ESPN: Last News

The 2023 edition of the NBA Draft was the most-watched talent dispersal ever on any network, according to Nielsen. The first round averaged 4,928,000 viewers across ESPN and ABC, up 24% from last year’s first round on both platforms. It peaked with 6,085,000 viewers in the 8 p.m. ET quarter hour.

New York Mets pay-TV network SNY has been dropped by YouTube TV in the latest sign of decline for the traditional regional sports network model.

The Manchester United takeover saga continues to rumble on with seemingly no end in sight.

ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith touched on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to leave Spotify during an episode of his own podcast, following Bill Simmons, who torched the two last week. Harry and Meghan inked a deal with Spotify in 2020.

There’s a Formula One race this weekend!

Michael Jordan is now finalizing a sale of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Yahoo hired Ryan Spoon, a former ESPN and BetMGM executive, as the new president of Yahoo Sports. Spoon replaces Jon Shaw, who had served as interim general manager of Yahoo Sports; Shaw will continue in a leadership role at Yahoo Sports reporting to Spoon, who reports directly to Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone. Spoon is responsible for leading growth at the internet media company’s sports vertical and “positioning it for a new generation of sports fans,” the company said in announcing his hire. Spoon has a wealth of experience across the sports and digital media industry. Most recently, he was COO at Sorare, a startup in NFT-based fantasy sports, where he played a critical role in its expansion into the U.S. market and launching Sorare: NBA and Sorare: MLB.

It’s a tough time for live sports. Both the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals ended this week with historically low viewership across each five-game series.

The Denver Nuggets have won their first NBA title in their franchise’s history besting the Miami Heat in Game 5. The new champions had a final score of 94 while their counterparts were held at 89.

A Senate committee has launched an investigation into the agreement between the PGA and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League, announced last week despite legal and public acrimony between the two organizations.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Amid the pending fate of its co-parent company Vice Media Group, Vice TV is focusing on its latest season of “Dark Side of the Ring,” and Vice Studios-produced projects recently launched on other platforms, including “American Gladiators” on ESPN, “Bama Rush” at Max, and “100 Days to Indy” at the CW network. It’s also looking to the future, ordering second seasons of “Dark Side of Comedy” and “Sex Before the Internet” and greenlighting new series “Dark Side of the 2000s” for its own cable channel, in addition to moving Vice web series “One Star Reviews” to linear. As Vice’s president of global TV, Morgan Hertzan, put it, the Vice TV network — which is part owned by A+E Networks — is “very, very busy” right now.

ESPN director Kyle Brown died suddenly on Saturday after suffering a “medical emergency” at an NCAA baseball super regional in Winston Salem, N.C., the network announced. He was 42.

Soccer Aid returns for another year with the star-studded event expected to once again be watched by millions across the UK.

Popular “SportsCenter” anchor Neil Everett is reportedly leaving ESPN after 23 years.

EXCLUSIVE: Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, whose “Manningcasts” of Monday Night Football were a breakthrough hit when they debuted in 2021, is expanding its alternate telecasts to Formula 1.

Charna Flam Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi will reportedly join the American soccer club Inter Miami; according to ESPN. The anticipated move follows the conclusion of Messi’s two-year contract with French soccer club, Paris St-Germain. Ahead of accepting the Miami deal, Messi was also offered a deal from Saudi Arabian soccer club Al-Hilal, which would have brought him into the league with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. It was speculated by the BBC, that Messi gravitated toward Miami due to reasons unrelated to soccer, including the lifestyle and the brand deals he would receive, including Adidas and Apple.

Lionel Messi has reportedly told Barcelona he will not be rejoining them and will instead sign for David Beckham's Inter Miami.

Tom Brady is okay with his eldest son, Jack Moynahan, not pursuing football as a career.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. New bombshells have entered the villa. Season 10 of “Love Island,” which kicked off on Monday night, will again see contestants competing for love in Mallorca, Spain where they’ll be joined by new host Maya Jama who took over from Laura Whitmore for Season 9 last year. The initial group of Islanders include Ruchee Gurung, Ella Thomas, Catherine Agbaje, Jess Harding, Molly Marsh, André Furtado, Mitchel Taylor, Tyrique Hyde, George Fensom and Mehdi Edno. Producers are evidently trying to freshen up the format, with a couple of major twists already thrown in to the Season 10 premiere. Unlike in past seasons where female contestants entered the villa first and then selected the men they wanted to couple up with later on in the episode, this summer’s show had both men and women enter the villa together. Ultimately, it was the public that decided on the couples.

Given the anxious vibes in the entertainment business of late, the NBA and NHL playoffs have been a welcome throwback to happier times.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The Denver Nuggets are continuing their winning streak, beating the Miami Heat 104-93 to take Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.      Nikola Jokic was the star player throughout the four quarters, making a triple-double in his finals debut with an explosive offense bolstered by Jamal Murray who scored 26 points.  Of course, the Miami Heat, seeking to becoming the NBA’s first No. 8 seed team to win a championship in nearly 40 years ago, still has time for a comeback.