On the Radar

09/24/2026

The American League will have a new representative in the World Series this year.

09/24/2026

Ryan Clark may have suffered a tough blow when he was laid off from ESPN earlier this year, but he is moving forward on his own in a major way.

After a partnership with NFL Films launched a new weekly sports show through his production company, The Pivot, Clark has even bigger news. Pivot25 Productions has landed former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz as an investor and strategic partner.

“I have always believed that the most enduring businesses are built at the intersection of great ideas, authentic leadership and human connection,” Schultz said in the press release announcing the partnership. “We are living through a profound transformation in media. Audiences are increasingly choosing people and platforms they trust over traditional institutions, and the barriers between sports, business, culture and entertainment are disappearing.”

“Howard has always understood that the strongest brands begin with a clear purpose and a genuine relationship with people. That’s what he did with Starbucks. He built a company around human connection, belonging and an experience people wanted to make part of their lives,” Clark added about the move. “That is exactly the kind of partner we want as we enter this next stage. Howard respects what we have built, but he also sees possibilities for Pivot25 that extend far beyond where we are today. His experience, relationships and belief in our vision will help us build the company with greater intention, discipline and ambition.”

The former LSU and Pittsburgh Steelers star was arguably the most shocking name laid off by ESPN earlier this summer, given his notoriety at the network. He was a cornerstone of ESPN’s NFL programming as one of the network’s top studio analysts. But after a series of controversies that dimmed his star power, the worldwide leader decided to move on.

Clark has said he has a non-compete clause through February and would only return to television under certain circumstances, especially given the cruel way his exit was handled.

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09/24/2026

Longtime ‘Pardon the Interruption’ hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser have earned every plaudit they’ve received through decades in print and on television. Now they are receiving one of the most prestigious awards in media.

The duo has been named the 2027 recipients of the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. The award has been given by the Cronkite School at Arizona State University for 43 years in honor of the legendary CBS News anchor.

“Mike and I have been doing this together for more than 45 years between our time at The Washington Post and ‘PTI,’” Kornheiser said in the announcement. “Receiving the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism is unexpected and an incredible honor – and being able to share it with Mike makes it all the more meaningful.”

“To receive an honor bearing Walter Cronkite’s name is humbling, because you immediately think about the standard he set for journalism. And to share it with Tony, my friend and partner for more than four decades, makes it even more special. I’ve been fortunate to call Scottsdale home for a significant part of my life, so I feel a personal connection to the Cronkite School, and I’m grateful that this recognition further strengthens that bond,” Wilbon said.

The award has celebrated some of the biggest names in American media, including Tom Brokaw, Bob Woodward, Diane Sawyer, and Anderson Cooper. Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser join Al Michaels, Bob Costas, and Robin Roberts as winners with ties to the sports world.

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09/24/2026

The NHL has negotiated direct-to-distributor deals for four of its teams that were left without local media rights agreements this upcoming season following the collapse of Main Street Sports Group, the now-defunct owner of the FanDuel Sports Networks.

According to a report by Alex Silverman in Sports Business Journal, the NHL has negotiated multiyear linear distribution deals with Charter’s Spectrum cable TV service for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues. The deal guarantees that the four teams will have some level of traditional linear television presence in addition to their paid streaming offerings via Amazon’s Prime Video.

Spectrum is the largest cable provider in the St. Louis, Columbus, and Raleigh markets, while it is a secondary player to Comcast’s Xfinity in the Twin Cities. The NHL is reportedly still in negotiations with additional pay-TV distributors in these markets.

The agreements mark some of the first local television deals negotiated centrally by the NHL, rather than the teams themselves. It is a strategy that MLB has utilized in a growing capacity for years, beginning with the San Diego Padres in 2023.

Unlike MLB, the NHL has no plans to create a centralized local broadcast platform to house most or all of its teams. Instead, the league is offering production support to teams that join its local media model, and will also negotiate streaming and television deals on behalf of the teams.

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09/24/2026

When WWE signed a deal with ESPN to move its Premium Live Events from Peacock to ESPN Unlimited, the pitch was that anyone with an existing ESPN subscription could access the shows.

That turned out not to be the case. And now it’s the subject of a class-action lawsuit in US District Court.

WWE fans Michael Diesa and Rebecca Toback have accused the company of violating the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and conspiring with ESPN to make fans overpay for the PLEs.

According to Sportico’s Michael McCann, the lawsuit was first filed against WWE in January. But now ESPN has successfully petitioned to join the pro wrestling titan as a tag-team partner in the case. Judge Thomas O. Farrish granted the motion in a 29-page ruling.

“The Court concludes that ESPN should be permitted to intervene to defend itself against the allegation that it violated CUTPA. As ESPN notes, ‘CUTPA liability carries significant exposure,’ and ‘Diesa and Toback seek to establish those claims on behalf of a putative class.’ (ESPN Mem. at 7.) The Plaintiffs do not dispute that they cannot prevail on Counts Two or Three of their complaint against WWE without obtaining a judicial determination that ESPN violated CUTPA,” the judge wrote.

Why would ESPN want to join WWE in a multi-million dollar lawsuit? As McCann outlines, the subscriber agreement for ESPN, Disney+, and Hulu calls for arbitration to settle disputes and keep them out of the public eye, as well as a class-action waiver. Those would obviously benefit both ESPN and WWE as they look to wrestle their way out of the case.

It all stems from the promises made in the unveiling of ESPN Unlimited that weren’t ultimately kept. WWE CEO Nick Khan told Puck’s John Ourand on a podcast that anyone with an ESPN subscription would not face an “upcharge” for the PLEs.

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09/24/2026

Hulu's 'The Testaments' has tapped Deborah Ann Woll and Luke Kirby for guest star roles in its second season.

Read more below.

09/24/2026

Carlos Sanson Jr. will lead the cast of the feature 'House Of Guerrero' alongside Rosario Dawson, George Lopez and Gina Rodriguez. Read more below.

09/24/2026

09/24/2026

“Gremlins 3” has been delayed from Nov. 19, 2027, to Oct. 6. 2028 by Warner Bros.

https://trib.al/hHtDXZN

David Zaslav, the CEO and president of Warner Bros. Discovery, first revealed the project during an investor call in 2025. Steven Spielberg is returning as executive producer. “Harry Potter” filmmaker Chris Columbus is set to produce and direct, with a screenplay by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein.

09/24/2026

Spencer Steer requires surgery to repair the tear in his wrist, but the Reds' lefty masher is expected to be ready for 2027.