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Pat McAfee signs with ESPN; is the XFL next?

Stephan Rachuk — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 18:13:03 +0000

Pat McAfee finally shared the big news he has been talking about on social media over the weekend.

The former Colts star and current WWE commentator is heading to ESPN as color analyst for Thursday Night college football. This opens the door up for him to take the booth for the XFL come February. It has been long speculated that McAfee would join the new league after he joined the WWE. McAfee has even stated in the past that he would be open to sitting in the booth for the XFL.

ESPN Insider Adam Schefter broke the news Monday on Twitter. McAfee confirmed the news shortly after with a video

Ladies and gentlemen… I'm the luckiest dude on earth.

Thursday nights are about to be a GREAT time on @ESPN with @Hasselbeck, @AdamAmin, and @MollyAMcGrath.

We're just getting started beautiful people… pic.twitter.com/klS64uDFqe

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 29, 2019

“Adam Schefter just dropped some information about my life that I couldn’t be happier about,” McAfee said in the video posted on his Twitter account. “That is correct, Thursday Night football Primetime on ES-PN with Matt Hasselback! I’ll be calling college football this year.”

McAfee will be calling games with former Colts teammate Matt Hasselbeck and host Adam Amin. In addition to working as a color analyst, McAfee will also make regular appearances on ESPN morning sports show Get Up.

ESPN Signs @PatMcAfeeShow to Multi-Year Deal; Will work Thursday night CFB games and appear in studio

more: https://t.co/m8T1911wym pic.twitter.com/JYInZs7ntm

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) July 29, 2019

McAfee called two games for Fox Sports last season. His call during his debut broadcast of Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater’s touchdown pass quickly went viral across social media.

The former Barstool employee openly campaigned for a spot on Monday Night Football, now he’ll be working for ESPN on Thursdays.

Regardless of if McAfee ends up in the booth for the XFL, we’re glad to see him moving up.

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XFL open to hiring female announcers

Stephan Rachuk — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 19:28:35 +0000

We’ve already heard that the XFL would be looking to hire female officials, now we’re hearing something similar for the booth. Front Office Sports caught up with XFL President and CFO Jeffrey Pollack and asked if we may see a female in the broadcast booth.

“We want the best broadcast teams possible and, of course, we’d welcome women in the booth,” Jeffrey Pollack, the XFL’s president and chief operating officer. “What matters to us is talent, a love of football, and passion for the XFL. Gender should have nothing to do with it.”

The XFL estimates there’s a target market of 38 million fans, irregardless of gender, who have an interest in spring football. The NFL has previously that 45% of its fanbase is female. The new league is planning to work hard to attract female football fans in particular, Pollack said.

“We’re going to be reaching out to new fans, and female fans, in new ways,” said Pollack. “We want to bring as many people into this great game as we can, but our initial focus is existing football fans who want more.”

Oliver Luck has said the league will mostly leave casting and production decisions up to its broadcast. Again, according to FOS, both networks have confirmed they are considering full-time female announcers; but have both mentioned that the casting process is still in its infancy.

“Our folks are looking at everything,” said an ESPN spokesman. “They want to be as smart and innovative as possible. All ideas and approaches are on the table, including commentator decisions.”

A spokesman for Fox said the network is open to using any talented broadcasters who are “passionate” about the game of football and the new XFL.

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This Week in the XFL | Winston Moss, XFL TV Deals, Tebow and more

Stephan Rachuk — Fri, 10 May 2019 15:00:00 +0000

It’s been a busy week for the XFL… First they announced their broadcast partners along with their TV schedule. Then we learned the Head Coach/GM of the Los Angeles franchise. We’ll also touch base on Oliver Lucks comments on marijuana testing in the XFL as well as the latest speculation on Tebow.

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More information on the XFL’s TV Deal

Stephan Rachuk — Wed, 08 May 2019 20:55:16 +0000

Earlier this week the XFL announced today that they have reached multiyear agreements with ESPN and Fox Sports to air their games in 2020. The games will air weekly on broadcast TV on ABC and Fox, along with games airing on cable on ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and FS2. There will be back-to-back games every Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, along with two games on Sunday afternoons.

Sports Illustrated reports that there will be no rights fees paid by ESPN and FOX. Both networks will hold the streaming rights to games, and they will handle the promotion of the league and ad sales.

