Michael McCarthy

4 days ago | frontofficesports.com | Michael McCarthy

The final episode of Inside the NBA barely finished airing on TNT Sports before doomsayers like Bill Simmons were predicting ESPN will ruin the show. But I’m hearing from sources that ESPN has zero plans to change the iconic show’s DNA. No, you’re not going to see Charles Barkley riding a Booger-mobile on the sidelines. Or Shaquille O’Neal and Co. wearing canary-yellow vests emblazoned with the ABC logo. TNT will retain full editorial control.

1 week ago | frontofficesports.com | Michael McCarthy

With only 100 days to go before the kickoff of NFL RedZone, longtime host Scott Hanson is coming back to the anchor desk, Front Office Sports has learned. Hanson is signing a long-term contract extension to return as host of NFL Network’s addictive whiparound highlights channel, sources say. The popular anchor himself indirectly confirmed his new deal by writing on X/Twitter Friday: “100 days from now = NFL RedZone. (& for those wondering: Yes, I *will* be there.

1 week ago | frontofficesports.com | Michael McCarthy

Along with the Knicks, TNT Sports got another chance to savor the NBA TV apple after New York’s victory over the Pacers on Thursday night. With Indiana leading New York 3–1, Thursday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals could have been TNT’s swan song after 36 years of televising NBA games in the U.S. Yes, the iconic Inside the NBA will survive via a licensing deal with ESPN. But whether TNT gets one more playoff telecast or two in this best-of-seven series, it’s over after this season.

1 week ago | frontofficesports.com | Michael McCarthy |David Rumsey

The NCAA is considering expanding March Madness to 76 teams. But if president Charlie Baker is anticipating a large financial windfall from media partners CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery (parent company of TNT Sports), he might be surprised by what he hears.  We talked to several media rights executives about what kinds of additional fees the NCAA can reap by expanding from the current 68 games to 72 or 76. Every contract, every negotiation, is different.

1 week ago | frontofficesports.com | Michael McCarthy

“Sliding Doors Moments” are seemingly small moments that irrevocably change a life—or a relationship—forever. Inspired by the eponymous 1998 film, the Gottman Institute defines them as “words or gestures communicated to others that—despite seeming inconsequential—deeply affect the most important relationships in our lives.”In sports media, a Sliding Doors moment could be a public comment that landed like a lead balloon, a strategic decision that backfired, or a key phone call not made.