’s early NFL window (14.53 million) and Fox’s early NFL window (11.45 million). 

CBS secured the top two most-watched college football games for the week, led by its November 4 LSU-Alabama telecast with 8.82 million, followed by the Missouri-Georgia game with 6.99 million. 

Three of Fox’s Arizona Diamondbacks-Texas Rangers World Series telecasts topped the list of non-football games for the week, led by the Game 5 series-clinching game won by the Rangers. Overall, the World Series finished as the least-watched Fall Classic ever, averaging 9.1 million viewers. 

ESPN Plus looks to add another big revenue punch to this year’s busy PPV Boxing category with Saturday’s (October 28) Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou event while looking to be opportunistic in the category in 2024.

The fight, pitting the current heavyweight boxing champion Fury against the former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou, is the 10th major PPV boxing match in 2023 and the first to feature the heavyweight division in the main event.

While Fury’s World Boxing Council heavyweight title is not on the line in the 10-round bout, ESPN VP of programming and acquisitions Matt Kenny says the fight pits the two combat fighters in a much-anticipated battle. 

“We look at it as a very compelling event with two very high-profile heavyweight combat athletes,” Kenny said. “The ability to see both of them compete in the ring has captured the imagination of sports fans, and certainly those who follow combat sports.”  

The fight marks ESPN Plus’ fourth PPV-distributed boxing match this year and third  mixed combat fight, following February’s Jake Paul-Tommy Fury bout and its October 14 bout between YouTube fighter KSI and Fury. ESPN also distributed a May 20 Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko event.

While Kenny would not project buys for the bout, he said the fight should draw both boxing and mixed martial arts fans to purchase the event. He added that ESPN will remain “opportunistic” in its overall approach to the pay-per-view boxing category in 2024. 

“We’re bullish on PPV Boxing. When presented with the opportunity to offer the biggest events on a pay-per-view basis, we’re open for business,” Kenny said. “Pay-per-view fans vote with their wallets. Consumers have so much choice, convenience and control over their viewing choices, so at the end of the day we want to be there to showcase to them the biggest athletes and events.” 

Amazon is indeed interested in poaching NBA rights from incumbents Disney/ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a Front Office Sports report, which cites anonymous sources.

According to the site, Amazon, which is averaging an impressive 12.9 million viewers per Thursday Night Football installment this season, wants to create a dedicated Tuesday or Thursday night slot for live NBA coverage. 

This revelation (confirmation?) comes after an "industry conference" last year, during which NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he was “fascinated” with what Amazon Prime Video was doing with its 11-year, $1-billion-a-season commitment to the Thursday Night Football package, which has a median viewer age that is seven years younger than the typical NFL TV audience. 

With the NBA's current national TV deals with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery expiring after the 2024-25 season, the league will reportedly seek between $50 billion - $75 billion combined for its next long-term national TV agreements. 

Eleven months ago, fiscally conservative WBD CEO David Zaslav indicated that his conglomerate might balk on a marked increase to the $1.2 billion-a-season rate it pays the pro basketball league for TNT's TV rights, pointedly remarking, "We don't have to have the NBA."

Meanwhile, Disney disclosed financial data last week showing that ESPN profits are down 8% this year alone. 

Both Disney and Warner have exclusive negotiating rights with the league through early next year. And Warner just launched a $9.99 live-sports extension for its Max subscription streaming platform, with the NBA at the center of it. But there's no guarantee that either media company will be able to "match up" with the length and the heft that the NBA might demand, at least not in a way that maintains the current paradigm of only two national TV rights partners. 

According Front Office's sources, the NBA could negotiate deals with three to five media rights partners this time around, all with the goal of maximizing rights fees for its next deal.

Amazon is certainly in the race. Amazon Prime Video VP and head of sports, Jay Marine said earlier this year that the company will continue to pursue NBA and other live sports rights in an “aggressive” yet “rational” way.

“Sports are unique; they are uniquely viable,” Marine said. “Because of that, they’ve also been uniquely expensive. Having said that, they can do things that other things can’t because it’s a guaranteed audience.”

Notably, Amazon has already secured a multi-year partnership with the NBA to broadcast live games on Prime Video in Brazil.

Amazon will undoubtedly have competition, with Comcast recently said to be in the NBA rights hunt, as well. 

This weekend’s lineup of live TV sports events begins on the football field as the second half of the college football season begins with a huge Big Ten Conference matchup between undefeated rivals.

Fox on Saturday will air the game between third-ranked Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State in a matchup of top ten-ranked teams. Other ranked teams in action include second-ranked Michigan against rival Michigan State on NBC, fourth-ranked Florida State hosting Duke on ABC, and fifth-ranked Washington taking on Arizona State on FS1. The schedule also includes No. 6 Oklahoma-UCF (ABC), No. 8 Texas-Houston (Fox), No. 9 Oregon-Washington State (ABC), and No. 10 North Carolina-Virginia (CW).

Sunday’s pro football slate includes afternoon regional matchups on Fox and CBS, as well as NBC’s Sunday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles.

In the octagon, ESPN will distribute the UFC 294 pay-per-view event featuring a main event rematch between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. 

Major League Baseball’s march to the World Series continues on Saturday with Game 5 of the Philadelphia Phillies-Arizona Cardinals National League Championship Series on TBS and on Sunday with Game 6 of the Texas Rangers-Houston Astros American League Championship series on FS1.

On the racetrack, the NASCAR playoffs continue on Saturday with the Xfinity Series Contender Boats 300 race on NBC and USA Network, and on Sunday with the NASCAR Cup 4Ever 400 race also on NBC.

On the links, the CW will air weekend coverage of the LIV Royal Greens tournament, while on the soccer field USA, NBC and Peacock will feature live coverage of Premier League games throughout the weekend. 

NBC’s October 8 Sunday Night Football telecast was the most-watched sports event for the second week in a row, while Major League Baseball playoff telecasts topped non-football viewership.

NBC’s telecast of the San Francisco 49ers' blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys  averaged 24.28 million viewers for the week of October 2-8, according to Nielsen numbers published by SportsMedia Watch. Overall, NFL games secured the top five most-watched sports events for the week. 

