HBO's Armen Keteyian examines the "showdown" between
Fox Sports and ESPN, "two of the most powerful players in
sports," on the next "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel," which
airs Monday at 10:30pm ET. Keteyian calls the rivalry "a
global battle over the one piece of programming that cuts
through the television clutter: sports," and the two are
"competing over what you will see, how you will see it and
what you will pay to watch it." ESPN Chair Steve Bornstein,
on ESPN's multiple properties: "I look at it more like we
have Coke and we have Diet Coke. And we have their orange
drink, and we have their lemon-lime drink. And if you're
thirsty, and you want a soda, you can go to Coca-Cola and
pretty much satisfy whatever your cravings are." Keteyian
asks Fox Sports President David Hill to define "Fox Sports
Attitude." Hill: "What is Fox Sports Attitude? I don't
know. ... It's a je ne sais quoi thing. It's there."
Keteyian: "How could you miss it? ... Innovative, in your
face and nipping at the heels of ESPN." Keteyian questions
Bornstein about Fox's "attitude" and style: "Does it wear on
you at all? I mean, it wears on me, after a while."
Bornstein: "Well, yeah, you baited me on." Keteyian: "No,
I'm not baiting you." Bornstein: "Well yeah, they shout at
me. I don't like being shouted at. We try to take a
different approach." Hill, on the differences: "They're a
national service. We're a local service. We're a regional
service. ... And that's what we built Fox Sports Net on and
that's what we'll continue to do." SportsBusiness Journal
columnist Bruce Schoenfeld: "It would not be unfair, I
think, to say that Disney has the better properties, but Fox
has them more integrated with each other" (HBO).
QUITE A CAT FIGHT: Bornstein, on Fox Sports: "I look at
anybody that tries to take food from my kids table as a
competitor. We compete." Keteyian notes that one example
of "how, well, bitchy this battle can get" is Fox Sports'
$2M sponsorship ambush with Young America while ESPN holds
broadcast rights to the America's Cup yacht race. When
asked about the deal, Hill is seen laughing and says, "I
think it probably could be considered a very clever
marketing ploy. Don't you?" Bornstein: "It'll never get on
our air. We're not in the business of televising our
competitors logos." Keteyian: "It didn't piss you off?"
Bornstein: "No, because we'll win. ... It won't be on the
air. ... It's an ambush that's not going to work." Keteyian
asks Hill: "Do you think they play the game that you're
playing." Hill: "I don't know if we're playing the game. I
keep banging a few of our guys over the back of the head and
say, 'Back off on the testosterone boys, back off on it."
Bornstein: "I kind of look at Fox as a bit of a mosquito.
You know, they're around and I have to deal with them
occasionally." Keteyian notes that "SportsCenter" outrates
"Fox Sports News" in viewers by better than eight to one,
but the "pesky little mosquito is buzzing just a bit louder"
since the hiring of Keith Olbermann in January. Olbermann,
who has his Fox "game face on," said, "There is now a
competition where there was not two years ago. ...
Ultimately, Fox will succeed. ... They have become
competitive quickly and [will be] dominant eventually. ...
The question ... is not if, but when." ESPN's Dan Patrick:
"It will be a war when Christiane Amanpour covers it" (HBO).
ARE YOUR BOYS LISTENING, DAVID? Fox Sports Senior
VP/Media Relations Vince Wladika, on Bornstein's remarks on
Fox: "Steve's entitled to his opinions, no matter how naive,
self-serving or condescending" (USA TODAY, 2/19).
