Burke Magnus: Last News

ESPN EVP of Production Norby Williamson, who helped build SportsCenter into a signature franchise but recently had a public clash with Pat McAfee, is departing after nearly 40 years at the network.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Norby Williamson, the ESPN veteran who has managed everything from NFL coverage to “SportsCenter,” is leaving the Disney sports-media giant abruptly just weeks after being called out on camera in a surprise and unprecedented outburst by daytime host Pat McAfee. The McAfee contretemps is not at the root of Williamson’s departure, according to a person familiar with the matter, but rather disagreements between the executive and the longer-term strategy being devised by Burke Magnus, who was handed oversight of content and news production in March of last year.

Pat McAfee is standing firm on his claims that an ESPN executive was “trying to sabotage” his show.

Variety. The value of the deal is not yet known.“Brittney is an exceptional athlete whose hardship and resilience are nothing short of extraordinary,” Burke Magnus, the president of content at ESPN, said in a statement.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Disney wants to get into the Brittney Griner business. The inspirational WNBA All-Star, who was arrested and held in Russia in 2022 and sentenced to nine years in prison, will give Disney the exclusive rights to share her story via a documentary feature from ESPN Films, the development of a scripted series through ABC Signature and an exclusive interview with ABC News anchor Robin Roberts.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor ESPN is getting in on the biggest game at corporate parent Disney: shuffling top executive ranks in the wake of the return of CEO Bob Iger. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro handed oversight of content and newsgathering to Burke Magnus, a veteran executive who has helped the sports-media giant strike sports-rights deals with most of the major sports leagues as well as set in motion new content initiatives. Magnus has been named president of content, according to a new memo from Pitaro reviewed by Variety, and will supervise studio shows, live events, newsgathering, investigative journalism, original content/ESPN Films, talent, audio, digital, and social media. Meanwhile, Rosalyn Durant, a Disney veteran who has been overseeing Disney facilities in its parks division, will return to ESPN as executive vice president of programming and acquisitions, the ESPN position that negotiates for the rights that keep a significant chunk of live sports on Disney’s media portfolio.

Formula 1 races will continue on ESPN Networks in the United States through the 2025 season.

EXCLUSIVE: ESPN has added more lacrosse to its linear and streaming offerings via a new rights deal with the Premier Lacrosse League, a burgeoning league whose initial years on the air were with NBCUniversal.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe bargaining standoff between Major League Baseball and its players that led to last week’s cancellation of Opening Day is a particularly bitter pill to swallow for the local and national outlets that bring games to their most ardent fans — networks that already have experienced two seasons of COVID-driven disruptions.On March 1, MLB took the dramatic step of tabling Opening Day games and activities set for March 31. It also canceled other early games for the 2022 season. The cancellations affect programming and advertising plans for baseball TV partners including ESPN, Turner Sports, Fox Sports, Sinclair Broadcast Group and NBC Sports Regional Networks and team channels like the Yankees’ YES Network and the Dodgers’ Spectrum SportsNet LA.

Burke Magnus, who first joined ESPN in 1995, has been promoted to president of programming and original content.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorBurke Magnus, the ESPN executive who oversees rights negotiations for big-league broadcasts and other top sports content, has been named president of programming and original content at the Walt Disney sports-media giant.The move reflects new duties Magnus has taken on in the wake of the departure of Connor Schell, who was previously ESPN’s top content executive. Magnus was already supervising scheduling and programming acquisitions.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorESPN is divvying up responsibilities for content in the wake of senior executive Connor Schell’s decision to leave the sports-media giant to start his own production company.Burke Magnus has long been the ESPN executive who makes sure the sports-media giant always has access to games from the big leagues.

By Klaritza Rico

ESPN’s latest sport has no rules, a flexible season and no championship game. Its only stars are the ones working behind the scenes.