Veteran media execs describe U.S. sports as "little more than niche programming that still needs to find an audience in markets that are dominated by soccer and F1," according to HJ Mai of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Eurosport France Managing Dir and Eurosport Group TV Content Dir Arnaud Simon said, "Top American sports brands are not so big in Europe. It’s not just because you are a famous brand that you attract a lot of ratings and a lot of people are watching you." There "are some exceptions, of course." The NBA and NHL" are popular in some parts of Europe because of the respective ice hockey and basketball cultures in those areas." But even an established basketball culture -- like in Spain and Italy -- "does not guarantee high ratings for NBA games" because Europeans "remain loyal to local clubs, rather than U.S.-based teams." European media execs "believe that the success of U.S. sports in Europe depends on the networks’ ability to attract casual fans." Time zones "present a significant hurdle" for U.S. leagues looking to int'l markets. Live game coverage for most U.S. leagues often starts after midnight, which "makes it difficult to attract viewers and advertisers." BT Sport Head Simon Green said, "The hard-core sports fan, I absolutely can’t ignore them, but they will always be there for their sport. If you want to grow a business, you have to appeal to that marginal sports fan" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/13 issue).
