American soccer officials are close to completing a deal
with ABC in which three to five U.S. national team games will be
televised annually for the next few years. The telecasts will
begin in June with the U.S. Cup '95. Rothenberg made the
announcement that a TV deal was close yesterday, but he declined
to say which network (AP/ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 1/18)....The N.Y.
POST's Phil Mushnick reports that Cablevision-owned SportsChannel
has announced it "will not provide rebates due to the loss of
more than 70 Devils and Islanders telecasts. And SportsChannel
is a premium additional pay channel that cost as much as $16 per
month." MSG Network has also not decided what it will do
regarding 38 lost Ranger games for which subscribers paid.
Mushnick: "What's to decide? If one keeps the money for goods
undelivered, it is called stealing" (Phil Mushnick, N.Y. POST,
1/18). USA Network will kick off its '95 Golf coverage with the
Pebble Beach Pro-Am on February 2. The network will also provide
early round coverage of The Ryder Cup, The Masters, The Players
Championships, and The PGA Seniors Championship (USA)....The NFL
Expansion Draft will be televised live on ESPN on February 15
(ESPN)....According to a recent study by BBDO Worldwide
advertising agency, the top rated show among Hispanic-American
television viewers between the ages of 14 and 49 is ABC's "Monday
Night Football" (NFL)....TBS will telecast "Hank Aaron: Chasing
the Dream" on April 4 to commemorate the 20 anniversary of his
715th homer (Turner). ...Ratings: The AFC Championship Game drew
a 27.9 rating/56 share on Sunday. CBS reported that its Eye on
Sports ice skating series averaged an 3.4 rating over the 11
weeks the series aired. It "greatest appeal was among women"
(Milton Kent, Baltimore SUN, 1/18).
