ESPN2 is expected to announce plans today to televise
the BASSMASTERS tournament fishing series beginning in
January, according to USA TODAY's Melissa Geschwind. The
multiyear agreement calls for 18 one-hour programs,
including the season-ending Classic event, to be aired
Fridays at 6:00pm ET (USA TODAY, 7/28).
FINDING THEIR NICHE: In CA, Evan Tuchinsky writes on
the influx of proprietary event programming, including
ESPN's Great Outdoor Games this weekend and NBC's Gravity
Games. Tuchinksy write that "big" ratings for these events
"are not the sole measure of success. Targeting a specific
audience -- and not paying vast sums to do so -- can make
fiscal sense for both network and advertisers alike." NBC
Sports VP/Programming Jon Miller, on niche programming: "The
greatest example of that is the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup in
my mind is the greatest event in golf, and some people will
tell you it's the greatest event in sports, and it will only
do a 5 or a 6 rating -- a third of the rating of a 'Monday
Night Football' game. But that audience is so targeted and
so desirable, and that audience is so attractive, that we
sell the event to (just) eight advertisers and we have
people waiting in line." ESPN Coordinating Producer Dave
Miller, on the Outdoor Games: "We've seen that kind of
success with the X Games, and hopefully we can find another
genre -- and we'll see if we have in the next few days --
with the Great Outdoor Games" (PRESS-ENTERPRISE, 7/28).
