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SBJ Media: Dish Net Plays Waiting Game With Sinclair RSNs


I have jury duty tomorrow, which made me think of this “30 Rock” scene when Tina Fey’s character dresses up as Princess Leia to try and get out of it.

 

 

CHARLIE ERGEN: RSN NEGOTIATIONS COME DOWN TO PRICE

  • The main headline coming out of Dish Network’s Q4 earnings call today was about a deal that won’t happen for the foreseeable future. Dish Net chair Charlie Ergen said an eventual merger with DirecTV was “inevitable,” even though AT&T has said that it is not looking to sell the satellite operator. Ergen’s main point in making that statement, though, is worth considering. It’s becoming harder for satellite companies to compete with not only cable, but big programmers that are launching their own streaming services.

  • For me, it was Ergen’s comments on Dish’s dispute with Sinclair’s suite of RSNs that were far more interesting. Those RSNs went dark on Dish in July. On Dish’s earnings call, Ergen said the main stumbling block was money. “The math is easy,” he said. “We know what it’s worth, and it’s worth less today than it was last year.”

  • I’m told Dish’s carriage deal for Sinclair's local broadcast channels ends in the first half of this year, which most of my sources predict will provide the impetus for Dish to finally do an RSN deal. In a research report released today, Craig Moffett wrote that the absence of those RSNs on Dish “likely hurt their otherwise relatively good subscriber results, but their absence clearly have helped EBITDA.”

 


NETWORKS "SATISFIED" WITH XFL NUMBERS

  • TV execs are cautiously optimistic following Week 2 of the XFL, which saw viewership drop 34% from the opening weekend. The TV audience over the first two weeks are tracking close to preseason expectations at both ESPN and Fox, I’m told. “I know it was a long time ago, but the original XFL was down 60% in Week 2,” one exec said. It’s hard to compare the XFL with last year’s AAF, which opened on CBS and then moved to TNT and NFL Network. As you would expect, the XFL’s broadcast numbers are much bigger than AAF’s cable ones.

  • For networks, the key is in laying down achievable expectations. This isn’t the second coming of the NFL -- not even close. But, as Fox Sports exec Mike Mulvihill tweeted today, “It’s important to acknowledge the massive volume of sports programming that thrives on cable in the 1-2 million viewer range, or on broadcast in a 1-3 million range.”

  • Here are the numbers: After two weeks, the XFL is averaging 2.58 million viewers for eight games across Fox, ESPN, ABC and FS1, according to SBJ's Austin Karp. The four games from Week 2 averaged 2.1 million viewers, which is down 34% from the four debut games in Week 1. All games topped 2.5 million viewers in Week 1, and the best audience in Week 2 was ABC on Sunday afternoon (2.4 million viewers for Dallas Renegades-L.A. Wildcats).

 

Renegades-Wildcats on ABC was the most-watched XFL game in Week 2

 


WINTER CLASSIC WEIGHS DOWN NHL TV NUMBERS

  • There is no spin like TV ratings spin. In my career of reporting on ratings info, I’ve seen network PR execs tell me that I should ignore whatever viewer number is down in favor of whatever demo happens to be up. And if that demo is down the following year, they will start pushing another demo.

  • Given that as a preamble, it would seem that NHL numbers are taking a hit this season. At first blush, it would appear that viewership is down 5% this year, with games across NBC and NBCSN averaging 404,000 viewers, according to numbers from SBJ’s Austin Karp. However -- that number includes the Winter Classic, which posted a record-low audience this January. If you exclude the Winter Classic, regular-season viewership is flat with last year.

  • Flat viewership at the national level tracks with audience figures for NHL RSNs on the whole, which also are flat so far this season. Sabres games on MSG have the highest rating (6.9 in the Buffalo market, down 19%). Blue Jackets games on FS Ohio have logged the biggest increase (2.25 in Columbus, up 54%). Ducks games on FS Prime Ticket have posted the lowest ratings (0.15 in L.A., down 39%); Avalanche games on Altitude have seen the biggest drop (0.58, down 61%). Comcast and Dish Network have dropped Altitude in Denver, hurting those ratings figures.

