Sinclair buying Tennis Channel for $350M

[mvcg66b3r]

WSJ Report: Sinclair Covets Tennis Channel

Sinclair Broadcast Group is interested in acquiring the Tennis Channel, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The story says the owners are seeking more than $500 million for the network, which reaches some 35 million TV homes.

For more, go to the Journal (subscription required).

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/88601/wsj-report-sinclair-covets-tennis-channel

 

[Mediafrog+]

I don't have access to the linked article, but you can bet the channel would be relaunched as a further to the rightwing rival to Fox News. I am quite sure that Sinclair has no interest in tennis. This is all about acquiring distribution infrastructure.

 

[umfan]

I'm inclined to agree, but the channel is not worth $500M. I think it would be a questionable investment. In addition to Fox, NEWSMAX already has a fledging network and the Tennis Channel does not enjoy wide clearance. Now if Sinclair were to start with an all news Diginet, that would be interesting.

 

[KTN Corp]

This is all about acquiring distribution infrastructure.

Well, Turner should have acquired WeatherNation TV and pulled the plug on Headline News to be a rival to The Weather Channel. On the Houston Xfinity system, HLN is on Ch. 26 and TWC is on Ch. 27; right next to each other.

Tennis Channel is not a widely distributed channel. It's not even on the mainstream tiers in the Houston Xfinity system; you would have to subscribe to the Sports Entertainment Package or Digital Premiere, which includes the Sports Entertainment package along with HBO, Cinemax, and the channels from the lower tiers.

Fox Business was able to get on the basic digital channels because of News Corp's clout and capital. I doubt Sinclair would be able to get it even on a mid-level digital tier (e.g. Digital Preferred: EWTN, NASA, Nat Geo WILD!, et al.).

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Plunging deeper into programming, Sinclair Broadcast Group has signed a definitive agreement to buy The Tennis Channel for $350 million, the station group announced Wednesday afternoon.

Sinclair said that it has already signed distribution agreements with MVPDs that will stretch the network's household reach from 30 million homes to 50 million.

Sinclair said the purchase price is partially offset by the network's $200 million in net operating losses, which Sinclair will be able to carry forward to reduce its taxes and save it around $65 million.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close by the end of March.

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/91877/sinclair-buying-tennis-channel-for-350m

 

[JayR]

Looks like Sinclair has found a new platform for its ASN programming...

If it means adding "Ring of Honor" to its programming then I'm sold!

 

[CTListener]

If it means adding "Ring of Honor" to its programming then I'm sold!

But ... but .... wrestling's results are predetermined, while tennis' integrity has never been -- oops, never mind.

 

[umfan]

I presume they have a plan for this because the Tennis Channel in its current state will never make dollar one!

 

[FreddyE1977]

WrestleMania with Serena Williams participating. I can see it.

 

[JeeperOne]

Umm I hate to say this BUT NHL Network is FAR more popular than Tennis Channel is (And NHL Network HARDLY has the caliber of programming its NFL & MLB counterparts & NBA TV have)

Sad state of affairs I know but it's true.....

Cheers & 73

 

[CTListener]

Tennis Channel shows a lot of tennis at all hours of the day, which must please the tennis-obsessed, but let's face it, the tennis-obsessed are often the only viewers for the early rounds of tournaments -- which is what TC is usually stuck with. The casual fan is only interested in the majors -- the ultra-casual only Wimbledon and the US Open -- so that's an awful lot of programming that hardly anyone is going to want to watch. Classic matches, instructional series, talk shows --- those all help, but you're still talking about a sport that's an even smaller niche than golf.

 

[TheBigA]

They talk about using their broadcast stations to promote the channel, but broadcast rights of the various championships are usually pretty restricting. I can't imagine they'll be able to broadcast much of the channel content, or if they can, that it'll be big ratings getters. They own a station in DC, so coverage of early rounds of the championship there is possible.

 

[CTListener]

They talk about using their broadcast stations to promote the channel, but broadcast rights of the various championships are usually pretty restricting. I can't imagine they'll be able to broadcast much of the channel content, or if they can, that it'll be big ratings getters. They own a station in DC, so coverage of early rounds of the championship there is possible.

