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D-Day for ESPN

F

fatbastard

Guest
Today is the deadline for ESPN to match OLN's $100 million
offer for NHL rights. Personally, I don't think they will but
who knows...Comments? Predidctions?
 
> Today is the deadline for ESPN to match OLN's $100 million
> offer for NHL rights. Personally, I don't think they will
> but
> who knows...Comments? Predidctions?
>
I sure hope they don't match it...the more college basketball on ESPN, the better.
 
> > Today is the deadline for ESPN to match OLN's $100 million
>
> > offer for NHL rights. Personally, I don't think they will
> > but
> > who knows...Comments? Predidctions?
> >
> I sure hope they don't match it...the more college
> basketball on ESPN, the better.
>
*yawn*....... NEXT....
 
> Today is the deadline for ESPN to match OLN's $100 million
> offer for NHL rights. Personally, I don't think they will
> but who knows...Comments? Predidctions?

I hope ESPN passes on the NHL just so we'll get a chance to see what Comcast will do with expanded programming on any future incarnation of OLN. Having another alternative to the sports Goliath is not a bad thing. A fresh approach will be...well...refreshing.

That said, ESPN would be smart to stay with the increased college basketball coverage that replaced the NHL. I love hockey, but I also admit it is a ratings turkey in most of the country. Passionate fans can still purchase NHLCI.
 
> Today is the deadline for ESPN to match OLN's $100 million
> offer for NHL rights. Personally, I don't think they will
> but
> who knows...Comments? Predidctions?
>

I can see Mark Shapiro's office this afternoon in my head. I imagine the conversation is going something like this:

Shapiro: "Should we spend $100 million on a series that will give us a 0.2 rating three times a week or air a rerun of Poker for free."

Staffer #1: "Poker."

Staffer #2: "We'll need that $100 million for baseball rights next year."

Staffer #3: "And for Joe Theismann's hair-care products."

Shapiro: "Poker it is, then. Send Bettman a fruit basket."
 
> I sure hope they don't match it...the more college
> basketball on ESPN, the better.

And for those of us who couldn't care less about college basketball, OLN might provide some nice counterprogramming.
 
> *yawn*....... NEXT....

And the people who don't like college basketball, although it's your choice, should take a look at the ratings it racks in. If I had a choice between NHL, which has a LOT of work to do overall, and College Basketball, I wouldn't need to flip a coin or an additional second to make a choice. The NHL gets trounced.

As they should.
 
> Today is the deadline for ESPN to match OLN's $100 million
> offer for NHL rights. Personally, I don't think they will
> but
> who knows...Comments? Predidctions?
>

IMO, ESPN will not match the offer, and everyone can move on. Comcast's willingness to commit to the league,(and perhaps to other sports properties) and give OLN a chance for greater exposure, will benefit all sides.
A consistent, twice-a-week schedule on OLN sounds better than ESPN's approach of covering games on whatever night they didn't have college hooops.
The only complaint might be the absence of some top-notch ESPN hockey commentators, like Bill Clement, Gary Thorne, and Barry Melrose. Wonder if Comcast would be willing to go after any of those guys, or work on developing some 'hidden talent' they already have on their regional channels?
There was a noticeable step up in announcing quality when the NHL went from Sportschannel to ESPN in the early '90s.Hopefully Comcast will find a way to keep that standard high.
 
> > *yawn*....... NEXT....
>
> And the people who don't like college basketball, although
> it's your choice, should take a look at the ratings it racks
> in. If I had a choice between NHL, which has a LOT of work
> to do overall, and College Basketball, I wouldn't need to
> flip a coin or an additional second to make a choice. The
> NHL gets trounced.
>
> As they should.
>

The college basketball games that replaced the NHL last year got much higher ratings. When your playoffs are getting beat by "Full House" reruns as was the case with a conference final game in the 2003-04 Stanley Cup Playoffs, you have got SERIOUS problems. I can see losing to "Cheers" or "Sanford and Son" reruns, but "Full House"?!?!!?
 
> I can see Mark Shapiro's office this afternoon in my head. I
> imagine the conversation is going something like this:
>
> Shapiro: "Should we spend $100 million on a series that will
> give us a 0.2 rating three times a week or air a rerun of
> Poker for free."

