Sinclair looks to sell 30 percent of their TV stations and the Tennis Channel

[Mgomrjsurf]

KRCG to Hearst or Gray or Scripps or Nextstar with a Twist sharing people with KC station.

 

[CTListener]

In my opinion, it is a lot like niche channels that feature classic NBA games, or classic golf. One you've watched particular games you fondly remember, you're done.

Except it carries at least eight, sometimes more, hours of live tennis just about every day. It also carries French Open action that's not aired on NBC or Peacock. (The French Open is the only one of the four majors that doesn't belong to ESPN.) Obviously, Peacock could simply pick up the TC matches, but what becomes of all the other tournaments besides the big four. Right now, live action from the Italian Open (final tournament before the French) is on both Tennis Channel and T2. If no other broadcasting entity wants to take TC off Sinclair's hands, I guess the ATP and WTA (governing bodies for men's and women's tennis) will just have to stream the rest of the tennis season themselves, probably through some sort of subscription package. That's no way to grow the game, but then, it may just be dying on its own.

 

[Kelly A]

Except it carries at least eight, sometimes more, hours of live tennis just about every day. It also carries French Open action that's not aired on NBC or Peacock.

And the rest of the time it's airing, what? There's a whole seven days per week to program. One can't build a specialty network based on a small handful of major events, and watching some lower-ranking tennis or classic matches probably doesn't garner an audience in numbers that would be appealing to national advertisers. In this day and age of video on demand, appointment-viewing via a specialized cable channel just isn't a thing to most viewers.

If no other broadcasting entity wants to take TC off Sinclair's hands, I guess the ATP and WTA (governing bodies for men's and women's tennis) will just have to stream the rest of the tennis season themselves, probably through some sort of subscription package. That's no way to grow the game, but then, it may just be dying on its own.

If the sport doesn't have controversy, world rivalries, or dyed-in-the-wool fans (beer and burgers), then national advertisers aren't going to support a 24/7 channel. It's a lot like the challenges RSNs are facing. Coincidentally, Sinclair has been burned by both.

 

[TheBigA]

It's a lot like the challenges RSNs are facing. Coincidentally, Sinclair has been burned by both.

Just like the RSNs. These things make sense in the world of cable subscriptions. Once cord cutting kicked in, the model no longer works.

 

[CTListener]

And the rest of the time it's airing, what? There's a whole seven days per week to program.

Tennis tournaments run seven days a week. After one event ends on Sunday, the road show moves on to the next stop -- or stops, as there are often multiple tournaments running in the same week. The hours during which no live tennis is being played are filled with, as you say, "classic" matches or highlights of that day's action, along with infomercials. Tennis has a brief off-season of part of November and all of December, and all programming then is prerecorded.

The league-owned MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL channels deal with their off-seasons in a similar fashion. I don't imagine too many people watch the MLB Network in January, or the NHL Network in August, and advertising during those dead periods must cost much less than in-season advertising, but there's never any talk about taking those networks dark.

 

[TheBigA]

Advertising during those dead periods must cost much less than in-season advertising, but there's never any talk about taking those networks dark.

The NFL has been talking about a deal with ESPN. But yes, there's a lot of filler in the off season. Just like The Weather Channel. Nobody watches on clear sunshiny days. But when hurricanes or tornadoes hit, it becomes one of the most-watched channels. They budget accordingly.

Exclusive | ESPN, NFL in advanced talks on agreement that could give league stake in TV giant

If an agreement goes through, NFL Media, which includes NFL Network, would fall under the Disney umbrella.

nypost.com

 

[DarrenVision]

The NFL has been talking about a deal with ESPN. But yes, there's a lot of filler in the off season. Just like The Weather Channel. Nobody watches on clear sunshiny days. But when hurricanes or tornadoes hit, it becomes one of the most-watched channels. They budget accordingly.

Exclusive | ESPN, NFL in advanced talks on agreement that could give league stake in TV giant

If an agreement goes through, NFL Media, which includes NFL Network, would fall under the Disney umbrella.

nypost.com

Wait wheres Hearst btw, isn't Hearst the minority shareholder with ESPN? I would be surpising if Hearst might making options for their TV assets.

 

[Kelly A]

Tennis tournaments run seven days a week. After one event ends on Sunday, the road show moves on to the next stop -- or stops, as there are often multiple tournaments running in the same week. The hours during which no live tennis is being played are filled with, as you say, "classic" matches or highlights of that day's action, along with infomercials. Tennis has a brief off-season of part of November and all of December, and all programming then is prerecorded.

So again, during the downtime like other niche cable channels and RSN's, they're probably running Emerald Legassi portable appliance paid programming or the history of Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King. Either way, even a few tennis aficionados aren't going to watch matches that have no sizzle to the steak. They can always do that VOD at their leisure. That, and there just apparently not enough of cable appointment viewers to support advertisers that support a network.

All this is why Tennis Channel is a medium-sized black hole that sucks money in and gives nothing back to its owner. Also likely a reason media companies aren't falling all over themselves to grab this channel up. Most already know that whatever they would pay for it will be too much, and the risk is the money-sucking black hole grows larger.

