#5: Sports on demand.
This year, sports took advantage of new media to make games available in ways they haven’t been before. The NBA signed deals with Google and Apple to distribute games on Google Video and Apple ITunes. The NHL signed a deal with YouTube. CBS made available streaming video of out of market March Madness games, while DirecTV let viewers choose what U.S. Open matches they wanted to see. Look for the NFL to sign a major distribution deal with one of these companies in 2007.
#4: ESPN saturation.
Yes, ESPN Mobile was a failure. Still, ESPN was able to promote events across all of its platforms successfully in 2006; from programs such as ESPN Full Circle, where games were offered on ESPN, ESPN2 and other platforms (including the late ESPN Mobile), to the creation of ESPN on ABC, ESPN slapped its brand on everything it could this year.
The ESPN brand has been exposed to more people than ever in the last twelve months. The network will definitely set a viewership record for the 4th quarter (thanks to Monday Night Football), and putting the brand on ABC games means that events such as the Rose Bowl and NBA Finals will give the network even more exposure.
#3: Niche networks.
NFL Network began airing Thursday and Saturday night NFL games this season, Versus is the only cable net to find NHL games, and The Golf Channel will begin its 15 year run as the cable home of PGA Tour golf next week. 2006 has been a banner year for niche sports networks, as four major sports leagues now have games airing on these specialty channels.
In the case of the NFL and NBA, specialty channels NFL Network and NBATV serve to supplement the other broadcast and cable partners. The televised games are extra exposure for the leagues (more the NFL than the NBA) and do not take priority over games on ESPN, TNT, NBC, ABC et al. In the case of the NHL and PGA Tour, specialty channels are now the only means of exposure. Versus and The Golf Channel (both owned by Comcast) are the only cable outlets for those sports.
#2: Sports blogs.
Sports blogs became more mainstream than ever this year, and even had an effect on the hiring and firing of sports personalities. Then ESPN contributor Jason Whitlock did an interview with The Big Lead where he blasted network colleagues Scoop Jackson and Mike Lupica. He was fired days later. Deadspin popularized “You’re with me, leather”, a reference to a pick up line by ESPN anchor Chris Berman. The catchphrase became popular to the point that it was quoted by Keith Olbermann on his MSNBC show and Neil Everett on SportsCenter. ESPN even had employees leaking information to bloggers (the best example is of the Harold Reynolds situation).
One lowlight: the implication of Albert Pujols in the Jason Grimsley controversy by Deadspin.
#1: NFL TV deals.
This year saw the beginning of an extraordinarily successful NFL TV deal. Monday Night Football moved from ABC to ESPN, setting an all time ratings record for cable. Nine of the top ten cable broadcasts of all time are Monday Night Football games from this season alone. According to an ESPN press release, the cable network won the night four times among its broadcast (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, etc) competition.
Sunday Night Football moved from ESPN to NBC, and ratings improved from last season. Games on FOX and CBS also improved; several games this season had more than twenty million total viewers, numbers that eclipse those for every championship sporting event this year sans the Rose Bowl. 2006 was a year in which NFL ratings went up across the board.
