ESPN announced today, that Outside the Lines will be premiering a new daily report during the noon segment of the show starting January 13, as well as a Saturday morning show starting January 18. Ryan Smith and Jeremy Schaap will host the new segments.
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What’s happening:
- ESPN’s Outside the Lines will debut a new daily report within the noon ET edition of SportsCenter on Monday, January 13, and a weekly, hourlong Saturday morning show at 9 am on Saturday, January 18.
- Award-winning reporter Jeremy Schaap will host the new Saturday morning OTL. ESPN legal analyst, reporter and host Ryan Smith will host most of the daily reports within SportsCenter.
- In its debut week, the OTL daily topics will include:
- A three-part series on the impact of social media on sports
- Schaap’s one-one-one interview with new Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin
- An in-depth piece on Conor McGregor ahead of his return to the octagon for UFC 246 (ESPN+ and PPV) on Saturday, January 18.
- The reports will include appearances from some of sports biggest names and feature special guests.
- The weekend edition of OTL will feature multiple stories including a longer McGregor piece, a story on former Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe and more.
- Each Saturday there will be a panel hosted by Schaap. The panelists will discuss various topics, review the biggest stories of the week and take a look at the week ahead in sports.
- In addition to the weekly Saturday morning show and the daily reports, ESPN will air periodic sports issues-based OTL specials in prime time.
- OTL content will continue to appear on ESPN.com and E:60.
- Outside the Lines will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a prime time special in May.
What they’re saying:
- Executive Producer Andy Tennant: “We’re thrilled about the new one-hour edition of Outside the Lines. This is a terrific opportunity to showcase impactful journalism, to engage in thoughtful discussions about the biggest stories in sports and to engage sports fans by giving them what they need to know. The daily OTL segments on SportsCenter are going to do the same thing—within the SportsCenter ecosystem, where the work we do will benefit from that integration, and exposure.”
- Jeremy Schaap: “The new Saturday OTL is going to be a great platform for the best of ESPN’s journalism and storytelling. It’s valuable real estate on the schedule and we will have the opportunity each week to take deep dives on the most important issues in sports. For me personally, being the host is a tremendous honor and responsibility. For a quarter century, I worked alongside Bob Ley, my friend and mentor, and his principles will continue to inform everything we do. Also, weekend mornings on ESPN make me think of my father, who hosted The Sports Reporters for 13 years. He will be guiding me, too.”
About Outside the Lines:
- Outside the Lines first launched as a periodic prime time news program in May of 1990 and 10 years later added a Sunday show before going daily in 2003.
- In 2017, OTL debuted a new look including graphics and a studio.
- The show has been recognized with 15 Sports Emmy Awards, four Edward R. Murrow Awards, three Peabody Awards and a DuPont Award.