ABC’s October 7 Oklahoma Sooners-Texas Longhorns telecast drew 7.30 million viewers to finish as the top-rated college football game. 

Baseball postseason game telecasts secured the top four slots for non-football audiences, led by TBS’s October 7 telecast of the Philadelphia Phillies-Atlanta Braves National League Divisional Series opening game. 

NBC’s October 1 New York Jets-Kansas City Chiefs Sunday Night Football  game led the National Football League’s continuing dominance of the sports ratings charts last week.

The game, in which the Jets lost to the Chiefs 23-20 with pop star Taylor Swift in attendance, drew 24.83 million viewers, the largest audience for Sunday Night Football this season, according to Nielsen ratings published by SportsMedia Watch. NBC's Sunday Night Football telecasts are averaging more than 23 million viewers through the first four weeks, up 8% over last year's numbers, according to Sports Business Journal. 

Overall, NFL telecasts represented seven of the top 10 most-watched live sports telecasts for the week. 

On the college football front, Fox’s Colorado Buffaloes-USC Trojans game drew 7.24 million viewers, the eighth-largest audience for a college football game this season, according to Nielsen. 

Outside of football, NBC’s October 1 NASCAR Cup Series race from Talladega drew 2.50 million to top all non-football events. 

This weekend’s list of live sports events starts on the pro football field as the NFL enters its second weekend of action. 

NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast will feature an AFC East matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots, while CBS and Fox will offer Sunday afternoon regional game action.  

Week 3 of the college football schedule begins with top-ranked Georgia facing South Carolina on CBS, second-ranked Michigan taking on Bowling Green on Big Ten Network, third-ranked Florida State playing Boston College on ABC and fourth-ranked Texas battling Wyoming on Longhorn Network.

Other top-ranked teams in action include No. 6 Ohio State-Western Kentucky (Fox), No. 7 Penn State-Illinois (Fox), No. 8 Washington-Michigan State (Peacock), No. 9 Notre Dame-Central Michigan (Peacock), and No. 10 Alabama-South Florida (ABC). 

The WNBA playoffs continue on Sunday with a pair of first-round games, including game two of the Connecticut Sun-Minnesota Lynx (on ESPN) and the Dallas Wings-Atlanta Dream (ABC) series. On the soccer field, USA, Peacock and NBC will team to offer nine live Premier League games.

On the racetrack, USA Network on Saturday will air the NASCAR Cup Bristol Night Race, while on Sunday, ESPN will televise the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix. Also Sunday, NBC will televise the IMSA Battle of the Bricks race.               

The opening week of the college football season dominated the sports ratings chart last week, securing the top 10 most-watched telecasts.

The onslaught was led by ABC’s September 3 LSU-Florida State telecast, which pulled in 9.16 million viewers -- the network’s second-best regular season game in the past five years, according to Nielsen ratings published by SportsMedia Watch. Fox’s September 2 Colorado-Christian University telecast – which marked former NFL star Deion Sanders’ debut as Colorado coach – finished second for the week with 7.26 million viewers. 

Among non-college football telecasts, USA Network’s September 3 NASCAR Cup playoff race from Darlington topped the list with 2.28 million viewers, followed by ABC’s September 3 coverage of US Open tennis and Fox’s September 2 Saturday baseball telecast, which drew 1.92 million viewers. 

Week one of the college football regular season headlines a busy Labor Day holiday weekend TV sports schedule.

The first official weekend of college football action features several top 10-ranked teams in the nation playing on Saturday, beginning with the top-seeded and defending champion Georgia Bulldogs facing UT Martin on the SEC Network and second-ranked Michigan facing East Carolina on Peacock. Third-rank Ohio State travels to Indiana to face the Hoosiers on CBS, while fourth-ranked Alabama hosts Middle Tennessee on the SEC Network. 

The rest of the top 10 includes No. 6 USC-Nevada (Pac 12 Network) and No. 10 Washington-Boise State (ABC.) On Sunday, fifth-ranked LSU battles No. 8 Florida State on ABC, while on Monday, No. 9 Clemson faces Duke on ESPN.

ESPN2 on Saturday will offer coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament featuring third-round men’s singles action, while on Sunday, ESPN and ABC will offer live coverage of the fourth round of women’s singles play. 

On the racetrack Sunday, USA will air the NASCAR Cup: Cook Out Southern 500 race, NBC will televise the IndyCar BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland race, and ESPN will showcase the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix competition. 

On the baseball diamond, Peacock will stream the Philadelphia Phillies-Milwaukee Brewers game. ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will pit the New York Yankees against the Houston Astros. 

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will stream a UFC Fight Night card headlined by the Ciryl Gane-Serghei Spivac heavyweight match. 

Preseason National Football League games dominated the list of most watched live sports events during the last full week of August.

Three games from the final week of the NFL preseason landed among the top 10 most-viewed events during the week of August 21-27, including Fox’s  August 27 Houston Texans-New Orleans Saints game, which averaged 4.22 million to lead all sports events, according to Nielsen numbers published by SportsMedia Watch. CBS’s August 25 Detroit Lions- Carolina Panthers telecast finished third with 3.43 million viewers, and ESPN’s August 21 Baltimore Ravens-Washington Commanders game pulled in 2.87 million viewers to place seventh. 

NBC’s Navy-Notre Dame college football telecast from Dublin, Ireland, drew 3.56 million viewers to finish second for the week. NBC’s NASCAR Cup Series race from Daytona drew the fourth and fifth spots on the chart.

ABC’s August 27 coverage of the Little League Baseball World Series Championship game drew 2.94 million viewers to finish fifth for the week. The game, won by El Segundo, California, over Curacao, was the most-watched on ESPN platforms since 2015. Overall, ESPN’s 38-game slate averaged more than 1 million viewers, up 22 percent from last year, according to ESPN. 

CBS’s coverage of a PGA Tour golf tournament topped the sports ratings chart for a second straight week as NFL pre-season games dominated the top 10 most watched sports events last week.

