Baseball eyes new $1 billion TV contract in off-season

[TMC]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...79U6ZO20111031

MLB's current deals with ESPN, Fox and TBS expire after the 2013 season, and sources said all three networks are likely to be involved in the next round of negotiations, which are expected to begin this off-season. These people said NBC Universal and CBS are also interested in joining the talks.

The dramatic climax to this season's World Series between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, coupled with the intense demand among networks for programing viewers watch live, should give MLB strong negotiating leverage in the next round of talks.

Ratings for this year's World Series, broadcast on Fox, were hardly blockbuster but still averaged 16.6 million viewers, up about 19 percent from last year, driven by a Game Six extra-inning comeback victory for the Cardinals that stoked interest in the team's Game 7 victory last week.

Analysts expect the price of a new deal to increase by 10 percent or more from the league's current contracts, which are estimated to be worth around $900 million annually.

The interest in baseball in not due to the World Series alone, however, as advertisers exhibited a strong appetite for commercial time throughout baseball's lengthy 182-game regular season and two rounds of league playoff series.

About NBC's fears in regards to the baseball postseason potentially interfering with Sunday Night Football, they could easily work it around by having games move over to the NBC Sports Network (currently Versus) just like TBS uses TNT as a backup for their baseball coverage. Also, Major League Baseball can easily work around the schedule for the World Series. In recent years, the World Series has started on I think a Tuesday or Wednesday rather than on the weekends.

NBC really has nothing to lose in regards to their prime time schedule. It's not like back in 1997, when they covered the World Series and the then West Coast President complained that the World Series was messing up their then highly rated "Must See TV" line-up. I think I read somewhere that they're still struggling in the 18-49 demographic this season. Networks need to to understand that major sporting events could have a positive effect by providing a major promotional tool for said shows.

I actually wouldn't be surprised if CBS did something with Turner. TBS produced two specials (one for the All-Star Break and another for the late season pennant drive) this year that aired on the CBS Sports Spectacular. The last time that CBS had baseball back in the early '90s, they wound up losing about $500 million after paying $1 billion for exclusive broadcasting rights (over ABC and NBC). CBS doesn't really have a whole lot of major or note worthy sports programming from around the end of March-beginning of April (like right after the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and the Masters) until September (when college football, the US Open tennis tournament, and the NFL starts).

[mets82]

It wouldnt shock me if NBC gets the package. They need to build up there sports division and NBC Sports Network. I dont think CBS because how would that work in the postseason with the NFL? Also, Im not sure CBS will pre-empt there fall shows that are number 1 like NCIS, CSI and Two and a Half Men.

[TMC]

I highly doubt that ABC will get MLB in the foreseeable future. It's in the past few years (at least, since 2006), become pretty apparent if not obvious that Disney and ESPN has tried to marginalize major sports programming on ABC. One of the big reasons (well, besides not being at the mercy of affiliates and being easier to make a profit on subcable fees than simply advertisers) why "ABC Sports" in the traditional sense was done away with was in order to not have to deal with union contracts anymore (which ESPN doesn't have to face). The powers that be at Disney (at least from what I read in that ESPN book from earlier this year) believe that since that have stuff like Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and what not, they really don't need NFL programming on ABC anymore.

[TMC]

http://awfulannouncing.com/2011-arti...-part-two.html

The End Of The MLB Blackout Policy & MLB On Fox

John Ourand predicts Major League Baseball will ditch Fox and either go exclusively with ESPN or a combination of ESPN and Turner. He also thinks NBC will be in the mix as well.

Baseball fans will largely embrace this possible move as Fox has long been teased for poor production and announcing talent covering America's pastime. In fact, during Fox's decade plus of broadcasting the World Series, the fall classic's ratings have actually been cut in half.

MLB leaving Fox is definitely what's best for the sport. However, what we're most interested in is the MLB Blackout policy that has long been a MAJOR source of discontent for fans. If you're unfamiliar with the blackout, rule here is an excerpt from the ridiculously robust Wikpedia page for the policy.

"Broadcasters cannot show games of in-market teams, regardless of whether the game is home or away, if the game of the local team has a certain start time (usually there are no other games scheduled at these times). This, at least theoretically, is to make people watch the out-of-market game on ESPN or Fox. The reasoning is that since people will not be able to watch their favorite team, they may be willing to settle for some baseball, even if it involves teams they are not as excited about. This results in higher ratings for the national broadcaster by pulling baseball fans away from watching their own team."

The idea is kind of like Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football as you want to have a true national game that everyone will watch. The problem is that unlike those games, other baseball games are taking place during Fox's "national" game. Maybe I'll watch a random baseball game that's on but I am certainly not going to be happy missing the team I follow to watch two random teams play. Unlike football, baseball doesn't have that broad appeal at a national level for non-local teams.

The policy is so stupid, we're unsure if this or MLB's video policy is more asinine. We're definitely wishing with the television rights up for grabs, MLB will retire this policy and give fans what they want.

[TMC]

http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/ind...topic=206310.0

There could be baseball on the horizon as well. As NBC looks to add compelling content to its NBC Sports Network, ESPN’s deal with Major League Baseball ends in 2013. Lazarus, who did deals to carry Atlanta Braves baseball at Turner Broadcasting for years, called baseball a premiere property and one that would eat a lot of innings to help fill the schedule of a 24-hour, 52 week sports networks.

- taken from the article linked below

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blo...ts_Lazarus.php

[MrCleveland]

I just want to see baseball played on braodcast TV, in the 90's The Indians Games were played on channel 43 WUAB. Some are played on WKYC, but I hope WUAB or even WBNX would pick-up Cleveland Indians Games....Again.

[AKA]

The more games Bob Costas can call, the better.

Honestly, I don't like Fox's NFL or MLB coverage, and if they lost both to another network, I wouldn't be sad.