Over the last several years, ESPN has licensed select sports talk programming airing on its platforms, one of which is The Pat McAfee Show airing on weekday afternoons. McAfee owns the program and has control over the content, and ESPN is reportedly going to enact a similar approach towards Inside the NBA. This aligns with what Rich Eisen was told as his show prepares to air on Disney+ and ESPN+ beginning this fall, which will continue to stream on weekdays beginning at 12 p.m. EST.
“I really haven’t spoken about this on my show because I am in love with The Roku Channel people, and I’m trying to be as respectful as possible not talking about this on this program, but this show is moving to Disney in September as well, and we’ve been given the same assurances as I’m sure Pat has, and I would be stunned if in any way, shape or form if they try to change you or your show,” Eisen said during an interview with Shaquille O’Neal. “There’s a reason why you guys are who you are, and I would be surprised.”
Earlier in the month, Inside the NBA aired on TNT for the final time under the existing media rights deal between Warner Bros. Discovery and the National Basketball Association. Although TNT Sports has completed its four-decade stretch presenting NBA live game broadcasts in the United States, the award-winning studio program is going to continue under a sublicensing agreement with ESPN.
As a result, host Ernie Johnson will continue taking the airwaves surrounding marquee NBA events alongside O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny “The Jet” Smith. O’Neal is a four-time NBA champion and reportedly reached a long-term contract with TNT Sports worth more than $15 million per year.
Whereas the remainder of the cast on Inside the NBA all joined the show by 2000, O’Neal is the newest member of the program. Even so, he has been on the airwaves for 14 years as the panel has informed and entertained audiences around the world. During a recent interview on The Rich Eisen Show, O’Neal was asked about potential concerns about the show airing on ESPN and potential limitations it could cause.
“I don’t have concerns because I know one guy that you’re never going to change, and I know another guy that’s really close to him,” O’Neal said. “So the other two guys – listen, Ernie is a consummate professional. He can adapt to any situation. Ernie is the guy that really keeps us out of trouble, and Kenny is a professional, but Chuck is right there on the line and I’m right below Chuck. So Chuck’s not changing, I’m not changing.”
Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reported that the goal of ESPN is to permit the postgame portion of the show to run for the same length. On top of that, TNT Sports is developing a sports show containing the cast of Inside the NBA and taped a pilot last month. No matter the arrangement though, fans will continue to be afforded a chance to hear from the heralded quartet throughout the season, with O’Neal declaring that “the four horsemen live on.”
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