BostonBob
4 Ever The Greatest
It's been talked about for at least a year now but ESPN has finally made it official and announced that ATH is ending on May 23rd. I became a big fan of ATH and Pardon the Interruption when they were added to TSN's lineup as it was nice to get some different opinions of sports without being bombarded with stuff about the Maple Leafs, Blue Jays and Raptors. Hopefully PTI sticks around for a few more years ( although I can do without at least one daily reference about Northwestern University, Michael Jordan, the Cubs or the Bears from Michael Wilbon ) but ESPN has not made announcement about that show yet.
from sicom:
Television networks—sports or otherwise—are not in the business of canceling successful shows.
However, ESPN announced on Tuesday that Around the Horn would air its last episode of Friday, May 23. The network also announced that a version of SportsCenter would temporarily air in Around the Horn’s 5 p.m. ET time slot.
“Around the Horn has had a remarkable run of more than two decades. That kind of longevity in media is incredibly rare, and we look forward to celebrating the show’s many accomplishments before the final sign-off in May,” said David Roberts, ESPN executive vice president of sports news and entertainment, in a press release. “Beyond Tony [Reali] and the ensemble of on-air contributors, we are particularly grateful to the production team led by Erik Rydholm and Aaron Solomon, who have been instrumental in ATH’s consistent success since the very beginning.”
So why is ATH getting the ax? ESPN has been tight-lipped on offering a reason. While ATH’s ratings are significantly lower than Pardon the Interruption, which ATH leads into, the show’s viewership is on par with Get Up and First Take.
Sources indicated to me that ESPN is interested in a “more modern concept” and “something different.”
from sicom:
Television networks—sports or otherwise—are not in the business of canceling successful shows.
However, ESPN announced on Tuesday that Around the Horn would air its last episode of Friday, May 23. The network also announced that a version of SportsCenter would temporarily air in Around the Horn’s 5 p.m. ET time slot.
“Around the Horn has had a remarkable run of more than two decades. That kind of longevity in media is incredibly rare, and we look forward to celebrating the show’s many accomplishments before the final sign-off in May,” said David Roberts, ESPN executive vice president of sports news and entertainment, in a press release. “Beyond Tony [Reali] and the ensemble of on-air contributors, we are particularly grateful to the production team led by Erik Rydholm and Aaron Solomon, who have been instrumental in ATH’s consistent success since the very beginning.”
So why is ATH getting the ax? ESPN has been tight-lipped on offering a reason. While ATH’s ratings are significantly lower than Pardon the Interruption, which ATH leads into, the show’s viewership is on par with Get Up and First Take.
Sources indicated to me that ESPN is interested in a “more modern concept” and “something different.”
