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CBS Sports Launches New Streaming Service

Brandon Contes

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In 2014 CBS launched a 24/7 streaming news service, CBSN. Following the successful model of CBSN, which generated 287 million streams in 2017, CBS Sports has added its own 24-hour sports streaming service, CBS Sports HQ this week.

Like CBSN, CBS Sports HQ is available to consumers for free via online connected devices, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. No cable subscription will be necessary to access the 24/7 sports network which will offer coverage of news and highlights.

“CBS SPORTS HQ is for fans who want more coverage of the game. Sports fans can now get the news and highlights they want in a true, round-the-clock sportscast on any device, where and when they want,” said Jim Lanzone, CEO, CBS Interactive and Chief Digital Officer, CBS Corporation. “As with CBSN, which continues to attract a growing audience of digital consumers, we also think there’s a tremendous advantage in being first to market with this type of service in a crown jewel category.”

The network will utilize CBS Sports, CBSSports.com, 247Sports, SportsLine, CBS Sports Fantasy and MaxPreps to provide live news, game previews, post-game reports, highlights, stats and analysis.

The ability to stream quality 24-hour sports coverage for free with no cable subscription will attract a younger demographic that watches programming online. Paid for through advertising, CBS Sports HQ will include DVR functionality allowing the viewer to jump segments.

ESPN is expected to launch their streaming platform in late March or early April, Disney CEO Bob Iger spoke of the ESPN Plus OTT service at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference as reported by Deadline’s Dade Hayes.

Unlike the new CBS Sports platform, ESPN Plus will not be free, but it will offer live sports content. At $4.99 per month, Iger said “I imagine you’ll see that price rise for the augmented service.”  ESPN Plus will sell out-of-market packages for Major League Baseball and the NHL.

Although neither the CBS Sports service, nor ESPN Plus is designed to threaten TV viewership, Iger sees the future of sports consumption in the ESPN Plus service, stating “Over time, our intention would be for that app to be the app that people experience ESPN on.”

Brandon Contes is a freelance writer for BSM. He can be found on Twitter @BrandonContes. To reach him by email click here.

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NFL Network Cuts Continue With Willie McGinest

“McGinest is currently in the middle of a lawsuit resulting from an incident in a LA-area restaurant in December.”

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Willie McGinest is the latest victim of cost reduction layoffs at NFL Media. The NFL Network analyst is out according to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports.

McGinest is currently in the middle of a lawsuit resulting from an incident in an LA-area restaurant in December. He is being sued and faces up to eight years in prison for allegedly attacking a fellow customer.

Since news of the investigation became public, NFL Network has kept Willie McGinest off the air.

McCarthy reached out to McGinest and NFL Network. Neither offered a comment at this time.

NFL Media has been busy this week as the company looks to reduce its expenses. Willie McGinest joins Jim Trotter and Rachel Bonnetta on the list of on-air talents that have lost their jobs at NFL Network.

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Holly Rowe Signs Long-Term Extension With ESPN

“I feel like I am living my best life and I am so grateful to ESPN for letting me keep doing this.”

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ESPN reporter Holly Rowe has signed a multi-year extension to remain with the company.

Rowe works as a sideline reporter for ESPN/ABC’s coverage of college football — including the College Football Playoffs, the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and the Women’s College World Series, among other high-profile assignments.

“I feel like I am living my best life and I am so grateful to ESPN for letting me keep doing this,” Rowe told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch.

Earlier this year, Rowe was named the 2023 Curt Gowdy Media Award winner from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for her electronic media work.

Rowe joined ESPN in 1998, and signed her last contract extension with the network in 2018 shortly before she announced she had undergone her final chemotherapy treatment in August of that year after a melanoma diagnosis in 2016.

According to Deitsch, Rowe’s contract was set to expire next month.

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Mike Florio: The NFL Will Have Games 7 Days a Week & Will Expand To Make it Happen

“So if you wanna increase the total number of games so you can have games Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Friday night, Saturday night, at some point you need more teams to get more games.”

Jordan Bondurant

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Could you picture NFL games on every night of the week from September to January? ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio thinks it’ll happen in his lifetime.

In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, Florio said it’s inevitable that we’ll see the league play games every night.

“I think sooner than later we’re gonna have Tuesday Night Football, we’re gonna have Wednesday Night Football,” he said. “It’s gonna be hopefully in my lifetime a seven day a week, primetime event. There’s too much money to be made.”

“I would love to have football on every night of the week,” Florio added. “It would be nice to have a night or two off. Like Friday night and Saturday night would be nice, but I’d be fine with Tuesday and Wednesday.”

How does Florio think the NFL will get to the point of playing seven days a week during the season? Expansion. And the league has already expressed interest in establishing franchises in Europe.

“I think they’re gonna start moving that number from 32 to in time 34, 36, 38 eventually 40,” Florio said. “Quarterbacks is the key. Is there ever gonna be enough quarterbacks to have 40 NFL teams? But I think that would be the ultimate maximum number.”

Even McAfee added that an 18th NFL regular season game will be coming sooner rather than later. Florio said in order to justify the need for one more game, expansion is the answer.

“When it comes to the inventory, 18 games is the most they’re gonna get away with,” Florio said. “So if you wanna increase the total number of games so you can have games Tuesday night, Wednesday night, Friday night, Saturday night, at some point you need more teams to get more games.”

“If the money’s there to be made by the owners, they’ll deal with it,” he added.

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