Media Notes
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Historic Nadal Match Did Not Air Live
Due To NBC's Contractual Rights |
In Albany, Pete Dougherty noted NBC did not allow Tennis Channel to air any of yesterday's Robin Soderling-Rafael Nadal fourth-round French Open match, the first match Nadal has ever lost at the event, "because it [had] taped coverage later in the day." Tennis fans "wanting to learn about a defining moment in the sport ... were left scrambling to the Internet to see how the match ended." Dougherty: "If the network can't open its airwaves to show a sporting event live, it shouldn't be able to prevent another carrier from doing the same" (TIMESUNION.com, 5/31). Meanwhile, SI.com's Jon Wertheim wrote Tennis Channel's coverage has earned a "B" grade thus far. The coverage "has been generally unimpeachable, but someone has to figure out a way to improve distribution" (SI.com, 5/30).
GROWTH SPURT: Much of the sports world is looking to see if Comcast will develop Versus into a national competitor to ESPN. But at a financial media conference in N.Y. last week, Comcast Chair & CEO Brian Roberts said his company's regional sports business has showed faster growth. "Of the businesses we have actually been more actionable on of late it has been in the content space with some of the regional sports," he said. "These are still the fastest growing part of the content business that we have got" (John Ourand, THE DAILY).
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Marshall Appears Live On ESPN's "OTL"
Following Report On His Previous Legal Troubles |
TOO MUCH LEFT UNSAID: The Albany TIMES UNION's Dougherty noted Sunday's episode of ESPN's "OTL" featured a report about Broncos WR Brandon Marshall being arrested several times for domestic violence, then followed that up with a "live interview with Marshall." However, the net "didn't allow enough time for [the] Marshall interview." ESPN's Bob Ley "did a decent job at questioning Marshall," but he "didn't really have the opportunity to pry deeper into some of the responses." Dougherty: "It is rare that ESPN can get one of its 'Outside The Lines' targets to respond, and to do it live was a coup, but unfortunately the impact was limited by time constraints" (TIMESUNION.com, 5/31).
NOT MADE IN THE SHADE: In London, Russell Kempson reports fans watching ITV's coverage of the FA Cup Final on Saturday "complained that when passages of play passed from the shade at Wembley Stadium into the bright sunlight -- and back again -- the pictures became temporarily blurred." However, the "distortion lasted only split-seconds." Neither the FA nor ITV commented last night (LONDON TIMES, 6/1).
LIKE RIDING A BIKE: In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote MLB Network's Bob Costas "has kept the rust off ... after eight years away from the baseball play-by-play microphone." Costas during Thursday's coverage of Dodgers-Cubs delivered an "impeccable call, mixing in his own analysis and humor." Analyst Dan Plesac "brought some interesting stuff to the telecast, but he can't stop yakking. He needs to dial it back" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/31).
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