The NFL, which has "thrived" under revenue sharing,
"may decide to share their Web revenue," according to David
Sweet of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. NFL Dir of Corporate
Communications Chris Widmaier, when asked if the league
would extend its revenue sharing to Web revenue, said, "It's
tough to answer right now, but I've got to believe the same
philosophy could be in place." Currently, each NFL team
operates their own Web site and keeps all income. Former
Forrester Research analyst Mark Hardie said that some teams
are "dominant in terms of traffic and revenue" and cites the
Cowboys as generating "roughly" $500,000 a year from their
site. But Hardie noted the Cowboys are the "only squad to
advertise their venue during national broadcasts." Small-
market teams, such as the Jaguars, post revenue in the
$100,000 range. Hardie sees an NFL "income tax" as more
likely than total sharing: "You'll likely see an arrangement
where the NFL gets a 5%-10% cut (of franchise Web revenue),
but teams will be able to make as much money as they want."
NFL Senior VP/New Media Chris Russo: "What we've moved
toward is an NFL network model. There's been greater cross-
promotion between league sites and team sites (this year)."
While the league provides the teams with some content, Russo
wants them to keep their local identity: "We're pleased
teams can provide local flavor and have their finger on the
pulse of their towns" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/15).
