Closing Bell

At a press event hosted at Walt Disney’s N.Y. headquarters on Tuesday, ESPN revealed several pieces of news related to its NFL coverage for the upcoming season and its new direct-to-consumer streaming product:

• In addition to previously announced bundles with Disney+/Hulu and Fox One, ESPN will bundle its full DTC service (which launches Thursday, Aug. 21) with NFL+ Premium at a monthly price of $39.99. The bundle will launch Sept. 3 and include NFL+ Premium offerings (NFL Network, RedZone, All-22 and other content), which price at $14.99 per month as a standalone product. The Unlimited tier of ESPN’s DTC service prices at $29.99 per month standalone, making the bundle about a $5 per month discount for subscribers to both. NFL Network programming will eventually be available directly in ESPN’s DTC service as a result of the NFL and ESPN’s agreed-upon deal to transfer NFL Network, RedZone and other assets to ESPN. But that deal is still pending regulatory approval and may not close until late 2026.
• ESPN will relocate the set of its weekly “Sunday NFL Countdown” show to Disney’s N.Y. headquarters this season, in the same studio that hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ “Live With Kelly and Mark.”
• As part of the launch of its DTC service, the ESPN app will carry five out-of-market NFL preseason games on Saturday, Aug. 23: Ravens-Commanders (noon ET), Colts-Bengals (1pm), Texans-Lions (1pm), Bills-Buccaneers (7:30pm), and Chargers-49ers (8pm).

Sun ownership intends to “present multiple options to the WNBA” as it looks to “salvage what would have been a record-breaking” $325M franchise sale, according to sources. Sources said that the Mohegan tribe “is seeking clarity on the league’s desired path forward” for the team. Sources noted that among the Mohegan tribe’s “likely proposals” to the league are: a full franchise sale to Pagliuca’s group; a sale to a group headlined by Avenue Capital Group co-founder and CEO Marc Lasry, who would move the team to Hartford; selling a minority stake in the organization; and allowing the league to purchase the franchise for $325M and relocate it from the WNBA’s smallest market. A source close to the ownership group said that the tribe “is frustrated” and “feels the league is presenting a one-path option: relocation of the team to a market of its choosing at a value of its choosing.” Sources said that the league would “consider a potential Boston team in a later round of expansion,” and that new Celtics owner Bill Chisholm would “be the league’s preferred owner for a WNBA franchise” (ESPN.com, 8/19).

The $6.1B sale of the Celtics from Wyc Grousbeck to a group led by Bill Chisholm became official today, and Chisholm expressed a desire to match Grousbeck’s two NBA championships. Chisholm said, “The ultimate yardstick is winning championships. Wyc’s got two, and we’re going to get more, and he and I together are going to help drive that.” The NBA “unanimously approved” the deal last week, and all that was left was for the “money to change hands” (AP, 8/19). Grousbeck will be “one of two alternate governors along with Aditya Mittal.” President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens and President Rich Gotham will “continue to run the Celtics’ basketball and business operations, respectively.” Other Celtics co-owners who will “serve on the team’s Managing Board” include Bruce Beal, Andrew Bialecki, Dom Ferrante, Rob Hale, Mario Ho and Ian Loring. Hale and Ferrante were members of the Celtics’ BOD under the previous ownership regime. Beal, Bialecki, Ho and Loring are “newcomers to the franchise” (BOSTON HERALD, 8/19).

Music City Baseball, a local ownership platform looking to bring an MLB team to Nashville, is continuing preparations in advance of a possible expansion opportunity.

While the process is still years away, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred brought the possibility of expansion and realignment back to the forefront on Sunday while appearing on ESPN during the Little League Classic.

Manfred has previously said he wants the locations for two expansion franchises to be decided by the time he retires in 2029, and Nashville is considered a strong candidate.

“Our focus, and it always has been, is be ready for either relocation or expansion – but focusing on expansion – and just getting at least three years in front of it, because these things really are realistic,” John Loar, a member of MCB’s Board of Directors/Executive Committee, told SBJ Tuesday.

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Phil Simms will make his return to NBC Sports to serve as a game analyst on Big Ten football games on Peacock this fall. Simms will be on the call for NBC Sports’ college football season-opener on Friday, Aug. 29, with Western Illinois-Illinois at 7:30pm ET on Peacock. The following weekend, Simms will call Miami (OH)-Rutgers on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 3:30pm ET on Peacock. Simms will also serve as the game analyst on a third game this season, which will be announced at a later date. Simms will call games alongside play-by-play voice Paul Burmeister (NBC Sports).

YouTube’s on-air talent for its first exclusive NFL live broadcast of Chiefs-Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 5 will include play-by-play voice Rich Eisen and analyst Kurt Warner. Veteran NFL rules expert Terry McAulay will provide insights and commentary. YouTube will also have a Spanish commentary team featuring René Giraldo on play-by-play and former NFLer Edgar Lopez providing color commentary. Reporting from the field will be sideline correspondent Stacey Dales, who will be joined by YouTube Creator Deestroying (YouTube).

ESPN has re-signed former NFLer Alex Smith to a multiyear agreement, expanding his presence with appearances on “Get Up” and “First Take” throughout the football season. Smith will also continue to be a part of the network’s Super Bowl coverage each year (ESPN). ESPN also re-signed analyst Field Yates to a multiyear agreement, with him remaining the face of ESPN’s Fantasy Football multi-platform coverage, including studio shows and podcasts. In the offseason, Yates will continue to be part of NFL Draft coverage, in both the lead-up and throughout the event. He also will remain both a host and analyst on studio programming, including “NFL Live” and “SportsCenter” (ESPN).

Kingsford, in year two of its partnership with Learfield, will include a new original content series featuring student athletes and former players from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. The content series was shot and produced by Learfield Studios (Kingsford).

Evan Williams Bourbon announced an expansion of its multiyear partnership with Learfield, adding three new schools to its collegiate lineup: Oregon, South Carolina and Oklahoma (Evan Williams Bourbon).

Beats by Dre announced the third class of “Beats Elite.” The athletes are Alabama WR Ryan Williams, Michigan QB Bryce Underwood, Ohio State S Caleb Downs, Florida QB D.J. Lagway, Texas DE Colin Simmons, South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers, Oregon QB Dante Moore, Oklahoma QB John Mateer and Georgia RB Nate Frazier (Instagram, 8/19).