Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer said of whether he is considering an over-the-top media-rights package for the team, "We’re partners with Fox in L.A. ... And that’s been a great relationship. But the big question for everybody, whether it’s Fox or the Clippers is, 'What do you do over the top?' And in a way, it’s interesting to try to model. Over the course of a season, five million homes will tune in and watch one of our games. And so you sort of say to yourself, 'Can we get that to be higher? Would we be better off doing it direct? Are we better off working that through with Fox? How much do we charge?'" Ballmer: "That will be a discussion we have with our partners as we move forward" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/3).
OVER AND OVER AGAIN: Charter Communications President & CEO Tom Rutledge on Friday said recent OTT offerings from HBO and CBS signal opportunities for MSOs to "put more specific customer-oriented packages together or packages that meet customer needs." Rutledge: "To the extent that programmers voluntarily break up the very fat basic bundle that they have put together contractually, would be an opportunity for us to actually build a more compelling product." He added that this "would be especially beneficial when the biggest strain on the video business is financially driven cord-cutting" (CABLEFAX DAILY, 11/3).
SHE'S THE REAL HERO: SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote, "Kudos to Fox Sports management for placing the women’s basketball game between Mt. St. Joseph College and Hiram on Fox Sports Go." The game featured Lauren Hill, who has "an inoperable brain tumor, playing for Mt. St. Joseph in her first college basketball game -- a goal of hers." Hill "joined Fox announcers Brad Johansen and Debbie Antontelli after scoring the game’s first basket on a layup." Deitsch: "A poised and courageous young woman" (SI.com, 11/2).
WE GOT TWO WORDS FOR YA: CSN Mid-Atlantic has hired DX Agency as its social media agency-of-record for the '14-15 NBA and NHL seasons. The agency will conduct contests and promotional campaigns around the RSN's social media content, which will focus on the Wizards and Capitals (John Ourand, Staff Writer).
