Josh Pate Signs ESPN Deal for Friday Show After Turning $75,000 CBS Break Into IP Control
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 17
Josh Pate Signs ESPN Deal for Friday Show After Turning $75,000 CBS Break Into IP Control
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 17
Summary
ESPN signed Josh Pate to co-host a Friday afternoon college football TV show this fall with Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, extending the podcast host’s reach beyond his industry-leading digital platform.
Pate said the expansion rests on a strategy he began in 2020: sticking almost exclusively to college football during COVID-19, which helped his show scale quickly, turn profitable and avoid heavy executive interference.
A 2022 contract fight with CBS proved pivotal, as Pate rejected a richer long-term offer to secure intellectual-property ownership instead; he now says he owns the company, the YouTube channel and the podcast feeds.
That control marks a sharp rise from his earlier finances: Pate said he made just over $27,000 in Columbus, Georgia, was evicted, then viewed a $75,000 CBS deal in 2020 as hitting the lottery.
Pate said he now declines some sponsorship and influencer offers to avoid overexposure, underscoring how ownership and selectivity have become central to his growing college football media business.