redlegsfan21
11-11-2008, 10:20 PM
Disney hopes to put the five Bowl Championship Series college football games on cable television on ESPN — not over-the-air TV.
If Disney's bid wins — and TV sports rights fees generally go to the highest bidder — then the BCS title game, starting with the 2010 season, will be the first major U.S. sports championship game on cable.
Fox has a four-year deal through next season. Conference commissioners and BCS TV negotiator Barry Frank have been meeting in Chicago with the networks since Sunday.
"We've had good meetings and discussion to the point," John Swofford, BCS coordinator and Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner, told USA TODAY on Tuesday night. "The BCS is obviously an attractive television property, but we simply have not completed our process."
Fox pays about $82.5 million annually for four of the five BCS games. The Rose Bowl has a separate deal with Disney's ABC.
But SportsBusiness Daily, citing people familiar with the negotiations, reported that in bidding between the networks, Disney is offering about $125 million annually to air the games on ESPN and Fox is offering about $100 million annually. (The Rose Bowl, based on its ABC deal, would also be able to move to ESPN.)
Several people with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed those figures to USA TODAY. They declined to be identified because the talks are ongoing.
Fox's Dan Bell said Fox has until Monday to respond, adding, "This is very much an ongoing process."
ESPN declined to comment.
ESPN, in bidding for big events such as the NFL's Monday Night Football, has a financial edge over broadcasters such as Fox, which gets its TV sports revenues from ad sales. Cable networks have another revenue stream: fees from cable operators.
About 16 million U.S. households don't get ESPN. But postseason games in various pro leagues, including Major League Baseball and the NBA, already have moved to cable, as has the NCAA women's Final Four.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2008-11-11-bcs-espn_N.htm?csp=15
If Disney's bid wins — and TV sports rights fees generally go to the highest bidder — then the BCS title game, starting with the 2010 season, will be the first major U.S. sports championship game on cable.
Fox has a four-year deal through next season. Conference commissioners and BCS TV negotiator Barry Frank have been meeting in Chicago with the networks since Sunday.
"We've had good meetings and discussion to the point," John Swofford, BCS coordinator and Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner, told USA TODAY on Tuesday night. "The BCS is obviously an attractive television property, but we simply have not completed our process."
Fox pays about $82.5 million annually for four of the five BCS games. The Rose Bowl has a separate deal with Disney's ABC.
But SportsBusiness Daily, citing people familiar with the negotiations, reported that in bidding between the networks, Disney is offering about $125 million annually to air the games on ESPN and Fox is offering about $100 million annually. (The Rose Bowl, based on its ABC deal, would also be able to move to ESPN.)
Several people with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed those figures to USA TODAY. They declined to be identified because the talks are ongoing.
Fox's Dan Bell said Fox has until Monday to respond, adding, "This is very much an ongoing process."
ESPN declined to comment.
ESPN, in bidding for big events such as the NFL's Monday Night Football, has a financial edge over broadcasters such as Fox, which gets its TV sports revenues from ad sales. Cable networks have another revenue stream: fees from cable operators.
About 16 million U.S. households don't get ESPN. But postseason games in various pro leagues, including Major League Baseball and the NBA, already have moved to cable, as has the NCAA women's Final Four.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2008-11-11-bcs-espn_N.htm?csp=15