Sports
Batter Up! The Voice of the Dodgers on the Start of a New Baseball Season
Welcome to the 208th episode of TV’s Top 5, The Hollywood Reporter’s TV podcast. Every week, hosts Lesley Goldberg (West Coast TV editor) and Daniel Fienberg (chief TV critic) break down the latest TV news with context from the business and critical sides, welcome showrunners, executives and other guests, and provide a critical guide of what to watch (or skip, as […]
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Apple Sets Plans for Expanded Major League Baseball Coverage in 2023
Apple is taking another swing at live baseball, announcing an expanded version of its Friday Night Baseball program for Apple TV+. And while last season (the company’s first foray into live sports) saw some of the games available for free, this year only subscribers to the streaming service will be able to access the games. […]
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Viola Davis on Playing Michael Jordan’s Mom in ‘Air’: “I Wanted to Know More About This Woman”
When Ben Affleck met with Michael Jordan about Air, the director’s new movie that highlights a key moment in the basketball icon’s story, Jordan had one request. “Viola Davis. That’s my mom,” the filmmaker recalled to The Hollywood Reporter of what Jordan told him. Air, the story of how Michael Jordan’s family and a group […]
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Diamond Sports Group, America’s Largest Owner of RSNs, Files for Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy has come for America’s regional sports networks. Diamond Sports Group, the Sinclair-affiliated company that is the country’s largest owner of RSNs, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday evening in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Diamond operates 19 RSNs under the Bally Sports brand name, with games from more […]
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BBC Reinstates Gary Lineker as TV Soccer Host After U.K. Refugee Policy Criticism
Gary Lineker, the highest-paid TV host at the BBC, has been reinstated. Last week, the U.K. public broadcaster pulled him from presenting soccer show Match of the Day after he criticized the British government’s refugee and asylum policy on Twitter. The BBC — which had been under severe pressure since the situation erupted — announced Monday that he would return […]
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Jimmy Pitaro Sets ESPN Exec Team: Burke Magnus to Oversee Content, Rosalyn Durant Joins to Lead Rights Talks
With ESPN now its own division within The Walt Disney Co., ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro is restructuring his senior leadership team. Among the changes: Burke Magnus, a 28-year veteran of ESPN who was most recently president of programming and original content will now be president of content, overseeing ESPN’s studio shows, newsgathering and journalism, live […]
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Warner Bros. Discovery Seeks to Exit Regional Sports Networks Business
Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to get out of the regional sports networks business. The media and entertainment giant, which also owns Turner Sports, sent a letter to the sports teams whose games it carries that it does not have the cash to pay upcoming rights fees, and that WBD will not fund the shortfall. […]
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Tim McCarver, Cerebral Catcher and Hall of Fame Broadcaster, Dies at 81
Tim McCarver, the All-Star catcher whose cerebral approach behind the plate over four decades led to a Hall of Fame career as a baseball broadcaster, has died. He was 81. McCarver died Thursday in Memphis, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced. The cause of death was heart failure. McCarver broke into the major leagues with […]
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Jennifer Coolidge and ‘White Lotus’ Creator Mike White Reteam for e.l.f. Cosmetics Super Bowl Ad
For the first time ever, e.l.f. Cosmetics, the affordable makeup brand found in retailers like CVS, Target, and Ulta Beauty, is releasing a TV commercial during the 2023 Super Bowl on Sunday. They’ve tapped The White Lotus’ Jennifer Coolidge to star in the 30-second campaign, and Mike White, creator of the hit HBO comedy-drama series, […]
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Jane Fonda on What Actors Can Learn From Athletes
In 80 for Brady, Jane Fonda plays a diehard football fan on a quest to get to the Super Bowl with her three best friends. In reality, the two-time Oscar winner has a more… casual relationship with the sport. “I know nothing about football,” Fonda told The Hollywood Reporter. “Watching football makes my body hurt, […]
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Apple Launches Major League Soccer Streaming Service, Marking Closely-Watched Push Further Into Live Sports
In its most ambitious push into live sports yet, technology giant Apple on Wednesday officially launched its Major League Soccer subscription service, called MLS Season Pass. The new service will be available in 100 countries at launch, and will be the exclusive home for MLS games through 2033, thanks to a 10-year deal valued at […]
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Paddy Considine, Mena Massoud to Star in Prince Naseem Boxing Drama ‘Giant’
Paddy Considine and Mena Massoud have signed on to star in the upcoming sports drama Giant, based on the life of British Yemeni boxing champion Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed. Born in Egypt and raised in Canada, Massoud (Aladdin, Amazon Prime Video’s Jack Ryan) will play Naseem Hamed, nicknamed Prince and Naz, who held multiple featherweight world titles […]
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