CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus expects to step down from his post in April of 2024, and will be replaced by David Berson, the president of the unit. McManus will wind up a tenure that had him overseeing some of the most prized sports properties in TV, as well as CBS News for a brief period.
“This is the best time to make the transition,” says McManus in an interview, noting that Berson has been in his role as president for about a decade and that CBS Sports’ rights portfolio is locked in for another ten years. “I think everyone feels really good about it and everyone feels really good about David taking it over.” McManus will get to preside over a unique Super Bowl experience — the company plans to have Nickelodeon offer a kids’ version of the CBS broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII — and one more Masters before stepping down permanently.
McManus has deep roots in the sports world — his father was the legendary broadcaster Jim McKay — and sets his departure as traditional media companies are navigating new pressures when it comes to maintaining their sports rights. The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL are on the hunt for new digital extensions that will help them reach younger consumers. At the same time, the leagues crave the big audiences that flock to traditional sports broadcasts. And they all continue to seek top dollar for their properties as sports prove to be one of the few formats that can gather a large simultaneous viewing audience. NBCUniversal last week named Rick Cordella, an executive with extensive digital experience, to lead NBC Sports.
“I knw how important sports are, not just to CBS Sports, but to Paramount and Paramount+, Nickelodeon, theatrical releases,” says McManus. “Sports contributes to all these different platforms and I think will continue to do so. Sports will be even more important in the years to come.”
He also logged a stint as head of CBS News, all the while maintaining his CBS Sports role. Among the things McManus had to manage was the constant scrutiny on “CBS Evening News” during Katie Couric’s tenure as anchor. Maintaining both jobs was a challenge, McManus says. “It really is a seven-days-a-week, 24-hours-a-day job,” he notes of the news responsibilities.
McManus has over the years developed strong ties with the NFL. During his tenure as a senior executive at CBS Sports, he has negotiated rights deals with the league on five occasions. The current pact between CBS and the NFL extends through the 2033 season. During his tenure, CBS enlisted Tony Romo to help its NFL team, creating a new sports-TV sensation, and setting off a new hunt by rivals — most notably ESPN — for NFL talent.
Meanwhile, Berson has supervised many of CBS Sports’ alignments with the streaming hub Paramount+ and has been involved in rights negotiations for another prized property: PGA Tour Golf. He has also been involved with the CBS Sports Network on cable and talent signings such as those for Romo, JJ Watt, and Nate Burleson.
One of the toughest deals McManus had to put together was one with the former Time Warner that would allow for joint coverage of the NCAA’s March Madness men’s basketball tournament. Under a landmark pact struck in He was also involved in setting up a pact with the former Time Warner in 2010 that allowed both CBS and cable networks including TBS ,TNT and Tru to cover the NCAA March Madness men’s basketball tournament. Those negotiations, “took the most creativity and flexibility,” says McManus, “because of the complexity of it.” Others will get to wade through the ins and outs of sports pacts for CBS in the future.
