In Columbus, Adam Jardy cites sources as saying that the MLS Crew season opener on Saturday "will be on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, ending a two-year relationship with Fox Sports Ohio." Crew Chair Anthony Precourt said a TV deal was "forthcoming" but did not say when. The Crew are one of five MLS teams "without a local broadcast deal with three days to go before the season." The Crew signed with FS Ohio for the '12 season "in a deal that was completed 17 days before the season" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 3/6).
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW: The Univ. of Hawaii said that if Hawaii News Now had "come up with an offer of at least" $2.3M per year for its athletic TV and pay-per-view rights, it "would have been considered for the contract." But in Honolulu, Ferd Lewis notes UH last week announced a six-year extension of Oceanic Time Warner Cable's contract "initially worth at least $2.3 million per year and escalating to $2,539,386 at the agreement's conclusion June 30, 2020." HNN GM Rick Blangiardi said that he "would have ended pay-per-view and shown UH football road games free." KHNL-NBC and KFVE-MYT had been partners with UH until '11, when Oceanic "became the rights holder" (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 3/6).
DINOSAUR DISAPPEARING ACT: In Toronto, Doug Smith wrote the Raptors have been treated "shoddily" by their "broadcast partner overlords since before the season began." Smith: "In the last couple of weeks, they have had the start of games mysteriously moved from one network to another because -- get this! -- they had to show a rain delay of a car race and the end of a truly meaningless spring training game." But if "you can switch a basketball game at the last minute, why in the world wouldn’t you leave it where people expect to watch it and move years old car racing highlights during a Daytona rain delay and the final inning or so of a spring baseball game being contested by guys who have little or no chance of being in the big leagues this summer?" (THESTAR.com, 3/4).
