In the past, 60 Minutes has reaired its sports profiles and segments on ESPN Classic and has also provided some of its old content to CNBC. But this new effort will provide original content on sports for Showtime.
The series will premiere in November and will air every month. 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager and his executive editor Bill Owens will co-produce this new broadcast. No word whether existing 60 Minutes talent such as Steve Kroft, Lesley Stahl or Scott Pelley or go with totally different people.
As we get closer, I’m sure we’ll get information on the stories the premiere episode will air. 60 Minutes on Sports will join existing sports magazines Real Sports on HBO, E:60 on ESPN and the new Sports Illustrated on NBC Sports Network. As long as the journalism is solid, I’m all in favor of seeing more sports magazines on the landscape.
Here’s the announcement.
CBS NEWS AND SHOWTIME SPORTS® TEAM UP FOR “60 MINUTES OF SPORTS”
Original “60 MINUTES” Content to Air on SHOWTIME® In a Unique Expansion of the Iconic Brand
Monthly Sports News Magazine from the People who Bring You “60 MINUTES” Debuts in November on SHOWTIMENEW YORK (Sept. 13) – For the first time, original 60 MINUTES segments will appear on a cable network under a new agreement between 60 MINUTES and SHOWTIME Sports. 60 MINUTES OF SPORTS, a new sports news magazine show from the producers of the iconicnews program, will debut in November on SHOWTIME, the CBS-owned premium television network. The unique programming partnership was announced today by CBS News Chairman and 60 MINUTES Executive Producer Jeff Fager and Stephen Espinoza, the Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports.
“This is an exciting opportunity for all of us at 60 MINUTES,” said Fager. “Our SHOWTIME edition will offer the same high-quality, original reporting and great storytelling our viewers have come to expect every Sunday night on CBS.”
“Today is a seminal moment in the 25-year history of SHOWTIME Sports,” said Espinoza. “60 MINUTES is the pioneer of this genre. Adding the most well-known and highly respected brand in television to the growing line up of SHOWTIME original sports programming exponentially increases the value proposition for our subscribers. This is an incredible opportunity for the CBS and SHOWTIME family.”
60 MINUTES OF SPORTS expands SHOWTIME Sports’ existing line-up of award-winning original sports programming, which includes INSIDE THE NFL, INSIDE NASCAR, ALL ACCESS, THE FRANCHISE and live event series SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®, STRIKEFORCE Mixed Martial Arts and ShoBox: The New Generation.
60 MINUTES OF SPORTS will be co-executive produced by Fager and Bill Owens, the Executive Editor of 60 MINUTES.
The new program will utilize the reporting skills of on-air talent from 60 MINUTES and CBS Sports, while providing the same first class 60 MINUTES investigations, interviews, features and profiles that have kept the broadcast in Nielsen’s Top 10 for decades. A dedicated unit of 60 MINUTES producers reporting to Fager and Owens will prepare the stories for each monthly broadcast of 60 MINUTES OF SPORTS.
Each month, the sports magazine will feature two original segments and one updated 60 MINUTES classic sports story from the news magazine’s archive. In addition, each broadcast will contain a timely, studio-based interview with a sports newsmaker.
That will do it.
