The Holiday Bowl and the newly returned Poinsettia Bowl, jointly operated by Sports San Diego, are both looking for a media partner, and The CW might just answer the call.
Late last month, college football insider Brett McMurphy of On3 reported that Fox Sports, which has televised the Holiday Bowl since 2017, would not bid on this year’s game. McMurphy also noted that ESPN, which broadcasts most college football bowl games and was the home of the Holiday Bowl from 1986 to 2016, is not interested.
According to Austin Karp at Sports Business Journal, The CW has emerged as a potential suitor for both games, and Fox hasn’t completely shut the door on the Holiday Bowl either.
“We have not had one group say they were not willing to take the call,” Excelsior Sports and Entertainment’s Tag Garson, who is assisting Sports San Diego in its media search for both bowl games, told SBJ. “When Fox passed on our final offer, it allowed us to go into the marketplace, and we have been talking to everyone. … We’re not leaving any stone unturned. … We’ve only been in the marketplace for a couple of weeks, so this is very new.”
The CW currently has the rights to the Arizona Bowl as well as ACC, Mountain West, and Pac-12 regular-season games.
“Based on the success of the bowl season last year and the Arizona Bowl, we’re taking a look to add to those to potentially add to our college landscape,” CW SVP/Sports Mike Perman told Front Office Sports last March.
Karp says that sources told him there is no animosity between Fox and the bowl games, and Fox could end up submitting a bid for the Holiday Bowl “under the right financial circumstances.”
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.