 


 

SPEED READS 

  • Ben Affleck joined “SportsCenter” and discussed his relationship with a certain high-level ESPN exec. Check out the video here. Affleck: “Jimmy Pitaro and I were young guys together, kicking around Hollywood. He used to work at a [CD-ROM] music magazine called Launch. I was on their first cover for this scrummy little independent movie I did. I never thought he was going anywhere, so that shows you what I know. ... My guess is that if you run ESPN, you get asked for more favors than if you run any other company in the world."

  • Still a month away from the start of the NCAA Tournament, and CBS/Turner are reporting a sell-out, Ad Age’s Anthony Crupi writes. “Every last in-game commercial unit in the three-week college hoops showcase has been auctioned off to a client roster primarily made up of automotive, insurance, telco, fast food and financial services brands. ... Not a scrap has been held back for scatter.”

  • Warm congratulations to Lesley Visser, who will become the first woman to be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award this spring at the annual Sports Emmys. The ceremony will be held April 28 in N.Y. Four years ago, I wrote a profile on Visser and got an inside look at what makes her tick.

 

Visser will be the first woman to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Emmys

 

  • Let go from CBS in October, golf analyst Peter Kostis is not holding back. On the "No Laying Up" podcast, Kostis said: "The [PGA] Tour wants more control over what’s being said. They want more cheerleaders on the telecast.”

  • Two weeks ago, I wrote about Ross Greenburg producing a 13-minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the run up to the XFL’s launch. “The Road to Kickoff” posted today

  • Let’s hear it for the Terps! Maryland grad -- and former Diamondback writer -- Alyssa Zeleznik is FanDuel’s new VP/Advertising & Sponsorship Sales, based in L.A. Zeleznik had been VP/Ad Sales for the Fox-owned Home Team Sports.

  • There are a couple of tidbits in this Royal Television Society write-up of new NBCU CEO Jeff Shell that should interest readers of SBJ Media. He’s described as a “avid sports fan” and “one-time high-school basketball player” who supports the Dodgers. And there’s this quote, from close friend Tim Leiweke: “He’s wicked smart, and he’s quicker on the curve than anyone I have ever met.” 

  • NFL Network is moving some of its Combine coverage into primetime for the first time next week, starting Feb. 27. NFL Net VP/Production Charlie Yook told NBC's Peter King, "This is no different than moving the first round of the draft to Thursday primetime, and moving a weekly game to Thursday night during the season." 

  • Bob Ley will be back on the radio Sunday, calling part of the second half of the St. Johns-Seton Hall basketball game. A 1976 Seton Hall grad, Ley will be honored with a reception thrown by WSOU-FM -- the student-run station where he worked during college.

 

Bob Ley worked at the student-run WSOU-FM during his college years at Seton Hall

 

 

 

------- CAA World Congress of Sports Update -------

  • ESPN President and Disney Media Networks co-Chair Jimmy Pitaro is set for a one-on-one interview on March 25. Don’t miss out on the two biggest days in sports business with thought-provoking content, relationship building and deal making from start to finish. To view the agenda and to register, go to www.WorldCongressofSports.com.

 

 

 

Enjoying this newsletter? We've got more! Check out SBJ College with Michael Smith on Tuesdays and Thursdays for insights into all the latest news around the world of college sports. Also check out SBJ Football with Ben Fischer on Friday afternoons.

Something on the Media beat catch your eye? Tell us about it. Reach out to either me (jourand@sportsbusinessjournal.com) or Austin Karp (akarp@sportsbusinessjournal.com) and we'll share the best of it. Also contributing to this newsletter is Thomas Leary (tleary@sportsbusinessdaily.com).