Former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman wants to compete with Amazon, Netflix, and Google for live sports rights.
That’s a comically tall task in 2024, when game inventory for top leagues is harder than ever to come by. Merriman knows that, so he’s starting with practices.
Merriman’s burgeoning Lights Out Sports TV platform has struck a unique deal with the East-West Shrine Bowl to become the college football all-star game’s first official practice broadcast network in 2025.
Lights Out—a homage to the three-time Pro Bowler’s nickname—will produce and air two to three hours daily of Shrine Bowl practices from The Star in Frisco, Texas, from Jan. 25 to 28. The game itself, which showcases potential NFL draft prospects, will remain on NFL Network Jan. 30 at the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium.
“This is personal for me because I know how much these guys are trying to make a name for themselves in that week of practice when the NFL scouts, GMs, and personnel come in,” Merriman, 40, tells Front Office Sports.
No money is being exchanged as part of the deal, which was conceived by Shrine Bowl director of football operations and player personnel Eric Galko, a former XFL executive who has been trying to return the game to its past prominence since being hired in 2021.
This will be the 100th playing of the Shrine Bowl, but in recent years it has mostly been seen as a notch less important than the Senior Bowl, played annually in Mobile, Ala. The 2024 Shrine Bowl averaged 216,000 viewers on NFL Network, while the Senior Bowl had a TV audience of 552,000 (also on NFL Network). A record 57 players from the Shrine Bowl were drafted in May, while 110 Senior Bowl players were selected. (Merriman didn’t play in either game before being selected No. 12 by the Chargers in 2005, since he left school after his junior year.)
NFL Network has been airing Senior Bowl practices for several years, and often does live look-ins from the Shrine Bowl. But Shrine Bowl practices did not previously air in full anywhere.
Merriman hopes his added spotlight will help elevate the elder game. He’s been working with the NFL Legends Community to sign up former players turned commentators who have gone through the league’s broadcasting boot camp.
Broadly speaking, Merriman sees this deal as a “separator” for Lights Out, which is a FAST (free ad-supported TV) channel available on phones and smart TVs that up until now has aired on-demand movies, documentaries, and niche live sports like MMA fighting, chess, and poker, as well as some women’s sports like rugby and softball.
Merriman says he is in conversations with several FBS, FCS, and Division II conferences to air live college football games, although nothing is imminent. He’s also looking at the NHL, MLB, and MLS as potential entry points for Lights Out. “Anything that we can possibly have, even if it’s shoulder programming of the practices,” he says.
Despite the competitive market, Merriman believes there’s room for more streaming players. “We’re looking for pro leagues,” he says. “We’re looking for more up-and-coming organizations that may not have a shot at some of the other streaming platforms to give them looks. Because, to me, it’s all about an opportunity and to have distribution so people can see you.”
