There may finally be interest in the WNBA from the NBA’s broadcast partner with the longest contract. Additionally, ESPN is producing a 30 For 30 documentary on Stuart Scott; Charles Barkley’s CNN program has been canceled; and Yankees voice John Sterling has retired.
WBD is considering WNBA rights.
The Athletic said on Monday that Warner Bros. Discovery had shown interest in purchasing WNBA rights. WBD, the NBA’s broadcast partner with the longest contract (more than 40 years), has never broadcasted the WNBA outside of league-owned NBA TV.
Any arrangement with WBD would probably follow the same format as the NBA’s major rights deal with Disney, which is negotiated as part of the WNBA’s agreement with the corporation. Additionally, the WNBA has independent agreements with Amazon Prime Video, CBS Sports, and Scripps (ION).
Since the conclusion of the Jeff Zucker WarnerMedia period, the division previously known as “Turner Sports” has been gradually acquiring sports assets, most notably the NHL. The inventory of assets also includes Discovery’s pre-existing suite of foreign rights, which were acquired by the company during the 2022 split and merger that placed Discovery in charge of the Warner Media networks. Notably, WBD has already purchased the rights to broadcast the WNBA in the UK and Ireland under the “TNT Sports” label, which it currently utilizes for all of its programming, both local and foreign.
Yankees’ vocals Sterling is retiring with immediate effect.
John Sterling, the radio voice of the New York Yankees, announced his retirement on Monday, effective immediately. This ends his 64-year broadcasting career as well as his 35-year employment with the franchise. After deciding to retire “for a long time,” Sterling told Sports Illustrated on Monday that he ought to have done it in March instead of going back to play another season. “I’m tired from being on the air since February 1, 1960,” said Sterling.
After almost ten years in Atlanta broadcasting Braves and Hawks games, Sterling joined the Yankees in 1989. He has called Islanders, Bullets, and Nets games in the past.
CNN’s Barkley program finishes.
After fewer than six months on the air, the weekly CNN discussion program “King Charles” featuring Charles Barkley and Gayle King has ceased, according to a number of sources on Monday. The New York Post said that Barkley’s restricted availability was a problem. The limited series run of the program was always the plan, according to a report from CNN on Monday.
Barkley was the subject of months of pursuit by CNN, then-executive Chris Licht, for a primetime job as part of a plan to revamp the network’s programming. King had been added at Barkley’s request, but by the time the program appeared, Licht had already been fired and the retool had been shelved, making “King Charles” an odd fit in an otherwise traditional cable news schedule.
30 For 30 on Stuart Scott’s life and career is being developed by ESPN.
The 30 For 30 documentary series about the life and work of Stuart Scott, the veteran SportsCenter host who passed away from cancer in 2015, was revealed by ESPN on Monday. Deadline was the first to report the news. With no predetermined release date, the film is now under development and will center on Scott’s style, cultural influence, and personal challenges, including his seven-year fight with cancer.
During his tenure, Scott was one of the most well-known SportsCenter anchors. He rose to prominence in pop culture, surpassing all previous SportsCenter anchors, and was once parodied on “Saturday Night Live.” Although his catchphrase-heavy approach was divisive at the time (although not unusual in that SportsCenter era), the criticism he encountered at the height of his career had mostly subsided by the time of his death. Scott delivered an ESPY speech in the last few months of his life that is still remembered in a similar way as Jim Valvano’s 1993 address.
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