CBS’s August 20 PGA FedExCup BMW Championship tournament averaged 3.03 million viewers, topping USA Network’s August 20 coverage of the NASCAR Cup at Watkins Glen auto race, which averaged 2.31 million viewers, according to Nielsen numbers published by SportsMedia Watch.  CBS’s August 19 coverage of the PGA tournament finished fourth for the week with 2.00 million viewers, while USA Network's NASCAR Cup Series' pre-show finished sixth for the week.   

NFL Network placed four of its pre-season games in the top 10, including the August 20 New Orleans Saints-Los Angeles Chargers games, which drew 2.01 million viewers for third place.

Fox’s August 20 Spain-England Women’s World Cup final telecast scored a fifth-place finish with 1.81 million viewers. The game was the most watched non-USWNT, English-language Women’s World Cup Final in history. Overall, Fox and FS1 averaged 669,000 viewers for the 64-game tournament, down 60% from 2019, according to Sports Media Watch. 

Univision’s August 19 coverage of the Leagues Cup finals soccer match between Inter Miami and Nashville -- featuring soccer great Lionel Messi -- finished 10th for the week with 1.45 million viewers. 

Fox News Channel will team with sports media company OutKick for an August 27 primetime news special, OutKick on Fox.

The one-hour special will feature the Fox Media-owned OutKick personalities Clay Travis, Tomi Lahren and Charly Arnolt discussing the latest trends in news, sports and culture, according to both parties. Along with the hosts, the show will also feature appearances by former Olympian Riley Gaines, columnist Mary Katherine Ham and former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom. 

The special comes on the heels of a recent deal between OutKick and Fox Nation to stream OutKick shows OutKick The Show with Clay Travis, Tomi Lahren Is Fearless and Gaines for Girls.

Prime Video tonight (August 15) will stream the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game between the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty as the streaming service continues to offer live game content from the league.

The WNBA's in-season tournament championship contest, which Prime Video has streamed since the game's debut in 2021, matches the two WNBA teams with the best record based on percentage of games designated for Cup play in each conference, according to the league. The Aces will look to win its second straight championship after defeating the Chicago Sky last year.

Players on the winning team will have the opportunity to earn more than $30,000 each while players on the runner-up team will have the opportunity to earn as much as $10,000 each, according to the league. All participating players will receive $5,000 in cryptocurrency from the game’s sponsor, Coinbase.

Prime Video will once again pair Michael Grady and Sarah Kustok to handle play-by-play and analyst duties for the game, with former NBA All-Star Baron Davis contributing as an analyst and Zora Stephenson handling sideline responsibilities for the Championship contest.

After the Commissioner’s Cup, Prime Video will stream five additional regular-season WNBA games through mid-September, beginning with an August 17 Liberty-Aces rematch, according to the streaming service.

The NBA for the first time will offer its own version of the Commissioner’s Cup with an in-season tournament beginning in November.

MGM Plus will profile Pro Football Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Charles Woodson as part of a new season of its sports docuseries NFL Icons, debuting October 21.

The third season of the documentary series will continue to offer an in-depth and personal look at some of the biggest names in football history both on and off the field, according to the network. Along with NFL rushing great Brown and Super Bowl champion defensive safety Woodson, the series' new season will also feature profiles of Chicago Bears All-Pro linebacker Mike Singletary and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Super Bowl winning coach Bill Cowher.

"NFL Icons, from the acclaimed and gifted storytellers at NFL Films and narrated by Rich Eisen, has become a fan favorite at MGM Plus,” network head Michael Wright said in a statement. “NFL Icons fits perfectly into MGM Plus’s growing stable of compelling and entertaining docuseries. It entertains and inspires, celebrating the careers of  the most iconic competitors the league has produced, their unique personal journeys, and the incredible impact they have made on and off  the gridiron.” 

NFL Icons is executive produced by Ross Ketover, Patrick Kelleher, Brian Rolapp, Keith Cossrow, Wright and Jill Burkhart. 

This weekend's lineup of live TV sports events begins on the ice Saturday with Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Vegas Golden Knights will look to take a commanding three games-to-one lead over the Florida Panthers in Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals on TNT. After taking a two games-to-none lead, the Golden Knights lost to the Panthers in overtime this past Thursday.  

On the racetrack, Fox on Saturday will air the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. On the tennis court, NBC Saturday morning will air the French Open women’s finals match between top-ranked Iga Swiatek and Karolina Muchova. On Sunday morning NBC will air the French Open men’s finals. 

In the boxing ring, ESPN will televise a junior welterweight title fight between Teofimo Lopez and WBO champion Josh Taylor. Also Saturday DAZN will stream an IBF flyweight championship bout between champion Sunny Edwards and Andres Campos.

In the octagon, ESPN PPV will distribute the UFC 289 event featuring a main event bout between women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana.  

The USFL will launch week nine of its regular-season on Saturday with the Michigan Panthers-Pittsburgh Maulers game on Fox and the New Orleans Breakers-Memphis Showboats on NBC. On Sunday, NBC will air the Birmingham Stallions-Houston Gamblers game, while Fox will televise the Philadelphia Stars-New Jersey Generals contest.

On the links, CBS and Golf Channel will offer final round weekend coverage of the Canadian Tour PGA Open. 

Also: The CW’s LIV Golf Lineup Will Continue Amidst LIV-PGA Merger

On Sunday Fox will televise the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Cup race. On the baseball diamond, Peacock will stream the Arizona Diamondbacks-Detroit Tigers game, while ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will feature a game between longtime American League rivals the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. 

The Mother’s Day weekend lineup of live tv sports action begins on the pro football field as ABC airs in primetime the upstart XFL pro football league’s Championship game featuring the Arlington Renegades and the D.C. Defenders. 

The second round of the NBA Playoffs winds down as the Philadelphia 76’ers and the Boston Celtics meet Saturday on ABC in a pivotal Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. 

On the ice, ESPN on Saturday will air a Game 6 NHL Playoffs contest featuring the Dallas Stars, who will look to close out its second round series against Seattle Kraken. On Sunday ESPN will air Game 6 of the Edmonton Oilers-Vegas Golden Knights series, with the Golden Knights up three games to two.

