Comcast could rival ESPN

[TMC1982]

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/Currency/33061-Super_Game_Big_for_NBC_Sports_Lazarus.php

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.

 

[Donut]

Sports is the only thing NBC has now

 

[enterthemadness]

Sports is the only thing NBC has now

Buy the UFL then...MLB is too good for NBC. Just die already NBC...

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Buy the UFL then...MLB is too good for NBC. Just die already NBC...

NBC used to have the best postseason coverage of baseball going. Costas, and Vin Scully before him, were actually great as an announcer on some of those games in the 80's-90's.

I guess some people are just content to hear Joe Buck and Tim McCarver forever?

 

[TMC1982]

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/02/20/Media/NBC-Sports-Net.aspx

Overall, the newly branded sports network is down 21% over Versus.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/02/20/Media/NBC-Sports-Net.aspx

Overall, the newly branded sports network is down 21% over Versus.

That was probably to be expected, good news is that viewership for the NHL live broadcasts is up over last year.

 

[TMC1982]

At the Indiana University National Sports Journalism Center, Michael Bradley advises NBC Sports Network to stay the course and not panic in the wake of low ratings out of the box.

 

[Shifty]

Given NBC's poor performance with their schedule they should acquire more live event programming. Go all in and outbid ESPN and Fox for the MLB. That would provide content for NBCSportsNet throughout the year and NBC could air MLB playoffs/World Series in October. They should even lobby MLB to expand the playoffs to 16 teams and split the playoffs with TBS. That would boost regional ratings as teams would still be in the playoff race in September, more markets would have playoff games and thus strengthen fan support.

Now while that may upset traditionalists its going to happen sooner or later as live events pull in big ratings while people shift more to On Demand, DVR viewing. Given the giant ratings the NFL playoffs get, I'm sure they'll expand their playoffs soon as well.

 

[Raiden]

Given NBC's poor performance with their schedule they should acquire more live event programming. Go all in and outbid ESPN and Fox for the MLB. That would provide content for NBCSportsNet throughout the year and NBC could air MLB playoffs/World Series in October. They should even lobby MLB to expand the playoffs to 16 teams and split the playoffs with TBS. That would boost regional ratings as teams would still be in the playoff race in September, more markets would have playoff games and thus strengthen fan support.

Now while that may upset traditionalists its going to happen sooner or later as live events pull in big ratings while people shift more to On Demand, DVR viewing. Given the giant ratings the NFL playoffs get, I'm sure they'll expand their playoffs soon as well.

ESPN has extremely deep pocket, and they won't give up MLB without a fight. NBC may want it but it's not as simple as it seems, plus MLB probably wants more exposures from an established network like ESPN over an up-and-coming one like NBC Sports Network.

 

[Shifty]

ESPN has extremely deep pocket, and they won't give up MLB without a fight. NBC may want it but it's not as simple as it seems, plus MLB probably wants more exposures from an established network like ESPN over an up-and-coming one like NBC Sports Network.

That's true but no matter how it goes MLB will be the one that will benefit as they'll want a bidding war between ESPN, Turner, Fox and NBC since all contracts end in 2013. So NBC may not get any MLB they'll just have to make their competitors pay more.

It will be interesting because NBC is now owned by Comcast and they would want exclusive content for their subscribers, like being able to watch the Sunday Game of the Week on a iPad. Also to increase the amount they can charge for NBCSN to cable subscribers. By having some rights to MLB they would raise the carriage fee to bring in more revenue. MLB could be used as a loss leader to bring viewers over to the network.

They're best bet now is perhaps to outbid Turner for MLB, NBA and NASCAR since those contracts end in the next 1-4 years. Slowly build their way up to ESPN. The NHL went with Versus because they could get more games and more pre-post game coverage on Versus. That could be appealing to those leagues by taking the smaller contracts that Turner has and going with a 24/7 sports network airing their properties instead of TBS or TNT.

 

[Raiden]

Looks like there's a new player in town...

Fox reportedly starting channel to rival ESPN

CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell tweeted that the working title for the channel would be Fox Sports 1. It would be run by John Entz, Fox's senior vice president of production.

