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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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 Posted: 12/21/08 11:32 am ::: W losing exposure |
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http://sportsmediawatch.blogspot.com/2008/12/wnba-losing-television-exposure.html
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| After airing eight WNBA games last season, ABC is currently set to air only one game in 2009, an Opening Day matchup between the Shock and Sparks -- the teams who famously brawled during a game last season. ABC is also likely to air the yet-to-be-announced WNBA All Star Game. Meanwhile, ESPN2 will air 12 "WNBA Tuesday" telecasts, down from 14 last year. |
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Youth Coach
Joined: 23 Mar 2008
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| Posted: 12/21/08 11:58 am ::: |
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| Well that sucks they are losing 7 games. |
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scullyfu
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luvDhoops
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| Posted: 12/21/08 12:06 pm ::: |
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| Could the late start be one reason for fewer games?
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pilight
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| Posted: 12/21/08 12:17 pm ::: |
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| luvDhoops wrote: |
| Could the late start be one reason for fewer games? |
In 1997 the season started June 21st. There were 21 nationally televised games, including ten on NBC.
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Slovydal
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RedEqualsLuck
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| Posted: 12/21/08 12:23 pm ::: |
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well, you negotiate a contract from a position of power -- what kind of power does Donna have....
gosh, I guess they just "expect" people to watch games...
d@mn but gross mismanagement grumpifies me
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Richyyy
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| Posted: 12/21/08 12:32 pm ::: |
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Maybe that was how they managed to get the infamous 'first ever payments for WNBA rights' - they said "if you give us some money for them then you don't actually have to show the damn things".
I sincerely hope that this is an article written by someone based entirely on the schedule he can find on the website, rather than other information about the actual deal, and that ABC/ESPN will be adding more games later on. Hopefully part of the new deal was to have more flexibility to pick games as the season progressed so they didn't end up with crappy matchups no one cared about.
This is how leagues/sports die out - less exposure, less coverage, fewer people watching and caring until everything just fades away. Getting a couple of million bucks for the TV rights means nothing if the League goes under halfway through the deal through lack of interest.
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pilight
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petrel
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BCBG25
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| Posted: 12/21/08 1:03 pm ::: |
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| I would hope that what Richyyy said is the case here. But I hold little hope...usually what gets added later on is the local TV schedule, national TV is known in advance. I hope I'm wrong though.
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abontorab9
Joined: 19 Jun 2008
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| Posted: 12/21/08 1:13 pm ::: |
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So WNBA ratings are higher than MLS and NHL ratings.
Pilight, that post of yours is very disturbing.
I REALLY hope they are adding games to the schedule.
If not, I'd like to hear Donna's excuse for this one.
PS: The numbers...
Average viewership on national TV in 2008:
MLS: 253,000
WNBA: 413,000
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kbailey3131
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| Posted: 12/21/08 2:24 pm ::: |
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At first glance to me, it seems that this little nugget is why the contract the MLS inked is sweeter than the one (presumably) that the W got
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| The deal marks the first time the Disney networks have paid a rights fee to the league. Under the contract that expires with the end of this MLS campaign, SUM -- which handles the circuit's marketing and media rights -- secured carriage for the league on the Disney networks via an exchange for World Cup rights. |
That's the position of strength the W does not have to bring to the table.
I don't know if its more or less likely Orender has another ace up her sleeve with another outlet (Like maybe League Pass coming back) and/or she plans to push more games out another way.
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thesixthwoman
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| Posted: 12/21/08 2:33 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
Maybe that was how they managed to get the infamous 'first ever payments for WNBA rights' - they said "if you give us some money for them then you don't actually have to show the damn things".
I sincerely hope that this is an article written by someone based entirely on the schedule he can find on the website, rather than other information about the actual deal, and that ABC/ESPN will be adding more games later on. Hopefully part of the new deal was to have more flexibility to pick games as the season progressed so they didn't end up with crappy matchups no one cared about.
This is how leagues/sports die out - less exposure, less coverage, fewer people watching and caring until everything just fades away. Getting a couple of million bucks for the TV rights means nothing if the League goes under halfway through the deal through lack of interest. |
That's exactly what I thought when I read this report. That the writer just assumed from the standard release that only those games marked to be on TV would be on TV. It's never really ended up that way in the last few years, has it? They have removed some games and added others ... I think if Richyyy is right and it's about flexibility, that's an improvement.
