NBC Proposal To Split U.S. Nationals Coverage Over Two Weekends

I took this from another thread which I wrote and thought it would be important to keep abrest of the matter. What to you think?

If they split up the Divisions into two weekends, I will not attend the Nationals in person. I will sit at home watching them on IceNetwork or some other medium.

I did enjoy ESPN360 and I am worried that the edited versions by NBC will just not do for me. Half the poor ladies will get up way before dawn to skate the morning competition, and we wont see them on NBC. However, for the commercial benefits we will see the last 12 skaters. Not my cup of tea. IceNetwork, do your thing!!

Didn't they shove the last 12 Men on tape for another night and time slot? Unfortunately, I am a fan of figure skating and that includes all the Divisions not just 3 dance and pairs teams. And love to watch Juniors and maybe Novice. Just too many skaters I don't want to miss.

I suppose NBC did a market research for this set up. However, I do see a lack of audience in the arena. I believe the faithful attendees will not show up for two weekends. The half empty house doesn't bode well for figure skating.

Hopefully IceNetwork wll come to the rescue.

Joe

For those interested in more background info, this topic was extensively discussed at FSU in the thread about 2010 U.S. Nationals (beginning with post #183): http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/showthread.php?t=51846&page=10

What do I think of it? In a nutshell - dumb idea!!

Hope USFS doesn't let NBC determine the schedule. Certainly not in the best interest of fans - which, by association means not in the best interest of the sport either.

Won't force fans to buy all event tickets. Will keep many at home instead.

The championship weekend package was the best thing ever!! If it's not broke - don't fix it!!

while I think it's a dumb idea I do get why a tv network would prefer this schedule to the traditional one...

Toni, I agree that from the network standpoint this makes some sense. Perhaps the USFS stands to make more revenue from a TV deal than from a full arena? Because the chance of having one with this schedule is zero.

Tonichelle said:

while I think it's a dumb idea I do get why a tv network would prefer this schedule to the traditional one...

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Yeah, I get it, too, but hopefully the network is not the one in charge, though $ talks. The ratings did improve with the way it was done this past year. I guess the question will be where they project the most $ to come from - the fans in the seats who may or may not be able to afford to stay the entire week. OR from TV revenue. That depends on the "deal" worked out between NBC and USFS and how they split the ad dollars.

'Tis a puzzlement. Just hope the fans and the skaters don't lose out in the process.

the local skating federation receives money from ticket sales.

USFSA gets $$$ from the network.
The locals will get be losing income of this goes through.

exNyer2 said:

the local skating federation receives money from ticket sales.

USFSA gets $$$ from the network.
The locals will get be losing income of this goes through.

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Nationals is now run by staff at USFSA headquarters. If there is a local "host" club, they only get a flat rate for providing volunteers for the competition. Except for this fee paid to the local club, USFSA keeps it all. USFSA can also partner with an arena or promoter. 2009 Worlds is a partnership between USFSA and the Staples Center. No local club is a sponsor.

IMO, split weekends only screws up the competition at so many levels. The only reason for USFSA to do it is if there is a net gain in revenue at the bottom line. Not clear to me that will be the case.

gsrossano said:

Nationals is now run by staff at USFSA headquarters. If there is a local "host" club, they only get a flat rate for providing volunteers for the competition. Except for this fee paid to the local club, USFSA keeps it all. USFSA can also partner with an arena or promoter. 2009 Worlds is a partnership between USFSA and the Staples Center. No local club is a sponsor.

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Interesting, no local California club picked this up. So it's the USFS who did choose LA before NBC got into it. I presume local clubs now can not put a bid n for a championship. Correct?

IMO, split weekends only screws up the competition at so many levels. The only reason for USFSA to do it is if there is a net gain in revenue at the bottom line. Not clear to me that will be the case.

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It certainly does. I foresee a lack of audience for these separate competitions. However, the home viewers will have a nice treat to see some serious skating on two weekends and this will bring in some publicity for the Olys the following year. I'm sure NBC did some market research for this.

