 Here at the Digest, we spent a lot of time talking about the relationship between news coverage and broadcast rights. But today, we have to navigate a major sports event with major sports coverage and absolutely no broadcast contract: the World Baseball Classic. And if you like what you hear, get in the game, because rights are still for sale – the next best thing in international sporting competition could land on your cable channel, so make an offer.
Buzz and excitement about the WBC has been at a relatively high pitch over the past few weeks, essentially ever since the initial roster announcement ten days ago included an unexpectedly high number of MLB players. Since that announcement, it seems that every day we have been faced with questions about the national allegiances of a variety of MLB superstars, notably including A-Rod and Barry Zito.
Despite all of this excitement, with the WBC only three months away (it take place March 3-20, with the championship at Petco Park in San Diego), we are still waiting to hear on a broadcast partner for the event. And while there has been some considerable speculation that the WBC does not have enough clout to secure rights fees for North American broadcast – essentially, that MLB would have to pay for network or even mainstream cable broadcasts – the stronger likelihood is that somebody (ESPN, we’re waiting) will pick up something like a revenue-sharing contract with MLB for the event.
According to Tom Verducci at CNN/SI, Fox has already opted out of the negotiation process, which is unsurprising given the disastrous fall ratings for this year’s World Series. And it seems that Selig and MLB are taking something of a nonchalant attitude towards the broadcast agreement; instead of a broadcast event for an American audience (which could hardly be expected to squeeze baseball into a NCAA tourney-laden month), the WBC seems much more explicitly about marketing MLB to Latin and South American countries. We like to call it the David Stern approach: when your own country doesn’t want to watch, try next door. Or that land across the sea.
Which means we have two arguments for why ESPN is likely to pick up this contract. First, the Spanish-language ESPN Deportes is perfectly primed to handle the kind of international outreach theme that Selig is clearly going for (whether this would be combined with any of ESPN’s international broadcasting partners is unknown, but it seems likely). Second, ESPN’s relentless insistence on covering the ins and outs of “who’s playing for whom?’ over the past two weeks seems like a tip of the hand: they’re trying to rev up interest for an event that they haven’t even landed yet.
What to expect: ESPN will run early-round WBC games on ESPN Deportes or try to sneak them into the ESPN2 schedule, hoping to avoid conflicts with the NCAA Conference Tournament schedule in the first week of March. Once the NCAA moves to full-on-tournament-mode and shifts to CBS, we might see some later-round WBC coverage on ESPN proper, along with a lot of SportsCenter hype and likely a significant revenue-sharing contract between Bristol and MLB.
The potential stick in the mud here is the announcement yesterday that Washington is attempting to block Cuba’s participation in the games. If this blockade succeeds – which is far from determined – it would potentially rule out some lucrative stars, as well as removing a significant chunk of the South Florida market share for broadcast revenue. Don’t be surprised if no broadcast deal is announced until the Cuba issue is fully resolved, and for ESPN to use it as leverage to significantly alter the playing field of the contract.
The Best Part of This Job Is When I’m Right
So yesterday we openly speculated that the pending sale of the Atlanta Braves would not go unnoticed by Fox and Comcast, and that rumors of local investors (specifically Falcons owner Arthur Blank) would soon fall by the wayside.
Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Wall Street Journal both joined the Comcast-speculation-bandwagon. Writing for AJC, Tim Tucker notes that “It also is possible that the Braves could be sold to another corporate owner rather than to individuals. There is speculation that Philadelphia-based cable TV giant Comcast could make a bid,” and then that Comcast had declined to comment.
Well, it’s early yet.
The Journal also answered our question, citing a Kagan Research report that valued the franchise at $400 million (again, exactly what I said) and Turner South at $200 million. The report lists Comcast as a potential buyer specifically for Turner South, though it would not be beyond the realm of possibility for Comcast to invest in another franchise as well.
Merry Christmas, You’re Fired
Some shake-ups at Time, Inc. this week. As Deadspin reported, SI Assistant Managing Editor Roy Johnson was let go, part of a massive corporate “restructuring” that let go more than one hundred executives.
Additionally, David Morris has been shipped back to Entertainment Weekly from his current post as SI publisher, and Mark Ford from Time4 Media will become the magazine’s new President. If we were in the business of speculation … wait … we are in the business of speculation, so let’s speculate that this “restructuring” – and its impact on SI – might have something to do with the amount-undisclosed payout to Mike Price, the UTEP Football Coach who sued SI for $20 million for slander and defamation of character. Here at SMW we tend to think that employees who cost companies that kind of money end up fired. At least that’s what happened to our last accountant.
Today We Are Obsessed With:
Donovan McNabb and the NAACP. At least, that’s what Bristol is obsessed with, because T.O. was good ratings and maybe Philly is the next New York and Boston. So D-Mac is all over SportsCenter, and all over this morning’s ESPN.com, and Bristol brings out Wilbon and Whitlock and Barkley (on Dan Patrick yesterday) and, presumably, every other black celebrity on their payroll.
What we find most amusing here is the inconsistently swift arm of media justice: too many stories this morning have referenced McNabb’s suffering at the hands of Rush Limbaugh back when we were suffering Rush’s short stint on Sunday NFL Countdown. And then it took ESPN a very long time to fire him. Now, Bristol can’t get on the McNabb bandwagon fast enough, and we think they’d have disbanded the entire NAACP by breakfast if given the chance.
Nice Job. Want to be Our New Managing Editor?
Finally a congrats: this week, Deadspin is the “Best of the Web” listing in Sports Illustrated’s “Best of 2005” cover story. SI even picked up the Matt Lawton steroids item, just to show that the internet occasionally does, you know, real journalism. Whatever that means.
Tomorrow: Well, let’s face it. It’s probably the Colts. Hopefully, something else really juicy will happen, and we’ll be there. Until then: try not to say anything bad about Donovan McNabb. You don’t want that. |
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