ESPN may say it’s the Worldwide Leader in Sports, but Turner Broadcasting is by far the leader when it comes to marquee events on cable.
As of this year, one NBA Conference Final, one MLB League Championship Series, six Nextel Cup races, two PGA Tour majors, the entire MLB Division Series and the NBA All Star Game will air on either TBS or TNT. While it is true that ESPN will come away with the highest rated cable sports series on a year-by-year basis (Monday Night Football), Turner still has an advantage, with a consistent lineup of sports that draw strong ratings.
NASCAR races on TNT drew a 3.7 rating last season (more than double the average of NBA and MLB regular season games on cable). Last year’s NBA Western Conference Finals scored a 4.6 rating on TNT, and Game 7 of the Dallas Mavericks/San Antonio Spurs semifinal series drew over 7 million viewers — making it the most watched program on cable in the month of May. The Major League Baseball LCS generally drew ratings around the 6.0 range last year, although strong matchups lead to much higher ratings (Yankees/Red Sox Game 7 in 2004 drew a 19.4/30 on FOX); at the very least, TBS should end up with anywhere from a 5 to a 9 rating for its NLCS coverage this season.
In addition to a strong lineup of marquee events, Turner has a stable of high profile announcers. Ernie Johnson, host of Inside the NBA and the likely host of TBS Major League Baseball coverage, is regarded one of the best studio hosts in television. Charles Barkley, known for his often outrageous comments, is one of the most famous broadcasters around, often finding a way to make news on his own (ex. his upcoming race with Dick Bavetta). Marv Albert is widely known as the voice of the NBA, and analyst Doug Collins has been referred to as the best NBA color analyst in the business. Chip Caray, the voice of baseball on TBS, brings last name recognition into the booth. Sadly, Turner’s best known NASCAR announcer, Benny Parsons, died earlier this year.
With a hand in broadcasting the NBA, MLB, NASCAR and PGA Tour, Turner is the biggest threat to ESPN’s sports dominance. TNT’s NBA coverage is generally viewed as superior to that of ESPN and ABC, while TBS will air the majority of baseball playoff games this season (with ESPN shut out of televising any). Assuming that Turner re-signs with the NBA, TBS and TNT could go well into the next decade as the cable home of major sports’ marquee events.
