In St. Louis, Dan Caesar notes Fox and Charter Spectrum are "embroiled in a contract dispute at the national level" that could lead to the withholding of FS Midwest, which is set to televise two Blues playoff games and five Cardinals contests this week, from Charter’s lineup. It is "not clear if the FS1 and FS2 sports outlets are included in the squabble" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/10).
LOOKING TO LOWBALL: In N.Y., Josh Kosman cited sources as saying that the Golden Knights are "in talks for a media rights deal and are only attracting offers of slightly more than" $10M a year. That would be "among the lowest contracts in the league" (N.Y. POST, 4/9).
CHANGING THE GAME: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Gregg Kilday noted under new rules announced Friday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, multipart documentaries like ESPN's "O.J.: Made in America" will "not be eligible for an award at future Oscars." There does, however, "appear to be one way a doc like 'O.J.' could make the cut." The Oscar-winning doc "played numerous festivals where it was regarded as a film in the run-up to its Academy-qualifying run, and if producers of future multipart projects follow that route, they could still argue to the branch's exec committee that their film deserves consideration" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 4/7).
MEAN FORMULA: The Univ. of North Texas on Friday "announced a 10-year media rights partnership with Learfield." In Texas, Brett Vito noted the deal "marks the first time UNT has outsourced its multimedia rights." This partnership "begins immediately and will generate in excess" of $5M in new revenue over a 10-year period (DENTON RECORD-CHRONICLE, 4/8).
