In what is claimed to be a cost-cutting move, Keith Olbermann is once again on his way out of ESPN.
The move was reportedly a business-related issue as ESPN was directed of the decision to try and cut close to $100 million of next year’s budget and $250 million in 2017 by Disney.
It was however made clear that the decision to sever ties with Olbermann was a business decision and not a result of a dispute. His contract is set to expire this coming July 31.
This reasoning is seen as something to clear the recent commentary issue tied up with Olbermann.
Both sides had reportedly undergone contract renewal talks though it was far from amicable. The Hollywood Reporter bares that ESPN had wanted Olbermann to cease from delivering commentary, a condition tied up with his contract renewal.
All this was denied by ESPN, saying that the network had never placed limits as to what Olbermann could do commentary on.
"Keith Olbermann has never been told any topic is off limits for his commentary nor has continuation of it been part of any conversation about his future at the company," stated the company.
ESPN made that clear though Olbermann has had some issues in the past. That includes being suspended last February for getting into a Twitter spat with some Penn State supporters. Other than though, Olbermann has avoided any other public disputes.
Despite those claims, there are other issues being linked to the Olbermann axing. One is because of the criticism he hurls toward the NFL, and the other of which is that his weekday show has not been necessarily doing well in the ratings game.
“Keith is a tremendous talent who has consistently done timely, entertaining and thought-provoking work since returning to ESPN,” the network said in a statement. “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.”
Known as a perpetual bridge burner in the past, Olbermann worked for ESPN in the 1990s as the anchor for ESPN SportCenter. The 56-year-old anchor also made some hops to MSNBC and Fox Sports before eventually returning to ESPN in 2013.
Though this development seems to be a stumbling block on Olbermann’s career, there are speculations that the soon-to-be available anchor could be returning to a former employer, MSNBC.
There is a possibility that Olbermann could return to analyze the 2016 presidential elections, a niche not entirely new to him considering that he did churn in his inputs during the Iraq war in 2000.
Olbermann reportedly got the news via Twitter (Jim Miller) who tweeted that Olbermann’s show was set to wrap up.