Menu
Sports Media

THE BATTLE ROYALE: SPORTS NETS CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR FIRST

          ESPN and "SportsCenter" remain "the strongest sports
     brand names on network" or cable TV, but Fox Sports
     officials "are convinced that it is only a matter of time
     before their cable alliance will challenge for supremacy,"
     according to Leonard Shapiro of the WASHINGTON POST, who
     examined the "competition" between Fox Sports Net (FSN),
     ESPN and CNN/SI.  ESPN "is way ahead" of both FSN and CNN/SI
     in ratings, as July Nielsen numbers show that FSN "trailed"
     ESPN in HHs during the 11:00pm ET hour by "a nearly 5-to-1
     margin" and "lagged behind" CNN/SI's "Sports Tonight" by
     "close to a 2-to-1 margin."  However, Fox execs "insist that
     when Nielsen ratings look at the full" two hours of the
     10:00-12:00pm ET nightly show, the difference in HHs "is
     much smaller."  Pilson Communications President Neal Pilson:
     "In terms of national sports news and info, ESPN will
     continue to be perceived as the market leader.  However, Fox
     is steadily gaining ground as a supplier of news and
     information."  FSN's Keith Olbermann, on his former employer
     ESPN: "It's the 'We have the tradition' arrogance that
     eventually will drive them under.  I used to hear that all
     the time when I was there, and it drove me nuts.  Being a
     monopoly all this time, you have a sense of them being the
     world's largest passenger ship that never sees the other
     ship until it's too late."  ESPN Exec Editor John Walsh says
     the network stays competitive with it's attitude of "don't
     miss anything and stay on top of everything": "I believe we
     have the best reporters and the best anchors who give people
     the information they want in the most entertaining way.  Do
     we make a mistake once in a while? Of course.  What Chris
     Mortensen, Peter Gammons and David Aldridge are on top of is
     unbelievable.  I don't see anyone out there who's equal to
     any of them on covering an individual sport."  Shapiro noted
     that FSN's hiring of Olbermann and ESPN's Chris Myers
     "clearly gave Fox a publicity boost," but ESPN officials say
     that "neither man had much of an impact on ratings for
     'SportsCenter.'"  Still, FSN execs say that their regional
     approach "ultimately will allow them to compete on equal
     footing with ESPN" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/15).    

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: May 31, 2024

Friday quick hits; Skipper/Levy behind Unrivaled, to launch in '25 around 3x3 concept; basketball and pickleball show big participation growth in U.S.

Kate Abdo, Ramona Shelburne and a modern day “Heidi Moment”

On this week’s pod, CBS Sports’ Kate Abdo gets us set for the UEFA Champions League final. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shares what went into executive producing her upcoming FX mini-series, "Clipped," about the Donald Sterling saga, and SBJ's Mollie Cahillane joins to tell us who's up and who's down in sports media.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/1999/08/16/Sports-Media/THE-BATTLE-ROYALE-SPORTS-NETS-CONTINUE-TO-FIGHT-FOR-FIRST.aspx

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

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/1999/08/16/Sports-Media/THE-BATTLE-ROYALE-SPORTS-NETS-CONTINUE-TO-FIGHT-FOR-FIRST.aspx

CLOSE