The league-owned MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL channels deal with their off-seasons in a similar fashion. I don't imagine too many people watch the MLB Network in January, or the NHL Network in August, and advertising during those dead periods must cost much less than in-season advertising, but there's never any talk about taking those networks dark.

I'd bet The Tennis Channel probably has a dedicated audience in the U.S. of less than half of the MLB or NHL channels individually. Both the MLB and NHL cable channels are supported by the leagues. Much of the tennis appeal is international, not just the U.S., and the USTA has shown zero interest in supporting a dedicated tennis cable channel.

I could go on, but you get the idea. It goes back to what I said at first: If a business division is a money loser, the owner will want to get rid of it. Anymore with the pressures on media, any form of media, you won't find companies racking up expensive debt on the hunch that even after all the years of losing money, some cable channel will be discovered by the masses and grow. Doesn't happen.
Byron Allen made a similar mistake with the Weather Channel. He paid something like $300M for that cable channel, just in time to find out how much it cost to run, that increasing numbers of consumers use their phone for weather, cable cutting was increasing exponentially in speed, and advertising was going downhill like a roller coaster that never stops dropping.

 

[CaliRadioFan]

No, I'm thinking something like TBN. I don't know what larger religious groups own TV stations.

I can't see any of the networks wanting to lose an affiliate to TBN no matter how small a market.

 

[JeeperOne]

Well Sinclair shouldn't buy Bally Sports in the first place, Fox should've kept the RSNs in the first place if they wanna focus on Fox News and Fox Sports which Disney didn't acquire. Also Apollo has a radio business and they sold their Houston cluster to Urban One, so we'll see how it will plays out but the good news is the stations Sinclair is selling will not be doing baseless propaganda anymore if they go their local rival groups or the parents of the broadcasters. I'm sure KTUL or KTVL will be revived under new owners.

Fox couldn't keep the RSN's & get FS1 (And ultimately FS2) off the ground even though FS1 was the old Speed Channel which they managed (I forget what channel FS2 was before it became FS2 but it too was managed & programmed by Fox Sports)

 

[JeeperOne]

Are we thinking of statewide networks in some cases or in other cases merging with a larger TV market.

The smallest markets would have to merge together to form a statewide network like how all the major TV stations in Hawaii form a statewide network from their main offices in Honolulu.

There's only ONE statewide "Network" in Hawaii (Gray owned Hawaii News Now consisting of KFVE (MyNetwork TV), KGMB (CBS) & KHNL (NBC)). Nexstar owned KHON 2 (Fox) & Allen Media owned KITV 4 (ABC) are stand alone stations with their own translator networks

 

[JeeperOne]

Hawaii is a unique situation because it's one market spread over several islands. Anyone who bought stations from Sinclair would just be forming or growing a group, not necessarily a network.

Sinclair doesn't own anything in Hawaii

 

[JeeperOne]

Reading the article, surprised not to see Seattle (KOMO/ABC) potentially being sold along with KATU (ABC) Portland, OR which I could see especially considering how lukewarm they were about Sinclair taking over KOMO from Fisher.

Scripps would LOVE to have these two

 

[NYAZSporty]

There's only ONE statewide "Network" in Hawaii (Gray owned Hawaii News Now consisting of KFVE (MyNetwork TV), KGMB (CBS) & KHNL (NBC)). Nexstar owned KHON 2 (Fox) & Allen Media owned KITV 4 (ABC) are stand alone stations with their own translator networks

Nexstar back in 2018, acquired what was then KFVE, now KHII (still a MyNetwork TV affiliate), & they have CW on KHON's 2.2 subchannel.

 

[Kelly A]

Sinclair doesn't own anything in Hawaii

I never claimed Sinclair did. Read what I said in context. Two different points.

 

[Mgomrjsurf]

Tennis tournaments run seven days a week. After one event ends on Sunday, the road show moves on to the next stop -- or stops, as there are often multiple tournaments running in the same week. The hours during which no live tennis is being played are filled with, as you say, "classic" matches or highlights of that day's action, along with infomercials. Tennis has a brief off-season of part of November and all of December, and all programming then is prerecorded.

The league-owned MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL channels deal with their off-seasons in a similar fashion. I don't imagine too many people watch the MLB Network in January, or the NHL Network in August, and advertising during those dead periods must cost much less than in-season advertising, but there's never any talk about taking those networks dark.

Hall of Fame announcement in January MLB.

 

[Mark Roberts]

KRCG to Hearst or Gray or Scripps or Nextstar with a Twist sharing people with KC station.

Unless it came as a package with KHQA and KTVO, I have my doubts. Also keep in mind the competitive environment in the Columbia-Jefferson City market. The NBC affiliate is owned by the state university and can leverage free/cheap student labor for class credits; the ABC and Fox affiliates are owned by NPG, in that company's home state. It's a tough environment.

 

[Lester_the_NightFly]

Since Sinclair is the biggest supporter for ATSC 3.0, will the affect the push for more stations to move to the new HD TV standard?

 

[Don CT]

Tennis Channel is as good as dead now that they lost the French Open.

 

[PrevueTalk]

and Bally Sports is now either going to be Fanduel Sports or Amazon Sports or a 3rd option is rumoured: Revert the names to denationalize the RSN of Diamond