I presume one of the weekends will be a taped version of the competition because I have aleady booked with a tour group for one consecutive week.

Just wondering what Staples Center involvement might be.

It's all so weird.

Joe

I really think that this is crazy. While the television ratings will be up...I bet you will be seeing quite a few empty seats in the arena while watching this on television.

but nationals has been empty for a while now, so maybe USFSA decided to cut their losses and give NBC what it wanted.

Okay... I will offer my opinion on this discussion. Would USFS even consider this type of change if the TV revenue shortage be in the dire straits it currently is? I highly doubt it.

The money factor is intregal for USFS in it's efforts to continue the positive growth of the sport in America. With the televised popularity of the sport at the very low end of the spectrum, how to begin to turn things around and not sacrifice the growth of the sport? That is the overriding question facing skating officials.

As an avid fan, I too do not like the change personally, but attracting TV viewers back to the sport is of the utmost importance for both the visibility of competitive skating in the U.S. and sustaining a decent revenue stream for U.S. Figure Skating, while attracting more sponsors of NBC's skating telecasts.

The impact on fans arena attendance will likely suffer in the short term, but I think over the long run, if this format change produces a positive result for skating on TV, the fans will adjust and return to the seats. Like any change, those who are used to the previous method of presentation are not happy, predicting doom and gloom. Doom and gloom is seldom reality.

Lets at least admit, U.S. Figure Skating has few options at it's disposal in it's efforts to keep the sport on network television in today's market circumstances. I will opt for giving them the benefit of the doubt in their efforts. I am encouraged by the reorganization efforts within USFS, the decisions to pay more attention to marketing efforts and their willingness to show adaptability in methodology.

Where some criticize their efforts, I think the efforts to rethink the marketing model can and will produce positive results for our sport.

well thought and well said, Pete!

I have not yet done any booking for Cleveland next year. Cleveland comes around in mid January and then Worlds in March.

I don't think the other Federations will let NBC take over Worlds and split it up.

But Cleveland just might.be the experiment of splitting up the Nats. If NBC splits it up, I will stay home and watch IceNetwork and also miss out on the Rock and Roll thing in Cleveland. Darn.

Then there is the 2010 Nats before the Olys - wherever that is held - maybe this is the one that will be split up with expectations of increased viewers for the Olys.
hmm, and a lot of empty seats in the Arena.

btw, Isn't NBC contract with USFS over at the end of the Olys?. Anything new on who is picking it up?. Maybe if NBC gets a lot of sponsors at 2010 Nats they may renew. 2010 Worlds in Torino on IceNetwork? I hope they are showing a profit.

Joe

Splitting Nationals

I can understand that NBC wants to split the schedule if they want to show the events live in the hopes of attracting more viewers and more $$ from advertising. It probably even makes sense that USFSA would go along with this because they are trying to stop the slide that figure skating is in right now. It pains me as a spectator because I would need to be at Nationals for so many days in order to see pairs/dance/ladies/men. How to get that much time off work?? How to be able to afford that many days in a hotel??

Joe - as far as Cleveland is concerned I was told that they are going to follow the same type of schedule as St. Paul. The senior ladies would be split between morning and evening on Saturday. The men would finish on Sunday and then the exhibition would follow that. I asked various people at the Cleveland booth and they all said the same thing....of course that could always change. I wasn't really happy with having the ladies split into 2 groups but I really think that will happen again. The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a really hot team and I'm not sure that Quicken Loans would be available if NBC wanted to run Nationals out 12 or 13 days.

I do think that 2010 (where ever it is) will probably go along the lines of mens/pairs Wed. thru Sunday and then novice and junior events in the middle of the week. Ladies and dance would probably run Thursday thru Sunday. Don't know if the mens/pairs would have a separate exhibition or be expected to wait around all week.

Hope to see someone in Cleveland besides myself!

