ESPN Actually Wants to Broadcast a Super Bowl

[TMC1982]

ESPN's leap into the major leagues | Marketplace From American Public Media


Ryssdal: Are we ever going to see ESPN doing the Super Bowl?

Bodenheimer: I certainly wouldn't rule it out. I mean, if we'd had
done this interview 15 years ago and you had asked me, "Do you see
ESPN with the Masters, with the British Open, with the BCS
championship, with Monday Night Football?" I probably would've given
you a similar answer. So I'm ruling nothing out.

 

[beast37799]

yea expect a huge uproar when those who dont suscribe to espn cant watch something which has always been free . also the draw of the commericals would change as well

 

[meStevo]

I'd imagine they'd like to televise everything sports related under the sun (and anything played in the dark, under water, etc, they'd probably like to show that too), but they're just one channel. If they were proposing something to try and be considered when whatever TV agreement is in place for it expires that'd be another story. As-is it's just a sexy headline.

 

[IcEWoLF]

If anything it would be on ABC....since ESPN/ABC....
They would lose tons of viewers.

 

[SamCdbs]

The self-appointed guardians of the so-called "poor" would crawl out of their holes and attack the NFL and ESPN should such a thing happen. Disney is probably smart enough to understand that. I know the NFL is.

 

[Jimbo]

I think it WILL happen sometime .... reason being, did we ever see the MLB playoffs going to ALL Evenings ? No, they use to be during he day as well ...

It wasn't all that long ago that the playoffs were pushed to an obscure ABC Family Network witch MOST could not get, or FIND if they did have it ....
Then shortly later they moved them to TBS/TNT which ALSO is NOT a Network that everyone gets for free.

I see this happening, absolutely ... I think what you'll find it they will tell you that 85 % of the country gets cable/ satellite programming.

(I don't know if the figure is anywhere correct, just using it to make a point)

Jimbo

 

[meStevo]

If anything it would be on ABC....since ESPN/ABC....
They would lose tons of viewers.

I think this is more likely, there's much more advertising money to be made, many more eyeballs available. Disney would put it on ABC rather than ESPN.

 

[Jimbo]

I think this is more likely, there's much more advertising money to be made, many more eyeballs available. Disney would put it on ABC rather than ESPN.

Hasn't the SB ever been on ABC before ?
With the Monday night football use to be on ABC, you would think that it may have been already (ABC)

 

[Mr Tony]

SB was last on ABC in 2006

ABC 1985, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006
CBS 16 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2007 2010
FOX 5 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008
NBC 16 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2009

 

[Jimbo]

SB was last on ABC in 2006

ABC 1985, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006
CBS 16 1967, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1992, 2001, 2004, 2007 2010
FOX 5 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008
NBC 16 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2009

Ok, I thought that it had, I apparently forgot the question, that states about ESPN getting it.

I would not be surprised if this happened and it would not bother me at all.

 

[Mr Tony]

I guess since ABC doesnt have football anymore they cant have the SB? wiki shows the next 4 years are on the 3 nets that have football

 

[Jimbo]

I guess since ABC doesnt have football anymore they cant have the SB? wiki shows the next 4 years are on the 3 nets that have football

That would be FOX, CBS and NBC ....

If you think ESPN would cause trouble for people, wait till the NFL Network gets thier SB ideas together.

 

[anders5189]

That would be FOX, CBS and NBC ....

If you think ESPN would cause trouble for people, wait till the NFL Network gets thier SB ideas together.

This is the direction sports broadcasting is moving. The SB is still the crown jewel of sporting events, along with Olympics, so I think it'll stay on network TV for a while. But, with the BCS moving to ESPN next year, and portions of the MLB and NBA playoffs on cable, I don't think it'll be long until you see the NBA Finals or WS on cable. That way a network never has to worry about some small market team like the Tampa Bay Rays ruining their broadcast.

 

[Chanz01]

I guess since ABC doesnt have football anymore they cant have the SB? wiki shows the next 4 years are on the 3 nets that have football

Yeah. I think the rights to the SB are negotiated along with the NFL regular season games--at least for the main NFC and AFC broadcast networks (currently FOX and CBS respectively). Obviously the Sunday night winner must get something too if NBC has had it recently and will have it again in the next few years.

This is the direction sports broadcasting is moving. The SB is still the crown jewel of sporting events, along with Olympics, so I think it'll stay on network TV for a while. But, with the BCS moving to ESPN next year, and portions of the MLB and NBA playoffs on cable, I don't think it'll be long until you see the NBA Finals or WS on cable. That way a network never has to worry about some small market team like the Tampa Bay Rays ruining their broadcast.

