Disney Plans to Spread Sports Further Beyond ESPN

Update Aug. 3, 2021: “Governor [Andrew] Cuomo sexually harassed current and former state employees in violation of both federal and state laws,” New York State attorney general Letitia James said during a press conference on Tuesday per The New York Times.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorBob Costas isn’t hosting the Olympics any longer, but he’s still having conversations about bigger issues in sports. Not too long ago, with the Summer Olympics in full swing, he might have held forth on NBC.

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2021 Summer Olympics are here, and the competition will look a little different this year.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN films is delving into shorter subjects.The CNN non-fiction banner plans to unveil four new short documentaries., two of which will debut Saturday, July 31, and two on Saturday, August 7. Each 25-minute title examines a unique American community or sub-culture, and will be introduced by Anderson Cooper.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorSportscaster Maria Taylor has moved into a new role at NBC Sports, where she made her first appearance Friday during the network’s Olympics coverage.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe people putting 7,000 hours of Olympics coverage on screen for NBC are facing some Olympic challenges all their own.The coronavirus pandemic crimped the ability of producers at NBC Sports to get footage of members of Team USA and other competitors as they went through their training. NBC’s video profiles of the athletes usually take months to put together and are one of the signature elements of the company’s Olympics effort.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN and Maria Taylor, an up-and-coming on-air personality, have parted ways in the wake of an internal controversy that spilled into the public arena and drew new scrutiny of diversity policies at the Disney-owned sports-media giant.“There is no doubt we will miss Maria, but we remain determined to continue to build a deep and skilled talent roster that thoroughly reflects the athletes we cover and the fans we serve” said Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN’s chairman, in a

2021 Summer Olympics are almost here, and the competition will look a little different this year.

LeBron James' son, LeBron «Bronny» James Jr., is following in his dad's footsteps. The 16-year-old basketball star became the youngest in his family to cover , and James said his son hasn't let him hear the end of it.The Space Jam: A New Legacystar appeared on where he talked about Bronny's major milestone.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN plans to drill deeper into issues of diversity and inclusion, going as far as to examine the exit interviews of recently departed employees, in the wake of a dispute that has engulfed two of the network’s basketball reporters, the chairman of the Disney-backed outlet told staffers in a memo.“Change takes time, and I ask for your partnership on this journey,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said to employees in the memo, which was circulated last week.

Following the announcement of the nominations for the 73rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards on Tuesday, I shared some Zoom time with Television Academy chairman and CEO Frank Scherma and president and COO Maury McIntyre to get their thoughts on a number of related topics including progress on the upcoming September 19 Emmy show on CBS, which they recently announced would be returning to a “limited” audience of nominees and guests and a live TV format.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN’s Stephen A.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeShowtime has picked up the half-hour comedy series “I Love This For You,” based on former “Saturday Night Live” star Vanessa Bayer’s own story of overcoming childhood leukemia. Bayer co-created the series and will executive producer and star in it.Fellow “SNL” alum Molly Shannon will also star, while Cybill Shepherd, who had originally signed on to star opposite Bayer and Shannon, has departed the project.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDisney will raise the monthly and annual fees for ESPN Plus, one of three different subscription-based streaming services it operates in the U.S., in a maneuver that signals how much the media industry is starting to depend on those direct-to-consumer outlets for new revenue.Starting on Aug. 13, the price of an ESPN Plus subscription will rise to $6.99 a month and $69.99 a year, up from $5.99 a month and $59.99 per year.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN struck a new 12-year deal with All-England Lawn Tennis Club that expands the company’s ability to show the iconic Wimbledon tennis championships to sports fans who may be gravitating to forms of video other than traditional TV.The new pact, which begins with the 2024 Championships and extends through 2035, calls for more matches to be shown on both ESPN’s Disney sibling ABC, as well as on ESPN Plus, its subscription broadband service.

Ben Shephard has returned home after being hospitalised for a painful leg injury that resulted in surgery. The Tipping Point star shared a snap on his Instagram Stories that showed one large bunch of colourful pink, purple and yellow flowers displayed in a vase in his lounge, likely a get well soon gift.SEE: Tipping Point's Ben Shephard's family home is not what it seems"Thanks to @professorgreen @urbanflowerco for these stunning flowers too raising money for CALM," he captioned the snap.