TV talk
This is the last season before the NBA’s new nine-year, $24 billion national TV contract begins, tripling the current rights value. A river of cash will flow through the league, but how will Turner and ESPN afford the massive new rights fees? ESPN already has made budget cutbacks, including layoffs and the departure of high-priced talent such as Keith Olbermann, Jason Whitlock and Bill Simmons.
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Teams could have more sponsorship real estate.
Photo by: NBAE / Getty Images |
Space available?
Putting a company logo on NBA game jerseys has long been considered by the league but there is newfound interest as team owners again revisit the issue. Still, major hurdles remain. Just what is the value of such deals and how would the league govern such a major initiative? Would the teams sell the inventory, or would it be a league asset? How would it affect revenue sharing among the teams given that the patches would vary in value by market? These are complicated questions with no easy answers, yet the consensus around the league is that the patch is too valuable to ignore.
Sittin’ on the dock of the bay
Fresh off their NBA championship, the Golden State Warriors are pushing to win a new battle: approval for their planned arena across the Bay in San Francisco. The arena, when combined with commercial development included in the project, would cost $1 billion. The team is paying for the massive project and already owns the land, but well-financed opposition is determined to derail the plan. Battling that opposition and any legal challenges to win approval is a major challenge for owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber.
Big market blues
Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers went a horrific 21-61, prompting team President Jeanie Buss to remind fans of a successful rebuild within three years or her brother Jim will step down as executive vice president of basketball operations. The clock is ticking as Kobe Bryant returns to the Lakers in the last year of a deal that makes him the league’s highest-paid player. Meanwhile, in New York, the Knicks in year two of the Phil Jackson era are looking to rebound from a ghastly 17-65 record last season, the worst in team history. Having these marquee teams playing abysmal basketball in the NBA’s two biggest media markets can’t please the network’s partners in ESPN and Turner.
Rest for the weary
Commissioner Adam Silver has made good on his desire to decrease the number of back-to-back games for teams and the number of teams playing four games in five days. It’s a goodwill move that can’t help but strengthen the league’s relationship with players, improve the quality of play and hopefully reduce injuries as Silver focuses on improving the NBA product. But to help make a more favorable schedule, the NBA and Turner this season boosted the number of Thursday night games. One other change is that ABC will air eight games on Saturday night, not the most attractive night for prime-time programming. Will NBA viewership suffer?
