Menu
Sports Media

DEUCE'S WILD: ESPN MAKES CASE FOR COVERAGE, WILL MLB AGREE?

          ESPN is "ready to try to get cable systems that don't
     carry ESPN2 to carry" three "disputed" MLB Sunday night
     games that conflict with its NFL coverage, according to
     sources of DAILY VARIETY's John Dempsey.  ESPN would target
     "local-origination channels" to bring Sunday's MLB audience
     total "closer" to ESPN's 74 million subscribers.  Currently,
     ESPN2 has 57 million subscribers and MLB has reportedly
     objected to games being aired on the Deuce due to lower
     viewership numbers.  But an ESPN spokesperson said, "That's
     a misconception about the strength of ESPN2.  We expect the
     network to be in 60-million homes by September, and ESPN2
     has delivered a sizeable audience for big games."  Dempsey
     writes that MLB "is holding out the possibility" of taking
     the three games to another cable network, with TNT a
     possibility (DAILY VARIETY, 5/12).  ESPN VP/Communications
     Chris LaPlaca said ESPN "would frown on that concept, but we
     are open to discussions regarding additional distribution of
     our production of those three games," including being
     televised by home market stations (USA TODAY, 5/12).  
          WHAT TO DO? NEWSDAY's Steve Zipay: "ESPN is in a bind. 
     It can't afford to lose baseball, the only major live sport
     in June, July and August.  There's nothing else but soccer
     and the WNBA."  The "likeliest" scenario is that ESPN sub-
     leases the three MLB games to Turner Sports (NEWSDAY, 5/12).

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/1998/05/12/Sports-Media/DEUCES-WILD-ESPN-MAKES-CASE-FOR-COVERAGE-WILL-MLB-AGREE.aspx

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

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/1998/05/12/Sports-Media/DEUCES-WILD-ESPN-MAKES-CASE-FOR-COVERAGE-WILL-MLB-AGREE.aspx

CLOSE