Fox' deal shows it is willing to spend heavily to turn its broadcast network into a showcase of live sportsGETTY IMAGES
In an "aggressive bid to reshape the Fox broadcast network into a more formidable sports powerhouse," the net's five-year deal to broadcast "TNF" represents a "big bet at a time when the NFL is facing multiple challenges," according to Meg James of the L.A. TIMES. Fox Exec Chair Rupert Murdoch at age 86 is "looking to redraw the television map once again," and this new deal shows Fox is "willing to spend heavily to turn its broadcast network into a showcase of live sports after it sells much of its entertainment empire" to Disney. MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson in a report wrote the Fox deal is "both offensive and defensive." He noted that the average viewership for "TNF" in '17 was "more than double that of Fox's top-rated show 'Empire.'" Nathanson: "It is no secret that Fox network has struggled outside of sports" (L.A. TIMES, 2/1). In Boston, Chad Finn wrote despite NFL TV ratings falling again in '17, the sport's "appeal to television networks -- and the broadcast right fees those networks are willing to pay for it -- remain sky-high." Even with its "assorted controversies, the NFL remains as enormously appealing a television product as there is" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/1). SNY's Dan Graca said "TNF" is a "necessary evil." Graca: "As long as these networks are willing to pay oodles of cash to the NFL, it's going to continue. We can't do anything about it" ("Loud Mouths," SNY, 1/31). SNY's Jonas Schwartz said "TNF" is "here to stay." N.Y. Daily News' Peter Botte: "When there's money to be made it's not going anywhere and that's the bottom line" ("Daily News Live," SNY, 1/31). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Joe Flint writes Fox' deal "signals the network will be an aggressive bidder for content" in the wake of the deal with Disney. RBC Capital Markets analyst Steven Cahall in a report wrote that Fox is "likely to lose" about $360M annually on "TNF." He "estimated that CBS and NBC combined were losing" roughly $200M. But Cahall said that Fox' play with "TNF" is "strategic" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/1). FS1's Colin Cowherd said Fox acquiring "TNF" rights means "forty percent of the NFL games are now at Fox." Cowherd: "The NFL rules the world known as television" ("Speak For Yourself," FS1, 1/31). In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal writes under the header, "Anthem Protests Were Going To Cost The NFL, Then Fox Showed Up With Cash." What "often gets lost when talking about NFL ratings going down" is that the NFL's popularity has a "very long way to fall before it hits bottom." All that is "certain is Fox and its checkbook have seen to it that the comeuppance so many expected to hit the NFL and its players remains at least a few years off" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/1).
GAMBLING PLAYING A ROLE? YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote under the header, "Gambling, The NFL's Boogeyman, Is Why League Got $3B For Despised 'Thursday Night Football.'" American Gambling Association research found regular gamblers "watched 19 additional NFL games" during the '15 season than non-gamblers. Despite representing just 25% of the market, regular gamblers watched 47% of the "all-minutes broadcast." AGA expects up to a 50% "boost in those gamblers if it becomes legal." Betting on the game means "interest in the game, especially as technology allows for in-game wagering that can keep even blowout contests intriguing." Wetzel: "The boom is coming." Fox just "gambled" that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule the Professional & Amateur Sports Protection Act is "unconstitutional." Otherwise, this deal "makes little sense" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/31).
PLAYERS DON'T GET A SAY? ESPN's Trey Wingo said Fox' "TNF" deal "runs through" '22 while the "CBA with the players runs out" in '21. Wingo: "If I'm the players, I'm like, 'We didn't agree to that.' There may be a bargaining chip that may give them a little bit more power this next time around." ESPN's Ryan Clark: "The first time we went through it I was part of the NFLPA and that was a huge deal, the fact that they had more TV money coming in, they had more contracts that would lead them throughout the CBA and the NFL is smart" ("NFL Live," ESPN, 1/31).
