As one would reasonably expect, the NFL’s successful Nickelodeon experiment will return for a second-straight year. Plus: concerns are mounting about regional sports networks, and more.
Nickelodeon to stream NFL Wild Card game again
CBS Sports president Sean McManus said during a conference call Wednesday that Nickelodeon will again simulcast a Wild Card playoff game. As was the case last year, the game will air in the late Sunday afternoon window. No decision has been made on future years. CBS has the right to air alternate presentations of NFL games on its various platforms in its new deal that begins in 2023.
When asked about the possibility of Nickelodeon simulcasts during the regular season, McManus said that is not currently in the cards, stressing the importance of maintaining exclusivity for CBS affiliates.
The Nickelodeon simulcast of Bears-Saints in January averaged 2.06 million viewers, seven percent of the total audience of 30.6 million. [CBS]
Concerns mount about future of RSNs
Sports Business Journal reported Monday that sports team and league executives are increasingly concerned about declining RSN revenue and have been meeting with their counterparts at the networks and with distributors to explore alternative models for local media rights. Suggestions from distributors have included reducing RSN content to games only or creating a package of select out-of-market games that would be made available to subscribers at no additional cost.
The concern, which is somewhere short of “panic,” is motivated by the consistent shift of subscribers away from cable bundles and toward direct-to-subscriber streaming services. Executives SBJ spoke to painted a “dire long-term picture for the RSN business.” [SBJ 8.30]
Plus: MLB Network, Saints, ESPN
MLB Network analysts John Smoltz and Al Leiter will not appear in-studio for the time being as they have elected not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the New York Post reported Tuesday. They will contribute remotely instead. … The scheduled Week 1 Packers-Saints NFL game has been moved from New Orleans to Jacksonville due to the impact of Hurricane Ida. The game will remain in its current 4:25 PM ET timeslot on FOX. … The Wall Street Journal reported last week that ESPN is looking to license its brand to sports betting companies in what would be a multi-year deal worth $3 billion, though it is unclear whether there will be any takers. … Beyond its previously-announced Opening Night doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday, October 12, ESPN currently has single NHL windows scheduled for 8 PM ET on the following two Tuesdays, October 19 and 26. The NHL TV schedule has yet to be fully announced. [NYP 8.31, NFL 9.1, WSJ 8.27, ESPN PR]
