News

TV news insiders can tell you the moment that the world changed for high-priced anchor talent: Nov. 29, 2017, the day Matt Lauer was fired from NBC’s “Today” amid shocking allegations of sexual misconduct. As a quick fix, NBC News turned to Hoda Kotb to replace Lauer as co-anchor alongside Savannah Guthrie for the show’s primary 7-9 a.m. broadcast. And then the network braced for impact.

But the crash never came. “Today” ratings actually improved post-Lauer, who had been making around $20 million annually. That’s a testament to the show and the strength of Kotb and Guthrie as a team. And it was most definitely a wake-up call for the industry.

“You had this kind of myth built up that if this person leaves, the show is doomed,” one news veteran notes says. “It’s driven by the idea you’re afraid that if he leaves, everything comes crumbling down.

Updated with latest: ESPN senior NBA writer Zach Lowe is the latest to be let go from the sports network amid ongoing belt tightening at the Disney-owned outlet. The Athletic, which first reported the news, said the well-respected Lowe’s departure is “part of the network’s fiscal year planning that will wrap up at the conclusion of September. He is thought to be the last person who will be laid off in this round, according to the Athletic.

The 12-year ESPN vet was let go just days after the dean of NBA reporters, Adrian “Woj” Wojnarowski, made the stunning announcement that he was retiring after seven years at the network.

That leaves ESPN without two of its best basketball writers with the NBA season tipping off in less than a month and amid the company’s pricey 11-year rights extension with the NBA a few weeks ago. The new agreement,...

Walking around ESPN’s sprawling campus in Bristol, Connecticut, visitors will find the sports giant’s mission statement at almost every turn. On walls, in windows, in the cafeteria: “Serving sports fans. Anytime. Anywhere.”

It’s a humble slogan for the biggest brand in sports media, and arguably one of the biggest brands in all of sports, but ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro argues it is “more relevant today than it’s ever been.”

Sports – like the entertainment industry writ large – is undergoing a dramatic, generational transformation, with viewership fragmenting, cable TV declining, and streaming on the rise.

“If you drill down a bit, what we’re really saying [with the mission statement] is that we need to be everywhere,” Pitaro says, citing streaming, of course, but also TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms.

And so ESPN is pivoting, with Disney CEO Bob Iger telling Wall Street that “building ESPN into the preeminent digital sports platform...

Mike Greenberg has been named host of ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown.

Greenberg currently hosts ESPN’s morning show, Get Up, and the Greeny radio show. He previously hosted NBA Countdown, SportsCenter and the Mike & Mike radio show with Mike Golic.

He takes over the host role from Sam Ponder, who was reportedly fired last week, alongside football analyst Robert Griffin III. The decision to part ways with the two was described as being part of a cost-cutting move.

Greenberg will join returning analysts Super Bowl Champions Tedy Bruschi and Rex Ryan, Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Alex Smit on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown.

ESPN’s senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter will return, as will Jeff Darlington, Dan Graziano, Kimberley A. Martin, Sal Paolantonio, Lindsey Thiry and sports betting analyst Erin Dolan.

Greenberg will be the fourth ever host of the program. He...

ESPN is making a few cuts to its football roster: NFL analyst Robert Griffin III and host Sam Ponder have been let go by the network, The Athletic reports. The cuts were reportedly “made for financial reasons.”

Griffin, a former NFL quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in college, had been with ESPN since 2021, appearing on the NFL pregame show Monday Night Countdown and as an analyst during college football games as well. Earlier this year, though, ESPN hired former player Jason Kelce to take Griffin’s spot on the Monday Night Countdown crew.

More from TVLineTVLine Items: Sofia the First Sequel Series,...

ESPN has parted ways with Robert Griffin III and NFL Countdown host Sam Ponder, Deadline has learned.

Sources tell us that the decision to cut both on-air personalities was based on a business decision to reduce costs and will be paid off for the rest of their contracts.

The Athletic, which first reported the news, said Griffin had two years left on his deal while Ponder was about to enter the last year of her three-year deal.

Griffin’s exit from ESPN comes as the sports network signed retired Philadelphia Eagles player Jason Kelce as host for Monday Night Countdown.

After news of his exit, Griffin shared a clip from the 1995 movie Friday where they say, “How the hell are you go get fired on your day off?

pic.twitter.com/M1AilOwmq3

— Robert Griffin III (@Rgiii) August 15, 2024

The ESPN cuts come a year after the sports network let go of about 20 on-air personalities.

