Media Notes

Maximum Cardinals KNXV

The NFL Cardinals and KNXV-ABC have signed a two-year agreement, under which KNXV will carry all four Cardinals preseason games. The road games will be telecast live, while the two home games will be shown tape-delayed, except in the event of a sellout. KNXV will also air “Maximum Cardinals — The Pre-Game Show” immediately preceding the preseason games, and on Saturday nights at 11:30pm MT during the regular season (NFL Cardinals).

NBA CABLE PARTNERS: In N.Y., Richard Sandomir notes that over the three years ESPN has had TV rights to the NBA, TNT “usually garners higher ratings.” Turner Sports President David Levy said of promoting NBA telecasts on TNT and TBS entertainment programming, “We can expand the reach of the audience beyond a sports audience.” ESPN Senior VP/Research & Sales Development Artie Bulgrin acknowledged that TNT “had certain advantages, particularly the impact of carrying many more playoff games, which, in effect, provide extra promotion for other games.” Bulgrin also noted that during the second round of the playoffs TNT’s games “are carried exclusively, while ESPN must co-exist with the teams’ local telecasts” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/17).

ESPN PROGRAMMING NOTES: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL’s Andy Bernstein reports ESPN Classic is “expanding its foray into live events this month” with early-round coverage of the French Open and the national Golden Gloves amateur boxing tournament. The net also plans to add a weekly college football game this fall. ESPN Classic & ESPNews VP/Programming Acquisitions Crowley Sullivan: “It’s our responsibility to evolve and grow and diversify as the years go on. As long as we can stay true to being a curator of sports history, we can serve the fan. There’s no reason live event programming can’t be part of that” (SBJ, 5/16 issue)....TV WEEK’s James Hibberd notes ESPN’s coverage this summer of the “World Series of Poker” will increase to 32 hours, up from 22 hours in ’04 and seven in ’03. Episodes will be paired with reruns of “Tilt” (TV WEEK, 5/16 issue).