On the racetrack, NBC on Saturday will televise the GMR Grand Prix IndyCar Series race and on Sunday will air the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Motul Course de Monterey race. 

On the baseball diamond, Peacock on Sunday morning will stream the L.A. Angels-Cleveland Guardians game, while ESPN will televise the St. Louis Cardinals-Boston Red Sox game as part of its Sunday Night Baseball telecast. 

On the links, CBS and Golf Channel will offer final round weekend coverage of the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic PGA tournament, while the CW offers live Saturday and Sunday coverage of the LIV golf tournament in Tulsa. 

Both ESPN and Showtime will feature boxing cards Saturday night, with ESPN offering the Janibek Alimkhanuly-Steven Butler WBO middleweight title fight and Showtime airing the Rolando Romero-Ismael Barroso WBA interim junior welterweight title bout. In the octagon, ABC will air a UFC heavyweight main event bout between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jailton Almeida. 

Fox on Sunday will air final round coverage of the Professional Bowlers Association’s Players Championship. On the soccer field, USA and Peacock will air nine Premier League games throughout the weekend. 

The busy lineup of live TV sports events airing during the first weekend of May begins Saturday in the boxing ring as super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez battles contender John Ryder in a DAZN-distributed pay-per-view event. 

Also on PPV Saturday, ESPN Plus will distribute the UFC 288 fight card featuring the main event bout between bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and former champion Henry Cejudo.

The NBA Playoffs continue Saturday on ABC with Game 3 of the New York Knicks-Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors-LA Lakers series. On Sunday, ESPN will air Game 4 of the Boston Celtics-Philadelphia 76’ers series, while TNT telecasts Game 4 of the Denver Nuggets-Phoenix Suns series.

On the ice, the second round of NHL playoffs continue Saturday on TNT with Game 2 of the Edmonton Oilers-Vegas Golden Knights series. On Sunday TBS will air a tripleheader of Game 3 contests featuring the Carolina Hurricanes-New Jersey Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs-Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars-Seattle Kraken series.

NBC on Saturday will televise live the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race. On the links, CBS will televise final round coverage of the PGA Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament. 

Sports fans will have plenty of pro basketball, hockey and football playoffs action to watch during the last weekend of April.

The NBA launches its second round of playoff games Saturday with the Phoenix Suns-Denver Nuggets game on TNT and Sunday afternoon with the Miami Heat- New York Knicks on ABC. Also Sunday, the Golden State Warriors will meet the Sacramento Kings in Game 7 of their first round series on ABC. 

The NHL winds down the first round of its playoffs schedule Saturday with Game 6 telecasts of the Toronto Maple Leafs-Tampa Bay Lightning (TBS), New Jersey Devils-New York Rangers (ABC) and Edmonton Oilers-Los Angeles Kings (TBS) series.

On Sunday TNT will air a pair of Game 7 showdowns as the Florida Panthers meet the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kracken face off against the Colorado Avalanche.

The XFL will kick off its Divisional Championships games Saturday with the South Division Championship game between Arlington Renegades and the Houston Roughnecks on ESPN2. On Sunday ESPN will air the North Division Championship game between the Seattle Sea Dragons and  the D.C. Defenders. 

The USFL offers up week three action with two Saturday games including the New Orleans Breakers against the Birmingham Stallion (USA Network) and the Memphis Showboats against the Houston Gamblers (Fox).

On the baseball diamond, Peacock on Sunday will stream the Chicago Cubs-Miami Marlins game, while ESPN will air the Philadelphia Phillies-Houston Astros game in a rematch of the 2022 World Series as part of its Sunday Night Baseball package. 

On the links, CBS and Golf Channel will air final round weekend coverage of the Mexican Open PGA tournament. On the soccer field, Peacock and USA Network will air eight Premier League games combined on Saturday and Sunday, while Fox and FS1 will combine to air two MLS contests over the weekend. 

NBC on Sunday will air the Alabama Grand Prix IndyCar Series race, while ESPN carries the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Formula One event.

The prestigious Masters PGA golf tournament highlights the list of live sports events taking place during Easter weekend.

CBS will offer late round coverage of the Masters tournament from Augusta National Golf Club throughout the weekend. Friday’s second round of the tournament was suspended due to rain with Viktor Hovland, John Rahm, Sam Bennett and Brooks Koepka all vying for the top spot on the leaderboard. 

ESPN's Thursday coverage of the tournament's first round was viewed by an average of 2.5 million viewers, according to the network. 

In the boxing ring, ESPN on Saturday will feature a lightweight boxing matchup between Shakur Stevenson and Shuichiro Yoshino, while Showtime will feature a junior middleweight bout between champion Sebastian Fundora and Brian Mendoza. 

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will distribute the UFC 287 pay-per-view match between middleweight champion Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya.  

On the ice, ABC will offer an afternoon NHL tripleheader including the Pittsburgh Penguins-Detroit Red Wings and Vegas Golden Knights-Dallas Stars afternoon games, followed by the New Jersey Devils-Boston Bruins primetime matchup.

Fox on Saturday will televise the Wood Memorial horse racing event, while on Sunday the network will televise the NASCAR Cup Food City Dirt Race event.  

ESPN will air a XFL doubleheader featuring the Vegas-St. Louis and Arlington-Orlando games. On Sunday ABC will air the Houston-San Antonio game, while ESPN2 will carry the D.C.-Seattle contest.

USA, NBC and Peacock will televise a combined 10 Premier League soccer games over the weekend, while TNT on Saturday will televise the women’s soccer game between the US team and Ireland.

The NBA regular-season concludes Sunday with two national game telecasts on ESPN (Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz-L.A. Lakers). Also Sunday, ESPN will televise the San Diego Padres-Atlanta Braves Sunday Night Baseball contest.

The March Madness college basketball tournament enters its elite-eight round this weekend as part of the busy lineup of live sports events airing on broadcast and cable networks.

