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Berson of Interest

New CBS Sports C.E.O. David Berson rips a page from McManus playbook, predicts more of the (lucrative) same, and says “Nothing to see here” about Esiason and Simms as Paramount’s deal-or-no-deal drama continues.

super bowl LVIII kansas city chiefs patrick mahomes
Despite the angst surrounding the Paramount deal, CBS produced the most watched program in television history with February’s Super Bowl; racked up the largest NFL audience in 25 years; and broadcast the Final Four, the Masters and the PGA Championship. Photo: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images
John Ourand
May 20, 2024

Under Sean McManus’s nearly three-decade tenure, CBS Sports was known for stability, boasting the longest and deepest relationships in the business. And as I’ve noted in the past, this was also the leitmotif of McManus’s drama-free succession plan. David Berson, who ascended to the top job last month after his old boss’s retirement, had been McManus’s heir apparent for some 13 years, fully ensconced in one of the industry’s great partnerships.