Fox Sports 1? Doesn't have a nice ring to it.

 

[TheOnlyOmega]

Didn't Fox already try and fail with a network? Theyre mainly just regional coverage of NBA and MLB teams now.

 

[TMC1982]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/what_the_puck_wn2b9Gi99p6hpCmcEp3CdP

In fact, NBC Sports Network drew bigger ratings in 2004 when it was called Outdoor Life Network.

 

[Raiden]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/what_the_puck_wn2b9Gi99p6hpCmcEp3CdP

In fact, NBC Sports Network drew bigger ratings in 2004 when it was called Outdoor Life Network.

Maybe they should've just kept the Versus name and those fishing and outdoor games programs instead.

 

[StarryAvenger]

The only thing that NBC has got going for it is Bob Costas and the Bob Costas show

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

yeah It's not like anyone watches the NFL or anything....

 

[TheOnlyOmega]

Maybe they should've just kept the Versus name and those fishing and outdoor games programs instead.

Because unlike most of the programming on the network, the fishing and outdoor shows have a built in audience and are dirt cheap to produce. They need to introduce an outdoors show block, people would watch it.

 

[Raiden]

Because unlike most of the programming on the network, the fishing and outdoor shows have a built in audience and are dirt cheap to produce. They need to introduce an outdoors show block, people would watch it.

I think ESPN2 has those outdoors programs as well.

 

[Darthphere]

They should go after European soccer tv rights.

 

[TMC1982]

http://fangsbites.com/2012/06/guest-column-how-to-improve-nbc-sports-network/

1. At 5am, NBCSN can have a highlights show which separates itself from “NBC Sports Talk” and just run through highlights with no opinion for an hour to remind viewers of everything that occurred the night before.

2. Create a live morning alternative to “SportsCenter” under the same moniker “NBC Sports Talk” but with a “Morning Joe” type set-up.

3. Embrace your Comcast SportsNet family and broadcast some of their local shows nationally to give national viewers a perspective of each region from CSN Chicago’s Chicago Tribune Live to CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Sports Talk to CSN Philly’s Philly Sports Talk etc. and use these shows to fill up time with relevant sports talk instead of repeats of outdoors programming all day.

4. Continue to invest in original programming.

5. Acquire more live sports!!!

6. Comcast gives up control of G4 to DirecTV which turns the station into “The Audience Network”.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Looks like they'll be competing on the radio airwaves now too...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/enter...nal-coverage/2012/06/10/gJQABDFOTV_story.html

The NBC Sports Radio Network will launch in September. The network will distribute hourly sports news updates, daily features and full-length shows to radio stations around the country through Dial Global, which provides audio to more than 8,500 stations.



The network will produce local and national coverage using commentators from NBC Sports, NBC Sports Regional Networks and NBC affiliates. It also will supply content to NBCSports.com and DialGlobalSports.com.

 

[Raiden]

So it will be Comcast/NBC vs ESPN vs Fox Sports One? I don't know if the sports entertainment world will be ready for three 24/7 sports networks at the same time.

 

[runawayboulder]

I guess there's nothing wrong with some competition. I hope they don't get out of control trying to one up each other.

 

[TMC1982]

ESPN rant

Reading through this particular thread, I absolutely do agree that the one thing that could really make NBCSN a serious/legitimate rival to ESPN is to acquire the National Football League. This would give them instant credibility (since the NFL is the most popular sport in America) and would naturally result in more households adding NBCSN. I think that ESPN has grown so powerful and complacent (sort of becoming the TMZ of sports in the process) in recent years because of the lack of real competition (kind of like what happened w/ WWE when WCW and ECW collapsed in 2001).

I mean, Fox the moment that they got the NFL at the expense of CBS (who soon realized that they couldn't live w/o the NFL by '98) in '94, officially became a "real network" on par w/ ABC, CBS, and NBC. TNT back in '90, when they got the first half of Sunday Night Football, slowly became a major cable powerhouse (when they first started, it was essentially, an excuse for Ted Turner to run the pre-May 1986 MGM film library like is the case today w/ Turner Classic Movies).

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

NBC already has Sunday Night NFL, which makes them able to televise as many NFL games a week as ESPN does.