“We are thrilled to partner with ESPN and FOX Sports, two innovative media companies with extensive experience in world-class football production that will undoubtedly help us reimagine football,” said XFL Founder and Chairman Vince McMahon. “The XFL broadcast schedule provides us with incredible reach and makes it easy for fans to watch our games consistently every weekend.”

The XFL’s first season since 2001 will launch on Saturday, February 8, 2020, six days after Super Bowl LIV. Two games will air that day, with the first one being on ABC and the night game being broadcast on FOX.

The XFL Championship game is scheduled to take place on April 26 at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.

You can see the full XFL schedule below:

Football in February. Beautiful, isn't it?

Our entire 10-week regular season & postseason can be viewed on @ABCNetwork, @espn, @FOXSports & @FS1. #XFL2020 pic.twitter.com/4AsmbtgEr7

— XFL (@xfl2020) May 6, 2019

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This Is The XFL Podcast – Ep. 24: XFL Goes Hollywood

This is The XFL Podcast — Tue, 07 May 2019 21:50:17 +0000

The XFL packed their bags and headed out west to Hollywood. This week we finally heard who the XFL broadcast partners will be, and it looks like the rumors were true. ABC/ESPN and Fox/FS1 have signed multi-year deals with the XFL.

But that’s not all, we also learned that Winston Moss would be taking the role of Head Coach/General Manager of the Los Angeles franchise. We’re going over all the details, so enjoy!

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XFL to air on ABC, ESPN, Fox Sports and FS1

Stephan Rachuk — Mon, 06 May 2019 17:13:07 +0000

Stamford, Conn., May 6, 2019 – The XFL today announced multi-year agreements with ESPN and FOX Sports to televise XFL games starting with its inaugural 2020 season. XFL games will air weekly on broadcast TV (ABC and FOX) complemented by games on cable (ESPN, ESPN2, FS1 and FS2). The XFL TV schedule allows for consistent appointment viewing each week with back-to-back games starting Saturday afternoons at 2 pm ET as well as two additional games on Sunday afternoons.

“We look forward to showcasing the XFL on ESPN and ABC, including the kickoff game and championship during the league’s inaugural season,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming and Scheduling. “Vince McMahon and Oliver Luck are two of the sports industry’s most creative and experienced leaders, and they have exciting plans for this league. We believe in their vision for the XFL, which will be a great addition to our year-round commitment to football.”

“We welcome the XFL to the FOX Sports Family and are pleased to expand our relationship with Vince McMahon,” said Eric Shanks, FOX Sports CEO & Executive Producer. “Football is in FOX Sports’ DNA and a key component of our programming strategy. Alongside Oliver Luck and his incredible team, we’re excited for the debut of the XFL on FOX Sports.”

“We are thrilled to partner with ESPN and FOX Sports, two innovative media companies with extensive experience in world-class football production that will undoubtedly help us reimagine football,” said Vince McMahon, XFL Founder & Chairman. “The XFL broadcast schedule provides us with incredible reach and makes it easy for fans to watch our games consistently every weekend.”

The agreements were negotiated by CAA Sports and Evolution Media Capital (EMC) on behalf of the XFL.

The XFL will kick off on Saturday, February 8, 2020 with teams in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington D.C. Additional XFL-themed programming and on-air talent will be announced in the future.

About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment enterprise, features more than 50 assets – eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform, Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network and BTN 2Go, as well as a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.

About the XFL
The XFL will reimagine football for the 21st century when it kicks off the weekend of February 8-9, 2020, committed to delivering a brisk, fast-paced game, with a fan-centric, innovative, and affordable gameday experience. The inaugural season will launch with teams in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Washington D.C. Each team will compete with a 45-man active roster over a 10-week regular season with a postseason consisting of two semifinal playoff games and a championship game. Vince McMahon, XFL Founder and Chairman, is personally funding the new league, and building the XFL with the same commitment and resolve that he has demonstrated building WWE into a global media and sports entertainment powerhouse. For more information, visit XFL.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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This Week in the XFL | Draft, Preseason, TV Deals…. Team 9?

Stephan Rachuk — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 17:00:20 +0000

After last week’s two big head coach announcements, we’ve had a bit of a dip in news. The good part, there still is news.

