tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post5965238989274612243..comments2024-03-05T06:32:37.180-05:00Comments on The Daly Planet: Why Ultimately You Are Paying For ESPN's Big TV ContractsDaly Planet Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-54411012564734097342008-11-27T08:38:00.000-05:002008-11-27T08:38:00.000-05:00Anon 12:45AM,I appreciate your view on the issue, ...Anon 12:45AM,<BR/><BR/>I appreciate your view on the issue, but disagree.<BR/><BR/>What the article is saying is that ESPN enjoys the same advertising revenue stream as the broadcast TV networks and then has a "war chest" of cash in addition to that from the cable TV fees.<BR/><BR/>The cable TV fees alone total over four billion dollars per year. That is the primary reason why we have seen so many top sports TV properties migrating to ESPN. <BR/><BR/>Thanks for the comment.<BR/><BR/>JDDaly Planet Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-28115407450157620022008-11-27T00:45:00.000-05:002008-11-27T00:45:00.000-05:00The money doesn't come from the fans. It comes fro...The money doesn't come from the fans. It comes from the advertisers. If you want to extrapolate that and say the advertisers sell products we buy, so we pay for the advertisers who pay for the airtime that makes airing NASCAR profitable. And if you want to go that far, then we pay for everything. <BR/><BR/>If ESPN couldn't make more money than they pay on the TV contract, they wouldn't pay it. But they can, and the millions they get in profit do NOT come from me. That's kinda like going up to a school teacher and because you pay property tax start saying "I pay your salary!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-88819568691350270882008-11-26T23:13:00.000-05:002008-11-26T23:13:00.000-05:00Dot,Those are some of the reasons I published this...Dot,<BR/><BR/>Those are some of the reasons I published this story. ESPN and ESPN2 are basic cable channels.<BR/><BR/>The cable system pays ESPN per household a monthly fee to get the ESPN and ESPN2 channels. <BR/><BR/>This fee has been used to pay the high costs that ESPN bid to get the programming away from free over-the-air networks that do not get cable fees. <BR/><BR/>It is basically a big circle of dollars. ESPN uses the cable TV viewer fees to bid higher, get the big sports events and then eventually turns around and raises the fee for the cable users again.<BR/><BR/>That is the ultimate irony of the situation. This scenario is going to come into play shortly when NASCAR faces a shortfall with few ad dollars coming in and the cable user money already spent on other sport properties. <BR/><BR/>It could make for a very interesting season at the racetrack.<BR/><BR/>JDDaly Planet Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-74403694023397059992008-11-26T22:44:00.000-05:002008-11-26T22:44:00.000-05:00Interesting about ESPN. How come they're on the ba...Interesting about ESPN. <BR/><BR/>How come they're on the basic tier and not an upper one like SPEED, et al? Do the upper tiers cost more? As you can guess, I know next to nothing about cable charging. I just pay the bill.<BR/><BR/>I know a few years ago they wanted to charge my cable company more money. Others, too? I don't know what the outcome was.Dothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15701502016993312530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-73742412655687817272008-11-26T20:52:00.000-05:002008-11-26T20:52:00.000-05:00Thanks JD for making it sound even worse!It just a...Thanks JD for making it sound even worse!<BR/>It just ain't right.Glennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10695831353283754366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-40485965587596682902008-11-26T20:17:00.000-05:002008-11-26T20:17:00.000-05:00AMS Fan,Thanks for the good words. By the way, tha...AMS Fan,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the good words. By the way, that is $3.65 a month, so your ten months of NASCAR viewing cost you $36.50 directly to ESPN from your cable bill.<BR/><BR/>JDDaly Planet Editorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834588435004023666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-25775514836316529522008-11-26T20:07:00.000-05:002008-11-26T20:07:00.000-05:00I sure hate knowing that $3.65 of my satellite pay...I sure hate knowing that $3.65 of my satellite payment goes to ESPN. I guess I'm really dumb when it comes to the TV game.<BR/>I would think that any network that wants viewers would be PAYING the cable or satellite companies to carry their channel(s).