Afternoon Edition

September 21, 2026

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After months of uncertainty and legal rancor, Paramount now has a much clearer pathway to complete its blockbuster acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery—and with it, a consolidation of sports media—as the CBS parent company has settled an antitrust lawsuit with a dozen left-leaning states.

—Eric Fisher

First Up

MLB’s fixed-bracket postseason format is exposing the league’s imbalance of competitive power, especially in the American League.
While Joe Buck recently agreed to a contract extension with ESPN, Troy Aikman’s negotiations with the broadcaster have been more complicated.
Amazon said it averaged 18.6 million viewers for its Thursday Night Football season opener between the Lions and Bills, a 5% lift from last year’s TNF opener.
The International Presidents Cup team is hoping to gain ground in its long-term efforts for more independence from its American peers and PGA Tour organizers.

Paramount Settles Antitrust Suit, Clearing Path for $110 Billion WBD Deal

Brendan McDermid-Reuters

CBS Sports and TNT Sports are now much closer to becoming a single entity after Paramount, the parent company of CBS, settled an antitrust lawsuit with a dozen left-leaning states.

The surprise legal resolution arrived a little more than two months after the 12 states, led by California, filed their complaint, and about six weeks after a March 2027 trial date had been established. The settlement, though not yet announced, paves the way for Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of TNT Sports parent company Warner Bros. Discovery to move toward a closing, as the lawsuit had been the last major obstacle.

California attorney general Rob Bonta, who led the antitrust fight, insisted the agreement was not a surrender or capitulation by the states.

“This settlement is not a vote of support for this merger, or a blessing of the broader merger,” he said. “Broadly speaking, we believe that further consolidation in markets that are essential to American economic life doesn’t serve the economy, consumers, or competition well.

“But I’ve said before, and will say again, I’m always willing to come to the table for honest, good-faith negotiations. Where we can find a strong solution that protects competition and consumers, I’d rather resolve the issue in the boardroom instead of the courtroom,” Bonta said.

Deal Terms

Notably, Paramount will not be forced to sell any television networks or production studios acquired in the deal, including CNN, as part of the settlement. The company, however, will be subject to independent editorial boards created for both CNN and CBS, as well as a $30 million penalty per film if Paramount falls short of a commitment to release at least 30 movies per year. Paramount has also pledged to remain in California for at least several years, reversing a prior threat to leave the state.

Other key terms include:

A $300 million increase in film production spending by Paramount in the U.S. compared to 2025. That spending is required to continue for at least five years, resulting in an aggregate production bump of $1.5 billion.
A five-year continuation of separate carriage negotiations for basic cable channels owned by Paramount separate from those held by WBD.
A requirement that at least 4 of the 30 films made annually are independent, and 20% must be blockbusters.
The establishment of a trustee for the states to ensure compliance with the settlement terms.

A settlement had been under discussion for about a month, and it represents a major win for Paramount CEO David Ellison, who now vaults to become one of the most powerful executives in media and entertainment. The deal also arrives just before the Oct. 1 date when Paramount will begin to be subjected to a $650 million ticking fee for each quarter the WBD deal does not close.

“Our shared aim was an outcome that best serves consumers, workers and—most importantly—the creative community so vital to the art of visual storytelling,” Ellison said in a statement. “We’re confident this agreement does exactly that.”

The lawsuit had been politically divisive, and a pair of conservative states initiated a countermeasure last month that has now been mooted.

Plenty of scars, however, remain, and the deal is likely to remain a point of criticism among more progressive leaders, particularly as Ellison and his father, Larry, maintain close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Sports Impacts

The Paramount-WBD agreement, meanwhile, has far-reaching sports effects. The planned combination of TNT Sports and CBS Sports would have touchpoints in nearly every major pro and college sports entity in the U.S., with the notable exception of the NBA.