ESPN continues to make changes to its on-air talent roster, with the Disney-owned sports media giant cutting Robert Griffin III and Sam Ponder on Thursday.

Ponder worked on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown, while Griffin (or “Rgiii” as he is sometimes known) previously worked as an analyst on Monday Night Countdown, the pregame show to ESPN’s Monday Night Football, as well as on some college football games. ESPN hired Jason Kelce to join Monday Night Countdown earlier this year.

According to a source, both Griffin and Ponder were informed about about the decision earlier today, and they will be owed what is due to them in their contracts, with Ponder believed to have about a year left on her deal, and Griffin about two years.

The move was described as a financial and business decision, with the timing meant to happen before the start of the NFL season, and...

Robert Griffin III seems to be confirming the rumors that he was fired from ESPN today.

News broke on Thursday (August 15) that the 34-year-old commentator and former NFL quarterback had been let go. He covered football for the network and had two years remaining on his contract. Fellow commentator Sam Ponder was also fired in what’s being called “budget moves,” according to insider Andrew Marchand.

Rgiii, a former Heisman Trophy winner, has now reacted to the news.

Keep reading to find out more…

He posted a clip from the 1995 Ice Cube movie Friday on his X account where the character Mr. Jones asks, “How the hell you gonna get fired on your day off?” Ice Cube‘s character Craig responds, “I don’t know.” Stay tuned as we learn more.

Get all the latest NFL news here.

ESPN acknowledged it was “clearly wrong in submitting certain names going back to 2007” in light of a shocking report that reveals how the network skirted Emmy rules to help on-air talent rack up trophies.

Much of the report involved the stars of College GameDay, who picked up multiple Sports Emmys for Outstanding Weekly Studio Show between 2008 and 2018. Up until 2023, talent could not be included in a credit list for Outstanding Weekly Show; hosts, analysts and reporters on could win individual awards, but they couldn’t earn an Emmy if the show triumphed.

According to a report in The Athletic, ESPN got around the rule by creating fake names for the credit list it submitted for College GameDay. All were listed as associate producers. Once the show won for Outstanding Weekly Show, ESPN took the awards earned by those fake folks and had them re-engraved with the names of on-air personalities.

A stunning new report details more than a decade of fraudulent Sports Emmy submissions by ESPN that resulted in wrongfully obtained awards for the network’s on-air personalities.

In an exposé published Thursday by The Athletic, a sports-centric subdivision of The New York Times, it’s reported that since at least 2007 — but possibly dating as far back as 1997 — ESPN circumvented an Emmys rule that prohibited on-air talent from being awarded in the Outstanding Weekly Studio Show category.

More from TVLineAaron Rodgers Sacked: ESPN's Pat McAfee Show Drops Divisive NFL Star Amid Jimmy Kimmel FeudCollege Football Playoff National Championship Livestream: How to Watch Michigan vs.

ESPN has disciplined members of its staff who worked for years to secure Emmys for on-air personnel who were not normally eligible for the awards by using fake names and entering them in various categories, according to an investigation by The Athletic.

The probe found that ESPN has for more than a decade inserted fake personnel names in entries to win more than 30 Emmys, then took the awards, removed the fraudulent nameplates and had the statues engraved anew so they could be given to on-air staff. Among those who were given the ill-gotten awards are Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Chris Fowler, Desmond Howard and Samantha Ponder. Much of the activity seems to center around “College GameDay,” the Disney-backed sports-media outlet’s very popular college-football program.

“Some members of our team were clearly wrong in submitting certain names that may go back to 1997 in Emmy categories where they were not eligible for recognition or statuettes.

ESPN has been giving one of its newest show hosts a lot of rope despite a years-long policy of keeping talent on a very short leash.

Pat McAfee has generated reams of unwanted publicity for the Disney-backed sports-media giant in recent days, allowing frequent guest Aaron Rodgers to spread misinformation about vaccinations; insulting Norby Williamson, an influential ESPN executive who manages many studio shows and tries to keep a tight rein on them, and accusing him of working to sabotage his show in talks to media outlets; and giving Rodgers room to call out Jimmy Kimmel, the ABC late-night host who is one of the most high-profile employees in the Disney empire.

