Fox Bets on Howie Long to Spur New Interest in Sports Wagers

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThere’s more than a bunch of football games at stake as the National Football League gets set to kick off its 2020 season Thursday night.Behind the scenes, four of the nation’s biggest media companies are eager to try and keep NFL football on their networks for years to come – and doing so may not be easy. The league’s current rights deal with Walt Disney’s ESPN lapses after the 2021 season, while its contracts with ViacomCBS, NBCUniversal and Fox Corp.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor“Law & Crime Daily,” a new first-run daily newsmagazine that examines the day’s most interesting court cases and true-crime events, is set to launch in syndication on September 14, the latest move by entrepreneur Dan Abrams to extend his company’s coverage of legal matters to new media venues.Litton Entertainment and Abrams’ Law & Crime Network will team up to offer the new show, which will feature exclusive footage, interviews and analysis from anchors and

Eli Countryman Former New York Mets pitcher Tom Seaver, who was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992, died on Monday. He was 75.The Baseball Hall of Fame and ESPN reported that his death was due to Lewy body dementia and COVID-19 complications.“We are heartbroken to share that our beloved husband and father has passed away,” his wife Nancy and two daughters shared with the National Baseball Hall of Fame, who announced his death Wednesday.

Jill Goldsmith Co-Business EditorBroadcast tech entrepreneur Jack Perry, CEO of Syncbak, along with Gray Television and partner stations, is launching VUit, a new ad-supported streaming service banking on the appeal of local live content to grow audiences and capture ad revenue that’s migrating to digital.VUit will have 200 stations at launch.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorBrian Lesser is back to help advertising, media and entertainment companies – among others – try to gain  control of the reams of consumer data quickly being generated by Hollywood’s streaming wars.Lesser stepped away from leading AT&T’s Xandr just short of six months ago, as the telecom giant decided to combine the ad-tech unit with its large WarnerMedia entertainment operation.

The prize will see the winner, and five friends of their choosing, get back to basics with a break on a rugged Highland coast, with "stunning scenery, coastal activities, sumptuous food and Tennent’s Light" all on offer, on what the brewing firm is promising will be the trip of a lifetime.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe media and sports worlds remained on tenterhooks Thursday after the NBA, WNBA and MLB suspended a handful of important games last night in the wake of players protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.The remarkable decisions halted a critical NBA playoffs game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic as well as two other games, and there has been speculation emanating that players may well decide to scrap the rest of an already

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFootball fans are about to get a bird’s-eye view of gridiron proceedings when they tune in to NBC.The network plans to offer stunning overhead shots thanks to the use of a C360 camera that will be stationed on the bottom of the event’s SkyCam and can provide zoom-in shots of specific players as well as wide looks of plays along the sidelines or views of players on the line of scrimmage.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMSNBC is getting closer to making some important weekend plans.The NBCUniversal-owned cable-news outlet is expected sometime this fall to decide on a successor for Joy Reid’s mid-morning weekend slot, according to two people familiar with the matter. Figuring out who might be among the contenders hasn’t been difficult.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorShaquille ONeal’s new deal with WarnerMedia will have him analyzing NBA games, but it could also put him in the wrestling ring and in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.The AT&T-owned entertainment company said Monday that it struck a new “multi-year” deal with the celebrated basketball analyst that will extend his reach beyond his regular duties on Turner Sports.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTV’s hottest properties this year may have little to do with the primetime lineup for which the medium is best known.Advertisers are placing new emphasis on ad-supported streaming outlets like Walt Disney’s Hulu and NBCUniversal’s Peacock, while exploring opportunities with WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, Fox’s Tubi and ViacomCBS’s Pluto, according to four media buyers and three other executives familiar with the pace of the industry’s annual “upfront” negotiations, when

At this point, the release date of “The New Mutants” has become as much a punchline as an accepted fact. Filmmaker Josh Boone’s adaptation of an “X-Men” spinoff comic has endured a corporate merger, the collapse of the franchise to which it bears a tangential relationship, and now, a global pandemic.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTucker Carlson’s top-rated Fox News Channel hour has hit record ratings highs in recent months amid the rising tide for news networks as the presidential election draws near. Record ratings usually means record revenue for ad-supported TV shows.But “Tucker Carlson Tonight” has never been more difficult to monetize for the news network amid today’s polarized political environment.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorPepsi says it will stick with the NFL for as long as the league can put games on the field.Pepsi has long been one of the sports giant’s biggest sponsors, so much so that it has become synonymous with the annual halftime show at the Super Bowl.

David Lynch has shared a new edition of his off-the-wall weather reports, taking time to thank the USA’s postal workers.Back in May, the director revived his much-loved series, in which he dramatically and wistfully describes the weather, after more than a decade away.Since then, he has continued the series, while also touching on social issues, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, which he addressed in a June weather report.Now, in the latest instalment of the series, posted today (August

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorHistory plans two new hour-long documentaries and an original eight-part podcast devoted to coverage of the infamous events of September 11, 2001.The two documentaries,  “9/11: The Final Minutes of Fight 93” and “9/11: The Pentagon,” will debut Friday, September 11 at 8 pm. and 9 p.m.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorKeyshawn Johnson, Jay Williams and Zubin Mehenti have a big radio debut on Monday, when they take over ESPN’s national morning slot. But their new jobs started in earnest on Wednesday.The trio met in their studio at ESPN’s New York production facility for the first time, ready to test out their rapport.