The NCAA Men’s college basketball tournament action begins Saturday on TBS with Fla. Atlantic facing Kansas State and UConn battling Gonzaga. Sunday’s action will pit the winners of Friday night’s San Diego State-Alabama and Princeton-Creighton  games in one elite eight matchup, and the winners of the Miami-Houston and Xavier-Texas games in the other contest.

In other sports, Showtime on Saturday will offer a pay-per-view boxing fight card featuring the super middleweight bout between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant. In the octagon, ESPN will air a Saturday afternoon UFC Fight Night card featuring a main event bout between bantamweights Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen. 

On the racetrack, Fox on Sunday will televise the NASCAR Cup EchoPark Grand Prix auto racing event. On the ice, ABC on Saturday will televise live the Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins NHL game.

On the football field, the XFL enters week six with three games, including ABC’s Saturday Seattle Sea Dragons-Orlando Guardians and Sunday San Antonio Brahmas-Arlington Renegades telecasts, as well as FX’s Saturday St. Louis Battlehawks-Vegas Vipers game. 

The National Women’s Soccer League kicks off its 2023 season Saturday on CBSSN, which will air the Chicago Red Stars-San Diego Wave FC. ■ 

The lineup of live TV sports events taking place over the President’s Day weekend starts on the hardwood with TNT’s coverage of the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.

On Saturday TNT will offer primetime coverage of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night events, including the skills, three-point and slam dunk contests. On Sunday night TNT and TBS will provide live coverage of the annual NBA All-Star Game, featuring the league's recently crowned all-time leading scorer LeBron James.  

On the race track, Fox will feature Sunday afternoon coverage of NASCAR’s Daytona 500 auto racing event. On the links, CBS and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the PGA Genesis Invitational golf tournament. 

The men’s college basketball lineup of top-ranked teams playing on Saturday includes top-ranked Alabama meeting Georgia on the SEC Network, fourth-ranked UCLA battling California on the Pac-12 Network and fifth-ranked Kansas taking on ninth-ranked Baylor on ESPN. On Sunday, second-ranked Houston plays Memphis on ESPN, while third-ranked Purdue meets Ohio State on CBS.

Several of the top women’s college basketball teams play on Sunday, including top-ranked South Carolina meeting Ole Miss on SEC Network, second-ranked Indiana battling Purdue on BTN, and fifth-ranked LSU traveling to Florida on SEC Network.  On Monday, third-ranked Stanford plays No. 16 UCLA on ESPN2.

On the ice, ABC will televise the NHL's Stadium Series outdoor game between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes from Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

In the boxing ring, PPV.com on Saturday will distribute the BLK Prime-produced fight between former four-division champion Adrien Broner and Michael Williams Jr., while DAZN will distribute the WBA featherweight title bout between champion Leigh Wood and challenger Mauricio Lara.  

ESPN and ABC on Saturday will kickoff the inaugural season of the upstart XFL pro football league. ABC will offer the Vegas Vipers-Arlington Renegades game while ESPN and FX will simulcast the primetime matchup between the Orlando Guardians and the Houston Roughnecks. 

Also: Disney Looking to Expand XFL Sponsor Roster as Season Kicks Off

On Sunday, XFL game telecasts include the St. Louis Battlehawks-San Antonio Brahmas contest on ABC and the Seattle Sea Dragons-D.C. Defenders matchup on ESPN.■ 

The Tv sports world will be focused on Arizona this weekend as Fox televises Super Bowl LVII, part of a lineup of live sports events airing this weekend. 

Fox on Sunday will televise Super Bowl LVII featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles from State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Fox Sports NFL play-by-play announcers Kevin Burkhardt and Gregg Olsen will call their first Super Bowl on the network. 

Also: Fox's Kevin Burkhardt Is Ready to Call Super Bowl LVII

On the ice, ABC will air an NHL afternoon doubleheader featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning-Dallas Stars and the Washington Capitals-Boston Bruins contests. The network will also hit the basketball court Saturday with a primetime telecast between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, as well as a Sunday afternoon telecast featuring the Memphis Grizzlies-Boston Celtics game. 

In the ring, Showtime on Saturday will air a February 11 junior lightweight title bout between Rey Vargas and O’Shaquie Foster. In the octagon, ESPN Plus Saturday will offer the UFC 284 pay-per-view fight card featuring a main event bout between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski.

Weekend games featuring top 10-ranked men’s college basketball teams starts with third-ranked Alabama taking on Auburn on ESPN, fourth-ranked Arizona facing Staford on ESPN2 and  fifth-ranked Texas hosting West Virginia on ESPN2. Other games include No. 7 UCLA-Oregon (ESPN), No. 8 Virginia-Duke (ESPN), No. 9 Kansas-Oklahoma (CBS) and No. 10 Marquette-Georgetown (FS1).

On Sunday, top-ranked Purdue takes on Northwestern on the Big Ten Network. 

Elsewhere, CBS and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the Phoenix Open PGA golf tournament.■  

The live TV sports lineup for the first weekend of February starts on the ice and the gridiron as the National Hockey League and the National Football League play their respective All-Star contests.

On Saturday ABC will feature the NHL All-Star Game from South Florida featuring a total of 44 players from the NHL’s four divisions. On Sunday, the National Football League gathers its best players for the NFL Pro Bowl All-Star competition in Las Vegas on ABC. This year for the first time the league’s All-Stars will participate in a series of flag football games.

On the pro basketball court, ESPN2 on Saturday afternoon will air the Los Angeles Lakers-New Orleans Pelicans matchup as Lakers’ star LeBron James moves closer to breaking the all-time NBA scoring record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  TNT will also televise Tuesday's Lakers-Oklahoma City Thunder game and Thursday's Lakers-Milwaukee Bucks games. 

ABC on Saturday night will air the Dallas Mavericks-Golden State Warriors game, while on Sunday ESPN will air the Philadelphia 76’ers-New York Knicks contest. 

Also on Sunday Fox will rev up the upcoming NASCAR season with a live telecast of the NASCAR Cup Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.

USA, Peacock and NBC will offer nine Premier League games over the weekend.

