ESPN President George Bodenheimer, on how ESPN will benefit from the new TV contract with the NBA, despite viewership being down 14% in primetime in adult males 18-49 over the past year: "It's not all about ratings. They're not the sole value of a company our size." BUSINESSWEEK's Tom Lowry writes ESPN is also "looking for new revenue by expanding beyond its stalwart network." But Bodenheimer's "growth plans won't count for much if he can't relax the tensions with cable and satellite operators." Lowry adds a group of execs, including former Charter Communications CEO Jerry Kent, are "calling for Congress to require ESPN to offer its service a la carte, just as" HBO or Showtime is (BUSINESSWEEK, 2/11 issue)....KIRO-CBS landed broadcast rights for the Mariners' '02 season. It is an exclusive joint partnership with FSN that gives KIRO rights to 33 regular-season games and two exhibition games. Last year's Mariners games averaged an 18.4/38 on KIRO (MEDIAWEEK.com, 1/31)....Speed Channel runs an ad in today's USA Today with the tag, "Motorsports Will Never Look The Same" (THE DAILY).