Interestingly, few of the controversies that have surfaced on McAfee’s show have anything to do with ESPN’s raison d’etre: games and sports. Such a program is “unsustainable,” says Joel Lulla, a former attorney for ABC Sports...

Greg Gutfeld and the guests of his namesake Fox News late night show took to the woodshed an opinion piece published Sunday in USA Today, spending the entire 13-minute “Gutfeld!” opening segment Tuesday night shredding sports writer Nancy Armour’s 800-word column about transgender athletes.

Armour’s piece called the views of ESPN reporter and “Sunday NFL Countdown” host Sam Ponder on transgender women and girls in sports “bigotry.” Ponder had recently publicly sided with Riley Gaines, the former college swimmer leading a campaign against transgender women and girls’ participation in sports at all levels.

Gutfeld himself kicked off the kicking, calling Armour “ghastly,” “godawful,” “riding in on her broomstick” and a “hack,” and suggested that USA Today is “the official doormat for Americans staying at low-priced hotels.”

Then things got mean.

Icymi If ESPN’s Sam Ponder was truly concerned about women’s sports, she’s had ample opportunity...

Ex-NFL quarterback Christian Ponder and his wife, ESPN host Samantha Ponder, say their newborn is home and recovering after undergoing emergency surgery just days after she was born.  Sam -- who hosts ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" -- said their daughter, Price, "ended up in emergency surgery in the middle of the night" after a series of "terrifying and sudden events." "We were short on time and frankly, in shock," Ponder wrote on social media.

Peter Morris, a former exec at Imax and Funny or Die, is joining online upstart Barstool Sports to lead partnerships, distribution and business affairs.

In the new role, Morris will be charged with expanding audiences for the Chernin Group-backed company’s podcasts, video and branded content.

Morris was most recently EVP of entertainment at Imax. Before that, he was general counsel as well as head of business affairs and strategy at Funny or Die, where he oversaw negotiation of talent agreements, television, film, editorial, commercial advertising and partner content deals, along with distribution strategy, strategic partnerships and equity financing agreements.

While at Funny Or Die, Morris secured financial investments from AMC Networks and Turner, grew the production slate to 29 television programs, launched a branded entertainment division. “Funny or Die D.C.,” the Emmy-winning political branded entertainment division whose rollout Morris helped execute, produced campaigns including President Obama: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.

Barstool Sports isn’t receiving a warm welcome from their new Espn family.

On the eve of ESPN2’s debut of the late-night show Barstool Van Talk, featuring Pardon My Take podcast hosts Dan “Big Cat” Katz and Pft Commenter, Sam Ponder spoke out against the company.

The Sunday Morning Countdown host, 31, sarcastically greeted Katz by tweeting out screenshots of crude comments she thought he made about her in a 2014 blog post on Barstool Sports.

“Seriously you sound like a Ko Barstool freak, not a chick that has a job where the #1 requirement is you ,” the article read. “So give...

Samantha Ponder is officially a mother of two!

The Espn reporter announced the birth of her and husband, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Christian Ponder‘s second child – a baby boy named Robinson True Ponder – on Tuesday.

“He goes by True,” revealed Ponder, 31. “He was named after Jackie and David… two men of courage who weren’t/aren’t afraid to hold to their convictions and take the road less traveled. We love you forever, True. Here’s to a new great adventure.”

True appears to have arrived earlier this month, with Ponder writing on June 10, “For all those who have sent messages,...

If Molly Qerim can control “First Take” analysts Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman, and survive former side-kick Skip Bayless — then there’s nothing she can’t handle. The Espn host took the reins from Cari Champion 18 months ago, and since then she’s proven that she’s not to be taken lightly. Whether it’s keeping her outspoken colleagues in check or forwarding the sports conversation to prove that she can keep up with the big boys, Qerim has more than earned her stripes on the high-energy debate show. Also Read: Espn Names Samantha Ponder, Suzy Kolber and Trey Wingo...

It’s always a gamble when you give the general public the freedom to choose the name of anything. Hot on the heels of the R.R.S. Boaty McBoatface — a $287 million polar research ship from the U.K. that was named through an online poll — San Diego’s new Major League Soccer team may end up being named Footy McFooty Face. The ingenious and infantile name is the frontrunner after a San Diego group, which is currently in the process of bidding for an Mls expansion spot, asked potential fans to brainstorm a team moniker, Deadspin reported. Also Read: Espn Names Samantha Ponder,...