Saturday’s schedule of Top ten-ranked men’s college basketball teams includes top-ranked Purdue meeting Indiana on ESPN, second-ranked Tennessee against No. 25 Auburn on ESPN, fourth–ranked Alabama facing LSU on ESPNU and fifth-ranked Arizona playing Oregon State on the Pac 12 Network. 

Other games include No. 6 Virginia-Virginia Tech (ESPN2), No. 7 Kansas State-No. 10 Texas (ESPN2), No. 8 Kansas-No. 13 Iowa State (ESPN) and No. 9 UCLA-Washington State (Pac-12 Network).■ 

In a pitch to investors, executives from Nexstar Media Group talked up the virtues of broadcast, saying high-profile sports programming draws bigger audiences on traditional TV than streaming.

“The world has begun to wake up again to the benefits of the broadcast business model,” Nexstar president and chief operating officer Tom Carter said. “As they say, what’s old is new again.”

In particular, Carter asserted, “broadcast has again proved to be the most important medium for engaging valuable live sports audiences.”

He noted that overall NFL audiences on broadcast networks were up substantially in 2022, but not on Amazon Prime Video, which for the first time had exclusive national TV rights to the league’s Thursday Night Football package.

Also: Streaming Off a Cliff: 'Thursday Night Football' Audience Dropped a Whopping 41% For the Season on Amazon

“We see this acutely head-to-head in the local markets where the Thursday-night football games aired both on broadcast but also on Amazon Prime,” Carter said. 

“In markets where audiences had a choice of where to watch the game, 67% of the NFL viewers chose to watch their in-market game on their local broadcast stations rather than on Amazon Prime,” he said. “Audiences prefer local broadcast delivery, where they can avoid technical challenges and they have a local station they know and trust with the shoulder programming that they prefer.”

Broadcast is not only stronger than streaming, it beat cable — particularly regional sports networks that are under pressure from cord-cutting.

“We saw it with owners of sports teams outside of football looking to maximize their local audience and franchise value by returning to broadcast TV,” Carter said. 

Nexstar made a deal to carry 15 Los Angeles Clippers NBA games on KTLA Los Angeles and some of its other stations in California.

“What is interesting is that in the over eight games so far, KTLA has delivered a total audience that is 55% larger than the 29 games previously aired in the RSNs,” he said.

Compared to streaming, broadcast is a better business proposition, he told the investors. The big streamers have been paying billions for content and losing money to attract subscribers. Recently those losses have become less palatable to investors.

“There is an appropriate, heightened investor focus on free cash flow generation as the primary method of creating shareholder value, which favors the broadcast models,” Carter said.

Despite the losses being piled up as traditional media companies attempt to pivot to streaming, some investors are wary about investing in old-fashioned TV, Nexstar chief financial officer Lee Ann Gliha said. 

Gliha pointed to projects that indicated that at least 50% of the adult population is unlkely to drop their traditional pay TV service. “There is no expectation for subscribers to fall off a cliff,” she said, pointing to data from SNL Kagan.

Also: Virtual MVPDs Added Over 1 Million Users in Q3, Offset Huge Linear Pay TV Losses

“Investors are worried that there is not much of a future for our broadcasting business model,” Gliha said. “But the truth is, if you look at long-term industry projections, they imply that Nexstar’s business should generate long-term revenue growth and that the market perception surrounding the decline of advertising and distribution revenue is over exaggerated.”

Nexstar stock rose 1.63% to $204.77 a share in trading Tuesday (January 31), at one point hitting a 52-week high of $204.89. ■

NFL post-season action kicks off the list of live sports programming airing over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

On Saturday Fox will televise the NFC Wild Card game between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49’ers, while NBC will air the Los Angeles Chargers-Jacksonville Jaguars AFC Wild Card game.

Sunday’s action will feature the AFC Wild Card with the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills on CBS as well as the Baltimore Ravens against the Cincinnati Bengals on NBC. 

Fox on Sunday will air the NFC Wild Card matchup between the N.Y. Giants and Minnesota Vikings. On Monday night, ABC and ESPN will televise the primetime NFC playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

On the basketball court, ABC will air a Saturday night primetime NBA matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat. On Monday, TNT will televise a doubleheader featuring the Miami Heat against the Atlanta Hawks and the Phoenix Suns battling the Memphis Grizzlies. 

On the soccer field, USA, Peacock and NBC will offer up nine Premier League games combined on Saturday and Sunday. 

Saturday’s college basketball schedule of games featuring top 10-ranked teams includes second-ranked Kansas taking on No. 14 Iowa State on the Big 12 Network. ESPN will televise games including fourth-ranked Alabama battling LSU, fifth-ranked Tennessee hosting Kentucky, No. 9 Arizona playing Oregon and No. 10 Texas against Texas Tech.

Sunday’s games include No. 6 UConn-St. Johns (FS1), while Monday’s tilt features third-ranked Purdue-Michigan State (Fox). ■ 

The list of live TV sports events airing during the first full weekend of January starts on the football field with the NFL’s final week of the 2022-23 regular season.

Week 18 of the NFL season kicks off Saturday with two games with playoff implications airing on both ABC and ESPN: the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Las Vegas Raiders and the Tennessee Titans battling the Jacksonville Jaguars.

On Sunday CBS and Fox will offer regional game coverage, with NBC airing its final Sunday Night Football telecast of the regular season featuring a matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.

On the links, NBC will air the final rounds of the PGA Tournament of Champions on Saturday and Sunday, while also airing the high school football All-American Bowl on Saturday.

This weekend’s men’s college basketball schedule includes Sunday games featuring top-ranked Purdue facing Penn State on the Big Ten Network and second-ranked Houston traveling to Cincinnati to face the Bearcats on ESPN.

Saturday’s hoops action features third-ranked Kansas against West Virginia on the Big Ten Network, fourth-ranked UConn battling Creighton on Fox, and fifth-ranked Arizona taking on Washington State on ESPN Plus. Other games include No. 6 Texas-Oklahoma State (Fox), No.7 Alabama-Kentucky (ESPN), and No. 8 Tennessee-South Carolina (SEC Network).

