The ESPNBorg to assimilate the BCS in 2010 and beyond?

[SirFozzie]

I'm sure they'd air all the non-conflicting BCS games on ABC (Rose Bowl, BCS championship, etcetera).. but the ESPNBorg apparently will not be denied..


ESPN - Reports: ESPN bidding on Bowl Championship Series TV deal (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3697923)

The Bowl Championship Series games could be moving to cable television as early as 2010, according to media reports.

The Walt Disney Co., the parent company of ESPN, is among the bidders for the five BCS games -- and according to reports in USA Today and SportsBusiness Daily, the company has bid about $25 million per year more than its closest competitor for the new BCS deal.

Fox's four-year deal with the BCS ends after the 2009 season. If Disney's bid for the new deal is accepted, then the BCS games and the national championship would be aired on ESPN starting in 2010, according to USA Today.

"We've had good meetings and discussion to this point," BCS coordinator and Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford said Tuesday, according to USA Today. "The BCS is obviously an attractive television property, but we simply have not completed our process."

Conference commissioners and BCS TV negotiator Barry Frank have been meeting in Chicago with the networks since Sunday, USA Today reported.

SportsBusiness Daily reported that in bidding, Disney is offering about $125 million annually to air the games, while Fox is offering about $100 million annually. According to USA Today, several people with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed those figures.

ESPN did not immediately comment on the reports.

Fox currently pays about $82.5 million annually to air four of the five BCS games -- the Sugar, Orange, Fiesta and Capital One bowls. ABC, also an affiliate of Disney, currently has a separate deal to air the Rose Bowl.

[Big Fo]

Whatever it takes to get the games off Fox is a good thing.

[Butter]

I bet you'd see way fewer stories on the ESPN Universe about a playoff in that case.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I bet you'd see way fewer stories on the ESPN Universe about a playoff in that case.

That wouldn't really change the situation. The main thing they want to do is get the rights. After that, they have an inside track to BCS OR playoff rights. They'd still likely want the playoffs as the advertising revenue would increase drastically if they were the rights holders.

[Butter]

If it makes playoffs MORE likely, I'll drive the money truck myself.

[MJ4H]

Whatever it takes to get the games off Fox is a good thing.

mother freaking THIS

[Pumpy Tudors]

let's hear more about this espnborg

[General Mike]

If Disney gets the deal, they are moving all the games to ESPN.

[kcchief19]

I bet you'd see way fewer stories on the ESPN Universe about a playoff in that case.
It would also actually make negotiating a playoff slightly easier since one network would control all the BCS games and could accommodate a playoff using those games.

[GrantDawg]

If Disney gets the deal, they are moving all the games to ESPN.


Can anybody explain why that makes sense? I know most people have cable and all, but you're still likely to get more viewers on broadcast over cable. How could they possibily make more money going cable only?

[Eaglesfan27]

If Disney gets the deal, they are moving all the games to ESPN.

Can anybody explain why that makes sense? I know most people have cable and all, but you're still likely to get more viewers on broadcast over cable. How could they possibily make more money going cable only?

Yeah, I've been hearing all day that if ESPN gets the deal they will air all games on ESPN only.

I think it makes sense as a leveraging move to be able to raise their rates.

[JeeberD]

It also entices more people who don't have cable into getting it...

[GrantDawg]

It also entices more people who don't have cable into getting it...


All 8 of them? I mean, if you care about college football enough to get cable for the BCS, you'd have gotten cable a long time ago.

[General Mike]

It probably has something to do with TV ratings. College football doesn't do that great of ratings, relatively speaking, but 10 million people watching a show on cable looks a lot better then the same ammount watching it on broadcast TV. They can probably do similar rating numbers on ABC showing re-runs of whatever shows they already show.

[lordscarlet]

Does someone have the actual numbers on cable/satelite users? I don't have either and I would not get it just to watch the bowl games.

[General Mike]

Does someone have the actual numbers on cable/satelite users? I don't have either and I would not get it just to watch the bowl games.

As of August 27, 2007, there are an estimated 112.8 million television households in the United States.

"Data by SNL Kagan shows that as of 2006 about 58.4% of all American homes subscribe to basic cable television services."

Now that data isn't up-to-date, but it provides a general view of the TV viewership audience.

ESPN is probably in about 65 Million households right now.

[Young Drachma]

I'm all for this. If baseball can freaking broadcast its games on TBS for the first round, I'm fine with ESPN getting the BCS.

I do think it'll make playoffs more likely, because ESPN will able to convince them to do it and well, they do what the money tells them to do these sport owner folk.

Far more likely to happen with the Worldwide Leader than without.

[lordscarlet]

As of August 27, 2007, there are an estimated 112.8 million television households in the United States.

"Data by SNL Kagan shows that as of 2006 about 58.4% of all American homes subscribe to basic cable television services."

Now that data isn't up-to-date, but it provides a general view of the TV viewership audience.

ESPN is probably in about 65 Million households right now.