This week we’ll go over the new information we’ve learning about when the XFL draft will take place, when we should expect to hear about the broadcast partners, the preseason, Manziel and discuss XFL’s “Team 9”.

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Oliver Luck talks TV deals, Draft and XFL’s “Team 9”

Stephan Rachuk — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 22:40:37 +0000

Brian Stull caught up with Oliver Luck during the press conference last week in St. Louis.

In regards to the XFL upcoming TV deal, Luck said all 43 games will be broadcast across fully distributed cable or over the air free television. He also stated that the over the air partners will be an alphabet network, meaning ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox. Luck confirmed that the deal that the XFL has signed with their broadcast partners is a multi-year deal.

The XFL will begin the process of signing players over the summer, but will ramp up after the NFL makes their initial cuts in September. Stating that there’s almost 850 available players after the cuts take place. Luck also stated that the XFL draft will indeed take place in October. We had head the same statement from St. Louis Head Coach, Jonathon Hayes last week. Luck expects to have about 650 players available for the draft.

The most interesting thing to come out of this interview was when Luck brought up that the XFL has what they call “Team 9”. The team will be based out of Dallas and will have roughly 40 players, with a full set of coaches. They would practice on a daily basis, and would be used to supplement the eight active teams throughout the season if any injuries occur. Luck said they had something similar in NFL Europe and this team would act as the leagues “G-League”, or development team.

Ending the interview, Luck said we’re still about a four to six weeks out from learning the team names and logos. A lot of great information in this clip, you can listen to the full interview below. (Starts at the 30min mark)

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59a4560ecd39c377e51efec8/t/5cc0a93bec212d37a8f68e10/1556130139289/STULL_0424.mp3/original/STULL_0424.mp3

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Seattle announcement coming next week, more TV details

Stephan Rachuk — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 13:23:03 +0000

Oliver Luck recently joined the Charlie Brennan Show on St. Louis KMOX radio. During the interview Luck gave an update on where we’re at with the upcoming league, dropping some new details along the way.

On Future Head Coaches

“We’ve got a cadence going of about one Head Coach announcement per week and we will get all our markets done by the end in March,” Luck explained. “At some point, probably in April, we will be able to launch the team names, team colors, identity and logos.”

This is something we’ve loosely heard in the past, but now we have confirmation that all eight coaches will be announced by the end of March.

Luck revealed the XFL would be in Seattle to announce the team’s Head Coach/GM next Thursday. As we reported last week, it looks like Jim Zorn is the man who will be tapped for the job.

On Broadcast Packages

Luck also spoke about the TV deals that are in the works. “We are very close to announcing a very strong broadcast package,” said Luck. “Two of the four games will be broadcast over-the-air, terrestrial, major carriers, and the remaining two games will be broadcast over cable, but fully distributed cable sports brands people will recognize.” This falls in line with the report that XFL is in the works with ABC/ESPN and Fox/FS1, and it sounds like we might find out sooner rather than later.

You can listen to the full interview below:

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AAF not making any money on TV Deals?

Stephan Rachuk — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 14:28:03 +0000

Charlie Ebersol, founder of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) was making the rounds last week after their debut. With the ratings seemingly a success, we’ve since learned some new information about the type of TV deals the AAF has acquired. While speaking with the Alternative Press, Ebersol said “The league is not receiving rights fees from networks. Ebersol described the league’s relationships not as time-buys but as “partnerships that extend beyond just broadcasts.”

At its core, the league is equal parts sports and technology startup. Its app, which is the second-most downloaded sports app on Apple’s App Store, features real-time visualization of plays along with users trying to predict plays. As more states begin to legalize sports gambling, that technology could be marketed to other platforms.

“What we are looking to do is create a structure that is equitable for the network,” Ebersol said. “People paying for media rights are losing money. In the modern tech world, you want to get people engaged in the product, and there is an enterprise value. CBS has been buying into technology companies, and Turner bought Bleacher Report a couple years ago.”

We’re still waiting on word from the XFL on who their broadcast partners will be and what type of deal that have in place. If the rumors are true and the XFL signs with both ABC and Fox, then we could see at least two a week on network television and 2 others on cable. I would also be under the impression that Vince McMahon is not going to give anything away for “free”. We should know more soon, during Super Bowl week, Oliver Luck mentioned that announcements would be coming in the coming weeks. As always, we’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

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