October 25, 2024

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Front Office Sports Alert

FS1 has been through choppy waters over the last year, ultimately letting go of longtime Undisputed host Skip Bayless after his show’s ratings cratered. But one unquestionable bright spot has been Nick Wright, whose First Things First is on a qualitative and quantitative roll. This week, they solidified their future by signing Wright to a long-term contract extension that cements him as the future face of the network. What has gone into Wright’s success, and what is FS1’s plan going forward?

—Michael McCarthy

Nick Wright Contract Extension Adds Clarity to FS1’s Path Forward

Fox Sports

In August, several well-sourced TV executives told me they saw Nick Wright, not Skip Bayless, as the future of FS1. It appears the future is now for the Fox Sports cable network.

The 40-year-old cohost of First Things First has signed a long-term contract extension that should keep him on the air at FS1 for years, Front Office Sports has learned.

The new deal positions Wright to become the network’s No. 1 star should Colin Cowherd leave when his contract expires in 2025. Wright’s new deal comes less than three months after Fox dropped the 72-year-old Skip Bayless (canceling his show, Undisputed) while rolling out a revamped weekday studio lineup.

Securing a long-term relationship with Wright makes strategic sense for FS1 management. He and on-air partners Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes are delivering the goods. I think the trio has the best on-air chemistry at FS1. First Things First had its most-watched year in 2023, and since moving to the current 3 p.m. weekday time slot,  their viewership has risen 53% through September.

Wright, a Kansas City native, is the No. 1 Chiefs booster in sports media. His popular “Mahomes Mountain” segment has become a show within a show, drawing celebrity guests like Joel McHale and Heidi Gardner of Saturday Night Live.

On the digital front, his What’s Wright? With Nick Wright podcast/YouTube show boasts 165,000 subscribers, while First Things First has 894,000. Wright has roughly one million social media followers across X/Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Wright has been the mainstay on First Things First since he and ex-partner Cris Carter launched the show as the morning lead-in to Undisputed in 2017. His clout is growing: He successfully lobbied management to hire Chicago sports radio host Danny Parkins (a close friend from their days at Syracuse University) for FS1’s new morning program, Breakfast Ball.

“I’ve been doing the show for a long time. The show has not always been great. Thanks to Wildes and Brou, we’re able to do it,” Wright told the New York Post in April. “I’m incredibly proud of the show, and it’s gratifying that people are watching us.”

Then there’s Cowherd. Wright himself declared quite loudly that the longtime TV and radio staple remains FS1’s top gun. Cowherd is a generational talent who doesn’t come with the baggage of Bayless. But as the 60-year-old star’s deal expires next year, I could easily see ESPN making a big play for him as a quick fix for their struggling ESPN Radio lineup. Cowherd could also dedicate all of his focus to his fast-growing digital media company, The Volume, which has a partnership deal with former Fox colleague Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay. 

Cowherd could be in line for a massive payday if he sells The Volume. While stating he had no plans to do so, he told The Marchand and Ourand podcast last year that his new company was already valued at $100 million. Don’t forget, Bill Simmons sold The Ringer to Spotify for a whopping $200 million in cash in 2020.

Emmanuel Acho, cohost of FS1’s new show, The Facility, gave three hand-claps to Wright’s new deal on X/Twitter. “Congrats @getnickwright,” he tweeted. An FOS reader added on X/Twitter: “He is probably their biggest show star at the moment. Like or hate him, he is always raw. You might not like his takes but he uses stats to prove his point and I respect it.”

Swan Song for 'Inside the NBA'?

Hosts of Inside the NBA on TNT

TNT Sports

I’ve been looking forward to watching an unrestrained version of Charles Barkley’s Inside the NBA during what could be its final season on the air. However, during its first week back, the award-winning show only touched lightly on the possible end of the 40-year TNT Sports–NBA relationship. I’ve heard the reticence is due to TNT’s ongoing lawsuit against the league. The two former partners are still at legal loggerheads, with TNT alleging it had “matching rights” to the media package awarded to third-party bidder Amazon Prime Video.

My sources tell me there might not be much movement on the case until December. It behooves TNT to give the subject a wide berth on the air until it gets a read on which way its legal challenge is heading in the courtroom. Barkley remains Barkley, though. The Chuckster makes his own rules. He told SiriusXM’s Adam Schein it “sucks” this might be the show’s last dance. Barkley added the gang might take Inside the NBA on the road more this season as a way to celebrate their loyal fans. 

“We’re just gonna try to have fun,” Barkley told Schein. “It sucks. It really sucks. It’s gonna be the end of it. And we’re just gonna try to make it as fun as possible for the fans because they’re the reason the show is popular.”

B/R Brings Back Fischer

James Herbert, CBS Sports

I’m hearing free-agent reporter Jake Fischer (above, second from the left) is returning to his former stomping grounds at Bleacher Report, where he’ll serve as NBA insider. The former Yahoo Sports writer will provide weekly livestream videos via the B/R app. He’ll also provide original news, instant analysis, and daily video updates. During key league periods, like the NBA draft, trade deadline, and free agency, the plan is for Fischer to go live every day. Fischer is scheduled to make his livestream debut Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

His Bleacher Report gig won’t be full time. But it will give Fischer the opportunity to pursue other writing/podcasting opportunities while building up his video reel for the time when NBC Sports and Amazon Prime Video start hiring for their upcoming NBA coverage. From what I’m hearing, these new media partners want to have some of their hires lined up by the NBA All-Star break.

In Defense of McAfee

The Register Guard

A former ESPNer reached out to tell me he thinks Pat McAfee made a good point when he complained about not getting enough access to the network’s best NBA reporters/analysts. The process for ESPN shows booking in-house NBA guests has been a “nightmare” for the last decade, he warns. 

“We couldn’t get any of the good talent on air because they simply weren’t made available. Those people know exactly what Pat is talking about,” he writes. “He’s not saying they’re doing it to him. What he’s describing has been the bane of many a host’s and producer’s existence.”

ONE BIG FIG

Great Expectations

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

15.1 million

That’s Douglas Pucci of Programming Insider’s prediction to me for the average viewership of the Yankees-Dodgers World Series. “MLB finally got their dream matchup. So many storylines—the storied rivalry, the league’s biggest stars, and the two largest TV markets,” he says.

That number would nearly double the 2023 ratings of the Rangers-Diamondbacks series, but would fall well short of the 10-year high set by the Cubs and Cleveland in 2016 (22.8 million).

Loud and Clear

The Jerry Jones Circus

“It’s a pressurized environment for everyone. And I’ve got to deal with little Johnny having a hot dog next to me?”

—Tedy Bruschi of ESPN’s Get Up, commenting on Kalyn Kahler’s phenomenal story about Jerry Jones’s “fan tours” distracting his Cowboys players. You can also read our column on how the recent Jones threats to local media members should be taken seriously.

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Written by Michael McCarthy
Edited by Or Moyal, Catherine Chen

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