Despite the success of "highly touted big ticket
events" and the "overall growth" of pay-per-view (PPV)
sports programming, "die hard fans probably won't have to
worry anytime soon about shelling out big bucks to watch
their local professional sports teams," according to Mike
Galetto in an ELECTRONIC MEDIA special report on pay TV.
Galetto writes that's because PPV "capacity in cable homes
is limited, while the cost of TV rights continues to rise."
Around 32 million of the country's 65 million cable homes
have PPV capacity, "hindering the expansion" of PPV sports
programming. The NFL's Sunday Ticket package drew 420,000
residential subscribers last year and NFL Enterprises
VP/Sales & Marketing Tola Murphy Baran "expects" to have
over 500,000 this season, but Murphy Baran "says the NFL
isn't interested in distributing NFL Sunday Ticket by cable
due to limited capacity" (ELECTRONIC MEDIA, 6/23 issue).
PPV FUTURE: DirecTV VP/Program Acquisition Rich
Goldberg "said he sees potential in developing PPV packages
built around 'the big event.'" ELECTRONIC MEDIA's Galetto
writes that "daylong programming could be built around
annual contests such as the Kentucky Derby, the Indianapolis
500 or the Daytona 500, using behind-the-scenes footage,
multiple camera angles and extended commentary." Galetto
adds: "Amid the possibilities for new PPV sports, however,
boxing and wrestling remain the most lucrative and
consistent vehicles" (ELECTRONIC MEDIA, 6/23).
FIGHTIN' WORDS: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Scott Hettrick
writes on the PPV prospects for the Mike Tyson-Evander
Holyfield fight. The June 28 bout is "expected to carry"
the PPV industry to its first $100M payout and has a chance
to draw two million PPV purchases for the first time ever.
The average PPV price is $49.95-$51.95. Pre-orders for the
fight are at about the same level as Tyson's fight against
Peter McNeeley, but a majority of purchases come closer to
fight time (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 6/25).
