Media Notes
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ESPN, All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club
Finalize Six-Year Rights Deal For Wimbledon |
ESPN and the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club have finalized a six-year rights agreement for Wimbledon through 2013. The deal includes rights across all ESPN platforms, including an interactive Wimbledon Central application on ESPN.com and int’l rights to all of Central and South America excluding Brazil. ESPN2 will air approximately 100 hours of coverage annually, including one men’s and one women’s semifinal match (ESPN). SportsBusiness Journal first reported the story in June.
JACKSON LEAVING YES: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick reports YES Network analyst Mark Jackson announced during Nets-Celtics last night that he "would not be returning to call Net games." Jackson's relationship with YES had "been poor" since he joined ABC/ESPN "apparently without consulting YES" two seasons ago. A source said that the net had "no idea Jackson reached a decision and was stunned he announced the decision on the air" (N.Y. POST, 4/17).
HIGHER DEFINITION: In Pittsburgh, Bob Smizik reports while FSN RSNs carry 40 professional teams -- 15 NBA, 14 MLB and 11 NHL -- FSN's Houston control center has the "ability to produce only seven games a night in HD." However, FSN is working "to increase its capabilities." A truck costing about $4M is "needed on-site to deliver an HD telecast," and while FSN in '04-05 had five trucks on the road, it currently has "access to 14 trucks, and it expects to have 23 by the end of 2009." FSN has seven control rooms in Houston, and another center is under construction "that will enable FSN to do every game in HD by 2010" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/17).
NEW APPROACH: Six Flags CEO Mark Shapiro Tuesday said that the company is "aiming to become an entertainment company with its own characters to entice thrill-seekers to its parks much like The Walt Disney Co." Shapiro, the former ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Production who took the helm at Six Flags in December '05, said that the company now will "focus on building anticipation to its rides through stories and characters, while upgrading the attractions." Shapiro: "Approaching Six Flags is like building Disney, backward. The focus and the root of all and everything we do is the storytelling itself" (AP, 4/16).
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