ESPN packaging of figure skating: better or worse?

[manleywoman]

I agree 100% Red Dog. It's one of the reasons I started my podcasts (and actually i outlined a similar frustration with the media on the home page of my podcast site). I find the random fluff pieces such a waste of time. Kimmie Meissner coming alive from a watercolor? Sasha Cohen walking thoughtfully on a beach? Please. Show me the skating. Other fans might take the sport more seriously without all the fluff too. The other sports that Joe pointed out (poker, golf, etc) are marketed much differently than skating.

It's also why i love listening to the audio of Eurosport during the Worlds and Europeans. Just the skaters, and very little fluff. And the post-skate interviews are thoughtful, not the pointless, "hey you made a bunch of mistakes! How do you feel?!"

I think this is a real turning point for the USFS too. They should look at how other countries promote and market skating, as I think there are some interesting models there.

http://www.manleywoman.com

 

[R.D.]

i agree that USFSA needs to market the sport better. Whatever i watch i usually see commercials for ESPN's Baseballl game or the week, or a boxing match, or the next PGA tour. I HAVE NEVER seen a commecail for any skating event, not even worlds. Unless you are an avid fan, how is the avarage TV viewer to know when skating evets will be aired. It's just luck if you happen to turn on that channel on a sunday afternoon.

I do remember one advertisement they did for 2005 (?) worlds...it involved butter in a pan or something...? They showed it about one week before the event, but nothing on ABC to alert viewers that the event switched networks. I still think ESPN's coverage and lack of promotion/live coverage of the product only helped to reduce the appeal of FS to the casual fan.

I remember, though, ABC always had skating on during Sunday afternoon so you could always find it on during the fall. Interesting thing is, I was reading a sports blog about sports TV ratings, and apparently *taped* figure skating actually got higher ratings than college basketball (I think that was the week ABC ran that recap episode of Nats or something). I think it was a 1.6 vs. a 1.5.

I hope ESPN does the same thing they did last season and put some of their coverage on ABC.

While we can only speculate as to whether NBC coverage will be better, I'm sure they'll have a better broadcast picture than ESPN, and High-Def (at least for US Nats). ABC used to have HD coverage for 05 and 06 nats but for some reason dumped it in '07.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I hope that the casual fan makes a comeback and puts skating back where it was on ABC and ESPN before NBC broacasted the 2006 Scandal. NBC got high ratings for that Scandal. Oh, the media! what it wont do for a buck.

I think ABC was in the process of dumping this Sport anyway and NBC was seizing the opportunity to bring back the glory of figure skating to the Olympics.
(and maybe that is its only goal.)

Why NBC is so moot about the GPs is anyone's speculation. (Probably, they are only for avid fans of figure skating and not casual fans.) Hopefully, the remaining ESPN/ABC 2007 GPs will be covered well. If anyone knows about the 2008 and 09 GPs, I would appreciate the news.

I presume NBC will cover the 2008 Cleveland Nats and 09 LA Nats but the
2010 Nats are after the Olys and the NBC contract is over.

Speculators - Your take!!!

Joe

 

[R.D.]

I think 2008 Nats are in St. Paul, MN. 2009 Nats are in Cleveland, and I don't know if the host city for '10 Nats has been selected yet.

NBC's deal is with the USFS- and I think some people forget that. USFS only has control over SA and Nats, the two events that they agreed to broadcast. Everything else is the ISU's property, and who knows what will happen to that after next season. I don't even care if a broadcast network doesn't take it- I just hope it finds SOME place. Would Turner Sports (TNT, TBS) be interested? Or Versus (formerly OLN)? Anyway, a cable network would be much more likely to air a lot more of the events than say, NBC who might only want Worlds and give limited coverage of events it deems "less important".

NBC is also in a revenue-sharing deal with the NHL- and they have renewed that deal twice now. I think they go year-by-year on that one. At least they committed to three initial years with USFS. If they get 2014 Olys they may extend that deal another 4 years.

I presume NBC will cover the 2008 Cleveland Nats and 09 LA Nats but the
2010 Nats are after the Olys and the NBC contract is over.

Huh? The Nats are now between the week of the NFL championships and the SB. They are the Olympic qualifiers, and if anything NBC will want MORE coverage of that event because it would feed directly into their Olympic coverage (unlike 2006, where it had to rely on ABC's Nats coverage for interest).

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Huh? The Nats are now between the week of the NFL championships and the SB. They are the Olympic qualifiers, and if anything NBC will want MORE coverage of that event because it would feed directly into their Olympic coverage (unlike 2006, where it had to rely on ABC's Nats coverage for interest).

Sorry about that, I meant Worlds and not Nats.

However, are you sure the contract between the USFS and NBC will still be operable after the Olys? It seems I read it was through the 2010 Olys and the Worlds is after that, and NBC will not be obliged to cover it. Am I correct?

Aside from the GPs, which I do not believe NBC will cover at anytime unless there is a last minute change, except SA, will they cover figure skating after the 2010 Olys Of course this could change too, but that is just speculation.

Joe

 

[R.D.]

The current contract specifies that they will cover US skating UP TO the 2010 Olympics; i.e. the 2010 Nats will be their final telecast under this current contract. Then USFS would have to re-negotiate another deal, either with NBC or another network.

ETA: Wishful thinking on my part but could we push for live coverage of Skate Canada from ESPN?

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

ETA: Wishful thinking on my part but could we push for live coverage of Skate Canada from ESPN?

I wish we could get Canadian TV or Eurosport TV.

 

[R.D.]

I don't get the CBC but I don't think Eurosport televises GP events...just the Euros and the Worlds. But they have in-depth coverage of those two events...pick your poison, I guess.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

=Red Dog;249580
ETA: Wishful thinking on my part but could we push for live coverage of Skate Canada from ESPN?

Why should we wish for ESPN when we have NBC to do LI VE coverage. Can't this network go to Quebec City? Of course GPs were left out of their contract because they serve no purpose for the Olys. We'll get the results of SC over the internet and watch several hours of tape on ESPN.

That is better than NONE from NBC.

Joe

 

[Mathman]

^ I think the dificulty is, NBC's contract is only with USFS, not with the ISU. ESPN still has the rights to Skate Canada. So for this year anyway, it's ESPN or nothing.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

^ I think the dificulty is, NBC's contract is only with USFS, not with the ISU. ESPN still has the rights to Skate Canada. So for this year anyway, it's ESPN or nothing.

I definitley believe that to be true. NBC will only cover US venues until 2010. their claim that it will all be LIVE, is of course, not true. With two hours of SA in Reading Pa, they will not show 2 hours of 4 Divisions on a Sunday afternoon, and most likely not ALL the contestants of the Divisions they do show.

ESPN is contracted to show ISU GP events until the end of 2007. Other than Skate America in 2008 and 2009 who will show events outside of the US?

Question: As I am not interested in whichever US network shows ALL the skating venues (I could forget about Campbells and Marshalls) is the USFS doing anything with the ISU for getting something done for the GPs??? I wouldn't mind CBC doing it if I could get it on my cable.

Joe

 

[R.D.]

USFS has LITTLE OR NO CONTROL over GP events other than SA. If you want NBC to televise the other events, get them to grab the ISU contract at the end of next year. Personally, I'd rather they stay on a cable network because we'll be likely to get much more coverage. Broadcast networks have a tendency to show only what the masses will like (which is understandable given that's where they make the $ ).