In the ring, Showtime on Saturday will distribute the first pay-per-view boxing event of 2023 when lightweight champion Gervonta Davis steps into the ring to face challenger Hector Luis Garcia.■ 

KRON San Francisco will air 16 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) basketball games this winter. The games happen Saturday mornings, starting January 7, and cover eight weeks, with a doubleheader on each Saturday.

All 16 games will be preceded by 30-minute pregame show HBCU GameTime. The first Saturday game is 9 a.m. and the second one tips off at noon.

The action starts with Johnson C. Smith versus Elizabeth City State, then Claflin against Bowie State, January 7.

Games will feature teams from the CIAA, which includes Winston-Salem State University, Bowie State University, Virginia State University, Fayetteville State University, Elizabeth City State University, Virginia Union University, Shaw University and Lincoln University. 

The games are provided to KRON by PRC Communications through its Black College Sports Broadcasting Network division. 

Nexstar owns KRON, a MyNetworkTV affiliate. ■

Sports fans will receive the gift of live TV sports events on Christmas Day, courtesy of the NBA and NFL.

On the basketball court, the NBA will offer five games on December 25 that will air on ABC and ESPN, beginning with the Philadelphia 76-ers-New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers-Dallas Mavericks afternoon games, followed by the Milwaukee Bucks-Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies-Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns-Denver Nuggets contests.

On the gridiron, the NFL will offer three Christmas day games, including Green Bay Packers-Miami Dolphins (Fox), Denver Broncos-Los Angeles Rams (CBS) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Arizona Cardinals (NBC).

The NFL on Saturday will offer five early afternoon regional games on Fox and CBS, followed by two late afternoon contests (Washington Commanders-San Francisco 49'ers on CBS, and Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys on Fox) as well as an NFL Network primetime game (Las Vegas Raiders-Pittsburgh Steelers.)

On the college football bowl front, Middle Tennessee will face San Diego State in the Hawaii Bowl on ESPN. ■

The World Cup final and NFL Saturday and Sunday games dominate this weekend’s live TV sports action.

Fox on Sunday morning will televise the FIFA World Cup final game between Argentina and France, as well as Saturday’s third-place game between Morocco and Croatia. Fox is coming off a record-breaking week of World Cup coverage that saw the network average 6.5 million viewers for its two semi-final telecasts – the highest viewership for any World Cup on U.S. airwaves, according to the Sports Business Journal. 

On the pro football field, NFL Network will offer a week 15 Saturday tripleheader of games. Network coverage starts with the Indianapolis Colts-Minnesota Vikings game, continues with the Baltimore Ravens-Cleveland Browns contest, and concludes with the Miami Dolphins-Buffalo Bills matchup.

On Sunday, Fox and CBS will offer regional afternoon NFL coverage, followed by NBC's Sunday Night Football game between NFC East division rivals New York Giants and Washington Commanders. 

In the ring, Showtime on Saturday will air a fight card featuring a lightweight main event bout between Michel Rivera and Frank Martin. ESPN Plus will stream a super middleweight fight between Christian Mbilli and Vaughn Alexander. 

ESPN Plus on Saturday will also steam a UFC Fight Night mixed martial arts card featuring a Jared Cannonier-Sean Strickland middleweight main event bout. 

The college football bowl season kicks into high gear this weekend with seven games. ESPN will televise the Fenway Bowl (Cincinnati-Louisville), the Las Vegas Bowl (Florida-Oregon State), Lending Tree Bowl (Rice-Southern Miss) and Frisco Bowl (North Texas-Boise St.), while ABC will air the New Mexico Bowl (SMU-BYU), LA Bowl (Washington State-Fresno State), and Celebration Bowl (Jackson St-NC Central). 

Also on the college football front, NBC and Peacock will carry the HBCU Pigskin Showdown all-star game from Alabama. 

On the ice, ESPN will televise the New York Rangers-Chicago Blackhawks NHL game while on the links, NBC will offer final round weekend coverage of the PNC Championship Pro-Am tournament. Tiger Woods will team up with his son Charlie as one of 20 teams in the family-themed golf event. ■ 

This weekend's busy, live TV sports lineup starts on the soccer field with World Cup quarterfinals round action.

Fox on Saturday will televise live World Cup games between Morocco and Portugal, along with England versus France. The winners from the two games will meet in a December 14 semifinal matchup, with that winner qualifying for the World Cup finals against the winner of the December 13 semifinal game.

In the boxing ring, welterweight champion Terence Crawford on Saturday will step into the ring against David Avanesyan in a pay-per-view fight. Also on PPV, retired eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao will fight an exhibition bout against martial arts fighter DK Yoo.

ESPN Plus on Saturday will stream the Teofimo Lopez-Sandor Martin fight, while DAZN will carry the Josh Warrington-Luis Alberto Lopez featherweight championship bout.

Also: Manny Pacquiao, Terence Crawford Fights Round Out 2022 PPV Boxing Card

In the octagon, ESPN will distribute via PPV the UFC 282 mixed martial arts fight card featuring a main event light heavyweight championship bout between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev.

ABC will air a Saturday primetime matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors in a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals won by the Warriors.

On the links, TNT on Saturday will air its golf exhibition event The Match, featuring Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy facing Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth. NBC and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the PGA’s QBE Shootout event.

Also: TNT Turns Primetime Spotlight on 'The Match' Golf Event

Week 14 of the NFL season picks up Sunday with regional action on CBS and Fox, followed by NBC’s primetime Sunday Night Football contest between the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Chargers. ■

ESPN will serve up the December 18 Professional Pickleball Association Team Championships on ABC, the company said Wednesday.

The first-ever PPA Tour bubly Team Championships event will feature the finals of the four-team tournament, which includes a series of doubles matches to determine the final two teams, according to ESPN. The tournament will take place in Las Vegas.

Billed as one of the fastest growing sports in the country, Pickleball -- a mashup of tennis, badminton and table tennis -- is played by more than 5 million active players in the U.S. alone, according to ESPN.

