In a sign of the times, the Detroit Tigers are scaling back parts of their live programming. The MLB club, whose games will air on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit after reaching a new agreement in November, will eliminate most pregame and postgame shows during West Coast road trips to cut costs, as reported by Tony Paul in The Detroit News.
The decision comes in response to decreased viewership caused by late-night starts and finishes, leading the team to deem the shoulder programming “not worth the cost.” Nevertheless, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit will continue to produce 30-minute pregame and postgame shows for most games throughout the season. When these shows occur, they are expected to be hosted by either Daniella Bruce or a yet-to-be-hired addition to the broadcast team. The host of the studio show will be replaced by the other in an on-field reporter role for that game. This new host will take over from longtime host John Keating, who plans to retire after the Detroit Red Wings complete their season.
Renowned play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti is set to return for his second year in Detroit, following his departure from the Chicago White Sox booth before last season. He will be joined by Andy Dirks and Dan Petry, as announced by the team on Wednesday. As they navigate these changes, it’s no surprise that the Tigers are seeking ways to cut costs; under the new deal with FanDuel Sports Network, they will reportedly reduce annual media rights fees by $25 million. They are not alone in cutting back on shoulder programming amidst the turmoil in the regional sports network landscape.