It’s going to take three hosts to fill the shoes of Espn veteran Chris Berman. The network announced Thursday that Suzy Kolber, Samantha Ponder and Trey Wingo will be the new NFL studio hosts for the 2017 season. Berman, who arrived at Espn a month after the network launched in 1979, announced in January that he would be scaling back his role there. However, he will still make appearances on-air and will also serve in public-facing roles on behalf of the company. Also Read: Jay Cutler's Release by Chicago Bears Sparks Online Celebration: 'Herpes of NFL Quarterbacks' “We have three exceptional hosts in Suzy,...

Rising Espn star Samantha Ponder is currently expecting her second child with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Christian Ponder, due later this year.

But in between work and chasing after their 2-year-old daughter, Bowden “Scout” Sainte-Claire, the 31-year-old sideline reporter took time to knock Twitter trolls who had been throwing hateful comments her way.

“Getting sexist/vulgar tweets abt my job/appearance while I’m unable to see my own feet & covered in toddler pee is somethin else I tell ya,” she wrote on Twitter.

Getting sexist/vulgar tweets abt my job/appearance while I'm unable to see my own feet...

Last summer, ABC resurrected the BattleBots TV show. It performed well enough in the ratings for the network to bring it back and order even more episodes. How will it perform this time around? Will it be cancelled or renewed for a third season? Stay tuned.

On the new version of BattleBots, the next generation of killer robots fight each other for the win. They're bigger, faster, and stronger than ever before. Episodes focus on the design and building of each robot, the bot builders' backstories, their intense pursuit of the championship, and the spectacle of the event. Commenting on and judging the action are Chris Rose, Kenny Florian, Samantha Ponder, Alison Haislip, Fon Davis, Jessica Chobot, Faruq Tauheed, and Clark Gregg.

Read More…...

If you ever start to feel like you might have lost touch with your inner child, just check out an episode of BattleBots, ABC’s eye-popping reality competition in which “sharp minds devise devious designs” to ensure that their team’s killer robot emerges victorious in the no-holds-barred BattleBox arena. Trust us — in no time, you’ll be bouncing off the sofa like you were 10 years old again!

On second thought, don’t trust us. Don’t trust us at all, because we have a way cooler idea.

In advance of the series’ upcoming second season premiere (Thursday, June 23, 8/7c...

[caption id="attachment_47763" align="aligncenter" width="590"] (ABC/David Moir)/caption]

Danger Will Robinson! The killer robots are coming! The second season of ABC's BattleBots TV series premieres Thursday, June 23, at 8:00pm Et/Pt. Chris Rose supplies the play-by-play. Kenny Florian provides color commentary.

Espn’s Samantha Ponder is hosting season two of Battlebots. Alison Haislip reports from the sidelines. Judging the battles are Fon Davis, Jessica Chobot, and a special guest judge for each round of the competition. Marvel's Agents of Shield's Clark Gregg is the first guest judge. Faruq Tauheed serves as ring announcer.

Read More…...

Ready to start handicapping who’s going to outbitch, outlast and outplay the competition in the upcoming season of UnREAL‘s reality-dating show Everlasting?

You’re in luck, because TVLine has learned exclusively that the Lifetime drama is casting several new regulars for Season 2 — and the series-within-a-series is going somewhere ABC’s The Bachelor fears to tread:

It’s casting an African-American bachelor.

RelatedCancellation Jitters: 8 Shows in Danger

Per the official character description, Darius Hill is in his mid-20s and plays quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. His looks are reminiscent of Carolina Panthers Qb Cam Newton, and he’s sweet,...

For those who don’t care what the final scores are in the NFL on Oct. 27, and who don’t play fantasy football, we’ve put together a competition that you Can get into. Namely, which starting Qb is the league’s hottest?

If you get bored watching the Green Bay Packers stomp on their opponents (or in the case of the New York Giants, lose horribly), then you’ve come to the right place, because we’re talking about what really matters — sexy guys. Join us as we examine the sexiest play-callers in the NFL, and help us determine who has the best look.

Hottest Quarterbacks In The NFL: The Veterans

Though these guys are approaching or are in their thirties, they’re still in great shape. And it doesn’t hurt that they’re the best QBs in the game.

Tom Brady

He didn’t lock down Gisele...