You’re owed a notebook so let’s start the week of fresh with a new one. Lots of stuff to get to.
NEWS
It appears that Fox Sports Go will finally be made available to DirecTV subscribers very soon. Fang’s Bites was able to get confirmation from DirecTV that Fox and the satellite provider came to an agreement and it will be coming soon. Expect an announcement from Fox on this sometime this week. If I had to guess, the veils will be lifted on Fox Sports Go next month.
If February is indeed the date, then it would bring two sports apps to DirecTV subscribers as Watch ESPN is expected to be made available either later in the month or early March.
In other news, the co-author of the tome, Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN, Jim Miller broke some news last week:
John A. Walsh, one of @espn most influential architects, will retire February 1, 2015. End of an era indeed. #ESPN
— James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) January 22, 2015
Walsh's DNA (and blood) all over @SportsCenter along with developing journalistic covenants for @espn & @ESPNMag @espnradio & @BillSimmons
— James Andrew Miller (@JimMiller) January 22, 2015
Walsh was one of the most important hires at ESPN. At a time when the network was still in the midst of growing pains and deciding what it wanted to be, Walsh joined ESPN in 1988 and shaped the editorial vision of SportsCenter, ESPN.com, ESPN the Magazine and various programs. His biggest stamp was on SportsCenter and its editorial content. Without Walsh, SportsCenter’s reporting might look very much different today.
LINKAGE
Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch talks with ESPN analyst Mark Brunell as to why he felt Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was lying about Ballghazi.
Steven Perlberg at the Wall Street Journal writes that the number of first-time Super Bowl advertisers is increasing.
Nat Ives of Advertising Age says one slot opened up when Hyundai decided to skip the Big Game after seven straight years of buying at least one ad.
Mike Farrell of Multichannel News writes that DirecTV will be raising NFL Sunday Ticket rates for the 2015 season.
Mike reports that an industry analyst report indicates that sports rights fees will continue to rise steadily in the next few years.
Your humble blogger has an article at Awful Announcing on the last 50 years of the NFL on television.
Newsday’s Laura Albanese visited FrancesaCon over the weekend and even talked to the big guy himself.
The perpetually angry Phil Mushnick directs his ire at the National Football League.
Bob Fernandez of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes that Comcast will be the big winner in this year’s Super Bowl.
Steven Goff of the Washington Post reports that John Strong will be the main MLS voice for Fox this season.
Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times looks back at the weekend in sports television.
Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Joe Buck is optimistic that the Rams will remain in St. Louis.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News has your SoCal sports calendar for the week.
That’s going to do it for now.