All those matches are already available on the Internet via ESPN3/WatchESPN. Tennis Channel's coverage window is only cable-exclusive. Again, though, early round matches are usually Serena vs. a no-name and Roger vs. a no-name. Come to think of it, to the general public, they're facing no-names right up to the semifinals or finals. I've been following tennis for years. I'll watch Djokovic vs. a Gael Monfils or Williams vs. a Simona Halep, but not many others are going to be attracted to that.

 

[JayR]

Looks like Sinclair has found a new platform for its ASN programming...

If it means adding "Ring of Honor" to its programming then I'm sold!

In relation to ASN: "Ring of Honor" has been added to the American Sports Network, except that it's titled "ROH Rewind" and it airs late Monday nights/early Tuesday mornings at midnight and 1am; it must be the previous weeks' airing of the program.

 

[Kelly A]

Ah, the dangers of having multiple credit lines and PE financing sources.. The euphoria of rapid growth eventually becomes a massive headache.

 

[TheBigA]

It's the American way.

 

[mvcg66b3r]

Tennis Channel to be the exclusive cable home of the French Open

Tennis Channel has announced that it will have exclusive cable coverage of the French Open. From 2007 through 2015, it had an agreement with ESPN that allowed the Worldwide Leader to pick up coverage on ESPN2 through the women’s semifinals. Last year, ESPN announced that it would no longer air the French Open as it carried the first five hours of coverage each weekday morning before giving way to Tennis Channel and did not have the pick of the more attractive matches.

Tennis Channel had been in talks with other networks like NBCSN to sublicense coverage, but with a new owner in Sinclair Broadcast Group, it decided to go alone and carry all of the matches in its contract. It means Tennis Channel will begin its daily coverage at 5 a.m. ET and continue through to the men’s and women’s semifinals. Tennis Channel owns rights to the French Open through 2023.

Tennis Channel will have rights to weekday coverage, morning matches on the weekend before giving way to NBC in the afternoon, all men’s and women’s quarterfinal matches, one women’s semifinal simulcast with NBC and one men’s semifinal.

ESPN’s decision to drop out was due to ratings which were low and the fact that its studio programming of First Take and others did better. Last year, ESPN2 averaged 267,000 viewers for the French. That was an improvement from 2014 which had a low of 233,000 viewers, but still was off from a three-year high of 298,000 in 2013.

It means that ESPN can no longer promote itself as the Grand Slam network, but it continues to own rights to the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, all of which are aired from beginning to end on the Worldwide Leader’s Family of Networks.

The French is the only tournament that remains on broadcast television as NBC airs weekend coverage plus one men’s and women’s semifinal along with the men’s and women’s finals.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2016/ten...-exclusive-cable-home-of-the-french-open.html

 

[CTListener]

http://awfulannouncing.com/2016/ten...-exclusive-cable-home-of-the-french-open.html

To be honest, the French Open, on slow red clay, is often pretty boring viewing, with lots of long baseline rallies and few spectacular shots. Still, it's hard to grow interest in the sport when one of its major tournaments will now be buried on a channel that cable systems offer only as part of a premier-tier sports package. Would Sinclair be willing to accept less for it? Probably not.

 

[umfan]

Only the most hard core of tennis fans would watch the preliminary rounds anyway. The finals will be on broadcast TV. I suspect Sinclair intends to broaden the content on the channel in time. A channel devoted to tennis just isn't a worthy venture.

 

[CTListener]

Only the most hard core of tennis fans would watch the preliminary rounds anyway. The finals will be on broadcast TV. I suspect Sinclair intends to broaden the content on the channel in time. A channel devoted to tennis just isn't a worthy venture.

Do you mean with programming unrelated to tennis? The Golf Channel seems to be hanging in there keeping it 100 percent golf -- either live or recorded tournaments or historical/instructional shows. Why wouldn't The Tennis Channel be able to succeed with the same approach, which is, in fact, what it's doing right now? Isn't golf without Tiger Woods to draw the non-hardcores pretty much the same level of niche sport that tennis is?