TMC
06-01-2024, 11:25 PM
https://www.si.com/more-sports/spelling-bee-needs-new-network-espn-ion
The Scripps Spelling Bee needs to air on a different network during a slow sports night.
Jimmy Traina | May 31, 2024
1. Did you know the Scripps National Spelling Bee took place Thursday night?
I’m guessing you did not.
Ever since the Spelling Bee moved from ESPN to Ion (https://www.google.com/search?q=Spelling+Bee+moved+from+ESPN+to+Ion+in+2022&oq=Spelling+Bee+moved+from+ESPN+to+Ion+in+2022&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDgwMWowajE1qAIIsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#ip=1) in 2022, the event has gotten lost in the shuffle.
The Spelling Bee has the potential to be a great television event. First off, it needs to air on a real network, not Ion. Nobody does promotion better than ESPN, so it’s a shame the World Wide Leader lost the rights a few years ago after airing the competition for 27 years. But there are a bunch of other outlets, from network to cable to streaming, that would give the Bee a much-needed viewership boost.
Secondly, the Spelling Bee is the PERFECT event to air on a slow sports night. Thursday featured the Mavs-Timberwolves game, an NHL playoff game and some MLB games. The Spelling Bee should air on one of the dead nights during the MLB All-Star break. Or on a slow night in February. Or a night in August before the NFL gets started.
The reason why I’d love to see the Spelling Bee moved to a network with massive visibility and to a night where it can dominate viewership is because we have so few events now that the country watches together.
Before Twitter became the cesspool that it is (https://www.google.com/search?q=Before+Twitter+became+the+cesspool+that+it+is&oq=Before+Twitter+became+the+cesspool+that+it+is&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigAdIBCTU2ODNqMGoxNagCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8), one of the best things about the social media service was watching things like awards shows, TV specials or a show’s season finale with everyone else.
Nobody watches TV like that anymore. Thanks to streaming and apps, people don’t have to watch anything live. They can watch whatever they want whenever they want.
The Spelling Bee is the rare event that would get people to tune in due to word of mouth. It would become the rare communal event in 2024.
You have to watch it live.
Thursday night, the Spelling Bee went to a lightning-round tiebreaker and 12-year-old seventh grader, Bruhat Soma, came out on top.
Sounds awesome. It would’ve been fun to watch it with everyone else.
The Scripps Spelling Bee needs to air on a different network during a slow sports night.
Jimmy Traina | May 31, 2024
1. Did you know the Scripps National Spelling Bee took place Thursday night?
I’m guessing you did not.
Ever since the Spelling Bee moved from ESPN to Ion (https://www.google.com/search?q=Spelling+Bee+moved+from+ESPN+to+Ion+in+2022&oq=Spelling+Bee+moved+from+ESPN+to+Ion+in+2022&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDgwMWowajE1qAIIsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#ip=1) in 2022, the event has gotten lost in the shuffle.
The Spelling Bee has the potential to be a great television event. First off, it needs to air on a real network, not Ion. Nobody does promotion better than ESPN, so it’s a shame the World Wide Leader lost the rights a few years ago after airing the competition for 27 years. But there are a bunch of other outlets, from network to cable to streaming, that would give the Bee a much-needed viewership boost.
Secondly, the Spelling Bee is the PERFECT event to air on a slow sports night. Thursday featured the Mavs-Timberwolves game, an NHL playoff game and some MLB games. The Spelling Bee should air on one of the dead nights during the MLB All-Star break. Or on a slow night in February. Or a night in August before the NFL gets started.
The reason why I’d love to see the Spelling Bee moved to a network with massive visibility and to a night where it can dominate viewership is because we have so few events now that the country watches together.
Before Twitter became the cesspool that it is (https://www.google.com/search?q=Before+Twitter+became+the+cesspool+that+it+is&oq=Before+Twitter+became+the+cesspool+that+it+is&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigAdIBCTU2ODNqMGoxNagCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8), one of the best things about the social media service was watching things like awards shows, TV specials or a show’s season finale with everyone else.
Nobody watches TV like that anymore. Thanks to streaming and apps, people don’t have to watch anything live. They can watch whatever they want whenever they want.
The Spelling Bee is the rare event that would get people to tune in due to word of mouth. It would become the rare communal event in 2024.
You have to watch it live.
Thursday night, the Spelling Bee went to a lightning-round tiebreaker and 12-year-old seventh grader, Bruhat Soma, came out on top.
Sounds awesome. It would’ve been fun to watch it with everyone else.