The GLOBE & MAIL's Steve Ladurantaye notes the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has "decided to drop its case against" Bell Mobility's exclusive mobile deal with the NFL. The CRTC ruled in December that Bell had "gained an unfair advantage through the exclusive deal, and ordered it to make the games available to rival Telus Corp. under 'reasonable terms.'" Bell will "continue to offer games to its smartphone users, and said when the contract comes up for renewal it would be open to a less exclusive agreement." However, the NFL said that it "prefers to do one-on-one deals with broadcasters around the world." Neither the NFL nor Bell "would say when the contract expires" (GLOBE & MAIL, 3/2).
FRANCHISE SECURITY: In an interview with GOLFWEEK's Alex Miceli, Comcast Chair & CEO Brian Roberts said the two "biggest problems" the company faced when it closed its merger with NBCUniversal were the "recurring losses from the Olympics and NFL." Roberts: "We have now secured those wonderful franchises for another decade with financial models that are realistic and conservative, and we will break even or make a slight profit on them. So, we’ve not only kept the engine of viewership and passion, we’ve done so in a fiscally responsible way, which is what we’ve set out to do" (GOLFWEEK.com, 3/1).
EXTENDING THEIR REACH: The MLS Timbers Thursday announced the formation of the Portland Timbers Television Network, which will offer all 34 of the team's regular-season games in '12 to Bend, Eugene and Medford, Oregon. The Timbers will featured 10 times nationally on NBC, NBC Sports Network, ESPN and ESPN2, with an additional 13 games televised nationally on Root Sports (Timbers).
IMMEDIACY OF NEWS: The GLOBE & MAIL's Bruce Dowbiggin notes when using Twitter, Facebook and "other Internet outlets, news is instantaneous," but he wonders, "How do TSN and Sportsnet fact-check under the white-hot glare of instant deadlines? Do they use the same protocols?" In talking to both networks, the formula "appears to be equal amounts of reporter experience, reliable sources and a small amount of bailout in the term 'pending league approval.'" TSN's Bob McKenzie said, "The immediacy of Twitter, society’s acceptance of getting the various pieces of a story fed to them bit by bit as they become apparent, has become the norm. I mean, it’s almost like we’re doing play-by-play of news stories now, as opposed to waiting for one final, finished product with a bow on it" (GLOBE & MAIL, 3/2).