Also: Murray Bartlett, Kelly Rowland, Daniel Dae Kim Suit Up for CBS Pickleball Special

“We are thrilled to offer fans coverage of the PPA’s inaugural bubly Team Championships and give them an opportunity to watch what has become one of the country’s fastest growing sports,” said Tim Bunnell, ESPN senior VP of programming. “Our commitment is to serve sports fans anytime, anywhere with innovative content, and we are excited to be part of this sport’s growth trajectory.”

Added PPA Commissioner Connor Pardoe: “The PPA Tour has a fantastic partner in ESPN, and we’re very excited to showcase our sport at the national level. We look forward to working together to tell the story of this exciting event and growing the fanbase of pickleball across the world.” ■

TV Sportsplay is a podcast from Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News that offers in-depth discussions with network executives and on-air personalities about the business of sports.

Multichannel News/Broadcasting + Cable's R. Thomas Umstead sits down with The Women's Sports Network founder and CEO Stuart McLean to discuss the 24/7 streaming network dedicated to covering pro women’s sports leagues. The network, created by FAST Studios, has partnership deals with such leagues as the WNBA and the LPGA to develop content for the channel, and has distribution deals with such outlets as Fubo TV, Tubi, Xumo and Amazon Freevee.

Also: A TV Field of Their Own

The launch of the 2022 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament leads the lineup of live sports offerings hitting the small screen this weekend.  

Fox will offer English-language coverage of the World Cup tournament from Qatar, beginning Sunday with the Qatar-Ecuador matchup airing at 11 am (ET). Telemundo and streaming service Peacock will offer live Spanish-language feeds of the game. 

Also: Fox Sports’s World Cup Coverage Playing on Broadcast and Cable Field

On the gridiron, college football is inching closer to securing its four playoff teams going into week 12 of the season. Top-ranked Georgia takes on Kentucky on CBS, second-ranked Ohio State faces Maryland on ABC and third-ranked Michigan battles Illinois on ABC. Fourth-ranked TCU travels to Texas to take on Baylor on Fox and fifth-ranked Tennessee plays South Carolina on ESPN. 

Other games include No. 6 LSU-UAB (ESPN2), No. 7 USC-UCLA (Fox), No. 8 Alabama-Austin Peay (ESPN Plus), No. 9 Clemson-Miami (Fla) (ESPN), and No. 10 Utah-No. 12 Oregon (ESPN).

In the squared ring, DAZN will stream the Jaime Munguia-Gonzalo Gaston Coria middleweight fight, while ESPN Plus will stream the Zach Parker-John Ryder interim super middleweight title fight. ESPN Plus will also offer on Saturday a UFC Fight Night card featuring the Derrick Lewis-Serghei Spivac heavyweight main event mixed martial arts bout. 

Week 11 of the NFL season features Sunday afternoon regional games on Fox and CBS, as well as NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast between the Kansas City Chiefs and division rival Los Angeles Chargers.■  

The Veteran’s Day holiday weekend lineup of live TV sports events begins on the football field as the NFL travels to Germany on Sunday for a morning matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers on NFL Network. 

Also on Sunday, CBS and Fox will offer regional NFL afternoon telecasts, followed by NBC's Sunday Night Football contest between the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49’ers.

In the octagon, ESPN will distribute the UFC 281 pay-per-view fight card on Saturday, headlined by the Israel Adesanya-Alex Pereira middleweight championship fight. 

Also on Saturday via PPV is the return of retired undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather, as he steps into the ring to fight an afternoon exhibition bout against MMA fighter Deji Olatunji. DAZN on Saturday will deliver a fight card featuring a main event junior welterweight bout between Montana Love and Stevie Spark.

The weekend college football schedule begins Saturday with a new top-ranked team, Georgia, who will take on Mississippi State on ESPN. Second-ranked Ohio State will face Indiana on Fox, while third-ranked Michigan battles Nebraska and fourth-ranked TCU travels to meet Texas on ABC. Other games featuring top 10-ranked teams include No. 6 Oregon-Washington (Fox), No. 7 LSU-Arkansas (ESPN), No.9 Alabama-No. 11 Ole Miss (CBS) and No. 10 Clemson-Louisville (ESPN).

NBC will tip off its women’s college basketball coverage on Saturday with a matchup between California and Notre Dame in the inaugural Citi Shamrock Classic, the first live women’s college basketball game on NBC ever, and the first college basketball game of any kind since 1988, according to network officials. ■  

Sports fans may not punt away their pay TV subscriptions in big numbers should live NFL, MLB or NBA games move exclusively to streaming services, according to a new study from research company Aluma.

Only 8% of pay TV subscribers said they would definitely cancel their subscription if their favorite sport moved its games exclusively to a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime Video, Aluma said. 

In terms of specific sports, 11% of National Football League fans would cancel their pay TV subscriptions if games moved exclusively to streaming, while 8% of National Basketball Association or Major League Baseball fans would abandon pay TV if those leagues went digital-only, according to Aluma.

Aluma founder and director of research Michael Greeson said that while live sports continues to be a major draw for pay TV, it’s not as big a factor in subscribers staying put as originally thought. One reason is that 80% of live TV sports viewers also subscribe to at least one of the top-five SVOD services.

Also: Big 12 Conference Seals Stabilizing $2.28 Billion TV Rights Extension with ESPN and Fox

Also, one-third of subscribers who aren’t fully satisfied with their pay TV service continue to subscribe because they are used to having it, while only 18% do so as their main source for live sports programming, according to Aluma. 

“Perhaps live sports are less critical to pay TV's stickiness than we’ve long believed," Greeson said in a statement. “The findings are contrary to the dominant narrative that, without TV sports, pay TV couldn’t survive.”

While streaming services have made inroads in gaining exclusive rights to live pro and college sports events, including Prime Video’s multi-year exclusive deal for NFL Thursday Night Football, most major live sports events remain on linear television. Pay TV platforms should continue to secure live sports content, Greeson said, but he  warned that sports rights could eventually become too expensive for linear TV distributors.

“There is a point at which the exorbitant fees MVPDs pay to license sports are no longer worth the cost,” he said.■