Nearly three months after Around the Horn aired the final episode of its 23-year run, ESPN has remained mum on what could possibly replace the show.
Currently, the network has introduced a 30-minute edition of SportsCenter in the 5 p.m. ET window leading into Pardon the Interruption. But that is just a stopgap according to reports from earlier this year. At some point, ESPN plans on placing a new show in that timeslot, it’s just a matter of what and when.
According to a new report by Shlomo Sprung in Boardroom, neither of those questions have answers quite yet. Mike Foss, ESPN’s Senior Vice President, Sport Studio & Entertainment, the individual who oversees all of ESPN’s studio programming, told Boardroom that a replacement for Around the Horn is not imminent.
“We want to make sure that whatever we choose is there for the long haul, for as long as Around The Horn was,” Foss said, “and that’s going to take time.” As such, Sprung reports “there’s no current timetable for when that show will debut.”
At one point, ESPN was considering expanding Pardon the Interruption by a half-hour to fill the window, though that was quickly taken off the table. There were also murmurs about filling the gap with a Shannon Sharpe-led show before he was unceremoniously let go from the network amid sexual assault allegations.
Sprung writes ESPN is “looking for a replacement that’s more reflective of modern times.” That could take the network in any number of directions. Perhaps ESPN will hone in on its NFL coverage by placing an NFL-focused show in the window after its equity deal with the league. Maybe it will lean into the sports gambling space as that type of content becomes more prevalent. Or perhaps the network will lean on PTI and ATH creator Erik Rydholm to spawn an entirely novel concept for a new-age happy hour show.
Whatever it may be, it seems ESPN is comfortable taking its time with this decision and letting the 30-minute SportsCenter fill the gap in the interim.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.