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SEC football to exit CBS after 2023 season, will likely move to ESPN/ABC

Photo: David John Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Southeastern Conference (SEC) football will no longer partner with CBS after its contract expires following the 2023 season, and will likely move to ESPN/ABC, Sports Business Journal reports.

The state of play: CBS reportedly made an aggressive bid for college football's most-watched TV package, offering about $300 million per season, but network executives decided they would rather invest the money into airing other sports, per the Sports Business Journal.

  • CBS currently pays $55 million per year for streaming rights, and ESPN/ABC is reportedly prepared to pay six times that as negotiations wrap up.
  • CBS has broadcast SEC games since 1996, the Sports Business Journal notes.

The big picture per Axios' Sara Fischer: It will be interesting to see moving forward if networks continue to win over regional and local sports leagues or if tech companies continue stepping in. There’s less risk involved in moving local content than national league content to tech platforms that are willing to spend lots of cash.

  • As evident with CBS, networks will only be willing to spend so much for local or regional rights when they could invest that money in national sports rights.

Our thought bubble: This deal shows how much value is being placed on live sports in an era when very few things are viewed live anymore.

  • Worth noting per Axios' Kendall Baker: This would make ESPN heavily invested in the SEC Network, which they already own, but it also shows how invested they are in college football as a whole — where they have the rights to the playoff and bowl season.

Go deeper: The sports streaming landscape, mapped

Go deeper

Rebecca Falconer
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Protests outside fortified capitols draw only small groups

Armed members of the far-right extremist group the Boogaloo Bois near the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing on Jan. 17. About 20 protesters showed up, AP notes. Photo: Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

Small groups of protesters rallied outside fortified statehouses over the weekend ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration Wednesday.

The big picture: Some protests attracted armed members of far-right extremist groups but there were no reports of clashes, as had been feared. The National Guard and law enforcement outnumbered demonstrators, as security was heightened around the U.S. to avoid a repeat of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots, per AP.

See photos (<1 min. read)Arrow
Alayna Treene, author of Sneak Peek
5 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump to issue at least 100 pardons and commutations before leaving office

Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump plans to issue at least 100 pardons and commutations on his final full day in office Tuesday, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.

Why it matters: This is a continuation of the president's controversial December spree that saw full pardons granted to more than two dozen people — including former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort, longtime associate Roger Stone and Charles Kushner, the father of Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

  • The pardons set to be issued before Trump exits the White House will be a mix of criminal justice ones and pardons for people connected to the president, the sources said.
  • CNN first reported this news.

Go deeper: Convicts turn to D.C. fixers for Trump pardons

Stef W. Kight, Kadia Goba
6 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Schumer's m(aj)ority checklist

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Capitalizing on the Georgia runoffs, achieving a 50-50 Senate and launching an impeachment trial are weighty to-dos for getting Joe Biden's administration up and running on Day One.

What to watch: A blend of ceremonies, hearings and legal timelines will come into play on Tuesday and Wednesday so Chuck Schumer can actually claim the Senate majority and propel the new president's agenda.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow