Report: ESPN moving Los Angeles-based SportsCenter to Bristol

ESPN has informed its Los Angeles-based SportsCenter employees that they are moving the shows and positions associated with them to Bristol, CT, according to Andrew Marchand of the Athletic.

However, shows like NBA Today will remain in LA, according to his report. The employees based in LA have the choice to continue employment with the company by making the move to Bristol.

According to a report by the Sports Business Journal, this move will impact 35 of the 229 Disney and ESPN employees located in the company’s LA location. They report that employees that decide against relocation will be eligible for severance and can produce shows for ESPN until late May.

“Based on our current business needs, we are relocating the L.A.-based ‘SportsCenter’ and soccer studio shows to ESPN’s Bristol headquarters, including the limited number of employee positions related to these shows,” ESPN said in a statement to SBJ. “The Los Angeles Production Center will continue to host ESPN’s NBA studio productions and provide office space to additional L.A.-based employees.”

On top of SportsCenter, ESPN’s soccer programming is expected to move to Bristol alonside the LA SportsCenter change. However, SBJ’s report notes than the majority of those employees have already made the move to Bristol.

The final show from the LA location is scheduled for Friday, May 16. The move finishes out just over 19 years of production in the stuio, as the LAPC was opened in April of 2006.

ESPN announces Hannah Hidalgo, Flau’Jae Johnson, Kiki Iriafen as stars of Full Court Press sequel

Last week, ESPN announced its hit series, Full Court Press, is returning for a second season and has a new cast of stars. Full Court Press made waves last season as one of the first TV docuseries to follow women’s basketball players throughout the season. In Season 2, the show will revolve around Notre Dame‘s Hannah Hidalgo, LSU‘s Flau’Jae Johnson and USC‘s Kiki Iriafen.

The show followed Iowa‘s Caitlin Clark, South Carolina‘s Kamilla Cardoso and UCLA‘s Kiki Rice in its first season. In collaboration with ESPN+, the series is produced by Peyton Manning’s production company Omaha Productions, and Words & Pictures.

The show came at a perfect time. Women’s college basketball saw a dramatic increase in viewership last season with the rise of Caitlin Clark. The now-WNBA superstar seemingly had a blast working with Peyton Manning on the show.