“The Starters” & NBA TV Are Breaking Up; Next Stop The Ringer?
The foursome of Tas Melas, Leigh Ellis, Trey Kerby, and J.E. Skeets — all hosts of The Starters on NBA TV — are just hours away from an NBA Finals live show at Toronto’s Jurassic Park before Game 5. It’s a big deal, and they’re treating it as such, but the reason The Starters is in the headlines today is for a totally different reason. Sadly, the news came out today that the show will be no more, at least on NBA TV.
Per The Washington Post, the 30-minute daily show “will not be renewed for next basketball season,” as told through “a person with knowledge of the decision.”
The contracts of the four hosts, as well as producers Doyle and Matt Osten, run through this summer, though it is unclear if the hosts will continue to appear on NBA TV after the NBA Finals conclude. Where the hosts and their program will go and exactly what they will do next is not known, though the quartet has had initial discussions with other media companies.
“The guys thank Turner for their six years,” said a statement from Creative Artist Agency, which represents the hosts. “They’re looking forward to their next steps and we’ve had conversations with a number of interested parties.”
(via The Washington Post)
What’s next for the show? Well, nothing is rock solid yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if they teamed up with Bill Simmons’ sports and pop culture empire, The Ringer.
Not only does The Starters content fit with the style put forth by The Ringer, but there’s some history already built in between the two. Prior to NBA TV, the show, then a podcast called The Basketball Jones, was part of Grantland’s podcast network — a Simmons’ creation that came before The Ringer, though very similar in every aspect.
One source with knowledge of the negotiations believed the move is part of a larger cost-cutting directive from AT&T, which completed its purchase of Time Warner last year.
(via The Washington Post)
Acquiring top-flight, offbeat talent is nothing new for The Ringer. They featured Mike Francessa during his brief retirement and brought in Ryen Russillo after his daily ESPN show came to a close. In truth, their roster is littered with unique talent that once contributed for major publications.
This is pure speculation, however, and something I’d like to see happen. The Ringer is into more basketball than any other sport, so it makes sense.
Other media companies that have a shot, I’d say, are The Athletic, DAZN, or ESPN+.
Only time will tell.
UPDATE: Awful Announcing weighed in on where The Starters may end up: No. 1, ESPN+; No. 2, DAZN; No. 3, The Ringer.