ESPN Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor ESPN and the NCAA reached a new, eight-year sports rights agreement worth about $920 million over the term of the deal — more than four times the previous pact with the Disney-owned sports giant. The new media-rights deal commences Sept.

ESPN and the NCAA have agreed to an 8-year media rights deal, extending a run for college sports that began in 1979 when the all-sports cable network was in its infancy.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. It’s 2024, and if you haven’t cut the cable cord yet, it might be time to consider making the switch to streaming. With a ton of affordable options in the marketplace, streaming services get you much of the same content as conventional cable, with the added convenience of taking your programming on the go.

ESPN and CBS went head-to-head for the biggest audience during Week 17 of the NFL regular season.

Jordan Moreau ESPN sports analyst Pat McAfee apologized Wednesday for quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ prior comments on his show suggesting that comedian Jimmy Kimmel had ties to Jeffrey Epstein. On Tuesday’s episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers discussed the list of Epstein’s associates that is set to be publicly unsealed by a federal judge later this month. He said that, “There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, really hoping that doesn’t come out” and that, “If that lists comes out, I definitely will be popping some sort of bottle.” After the episode aired on Tuesday, Kimmel called out Rodgers on X/Twitter and threatened legal action: “Dear Asshole: for the record, I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein, nor will you find my name on any ‘list’ other than the clearly-phony nonsense that soft-brained wackos like yourself can’t seem to distinguish from reality.

Pat McAfee, host of The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, is speaking out about what Aaron Rodgers said on his show about Jimmy Kimmel this week.

S**t got weird during Tuesday’s episode of First Take…

The Aaron Rodgers/Jimmy Kimmel feud is a little more complicated than meets-the-eye.

ESPN kicked off the year on a high note with impressive audiences tuning in to watch Monday’s showdowns for a spot in the College Football National Championship games.

Sean McVay, one of the more popular head coaches in the NFL right now, just confirmed if he’ll return to the Los Angeles Rams for the 2024 season.

Oops. ESPN has apologized for airing a brief video clip of a woman flashing her breast during its broadcast of the Sugar Bowl Monday in New Orleans.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The Coca-Cola Company wants to kick off 2024 with a family affair. A new campaign from the beverage giant that starts bubbling Tuesday emphasizes its broad portfolio of drinks, not just a single product such as Fanta, Diet Coke or Dasani as has been the company’s typical marketing strategy over the years.

A day after revealing on New Year’s Eve on Fox that the newly formed United Football League will kick off in June, co-owners Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia took to ESPN to unveil the cities and coaches for the inaugural season.

The Dallas Cowboys’ escape with a 20-19 victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday on a special weekend edition of ESPN‘s Monday Night Football drew 25.7 million viewers, the network said Monday citing Nielsen fast nationals.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. There’s no better way to kick off 2024 than with a New Year’s Day tradition: college football. College football fans surely know about the so-called “New Year’s Six,” a series of six major Division 1 bowl games hat occur on or around New Year’s Day.

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The 2024 NHL Winter Classic presented by Discover features two powerhouses doing battle on Monday, Jan. 1.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com The XFL and USFL have unveiled key details of the merged football franchise that will debut next March. The two formerly competing leagues officially confirmed their new name and logo as the United Football League on Sunday. Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, who resurrected the XFL back in 2020, revealed the plans on Fox’s NFL pregame show.

Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia on Sunday unveiled plans for the United Football League, the new spring pro football league born from the merger of the XFL and USFL.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. There’s no better way to kick off 2024 than with a New Year’s Day tradition: college football. January 1 marks the end of the NCAA football bowl season, and this year, there are five bowl games taking place on Monday.

EXCLUSIVE: With the 10th edition of the College Football Playoff set to cap off a high-rated season starting on New Year’s Day, Disney says advertising inventory is nearly sold out for the semifinals and championship.

Taylor Swift from the accusation that she is a “distraction” to the Kansas City Chiefs .The American football team have lost three out of their last four contests, which included a 20-14 loss on Christmas Day (December 25) to the Las Vegas Raiders.After the defeat last week, Fox sports personality Skip Bayless tweeted that it was “about time to call Taylor Swift a distraction”. The pop star cheered on boyfriend and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce from the stands at the Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri.However, ESPN’s Elle Duncan defended the pop sensation from the claims on her podcast. “Do not blame Taylor Swift for being a ‘distraction’, for Travis Kelce not playing well, for the Chiefs playing good,” she said on the The Elle Duncan Show (via Deadline).

Taylor Swift is no Yoko Ono, claims a prominent ESPN sportscaster.

The list of the most-watched television networks of 2023 has been revealed, and this year, NBC is the winner.

The Denver Broncos star quarterback Russell Wilson, who you may often see on Hollywood red carpets alongside his wife Ciara, has reportedly been benched for the remainder of the NFL season in a surprising move.

telling them to “Go fetch” and “Get out of here!” Sudeikis has Daisy and Otis with his ex, Olivia Wilde, 39. The two dated from 2011 to 2020.

Whoops! Tony Romo made a mistake on-air again, and it’s gone viral.

On Christmas Day, Jason Sudeikis‘ kids made a surprise appearance on ESPN alongside him!

If you want to see Travis Kelce, you’re in luck!

Longtime boxing commentator Larry Merchant was rushed to a hospital in Los Angeles last night and is in the critical care, according to a report.

Taylor Swift needs to watch out — her Swifties are thirsting after her man!