Ex-ESPN on-air personality Skip Bayless has transitioned over to Fox Sports 1 with a new show: Undisputed, and way fatter pockets.
From a reliable source: Fox Sports is paying Skip Bayless in neighborhood of $5.5 million per for four years, plus a $4M signing bonus.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) April 28, 2016
ESPN reportedly offered Bayless around $4M a year to renew his contract, however according to Bayless; the substantial offer had come too late to stay at the Worldwide Leader, after being low-balled throughout his 12 years with the company.
Skip touched on the topic via a recent recode podcast episode:
“By what I was giving them, I was poorly paid,” Bayless told host Peter Kafka. “I was the most underpaid on-air talent at ESPN for 12 years—that’s my opinion. Not in the end, they came around, but that went on for a long time.”
Hate him or love him, chances are you have an opinion and/or watch him, therefor Skip’s value is sky high these days.
It remains to be seen if Undisputed will close the ratings gap on the daytime juggernaut that is ESPN: First Take, but Skip seems 100% comfortable betting the farm on himself here.