The Super Bowl is consistently the most watched event every year. I don't think there is any way a cable network gets the Super Bowl any time soon. Even ESPN. The World Series, the Masters, Daytona, etc. don't approach the magnitude of the Super Bowl in total viewers. That's why TNT, ESPN, and others occasionally get thrown a bone.

 

[TMC1982]

This is the direction sports broadcasting is moving. The SB is still the crown jewel of sporting events, along with Olympics, so I think it'll stay on network TV for a while. But, with the BCS moving to ESPN next year, and portions of the MLB and NBA playoffs on cable, I don't think it'll be long until you see the NBA Finals or WS on cable. That way a network never has to worry about some small market team like the Tampa Bay Rays ruining their broadcast.

To try to put things in a proper perspective on why the Super Bowl being on ESPN would be a bad idea. The Super Bowl is traditionally, one of the highest rated telecasts of the year. There's a reason why in the current NFL TV contract, NBC has the rights to the early round, Wild Card playoff games (not to mention alternating in the Super Bowl rights with only CBS and FOX) instead of ESPN. It's because, the NFL wants to maximize the audience as best as possible. Even though, ESPN is currently available in over 100 million households, the bottomline is still that the biggest game of the year has always been on regular, free television. ESPN's whole MO is to get as many big events as possible so that they can justify charging the cable companies a hefty sum to carry ESPN. Look for instance, what's happening right now with Versus' feud with DirecTV.

 

[meStevo]

Except that people watch ESPN

 

[Jimbo]

To try to put things in a proper perspective on why the Super Bowl being on ESPN would be a bad idea. The Super Bowl is traditionally, one of the highest rated telecasts of the year. There's a reason why in the current NFL TV contract, NBC has the rights to the early round, Wild Card playoff games (not to mention alternating in the Super Bowl rights with only CBS and FOX) instead of ESPN. It's because, the NFL wants to maximize the audience as best as possible. Even though, ESPN is currently available in over 100 million households, the bottomline is still that the biggest game of the year has always been on regular, free television. ESPN's whole MO is to get as many big events as possible so that they can justify charging the cable companies a hefty sum to carry ESPN. Look for instance, what's happening right now with Versus' feud with DirecTV.

Except that people watch ESPN

Touche'

 

[Chanz01]

Except that people watch ESPN

Of course people watch ESPN. I don't think that is up for debate. However, the main point is that more people have access to CBS, NBC, FOX, and ABC than have access to ESPN. Generally speaking, unless you don't have a TV (with reception), you have access to the networks. Having access to ESPN is a different story. Even if it is 85%, it's not the near 100% reach of the networks.

Sure, you can go to a friend's house or a bar, but not everyone will. Thus, they would lose out on ratings, and therefore ad revenue. No advertiser in their right mind would pay the same dollar amount for an ad on an ESPN SB as they would on a network SB. This is what is all comes down to.

The trump card in this equation would be if ESPN bids some ridiculous amount to obtain the rights that the NFL can't say no to. After all, everyone's got their price. It would still need to be large enough to make up for the difference in the would-be lost ad revenue.

 

[anders5189]

Sure, you can go to a friend's house or a bar, but not everyone will. Thus, they would lose out on ratings, and therefore ad revenue. No advertiser in their right mind would pay the same dollar amount for an ad on an ESPN SB as they would on a network SB. This is what is all comes down to.

The trump card in this equation would be if ESPN bids some ridiculous amount to obtain the rights that the NFL can't say no to. After all, everyone's got their price. It would still need to be large enough to make up for the difference in the would-be lost ad revenue.

ESPN doesn't need advertisers to pay the same amount as they pay networks. ESPN gets half their money through subscription fees whether you watch or not. I don't know if they'll get a SB, but it's not hard to see events like the WS going to cable. Networks like FOX are just betting that the Red Sox or Yankees will reach the WS every year which doesn't happen. The only events that are likley to have a guranteed big audience are the SB, Olympics, golf tournaments like the Masters and US Open, and the NCAA Tournament. I can see everything else going to cable sooner or later.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

The major networks that are currently part of the equation (CBS, NBC, FOX) also pay the large amount they do for their NFL contracts and thus rely on the regular season, playoffs, and SB to promote their primetime programming. How many of these promos do you see during games??

It probably wouldn't make fiscal sense for ESPN to try to get into the SB rotation, at least for this reason. But then again, The Mouse does have a lot of money....