<BR/>I guess I couldn't be more wrong.<BR/>I realize $3.65 is pretty cheap for me to watch approx 43 NASCAR races, but I still think the money is going the wrong way.<BR/>I would be overjoyed if FOX could get the complete cup series, and split it up with Speed. But obviously FOX cannot compete with ESPN with that difference is income.<BR/>JD, I am curious if you have some kind of breakdown of how much cable and satellite companies have to pay for our GOOD channels. Asking that just seems so wrong. It makes no sense to me. I pay the satellite company for them to pay a network to carry their channel. Somewhere, someone found a sucker and they really won the battle and war.<BR/>Well JD, just let me say thanks again for this web site. It has broadened my knowledge of so many things. (pretty good stuff)Glennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10695831353283754366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-55574674169890884532008-11-26T20:01:00.000-05:002008-11-26T20:01:00.000-05:00ESPN may claim to try and save money on Nascar and...ESPN may claim to try and save money on Nascar and other sports, but does anyone think they'll pass that on by lowering cable subscriber fees? Nope. It will be the oppositealexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12233729764999778397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-69275775829224331832008-11-26T19:01:00.000-05:002008-11-26T19:01:00.000-05:00The three networks that bought NASCAR paid a boatl...The three networks that bought NASCAR paid a boatload of money to do it--in fact, some might say, given the current situation, too much money.<BR/><BR/>I suspect that big money came iwth concessions on NASCAR's part, like NOT codifying that all Cup races will be shown live in their entirety on the primary network.<BR/><BR/>What I don't get is, why did ESPN pay all the money just to withhold certain events that viewers would like to see (practice, qualifying)? Was this an attempt on the part of a network to tie upt the rights so <I>no one else</I> could broadcast the events?<BR/><BR/>If it is, then NASCAR has learned yet another lesson about contractual obligations and what it should have required from the purchasers of the broadcast rights.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-32619916084156633712008-11-26T16:00:00.000-05:002008-11-26T16:00:00.000-05:00JD- Thank you. Super article. In my view the perfe...JD- Thank you. Super article. In my view the perfect description for ESPN is bloated and arrogant, like CNN was 10 years ago.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-81178052909839793622008-11-26T15:10:00.000-05:002008-11-26T15:10:00.000-05:00Well, I guess there is no free lunch. As far as ch...Well, I guess there is no free lunch. As far as changing channels before the end of a race, The one thing that NASCAR and others have to do is to have good lawyers. There are some programs like "Desparate Housewives" that cannot be delayed, shown "already in progress", or preempted. Others like "60 Minutes," can be delayed but must be shown in full. <BR/><BR/>All the networks (NBC, Fox, ABC,etc) have cut off sporting events when they have lasted too long, and the program that follows has a contract with no wiggle room. I've seen it when networks switch to infomercials, of all things! <BR/><BR/>Fox has changed its lineup so that the program that follows a sporting event is one that can be "shown in progress." <BR/><BR/>The money is all conected to the public and the players. I see that the Yankees may want to offer CC Sabathia some $140M contract, well that means the Yankees have to make more money in order to pay him. That means everything, including tv rights to their games. The same is for NASCAR. Everyone wants more, and we, the public, just keep paying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080132098367510832.post-88216693681141096482008-11-26T14:12:00.000-05:002008-11-26T14:12:00.000-05:00It is quite apparent to this fan that we are getti...It is quite apparent to this fan that we are getting screwed royally by a network that does not treat or value NASCAR or any other form of motorsports as an equal sport and wish that NASCAR could and would void its television contract with ESPN/ABC and let Speed do it. I have enjoyed the coverage by the Speed channel for its truck series races and Formula One races with a minimal crew that gives great information and exciting races and have even seen their viewership greatly expand this year.majorshousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01061887437257431963noreply@blogger.com