SportsMax signs off as Zone crew and Oliver McIntosh salute 23-year Caribbean broadcast run

The SportsMax Zone’s last programme brought forward tributes from producers, interns-turned-staff and on-air figures who framed the outlet as a training ground and a cross-island conversation space as the SportsMax operation wound down.

One team member likened the programme to West Indies cricket in how it knitted the region together, citing daily prep for live discussion—sometimes sharp-edged—and friendships they planned to keep through saved contacts. A producer who spent roughly a year there thanked viewers and said learning, drive and lasting moments defined the stint, noting the wider shutdown while insisting the imprint on Caribbean sport and on them would remain.

Another recalled arriving in 2021 as an intern, working through an Olympic cycle, then joining full-time and growing into producing, commentary and writing. They pointed to Phil Riley and Mr Edwards as strong influences on that path.

A separate voice tied exacting standards to leadership under “Sir Lance” and Ricardo, describing late-afternoon hours as a daily push to top the previous show and calling pride in the team the strongest takeaway. Someone else spoke about early nerves feeding live graphics and video inserts, then growing steadier through collaboration.

On set, a host with about two dozen years at the company retraced a slogan that began as “no games, just sports” in a tiny room, then shifted toward round-the-clock service for fans across the Caribbean at international-level expectation. The arc included off-screen events such as Guinea Street Football and a World Cup-era Kingston restaurant also named SportsMax Zone, later adapted into television after starting as a CBA-linked fan experience for the 2010 tournament.

A colleague read a statement for Oliver McIntosh, identified as former chair and chief executive across roughly two decades from a 2002 launch. McIntosh called the final episode bittersweet, saluted co-founders Chris Daring and Pat Russo alongside early risk-taking, and mapped growth from a borrowed Halburn Road room to later Trinidad Terrace and Charas Avenue / Molynes Road premises. He highlighted coverage that reached from Jamaica to St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Elizabeth cricket, Arima-area football, Bridgetown track, and major global leagues and tournaments, crediting the Zone as the hub that bundled regional angles with fan debate.

McIntosh thanked named on-air and production figures including Mariah, Lance, Ricardo, Donald, George, Alexis, Simon, Alex and Joel, recalled scepticism about a 90-minute talk format that nonetheless won an audience, and quoted the late chairman Pat Russo: “just tell them Pat Russo said that.” He framed the closure as change rather than defeat.

Presenters stressed a pan-Caribbean outlook—equal excitement for Grenada, Bahamas or Jamaican champions—and cited small-territory stories such as Anguilla and St Vincent and the Grenadines getting airtime. A note from Anguilla contributor Ben Davis said he was still processing the news, added that “Tany Lee didn’t know my Manchester United connections either, so that’s not the reason he got the job,” and wished the team future collaborations.

Others described steep learning curves, mentoring interns largely from NCU around Olympic assignments, and gratitude to viewers for pushing higher standards. A closing remark spotlighted Daniel Allen, who joined in 2021 as a COVID marshal and advanced to studio director before a final team thank-you and sign-off.