Sports TV News

Japanese Official Says Tokyo Olympics Could Still Be Cancelled

The network was planning its first-ever live morning broadcast of an Opening Ceremony, followed by a special edition of TODAY and NBC’s first-ever Olympic Daytime show on the opening Friday of the Games.

Published

1 year ago

April 16, 2021

Kate Constable

After being postponed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics are set to begin on July 23. However, according to Front Office Sports, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai has said there is a real possibility that the games could still be canceled.

“Of course. If the Olympics are going to be the factor causing COVID to spread extensively, then what are we holding the Games for?” Nikai said in an interview when asked if canceling is still an option.

The news comes as COVID-19 cases are rising in Japan and only 1.4% of the population vaccinated. FOS also notes that 40% of the population is in favor of canceling the games, and another 33% thinks they should be postponed, according to a recent poll by Kyodo News.

In early February, NBC Sports put out a press release announcing the network’s coverage plans.

“NBC Olympics will provide unprecedented coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on Friday, July 23, creating a full day of Olympic programming on NBC that culminates in what is always one of the most-watched nights in television with the primetime presentation of the Ceremony.”

The network was planning its first-ever live morning broadcast of an Opening Ceremony, followed by a special edition of TODAY and NBC’s first-ever Olympic Daytime show on the opening Friday of the Games.

If the games do indeed get canceled again, this would mean a major missed opportunity for NBCUniversal as the corporation was hoping the Olympics would turbocharge its Peacock streaming service, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

As far as the International Olympic Committee goes, postponing the games in 2020 cost them an estimated $800 million, and the total cost of the games could be around $25 billion, per FOS.

Kate Constable

Kate Constable is a daily news writer for BSM. She has worked on-air and behind the scenes for a number of media outlets including Stadium, NBC Sports Chicago, KAAL and KARE television, and The Daily Iowan. You can find her on Twitter @KateConstable.

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Sports TV News

Kentucky Derby Rebounds With 16 Million Viewers

“The Derby saw its best numbers since 2019 on Saturday. The audience peaked at 19 million.”

Published

4 hours ago

May 10, 2022

BSM Staff

The Kentucky Derby has now eclipsed 15 million viewers in each of the last eight years that the event was not effected by the Covid-19 Pandemic. An average audience of 16 million tuned in Saturday to see longshot Rich Strike win the first leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown.

The Derby saw its best numbers since 2019 on Saturday. The audience peaked at 19 million.

During the weekend, the event kept finding new life on social media. According to an NBC Sports press release, the overhead shot of the final call drew big audiences across a number of the network’s digital platforms, having been viewed in total more than 36 million times.

Peacock also cashed in on the event’s success. The streaming platform posted an average minute audience of over 247,000 viewers during the Kentucky Derby.

BSM Staff

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Sports TV News

ESPN Releases Details For Joe Buck’s PGA Championship Broadcast

“Michael Collins will serve as Buck’s co-host.”

Published

9 hours ago

May 10, 2022

BSM Staff

Omaha Productions and ESPN are getting ready for the PGA Championship. News broke last week that Joe Buck would make his ESPN debut at the center of alternative coverage of the event. Now the network is sharing a few details of the broadcast.

Michael Collins will serve as Buck’s co-host. ESPN’s senior golf analyst will bring the perspective of a former caddie to the broadcast as well as the humor of a former comedian.

The duo will welcome plenty of guests too. The lineup suggests that while the broadcast will be built around golf, the conversations could go anywhere. Troy Aikman, Josh Allen, Charles Barkley, Doris Burke, Fred Couples, Jon Hamm, and Peyton & Eli Manning are all scheduled to make appearances.

“We loved doing Monday Night Football with ESPN and the entire Omaha team has been looking forward to producing alternate telecasts that celebrate other sports,” Peyton Manning said in a press release. “As one of golf’s majors, the PGA Championship is a perfect place to do our first one for golf and we look forward to working with Joe, Michael and everyone in ESPN’s golf team.”

Joe Buck and Michael Collins will be on TV for all four days of the PGA Championship. They will be on for four hours each day. The broadcast will alternate between ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ depending on where the traditional coverage of the event is airing.

The PGA Championship with Joe Buck & Michael Collins is the latest offering from ESPN’s deal with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions. The company has also committed to produce alternate coverage of MMA and college football broadcasts in the future.

BSM Staff

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Sports TV News

Tom Brady To Join FOX At End Of Career

“Whether or not Tom Brady is great on TV remains to be seen. What is certain is that the network just added star power that is unmatched amongst other networks that carry NFL games.”

Published

10 hours ago

May 10, 2022

BSM Staff

Tom Brady won’t be in the booth this season for FOX, but he will be there eventually. The network’s PR account tweeted that as soon as Brady is ready to call it a career, he will join Kevin Burkhardt to call the biggest game on the network’s slate each week.

"We are pleased to announce that immediately following his playing career, 7-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady will be joining us at @FOXSports as our lead analyst. pic.twitter.com/fJTOQJ9BwM
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) May 10, 2022

“We are delighted that Tom has committed to joining the Fox team and wish him all the best during this upcoming season,” FOX CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement.

FOX has made no secret of its desire to bring Brady aboard. The network has been courting him ever since he announced his retirement in February. The desire to pair him with Burkhardt was first reported in March by Andrew Marchand of The New York Post.

This news raises questions about the future for a lot of the parties involved. First, who will be Burkhardt’s partner this season? Tom Brady has committed to play for the Buccaneers. Next, what does this mean for the quarterback’s future? Does this guarantee that 2022 will be his final season in the NFL? Finally, what now for Greg Olsen? He had been Burkhardt’s partner last season and has expressed interest in continuing to work together.

All of those answers will be addressed in time. Right now, FOX is busy celebrating.

Whether or not Tom Brady is great on TV remains to be seen. What is certain is that the network just added star power that is unmatched amongst other networks that carry NFL games.

That is going to cost them too. Andrew Marchand of The New York Post has a full salary breakdown for Brady. He will get $375 million over the course of ten years. Troy Aikman and Joe Buck, FOX’s former top NFL play-by-play team, will make a combined $33 million per year at ESPN. Brady’s annual salary will top that number on its own.

FOX’s deal with Tom Brady is similar to the one NBC made with Drew Brees before his final season in New Orleans. It allowed the quarterback one more season and promised him a nice landing spot in the media when his playing days are done. We will have to wait and see whether or not FOX will end up waiting longer than the one season NBC did.