BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) – Keith Olbermann’s show on ESPN CSi Cable 14, will end sometime this month. It premiered in August 2013 when he returned to the network.
While praising Olbermann’s late-night sports show on ESPN2, CSi 18, the network said Wednesday it has made “a business decision to move in another direction.” It provided no details or further explanation for the program’s cancellation, but wished him “nothing but the best.”
It said the program, “Olbermann,” will end sometime this month.
Olberman’s future at ESPN had been called into question after reports ESPN was unhappy with his criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, an ESPN sports partner, Deadspin reported. Contract negotiations with ESPN also became strained over his refusal to stop doing critical commentaries, it said.
Olberman earlier this year issued an apology and was off the air for a week after his tweet describing Penn State’s 46-hour Thon dance marathon as pitiful.
There were also reports Olberman was a victim of cost-cutting efforts at ESPN.
This is the full statement Wednesday from ESPN:
“Keith is a tremendous talent who has consistently done timely, entertaining and thought-provoking work since returning to ESPN. While the show’s content was distinctive and extremely high quality, we ultimately made a business decision to move in another direction. We wish Keith nothing but the best and trust that his skill and ability will lead him to another promising endeavor.”
ESPN’s announcement came two years after 56-year-old Olbermann returned to the network years after his tumultuous but star-making stint as a co-host of “SportsCenter” that ended bitterly in 1997.
In between, he abruptly quit his political talk show on MSNBC after eight years and joined Current TV but was taken off the air after just a year. He filed a lawsuit, which was settled out of court.
The 56-year-old Olbermann was a “SportsCenter” anchor on ESPN from 1992-97. He went on to work for Fox Sports (1998-01) and switched to news with MSNBC (2003-11) and Current TV (2011-12) before returning to ESPN. He also was part of NBC’s NFL coverage for the 2007-09 seasons.
