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ESPN Is Reportedly Considering A Big Change To 'Pardon The Interruption'

Originally posted on The Spun | By Matt Hladik | Last updated Dec 17, 2024 1:20 PM ET

ESPN's late afternoon television schedule will look quite different starting in the summer of 2025.

Last month, the New York Post reported that ESPN was canceling Around the Horn after more than two decades of operation. The popular show, which has been airing since 2002, will cease production next summer, leaving a half-hour hole in ESPN's broadcasting schedule.

A new report from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic indicates that the network is considering filling that half hour with an expanded edition of Pardon the Interruption.

"ESPN has made overtures to expand the long-running hit featuring Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon from a half-hour to an hour," Marchand wrote.

"ESPN is still in the process of figuring out what it will do next in regards to the weekday 5 p.m. timeslot, but this is one of its top ideas. When reached, the network declined to comment."

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08, 2016: ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon looks on prior to Game 3 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on June 08, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by: 2016 Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

PTI debuted in 2001 and has been co-hosted by Kornheiser, 76, and Wilbon, 66, since its inception. The show, which currently airs at 5:30 p.m. ET after Around the Horn, remains popular.

“It’s easy to hear this news and speculate about the future of ‘PTI,’ especially now that Mike and Tony are rarely in the same studio and both pushing deeper into the golfing phases of their careers,” Puck's John Ourand wrote last month in his Varsity newsletter. “But my Bristol sources insist ‘PTI’ will continue to anchor ESPN’s afternoon block for the foreseeable future.”

Kornheiser and Wilbon are definitely among the more "old school" voices on ESPN, but they have built a strong following over the last 23 years and that hasn't changed.

Because of their status and wealth of experience, the pair also has great freedom to speak on hot button issues, which likely further increases its appeal to both viewers and ESPN decision makers.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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