[opendtv] News: BCS Considering ESPN Proposal That Would Put Games On Cable
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: OpenDTV Mail List <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:38:34 -0500
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/125438
BCS Considering ESPN Proposal That Would Put Games On Cable
By John Ourand, Staff Writer
The BCS is considering a proposal from ESPN that would see all BCS
bowl games, including the championship game, wind up on ESPN, sources
familiar with the negotiations are saying. If the BCS ultimately
accepts the bid, it would mark the first time all games in a major
championship were not available on an over-the-air broadcast network.
If the BCS opts to move to ESPN, it would continue a trend that has
seen other leagues migrate playoff series exclusively from broadcast
to cable. MLB, the NBA and the NHL all have placed playoff games on
cable over the past few years. If ABC/ESPN ultimately wins the bid
and moves even one BCS game to ESPN, it would trigger a clause in its
Rose Bowl contract that would allow it to immediately take the annual
game in Pasadena from its home of 21 years on ABC to the cable
channel. Sources say Fox still has several days to accept the BCS'
proposal, which is seeking about a 50% annual increase over the
current deal's $82.5M annual fee. The BCS is looking for a 4-year,
$500M deal, which would put the average annual payout at around
$125M. Fox has proposed a 25% increase, which would average a little
more than $102M per year. Though Fox still has several days to match,
insiders say it is not likely to increase its bid by enough.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You can UNSUBSCRIBE from the OpenDTV list in two ways:
- Using the UNSUBSCRIBE command in your user configuration settings at FreeLists.org
- By sending a message to: opendtv-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word
unsubscribe in the subject line.
Other related posts:
- » [opendtv] News: BCS Considering ESPN Proposal That Would Put Games On Cable - Craig Birkmaier
