Latest news with #pregameshow
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Saturday is for the buzz? Fox Sports finalizing TV deal with Barstool Sports, Dave Portnoy
Fox Sports is nearing completion of a major deal with Barstool Sports, sources briefed on the deal confirmed to The Athletic. The agreement would call for the company's founder, Dave Portnoy, to become a regular on Fox's premier Saturday college football pregame show, 'Big Noon Kickoff.' On weekdays, Portnoy and top personalities, like Portnoy and Dan (Big Cat) Katz, would be part of a Barstool-produced daily show on FS1 that is expected to compete directly with ESPN's 'Get Up,' hosted by Mike Greenberg, and Stephen A. Smith's 'First Take.' Advertisement An official announcement of the deal could come as soon as Thursday, per the sources briefed on the deal. While Portnoy's move to 'Big Noon Kickoff' does feel like a direct response to Pat McAfee's success on ESPN's 'College GameDay,' Portnoy's role will likely be more of a voice of the fan; especially with Fox owning the biggest Big 10 game, Michigan versus Ohio State, and Portnoy being a Michigan alum. McAfee is an every-segment panelist on 'GameDay.' Front Office Sports first reported the 'Big Noon' aspect, while the X account, 'BackAftaThis,' initially mentioned the Barstool daily program connection. Sources told The Athletic that Barstool is also likely to have its own pregame show before 'Big Noon Kickoff' at select Big 10 games. Fox Sports declined to comment. FS1 has struggled to compete with ESPN in the mornings, which is partly due to ESPN's superior programming the night before that gives it a head start each morning. FS1 just canceled its previous morning programs, Craig Carton's 'Breakfast Ball' and Emmanuel Acho's 'The Facility.' The two programs did not rate, which made it so Colin Cowherd's noon show was at a huge disadvantage going against McAfee's daily program. The nature of the Fox Sports agreement is expected to be similar to ESPN's licensing of McAfee's program. McAfee produces his show and has editorial control. Cowherd's and Nick Wright's 'First Things First' programs remain in the afternoons. Fox Sports canceled Joy Taylor, Keyshawn Johnson and Paul Pierce's 'Speak' earlier this week, as well. Barstool's previous foray into mainstream sports TV came in October 2017, when 'Barstool Van Talk' — a TV spin-off of its 'Pardon My Take' podcast — appeared on ESPN2 in the middle of the night for a single episode before being abruptly canceled after then ESPN president John Skipper responded to the backlash from employees over the controversial site. Advertisement 'While we had approval of the content of the show, I erred in assuming we could distance our efforts from the Barstool site and its content,' Skipper said at the time. Portnoy and Barstool employees have been embroiled in many controversies and misconduct accusations over the years, though, have remained very popular. Most recently, Portnoy apologized after a couple of his commentators spread a false rumor about a freshman student at Ole Miss. 'Pardon My Take,' which launched in February 2016, consistently ranks among the top five most popular sports podcasts.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Terry Bradshaw offers blunt thoughts on Tom Brady's hefty contract with FOX
FOX's decision to commit $375 million to Tom Brady over the next 10 years hasn't sat well with one of his co-workers. Terry Bradshaw, who's been with FOX since 1994, recently appeared on the "To The Point — Home Services Podcast" and aired his grievances about how much money the network made last NFL season — especially after the viewership Super Bowl LIX brought in. Advertisement 'There's 330 million people in America. That is a ton. The FOX pregame show averaged 28 million for five hours,' Bradshaw said. 'Who in the world is gonna sit around and watch that mess for five hours? 'You know how much money they made?' he continued. 'God. More money than plumbers, I can assure you that. $28 million. And I guarantee you, if you go in there and ask for a raise, 'Well, we don't have any. We're running a little tight.' Bradshaw then specifically pointed to Brady's deal. "Well, you just paid Tom Brady $37 million a year. I'll take it. I did some bad deals, that's what it was." FOX committed the time and money to Brady in 2022 — before the longtime quarterback even retired. Once he took over in the booth, it pushed Greg Olsen to the No. 2 crew. Olsen became a fan favorite during his time alongside Kevin Burkhardt. Advertisement Bradshaw's 'FOX NFL Sunday' has been the most-watched pregame show for over three decades. More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