Yeah, I thought 80% was bullshit. People think just because they and all their friends have something, that everyone does (I'm sure I'm just as guilty as the rest).

[JonInMiddleGA]

As of August 27, 2007, there are an estimated 112.8 million television households in the United States.

"Data by SNL Kagan shows that as of 2006 about 58.4% of all American homes subscribe to basic cable television services."

Now that data isn't up-to-date, but it provides a general view of the TV viewership audience.

ESPN is probably in about 65 Million households right now.

Try closer to 97 million ... because that 58.4% figure cited in the Kagan data doesn't include the almost 50% increase coming from households that are satellite only (who all also get ESPN,etc).

http://www.tvb.org/selling/Competitive_Landscape/Case_Against_Cable/CL_ADS_Satellite_Cable.asp
NEW YORK, Aug. 13, 2008 -- More American TV households are receiving video programming via an alternate delivery system (ADS) than ever before while wired cable’s penetration percentage hit an 18-year low, according to a TVB analysis of Nielsen Media Research data for July 2008.

According to Nielsen NTI data, national ADS penetration reached 28.4% of television households in July, an all-time high that is up from 27.5% in July 2007, and now represents 32.1% of subscription television customers (those paying for video delivery), another all-time high. Over the same period, national wired-cable penetration of television households fell from 61.1% to 60.9%—the last time wired cable was lower was in February 1990.

Direct broadcast satellite (DBS) delivery, the largest component of ADS, is now estimated at 28.2%, up from 27.0% in July 2007.

When you add it up, that's 89.3% of TV Households who get ESPN (minus a bit for overlap of satellite & cable customers).

[General Mike]

well that definitely makes more sense.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Am I the only one who doesn't think ESPN will push for a playoff if they get the BCS? If they get the BCS, they get the games that people want to watch, so they don't need to fight for a playoff. Why would they care? If a playoff system does come in within the next 5 or 10 years, I don't think it'll be because of ESPN. It'll just be ... because.

[Anthony]

If a playoff system does come in within the next 5 or 10 years, I don't think it'll be because of ESPN. It'll just be ... because.

just because of Michael Chiklis' balls?

[Passacaglia]

let's hear more about this espnborg

I think they'll have Hugh doing play-by-play, Locutus doing color, 7 of 9 on the sidelines, and if ratings are low, they'll throw in that chick from First Contact as a three-borg booth.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Good news on this front...

Fox out of bidding to show BCS games after 2010

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Fox Sports says it has decided not to match ESPN's offer to televise the Bowl Championship Series from 2011-14.

The network released a statement Monday saying it made a "very competitive bid" even with "today's vast economic uncertainties" but that BCS officials weren't satisfied.

Fox had a four-year, $320 million deal to broadcast the BCS games from 2007-10.

There is no word yet from BCS or ESPN officials, although the cable network is now in prime position to get the secure the bowl games. ESPN broadcast partner ABC already has the rights to the Rose Bowl.

-----------------------------------

I haven't been thrilled with Fox's BCS coverage. It just feels... off.

I like the ESPN guys. They call a good game and know a lot more about college football.

I fine with this move.

As for a playoff. I am one of the few people who really couldn't care about that. I see the appeal of the both the current system and playoff system.

I'm fine with how things are now and would probably be excited about the prospect of a playoff.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I think they'll have Hugh doing play-by-play, Locutus doing color, 7 of 9 on the sidelines, and if ratings are low, they'll throw in that chick from First Contact as a three-borg booth.

Fuck, Hugh. He was the beginning of the end for The Borg. They never really recovered after his sorry ass made its appearance.

That said, I did like the Borg queen.

I wasn't a big fan of 7 of 9 Titties though.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I think they'll have Hugh doing play-by-play, Locutus doing color, 7 of 9 on the sidelines, and if ratings are low, they'll throw in that chick from First Contact as a three-borg booth.
damn imma upgrade my tivo for this shit

[SirFozzie]

Well, it's happened:

ESPN - ESPN gets rights to BCS games starting in 2011 (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3710477)

The Bowl Championship Series is coming to ESPN starting in January 2011 (following the 2010 regular season).

ESPN and the BCS announced the deal on Tuesday. It includes exclusive television, radio, digital, international and marketing rights for the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls. ESPN already had the rights to the Rose Bowl from an earlier agreement

ESPN is currently available in 98 million American homes. The current BCS deal with Fox Sports expires after the 2010 games.

This means the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls, plus the National Championship Game, will be televised in prime time each January. The schedule has not been released. There will also be a BCS show on ESPN every Sunday to unveil the current rankings.

The games will also be carried on ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio. Digital Media rights include operation of the official BCS Web site and the opportunity to simulcast the games online at ESPN360.com and on ESPN Mobile TV for mobile devices.

ESPN International will distribute and televise the BCS matchups around the world through networks and syndication, including on the re-branded ESPN America in Europe (known as NASN until Feb. 2009). In addition, ESPN has the right to televise BCS games on ESPN Deportes, the U.S. Spanish-language sports network.