If you haven't heard yet, Shapiro is leaving ESPN on October 1st to
take a job of running Red Zone, a company owned by Washington Redskins idiot
owner Daniel Snyder. Shapiro is said to be out of the loop on the
decision to keep or let NHL walk to OLN.

ESPN's match deadline is midnight tonight. NHL has already
scheduled a conference call for tomorrow morning. My bet ESPN will
overpay for no-rating hockey just to keep Comcast from getting
their foot into all-sports business door.

>
> Staffer #1: "Poker."
>
> Staffer #2: "We'll need that $100 million for baseball
> rights next year."
>
> Staffer #3: "And for Joe Theismann's hair-care products."
>
> Shapiro: "Poker it is, then. Send Bettman a fruit basket."
>
 
> > > *yawn*....... NEXT....
> >
> > And the people who don't like college basketball, although
>
> > it's your choice, should take a look at the ratings it
> racks
> > in. If I had a choice between NHL, which has a LOT of
> work
> > to do overall, and College Basketball, I wouldn't need to
> > flip a coin or an additional second to make a choice. The
>
> > NHL gets trounced.
> >
> > As they should.
> >
>
> The college basketball games that replaced the NHL last year
> got much higher ratings. When your playoffs are getting
> beat by "Full House" reruns as was the case with a
> conference final game in the 2003-04 Stanley Cup Playoffs,
> you have got SERIOUS problems. I can see losing to "Cheers"
> or "Sanford and Son" reruns, but "Full House"?!?!!?
>

When you have a live sports product that is beaten by reruns of the Simpsons,
You've got problems. That Newlywed Game-style Teammates show on ESPN was God-awful, but it beat NHL playoff games from the year previous. Hockey just doesn't look good or play well on TV. It's a spectator sport, meaning tails in the stands paying admission.

The TVGuide channel should put in a bid for the NHL too. That way, they can paste the listings for the evening on board around the rink......Oh, that's right, they don't want to do listings anymore.
 
The issue for ESPN is:

Either pay more than the NHL is probably worth, or see OLN become a full-fledged rival to ESPN.

If OLN's bold strategy wins it the NHL (as reports at this writing are speculating), you can bet that OLN parent Comcast will prepare three more "eye-popping" bids:

One would capture the Thursday/Saturday NFL cable package.

The second would capture the entire NASCAR Nextel Cup stock-car season beginning whenever the current Fox/NBC contracts expire (which I think will be after the 2007 season, although I'm not 100% certain).

And the third would take away all of Major League Baseball, including postseason games.

Don't bet against OLN/Comcast making such mind-boggling offers.

With the costs of rebuilding it's cable systems having been paid for, new revenues from all those expanded services (Internet, on-demand, digital cable, phone over cable-TV lines, etc.) will flow into Comcast's coffers, which could give the company enough money to make the "knockout" bids outlined above.
 
> The issue for ESPN is:
>
> Either pay more than the NHL is probably worth, or see OLN
> become a full-fledged rival to ESPN.
>
> If OLN's bold strategy wins it the NHL (as reports at this
> writing are speculating), you can bet that OLN parent
> Comcast will prepare three more "eye-popping" bids:
>
> One would capture the Thursday/Saturday NFL cable package.
>

From what I'm told, soliciting an offer from OLN is only a formality. The NFL Network is likely to get those games. ESPN has backed out of negogiations because the difference in ratings between their Thursday night NFL games and their Thuirsday night college football games wasn't enough to justify the cost.

> The second would capture the entire NASCAR Nextel Cup
> stock-car season beginning whenever the current Fox/NBC
> contracts expire (which I think will be after the 2007
> season, although I'm not 100% certain).
>

It ends after the 2007 season. Fox has already finalized a deal for the first half and exclusive rights to the Daytona 500. NBC is in the final stages of negogiations for the second half, likely without TNT as a partner. They may sell some events to ESPN. Expect an announcement soon.

> And the third would take away all of Major League Baseball,
> including postseason games.

Despite the gloom and doom coming from both sides, ESPN will retain the rights they hold, in much the same form.

>
> Don't bet against OLN/Comcast making such mind-boggling
> offers.

I'm not betting against them offering, but I don't see the current rights holders allowing them to become much of a player.
 
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