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ESPN has made a major change to it’s weekday lineup by canceling a long-running show.
The major change will come into effect from Friday 23 May.
ESPN released a statement this week about the show’s end[/caption]
Around The Horn has broadcast more than 4,900 episodes.
But it’s last one will be in little over two months’ time – the network announces.
The show debuted 23 years ago back in 2002 and currently is shown at 5 pm ET.
It features sports reporters and analysts debating the hottest topics, competing for points against each other.
ESPN executive vice president David Roberts released a statement on the show’s end.
It read, “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.
“Beyond Tony (Reali, host) 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.”
The network also announced that a 5 pm ET edition of SportsCenter will be shown as a temporary solution during the summer.
ESPN has made big changes and moved to a star-driven model of programming.
Peyton Manning and Pat McAfee are two of the high-profile names to have joined them in recent years.
And long-term star Stephen A. Smith has been in drawn-out contract negotiations for a new deal worth more than $20 million annually.
ESPN’s daily schedule kicks off with Get Up! at 8 am ET hosted by Mike Greenberg live from New York City.
It is followed onto the network by First Take at 10 am ET with Molly Qerim the face of the show.
She is joined by Stephen A. and an ensemble cast that features the likes of Shannon Sharpe and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
The Pat McAfee Show then airs from midday until 2 pm ET on weekdays.
His show continues on YouTube while ESPN switches to SportsCenter.
Later in the day, the network also has shows such as NFL Live and NBA Today.
ESPN holds rights to NFL, NBA and NHL.
But the network recently pulled out of an MLB deal worth around $550 million a year.
