CBS is profiled under the header, "Geezer Strategy," in
this morning's WALL STREET JOURNAL. In less than two years,
"the network has all but ditched the hip, youth-driven
programming that is a mainstay of prime-time television and
embraced the much older audience that has long been CBS's
core" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/12)....Time Warner's cash flow
rose 12% in the fourth quarter on "healthy growth in cable
networks and surprising strength in the cable systems."
Cash flow rose to $1.39B for the quarter, up from $1.24B in
the '95 period (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 2/12)....NBC's coverage
of Sunday's NBA All-Star Game earned an 11.2/19 final
rating, attracting an estimated 37 million viewers and
making it the second-most watched All-Star game behind the
14.3/22 earned in '93 (NBC Sports). The AP notes the
ratings were down from last year's 11.7 (N.Y. TIMES, 2/12).
...USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke writes that with the new PGA
Tour TV contracts for '99, Fox "is expected to gain some
tournaments, with ABC and NBC probably will expand scheduled
while CBS loses some" (USA TODAY, 2/12)....HBO Sports is
launching a $10M ad campaign in late March/early April "to
push its identity as a haven for boxing on TV and to
celebrate the 25th anniversary of boxing on HBO." The
pitch, continuing the "Network of Champions" tagline,
features Oscar De La Hoya, Roy Jones and Pernell Whitaker
(BRANDWEEK, 2/10 issue)....ESPN Int'l has acquired the
exclusive rights to distribute the Dallas Cup Int'l Youth
Soccer Tournament globally. The five-year deal calls for
five Super Group games featuring athletes under 19-years-old
to be broadcast per year on an int'l basis, with the Super
Group finals airing on ESPN2 in the U.S. (ESPN Int'l).
