Media Notes
In Boston, John Powers writes while the USOC's new U.S. Olympic Network is a "worthy idea, the timing of last week's announcement is terrible." There was "no need to break the news now, not with the vote for the 2016 Games coming in October and before the awarding of the TV rights." With the USOC and IOC "still wrangling over distribution of those and other sponsorship fees, it was silly at best to provoke the Lords of the Rings, who now have a legitimate reason for another American smackdown, especially with Chicago a leading 2016 contender" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/14).
NFL ON THE GO: BLOOMBERG NEWS' Andy Fixmer reported DirecTV will allow NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers to watch games during the '09 season "on mobile phones as part of a $100 package" that also provides "computer access and additional TV features." Fans for $280 also can "add access to handsets including" iPhones. The offer ends July 31. Fixmer noted a Wi-fi link or "access to a so-called 3G high-speed wireless Internet service is required," and software "will be provided on Apple's iPhone AppStore by September" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/13).
DYNAMIC DUO: GOLFWEEK's Martin Kaufmann wrote NBC and ESPN during their coverage of the U.S. Women's Open "gave viewers plenty of action, and that's never a bad thing." NBC's pairing of Dottie Pepper and Johnny Miller in the main studio was reminiscent of the net's "paradigm-shifting college basketball team of three decades ago: Billy Packer, Al McGuire and anchor Dick Enberg." Viewers are "not likely to see Pepper and Miller together again anytime soon, but they made for a winning combination" (GOLFWEEK.com, 7/13).
EARNING KUDOS: ESPN's Bob Ley examined South Africa's readiness for the '10 FIFA World Cup at the one-year-out mark on Sunday's "Outside The Lines," and SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote, "Full marks go to features producer Nancy Devaney, who won't be seen on camera but whom Ley said was a vital part of an informative and visually sumptuous 30 minutes of broadcast journalism" (SI.com, 7/13).
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