ESPN Pursuing Live Sports Rights In Lieu Of Original Programming

Skipper Hopes To Land More Live Sports Rights For ESPN

ESPN Exec VP/Content John Skipper said that he is "going to make a concerted effort to add even more live sports coverage across all of the network's media platforms while cutting back on scripted series, reality shows, original movies and other types of more general sports entertainment programming," according to John Consoli of MEDIAWEEK. Skipper: "We have found that what sports fans really care about, and why they come to ESPN properties is to watch live games." Skipper said that he will "continue to pursue deals for more major college games, and will look to get additional rights to major professional tennis and golf events when they become available." He also indicated that regaining rights to the NHL is "on his to-do list." But Consoli notes Skipper's "biggest quarry is the Olympics." NBC "will have some advantages" in retaining its Olympics rights, but Skipper said, "We are pretty good at finding ways to acquire rights to major events if we want them." Consoli notes Skipper's philosophy "is a considerable departure from" his predecessor, former ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Production Mark Shapiro. Skipper: "We are no longer in the movie business for television. We can make 10 documentaries for the same $5[M] it would cost us to make one movie." Skipper did not address how ESPN is "going to cover the cost of all the additional live sports rights fees," but an ESPN source said that "spreading the telecasts across multi-platforms will bring in additional ad revenue streams" (MEDIAWEEK, 9/29 issue).

STAYING LOCAL: Sources said that FSN is considering "significantly scaling back national programming across its army of profitable [RSNs] as soon as early next year." And with the success of the RSNs "coming on the back of local programming," sources added that FSN "will scale back and could eventually eliminate the expensive production of national original programs" that run across the nets. BROADCASTING & CABLE's Ben Grossman notes "that would mean the end of national shows fed across the RSNs," such as "BDSSP," which sources "say may be the first to go." Former FSN Coordinating Producer for "BDSSP" John Entz has left the net to join MLB Network as Senior VP/Production, though sources said that the move "is completely unrelated." Grossman also notes "even if FSN completely jettisoned original productions, ... it would continue to provide national coverage of sporting events it has under contract to all of its RSNs" (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 9/29 issue).