n Thu, Sep 8, 2011 at 10:36 AM, Mark J. <[email protected]> wrote:
> As Eric Deggans asks paraphrasing Bocephus, "Are you ready for some > cable fee increases?" (and cable systems contractually can't dump the > ESPN channels on a "Sports Entertainment Package" tier to try to keep > the prices down): > > > http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/media/content/are-you-ready-cable-fee-increases-espn-announces-new-15-billion-deal-monday-night-football > One of the interesting parts of the ESPN book (a book I thought would have gotten more discussion on this list) was the critical role their development of their dual stream revenue model had on their growth, and how profoundly important the NFL was in giving them the leverage to put the squeeze on cable operators. One particularly interesting passage was when one senior executive (I forget now which one) could not believe that his sales guy had really gotten the operators to agree to hefty, annual increases throughout the life of their NFL contract, and kept making him go back to double-check. In the mulch-channel universe, the NFL is one of the few properties that does not fragment. The problem for me is that this is an almost irresistible temptation for TV execs to put it on in prime-time, where it can generate highest ad rates. But a big part of what builds the unique interest in the NFL is that common experience of watching a couple of games, as all the other games are unfolding, on Sunday. If they dilute that experience too much, I think they will undermine the strong foundation on which NFL popularity is built. -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
