Menu
Sports Media

THE DAILY TAKES EXCLUSIVE STRAW POLL ON NFL TV DEAL

          The NFL's four-year, $4.4B TV package expires at the     end of this season.  As the NFL renegotiates the rights to     its TV packages, THE DAILY took a straw poll of a select     group of 25 industry executives and media analysts to     forecast the future of the league's TV presence.  While the     general consensus is that the incumbents should prevail when     the negotiations are completed, many feel that the NFL's TV     partners should expect to pay a hefty increase to remain     partners with the league.  Among the results: 

 


WHICH NETWORK WILL ACQUIRE THE FOLLOWING PACKAGE?
NFC
AFC
SUNDAY NIGHT
"MNF"
Fox
92%
-23
NBC
88%
-22
ESPN/TNT
68%
-17
ABC
92%
-23
CBS
4%
-1
CBS
12%
-3
ESPN alone
20%
-5
CBS
4%
-1
NBC
4%
-1
FSN
8%
-2
Fox
4%
-1
   CBS
4%
-1
    

 

WHAT PERCENTAGE INCREASE WILL THE LEAGUE SEE?
45%
4% (1)
70%
24% (6)
50%
24% (6)
80%
8% (2)
60%
28% (7)
90% or more
12% (3)

 

WHICH NFL PACKAGE(S) WILL SEE THE GREATEST % INCREASE?
Monday Night
40% (10)
AFC
28% (7)
Sunday Night
32% (8)
NFC
12% (3)

 

YOU WANT MORE? Asked if a new TV package would be added, 72% of the respondents said no; 28% said yes. Of those who said there would be a fifth package, 16% said Thursday night was the most likely to be added, 9% thought a holiday package would be added, 4% picked a Friday package and 4% thought a hybrid package consisting of Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and holidays would be awarded. Almost two-thirds -- 64% -- said the new TV deals would cover four years, 16% said the deals would be for five years, 8% said seven, 4% said three and another 4% said 4-6 years. Pilson Communications President Neal Pilson said the length of the deals "depends on the labor deal. The NFL may stagger cable and go four years rather than six to seven for broadcasts." SPEAKING OF THE CBA: The biggest question regarding the negotiations is whether the length of the deals will coincide with a CBA extension. While 44% said a CBA extension would accompany the new deals, 36% said there would be no extension and 20% were undecided (THE DAILY). TIME IS ON OUR SIDE: Asked if the NFL would mandate that "Monday Night Football" start at 8:00pm ET in its new deal, instead of the current 9:00pm ET start, 72% said no while 24% said yes, with 4% undecided (THE DAILY). THE CBS FACTOR: CBS is clearly the wild card in the negotiations. SMTI Chair Mike Trager: "Don't underestimate CBS on over-the-air or Fox on the cable side." BJK&E Media Broadcast Partner Steve Sternberg said, "If there's a new night, CBS will probably get it. They might be able to get Monday night otherwise. ... There's also a possibility CBS could get the AFC games, depending on how much money NBC is willing to lose to keep them." L.A. Daily News media writer Tom Hoffarth said CBS could get "some small piece in the form of a Thursday/holiday package," and added, "Maybe the big shock in all this will be that CBS gets into the Super Bowl rotation again after three or four years into the new deal." Pilson said ABC, which pays $230M a year in its current deal, is "in trouble [because] CBS will make a strong run to $400 million [per year]." Pilson also noted one "possible scenario" in which the NFL looks to double each package "due to owner pressure" (THE DAILY). MO' MONEY: Despite a ratings dip, the NFL's importance to the networks is greater than ever, and CBS's interest only helps the league. National Media Group co-CEO Peter Kaplan said, "The owners have raised the bar in light of the NBA-NBC deal, and CBS's desire to get back into the game gives the NFL great leverage." Added SMTI's Trager: "The NFL is fortunate to have these stalking horses." Still, most think the incumbents will retain their packages. The Marquee Group President & CEO Bob Gutkowski: "At the end of the day no incumbent NFL network will be able to say no." Cohn & Wolfe Senior VP/Dir of Sports & Events Jay Rosenstein: "It is difficult to imagine that these four leading multinational corporations (News Corp., GE, Disney and Time Warner) will not be able to match -- or be willing to match -- any offer presented by CBS or by another of the big four for their package." ISI CEO Frank Vuono: "Don't expect anything fancy. It ain't broke" (THE DAILY).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/1997/12/17/Sports-Media/THE-DAILY-TAKES-EXCLUSIVE-STRAW-POLL-ON-NFL-TV-DEAL.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/1997/12/17/Sports-Media/THE-DAILY-TAKES-EXCLUSIVE-STRAW-POLL-ON-NFL-TV-DEAL.aspx

CLOSE