Maureen

I think Pete said it best. Let's remember that this is a time in the sports world where even major sports are moving more and more to cable coverage. Look at the NBA- basically only a few first round games and the Finals are shown on network TV (ABC). For baseball, Fox now shows just one LCS and the World Series. The only three sports with ample network coverage are NASCAR, golf, and the NFL. (Not counting college sports here.)

I think for FS, now that it is being given plenty of network exposure courtesy of NBC, is either going to turn things around or make one last gasp for air before it's gone from TV for good. Yes, ABC had more coverage in the past, but they hardly promoted it and moved more and more of it to ESPN (and other cable networks) as the years wore on. But I think the way skating is televised needs to be changed now with this complicated scoring system. I really don't think skating can get the audience it used to have with this new system in place. I think part of the excitement (and, ironically, part of its downfall) came from 6.0. But we can sit here and talk about it, or we can just wait and see what happens. I don't know if the two-weekend thing is all that practical- I thought part of the draw of the Championships was to pack it all into ONE weekend. That helps build excitement, I think...and spreading it out over two weekends will diffuse some of that excitement. We're not talking about the Olympics here where the excitement carries on the entire two weeks, or the Superbowl, whose ratings have not been affected by the expanded gap between the conference finals and the event.

The other (more feasible, but more risky) option is to air coverage throughout the week. If they want more prime time coverage, why not give up Friday night as well? I think most people consider that "the weekend". Three nights- Fri-Sat-Sun. Or two days and two nights (Fri-night to Sun-afternoon) plus an hour or two of Sun-night coverage. Maybe I'm just a skeptic (heh) but I think this two-weekend thing might backfire. I don't think it will make that big of a difference in ratings, and attendance will really suffer.

Red Dog said:

Maybe I'm just a skeptic (heh) but I think this two-weekend thing might backfire. I don't think it will make that big of a difference in ratings, and attendance will really suffer.

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If you are, so am I. Hope they rethink this option and use the weekend package as they did last year. Two weekends = bad idea!! :disagree::scratch:

Some very good reading in this thread about the TV showing of the Nats in 2010 and maybe if changes occur in Nats 2009.

There will probably be a drop in Attendance at US Nats venues. It's a question of additional money and extended times that are the problems. NBC may well be showing half empty arena on the TV. But they could fill those seats up with freebees for the local school kids. It wont be bad. In fact much of the crowd will have to be locals.

The losers, of course, are those fans who really enjoy watching the whole competition. They have to decide on the worth of spending more time in the host city and the additional costs of the tickets, food, accommodations, and maybe airfare. Will these avid fans continue to go? We'll see.

The impetus is on the TV crowd. Apparently, there was an increase in viewers at ESPN's version of the Worlds, and with NBC's Nats. Maybe there may be more with NBC. We'll see.

There is no problem with Skate America. It's only a weekend thing, but NBC could show more of it or use one of it's affiliates, if they care anything about the fans.

The nonfans of Figure Skating except for Ladies, there will be no change. Ladies Division is always safe for top groups viewing no matter which company is showing it. Other divisions remain iffy.

It's a wait and see affair, and I will not book competitions until I know more. I believe this will be a big boost to IceNetwork, too which I am a member.

Joe

The nonfans of Figure Skating except for Ladies, there will be no change. Ladies Division is always safe for top groups viewing no matter which company is showing it. Other divisions remain iffy.

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IIRC, the men's final at US nationals brought in more people at the arena AND had the higher ratings for NBC... times are changing...

Tonichelle said:

IIRC, the men's final at US nationals brought in more people at the arena AND had the higher ratings for NBC... times are changing...

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You do recall correctly. The men's event has become the headliner event. With the current depth in the field I don't see this changing back any time soon. Personally I hope it stays that way for the foreseeable.

It's good to give the "baby ballerinas" (to quote Uncle Dick) a chance to develop into mature skaters as were their predecessors - Kwan, Cohen, Slutskya, et al.