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Richyyy
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| Posted: 12/21/08 3:07 pm ::: |
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| kbailey3131 wrote: |
At first glance to me, it seems that this little nugget is why the contract the MLS inked is sweeter than the one (presumably) that the W got
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| The deal marks the first time the Disney networks have paid a rights fee to the league. Under the contract that expires with the end of this MLS campaign, SUM -- which handles the circuit's marketing and media rights -- secured carriage for the league on the Disney networks via an exchange for World Cup rights. |
That's the position of strength the W does not have to bring to the table. |
That's a fair point, but the group selling WNBA rights does have a similar carrot - NBA rights. I think one of the first posts I ever made on this board was pointing out that the one huge, overwhelming way in which David Stern could help this league would be by using his position to help negotiate broadcasting rights. Just suggesting that a particular station would be looked on favourably when NBA rights negotiations next came around if they made a good deal with the WNBA would help things along enormously.
Maybe that's already happened - ABC/ESPN are the main broadcasting partners of the NBA as well, after all - but judging by the deals the WNBA have ended up with I'm not convinced.
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kbailey3131
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| Posted: 12/21/08 3:36 pm ::: |
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I got the sense that they weren't negotiating this new contract with the muscle of the NBA behind them. For some reason, and I might be wrong on this, I thought this was their first deal that was not something negotiated as part of or with the NBA's deal.
There were other things in that MLS deal from the link Pilight provided that also seemed like something the W might not have been willing to give up too...the ad revenues hit me as a biggie that could have been a factor.
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pilight
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| Posted: 12/21/08 3:55 pm ::: |
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| kbailey3131 wrote: |
At first glance to me, it seems that this little nugget is why the contract the MLS inked is sweeter than the one (presumably) that the W got
| Quote: |
| The deal marks the first time the Disney networks have paid a rights fee to the league. Under the contract that expires with the end of this MLS campaign, SUM -- which handles the circuit's marketing and media rights -- secured carriage for the league on the Disney networks via an exchange for World Cup rights. |
That's the position of strength the W does not have to bring to the table.
I don't know if its more or less likely Orender has another ace up her sleeve with another outlet (Like maybe League Pass coming back) and/or she plans to push more games out another way. |
Note the timing. Under the contract that expires with the end of this MLS campaign, which is to say the one MLS had BEFORE the one being discussed, ABC/ESPN acquired World Cup Rights. ABC/ESPN paid $100M for an extension through the 2014 Cup in 2005, a year before the new MLS contract was negotiated.
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kbailey3131
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| Posted: 12/21/08 4:29 pm ::: |
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You don't think the rights to the WC didn't play a factor in the negotiations of the new one?
ESPN has an incentive to put more MLS on with the investment in the WC. With all the media outlets Disney has the more is has as a run up the better and helps with their bargining for future rights.
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TigerVol
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| Posted: 12/21/08 5:26 pm ::: |
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Tough with the W.
At this point exposure with a poor game is more damaging than no exposure and it seems really difficult to predict the dog games almost until the season starts.
Showing 1 game just seems like why bother so hopefully it's flexibility and more will be added - or they plan to rely more on NBATV on cable/web. May be a better model in some ways.
Possibly not enough backing for regular national TV but more national over regional interest in many teams and NBA/Web is a cheaper more viable way to get and grow overall viewership - If you get the viewship the TV coverage will follow.
I watched a ton of games over the web I wouldn't have received with local or regional coverage.
Maybe less of a retreat than a regroup?
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GEF34
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| Posted: 12/21/08 6:33 pm ::: |
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| pilight wrote: |
| luvDhoops wrote: |
| Could the late start be one reason for fewer games? |
In 1997 the season started June 21st. There were 21 nationally televised games, including ten on NBC. |
that was a different network and 12 years ago
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GEF34
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| Posted: 12/21/08 6:37 pm ::: |
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| kbailey3131 wrote: |
I got the sense that they weren't negotiating this new contract with the muscle of the NBA behind them. For some reason, and I might be wrong on this, I thought this was their first deal that was not something negotiated as part of or with the NBA's deal.
There were other things in that MLS deal from the link Pilight provided that also seemed like something the W might not have been willing to give up too...the ad revenues hit me as a biggie that could have been a factor. |
that was the impression I got to when it was announced, that this was a deal made entire by the WNBA without the NBA for help and the WNBA was in its own
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mercfan3
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| Posted: 12/21/08 7:38 pm ::: |
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Yea, I hope it's about flexibility. Hopefully national tv will pick up more games. That's really bad though, if the WNBA lost eight games.
On the otherside, if this person does have inside info, they seem to think that there will be an All Star game...which is good.
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Queenie
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| Posted: 12/21/08 8:39 pm ::: |
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| The TV schedule at the start of the season is never the complete TV schedule. I'm not up in arms yet.
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Bigorange123
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| Posted: 12/21/08 9:29 pm ::: |
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| Love that avatar pilight!
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GEF34
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| Posted: 12/21/08 9:44 pm ::: |
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| petrel wrote: |
P. S. Yeah, looks like Holdsclaw will be given #1. Guess I'll have to change my avatar.... |
is that just going based on what her number was with the Sparks or has she said that's the number she wants, is going to wear for the Dream?
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