During the recent period of uncertainty, both CBS Sports and TNT Sports had continued on their separate paths. CBS Sports has big expectations for the upcoming NFL season after a banner 2025 campaign that included an across-the-board run as the league’s most-watched rights holder. TNT Sports, meanwhile, remains in its period of reinvention without its previously held NBA live rights, and a recent WBD earnings report showed a sizable drop in ad sales without the presence of that league.

With the Paramount-WBD merger now set for completion, plenty of decisions will need to be made regarding sports operations, including leadership, staffing levels, branding, and production styles. The union will also be felt across sports rights, with many leagues and conferences going to market over the next half-decade.

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ONE BIG FIG

Qualifying for Boston

Brian Snyder-Reuters

33,656

That’s the number of qualifier applications the Boston Marathon received for the 2027 race, which will be held on April 19. Applicants hail from all 50 states and 129 countries. The Boston Athletic Association said it would not announce a “cut-off time” needed to be accepted, and organizers said athletes will be notified of acceptance (or rejection) via email by mid-October. The number of applications was slightly higher this year compared with last year, which saw 33,267 hopeful athletes apply.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Browns Fight Back

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Browns are gonna Browns? Fuck that. O.K.? The guys took that to heart. Thank you.”

—Browns coach Todd Monken in a mic-drop walk-off moment after his team’s 23–19 upset victory over the Buccaneers in Tampa on Sunday.

Monken was firing back at Mike Tomlin’s snide “Browns is the Browns” crack on NBC’s Football Night in America last week after Cleveland’s lopsided 34–10 Week 1 loss to the Jaguars.

STATUS REPORT

One Up, Three Down

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Artificial turf ⬇ Temperatures on the field in Nashville reached 157 degrees during Sunday’s Eagles-Titans game, high enough to melt players’ cleats and to necessitate an IV for Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni. Although the temperature at kickoff was just 95 degrees, turf can get much hotter than natural grass when it’s directly in the sun; grass temperatures stay closer to the air temperature. The NFL doesn’t have a clear policy governing playing temperatures, but the NFLPA has already advocated for teams to use natural grass to lower injury risk. Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata said after the game: “This is why we want all grass fields, to create a standard of play in the league where we’re not putting players in dangerous positions if we don’t have to.” Fourteen of the NFL’s 30 stadiums use turf.

Mets ⬇ An already terrible season for the MLB club had another ugly coda as it completed its 2026 home schedule with an attendance of 2.7 million. That is down 15% from the 3.18 million the club drew last year, and it will end up as the largest attendance decrease for any team in the league this year. New York will finish the 2026 season on the road at Texas and Washington.

Howie Rose ⬆ Despite the Mets’ on-field struggles, their 2026 campaign wasn’t without its highlights. That included Sunday’s home finale, which marked the final call of legendary radio announcer Howie Rose’s career as he enters what he called “basically a retirement.” While the Phillies defeated the Mets 7–2, the fans in attendance still celebrated Rose, who has been the franchise’s radio voice since 1995. At the start of the ninth inning, The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye” blared throughout Citi Field as the fans chanted Rose’s name, with the 72-year-old broadcaster telling his audience, “It’s not goodbye as far as I’m concerned.”

Bag policies ⬇ After the Devils announced a new bag policy in effect at the Prudential Center, fans were quick to point out that the updated bag sizes allowed—4″ x 6″ x 1.5″—would barely fit everyday essentials such as a phone, wallet, and keys at the same time. Women also noted that feminine products are often larger than that bag size would allow. The Prudential Center is hardly the first arena to institute such a strict bag policy (similar restrictions are in place across the NHL, including at Ducks, Avalanche, Bruins, Red Wings, Sabres, Panthers, and Flyers games, among others), and venues with these restrictions do allow exceptions for diaper or medical bags, but many people said those exceptions are often unevenly enforced and left to the discretion of the security workers. The Devils in a statement to Front Office Sports said, “We are currently evaluating the new policy based within our market and NHL guidelines.”