Post by dkennedy on Apr 19, 2005 4:42:51 GMT -5
ESPN Gets Monday Night Football Deal
By R. Thomas Umstead 4/18/2005 5:46:00 PM
Broadcast television’s premier weekly primetime-sports series, Monday Night Football, will move to cable with The Walt Disney Co.-owned ESPN taking over the rights from sister service ABC beginning in 2006, according to sources close to the situation.
NBC will take over ESPN’s Sunday Night Football package, which industry sources said may also include playoff and Super Bowl telecasts. CBS and Fox currently rotate Super Bowl telecasts with ABC.
ESPN’s eight-year deal is expected to top the $1 billion mark annually, according to The Wall Street Journal. ABC -- which paid $550 million for its current deal, expiring at the end of the upcoming season -- has lost at least $150 million annually on the package, according to sports-TV observers.
Nevertheless, MNF has been a staple for broadcast television for 35 years, and its move to ESPN is a major acquisition for the cable industry.
NBC has been adamant for some time that it will not pursue sports properties unless they can return a profit. Sources suggested that being part of the Super Bowl rotation could help the “Peathingy Network” -- which has sustained significant primetime erosion this year among Madison Avenue-coveted adults 18-49 -- make its way into the black with its NFL deal.
Sources indicated that the National Football League could make an announcement about its new Sunday/Monday carriers later Monday.
With its Sunday- and Monday-night lineups now in place, the NFL still has some work to do on its TV playbook: A late-season package of Thursday- and Saturday-night games is still up for grabs.
Any number of carriers from Fox and USA Network to Turner Network Television and Comcast Corp. have been said to be interested in this package. The league’s own service, NFL Network, has also expressed interest in the package, which would serve as a run-up to the playoffs.
Last November, the NFL completed renewal deals with its Sunday-afternoon carriers to the tune of $11.5 billion. Fox paid some $4.3 billion ($712 million per season for six seasons) for the National Football Conference package, while News Corp. sister service DirecTV Inc. agreed to outlay some $3.5 billion ($700 million per season for five seasons) for the out-of-market “NFL Sunday Ticket” package. CBS retained the American Football Conference deal for $3.7 billion ($622 million per season for six seasons).
By R. Thomas Umstead 4/18/2005 5:46:00 PM
Broadcast television’s premier weekly primetime-sports series, Monday Night Football, will move to cable with The Walt Disney Co.-owned ESPN taking over the rights from sister service ABC beginning in 2006, according to sources close to the situation.
NBC will take over ESPN’s Sunday Night Football package, which industry sources said may also include playoff and Super Bowl telecasts. CBS and Fox currently rotate Super Bowl telecasts with ABC.
ESPN’s eight-year deal is expected to top the $1 billion mark annually, according to The Wall Street Journal. ABC -- which paid $550 million for its current deal, expiring at the end of the upcoming season -- has lost at least $150 million annually on the package, according to sports-TV observers.
Nevertheless, MNF has been a staple for broadcast television for 35 years, and its move to ESPN is a major acquisition for the cable industry.
NBC has been adamant for some time that it will not pursue sports properties unless they can return a profit. Sources suggested that being part of the Super Bowl rotation could help the “Peathingy Network” -- which has sustained significant primetime erosion this year among Madison Avenue-coveted adults 18-49 -- make its way into the black with its NFL deal.
Sources indicated that the National Football League could make an announcement about its new Sunday/Monday carriers later Monday.
With its Sunday- and Monday-night lineups now in place, the NFL still has some work to do on its TV playbook: A late-season package of Thursday- and Saturday-night games is still up for grabs.
Any number of carriers from Fox and USA Network to Turner Network Television and Comcast Corp. have been said to be interested in this package. The league’s own service, NFL Network, has also expressed interest in the package, which would serve as a run-up to the playoffs.
Last November, the NFL completed renewal deals with its Sunday-afternoon carriers to the tune of $11.5 billion. Fox paid some $4.3 billion ($712 million per season for six seasons) for the National Football Conference package, while News Corp. sister service DirecTV Inc. agreed to outlay some $3.5 billion ($700 million per season for five seasons) for the out-of-market “NFL Sunday Ticket” package. CBS retained the American Football Conference deal for $3.7 billion ($622 million per season for six seasons).