ESPN Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

ESPN saw revenue of $13.2 billion and operating income of close to $1.5 billion for the first nine months of fiscal 2023, Disney revealed ahead of earnings next month when it plans to break out Sports as its own business segment — part of a restructuring initiated by CEO Bob Iger.

The plot thickens!

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer ESPN’s Custom NBA Music Strategy has partnered with Mike Will Made It to serve as its first-ever lead producer to curate music for the 2023-2024 NBA season. Along with collaboration, Mike Will and Ear Drummers/Giant Music have released “Different Breed” alongside Swae Lee and Latto.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Live TV streaming service Sling TV is introducing significant discounts as part of a new promotion: right now, both of the service’s base plans, Sling Blue and Sling Orange, are available for just $20 a month, a 50% discount off the regular $40 monthly subscription price. Consumers can also combine the two packages and get Sling Orange + Blue for just $27.50, down from $55 a month.

Tommy Fury will be ekeen to avoid an upset against KSI as they finally meet in the ring on Saturday night after a tense build-up to their bout.

Travis Kelce is playing tonight, after all!

Connor Bedard has been called “The Future of Hockey” — since he was 13. Now a ripe old 18, the NHL‘s No. 1 overall pic made his league debut Tuesday, and it became the most-viewed regular-season game ever on ESPN.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is floating a proposal that would require rebates to multichannel subscribers in the event of a blackout or broadcast stations.

Barry Melrose is retiring.

Barry Melrose, who has served as an NHL analyst at ESPN for nearly three decades and coached Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993, is stepping away from the network after a Parkinson’s diagnosis. His longtime friend and network colleague John Buccigross revealed the news on social media — hours before the 2023-24 NHL season begins.

UPDATED: Coming off one of its wildest seasons in years, the NHL‘s 2023-24 schedule kicks off tonight with an intriguing opening-night tripleheader on ESPN. Check out some key dates and matchups for the league’s 107th season — including a night when all 32 NHL teams will be in action — below.

William Earl Activist investor Nelson Peltz has amassed a $2.5 billion stake in Walt Disney Co. and is preparing to make a second run at pressuring the company to grant him with board seats, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Peltz’s Trian Fund Management is responding to the steady slide in Disney shares, which are down about 16% for the year to date.

It sounds like the NFL’s coverage on Taylor Swift is far more strategic than anyone thought.

The NFL wants to win over Taylor Swift‘s heart!

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Tom Hiddleston is back and ready for more mayhem in Season 2 of “Loki,” which returns to Disney+ on Thursday night. In the new season, Hiddleston reprises his titular role as the god of mischief, sharing the screen with returning actor Owen Wilson and new cast member Ke Huy Quan.

A federal judge ruled that a class action antitrust lawsuit against Disney can go forward, though he struck down a chunk of the case, which was filed last fall.

Brandi Glanville is ailing — but recovering in a hospital — after collapsing in her home over the weekend. The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum took to X to share an update about her health condition, saying her son called 911.

LeBron James is providing an update on his son Bronny’s recovery, revealing the young athlete is planning on returning to the basketball court as soon as possible.

Many fans might be watching the New York Jets football game against the Kansas City Chiefs right now and a big question on minds might be, where is Aaron Rodgers and when might he be returning as the starting quarterback.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, arguably boxing‘s biggest superstar, will return to the ring on Saturday night to defend his title against Jermell Charlo. The pay-per-view event kicks off at 8 p.m.

Former San Antonio Spurs guard Josh Primo, whom an NBA investigation found “engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women,” will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN reports.

Baker Mayfield is the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but we’re taking a second to highlight his wife Emily Wilkinson.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The country’s best lacrosse players hit the field today for the 2023 Premier Lacrosse League Championship Game, which pits the defending champion Waterdogs Lacrosse Club vs. the top-seeded Archers.

Endeavor has drop-kicked a newly created sports entity that is built for the future of both television and fandom. As of Sept. 12, that new entity has started trading on the NYSE under the feisty ticker symbol TKO.

The Colorado Buffaloes established their dominance both on and off the field with Saturday’s matchup against Colorado State.

Disney shares pulled back 2% in early trading after the media giant unveiled a comprehensive plan to double its investment in theme parks to $60 billion over the next 10 years.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “The Masked Singer” has already been as whacky as ever since kicking off its 10th season last weekend. While the premiere was a special episode that came out on Sunday night, starting September 27 the rest of the season’s episodes will proceed in the usual time slot on Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

The power and popularity of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight,” which first famously appeared on TV in Season 1 of Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, has outlasted 30 years of screen appearances in everything from Risky Business to a Cadbury chocolate bar ad to a fictional Mike Tyson’s affinity for the tune in the original Hangover. Now, it’s been reinvented as the theme song for one of TV’s most popular shows.

ABC is bringing a ton of football programming to the network!

ABC is loading up on a slew of extra NFL games in a bid to bolster its fall schedule.