FORBES' Christian Sylt noted Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei "launched a stinging criticism" of the amount paid by NBC to broadcast F1 in the U.S. The series has been broadcast in the U.S. by NBC since '13, when the net spent more than $3M to acquire its rights. Maffei: "The U.S. is, you know, it's a popcorn fart. It’s nothing. The opportunity is good, certainly in percentage terms, not in absolute dollar terms. It is very low. It is with NBC, and it’s not on the main NBC, it’s on their sports channel." NBC’s contract expires at the end of this year, and Maffei’s comments "could indicate that Liberty is looking for a sharp boost" to the fees paid for screening F1 in the U.S. (FORBES.com, 3/6).
CHANGE IS COMING: ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Amy Rosenfeld said that she "wants to change the orientation" of MLS' halftime shows from "focusing on highlights of the weekend's games to focusing on breaking news and trending topics in the league." In Philadelphia, Jonathan Tannenwald wrote that should "prove beneficial, not least because lead color analyst Taylor Twellman has established himself as a leading reporter of breaking news and transfer rumors." A halftime show focused on news that "hasn't been reported yet also probably stands a better chance of keeping viewers engaged at intermission" (PHILLY.com, 3/5).
BALL IS LIFE: ESPN.com's Pedro Gomez noted ESPN is "launching Béisbol Life, a season-long project featuring stories" in ESPN The Magazine, on ESPN.com, ESPN Deportes, "Baseball Tonight," "SportsCenter" and almost every one of its other platforms, in English and Spanish. The new feature is a "season-long look at how the game and Latino culture intersect." Béisbol Life also will "dive into the social and political realities surrounding Latin players" (ESPN.com, 3/6).
