TNT Carrying Inaugural Cable Telecast Of NBA All-Star Game

TNT will air the NBA All-Star Game Sunday night at 8:00pm ET, the "first time the NBA's marquee midseason event will be on cable and televised in prime time — at least on the East Coast," according to Larry Stewart of the L.A. TIMES. But Stewart adds, "There is continuity, since just about everything connected with All-Star Weekend will be on TNT. ... And it's certainly a plus for TNT." TNT Senior VP/Communications Greg Hughes: "As a stand-alone event, this is one of the biggest things we've ever done in sports." But Stewart wonders, "What about the fans who do not have cable television? Nationally, TNT is in 81% of all television households." Magic Johnson, who will provide analysis for TNT this weekend: "Anyone who wants to watch the game is going to find someone who has cable television. ... It's going to be like a Super Bowl — there'll be lots of NBA All-Star parties" (L.A. TIMES, 2/7).

TECHNICAL FOUL? In San Diego, Jay Posner writes of the move to cable, "The NBA just reduced its potential audience at a time when it can use all the fans it can muster" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/7). In N.Y., Bob Raissman criticizes the move and writes it "fails to deal with another part of the NBA fan base — fans who cannot afford to pay for cable." While NBA Commissioner David Stern "did the right thing for NBA business," the NBA's new TV package is "exclusionary" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/7). In Chicago, Ed Sherman: "Cable would seem to be a staple, but of course it isn't. ... By taking the money from cable, the NBA is forfeiting some exposure. ... This year's All-Star Game is symbolic of the future of sports programming" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/7). Horrow Sports Ventures President Rick Horrow, on the shift to cable: "Long term, it's a shift to the advertising model, as opposed to the rights fees model. [The NBA is] also getting commitments from EchoStar and DirecTV, ... so it really is the dawn of a new day, and obviously all the other sports leagues are watching the success or the failure of the NBA for their business models" ("Money Morning," CNNfn, 2/7). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick notes with the game airing on TNT, NBC's "Meet The Press" on Sunday "will not sustain its NBA All-Star Game theme. And that's more disturbing than if it had been continued because NBC, for the first time in years, doesn't own NBA rights. What a coincidence." Mushnick: "Stay tuned for the `Meet the Press' [AFL] championship pregame show" (N.Y. POST, 2/7).

WILL TNT BE A GOOD ALL-STAR HOME? USA TODAY's Rudy Martzke noted TNT is projecting a 5.0-9.0 cable rating for Sunday's NBA All-Star Game. A 5.0 rating "would equal about half the audience of 28 million for last year's" 8.2 broadcast network rating on NBC (USA TODAY, 2/6). Martzke today writes that TNT "is focusing on NBC's 6.0 average for" '00 and '01. Turner Sports President Mark Lazarus: "If we get half of a 6 rating, I'll be disappointed. I think we can do between a 5 and 6. That's about a 15% difference" (USA TODAY, 2/7). In Orlando, Jerry Greene: "TNT has one weapon nobody else has got: Charles Barkley" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/5). Barkley: "I think people spend too much time worrying about ratings. ... Nobody in my home town has a (Nielsen ratings) box, and I know they watch the show all the time. They are not giving poor people or black people the boxes, so I don't worry about ratings" (Turner).

ALL-STAR PLANS: TNT Exec Producer Mike Pearl said the All-Star Game "gives us an opportunity to display how deep we are and the highly-qualified talent we have to cover the NBA. We're using 24 cameras, 16 tape machines, eight hi-definition cameras, a sky cam and our new TNT TotalMotion strobe camera for freeze framing, especially on dunks. Six to eight players and coaches will be miked live during the game, we have new graphics and music and angles" (Turner). TotalMotion will be used during Saturday night's Slam Dunk contest (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/7). Pearl, on miking players for the All-Star Game, rather than a regular-season contest: "You're less apt to pick up profanity in an All-Star Game. Less trash talk, more funny talk" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/7). Lazarus said that TNT cameras "will focus on [Wizards F Michael] Jordan's family in addition to his walk from his (bench) chair to the scorer's table `and the incredible eruption that will take place'" (USA TODAY, 2/7).

LOCALLY: In CA, Michael Dev noted of ESPN's 40 NBA telecasts, the seven highest-rated games featured the Lakers. Also, the past four Lakers games on KCAL-Ind averaged an 8.4, compared to only one previous game earning a 6.0 or higher. Last season's average was a 5.1 (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 2/6)....In Miami, Barry Jackson noted ESPN dropped the March 19 Heat-Magic game from its schedule, "leaving Miami and Cleveland as the only teams without a national appearance" on ABC, ESPN or TNT this season. ESPN replaced the game with Celtics-Pacers (MIAMI HERALD, 2/5)....Tuesday's Lakers-Pacers game earned a 9.3/ (95,050 HHs) rating on FSN Midwest, the highest rating ever for a Pacers regular season telecast on the net, beating the 8.2 for Pacers-Bulls in March '98. Pacers games on FSN Midwest are averaging a 5.0, up 13% from last season (FSN).

NOTE: NBA TV formally announced that it will now televise four live NBA games a week, plus new original programming and a slate of live games in HDTV, beginning with the February 16 Knicks-Lakers game (NBA TV). What do you think about the NBA All-Star Game airing in primetime on TNT? Vote in The DAILY POLL.