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Final Four on TNT, Baby!!

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Deeper_Background, Apr 16, 2010.

  1. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    I know it seems that way, but the numbers are still pretty staggering for broadcast.

    For the 2008-09 season, broadcast accounted for 197 of the top 200 programs for the season; subscription TV’s highest ranking program, ESPN’s “NFL Regular Season,” came in at No. 80.
     
  2. lantaur

    lantaur Well-Known Member

    Do you count when the NBA finals were on USA Network (and tape delayed)?

    The big story here isn't that the Final Four will be on TNT but that a 96-team tournament (ugh) seems inevitable.
     
  3. BTExpress

    BTExpress Well-Known Member

    They were tape delayed on CBS. Some playoff games were on USA, but never the finals.
     
  4. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    The Stanley Cup finals were cable-fare during the 80s. And I appreciate that NBC still televises it even though the ratings suck. Don't know how many times I've put it on a TV at the gym (in a non-hockey area) and people just end up gravitating to it.
     
  5. MileHigh

    MileHigh Moderator Staff Member

    All four rounds of the British Open on ESPN starting this year.
     
  6. CitizenTino

    CitizenTino Active Member

    http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20100415_Conan_O_Brien_going_to_TBS__shocking___Not_really_-_these_days__cable_s_the_place_to_be.html

    This story is about Conan O'Brien going to TBS, but I thought it certainly fits in with the discussion about broadcast vs. cable here.
     
  7. Brian

    Brian Well-Known Member

    Could this mean Charles Barkley as a color commentator for a Final Four game? That might be worth the pain of having NBA announcers doing NCAA Tournament games.
     
  8. crimsonace

    crimsonace Well-Known Member

    I'm 35. I can't afford cable -- $75/month for a basic package + all of the hidden fees is beyond our budget (and we live well within our means). When cable was $30/month, sure. But that's not the case now.

    Ratings drop significantly when events are on cable -- even major events like the Final Four. Not sure why the NCAA, BCS, et al, see how they can grow their brand when they pull their premier events off broadcast (which draw good ratings) and onto cable channels that pull significantly lower ratings for the same event AND limit viewership.

    Also don't understand why a network like CBS or ABC would be willing to pay billions of dollars for tournament rights, and then place events on channels that don't bring in the ratings, thereby leading to less advertising.

    There is no reason at all ESPN shouldn't be an ABC affiliate's digital subchannel and over-the-air,. None. But if that happened, they'd start shuffling the premier events onto ESPN2.
     
  9. ucacm

    ucacm Active Member

    $75 a month for standard cable? I want to see that. I pay $50/mo + taxes for the package one step beyond the absolute bare bones. Not that it isn't overpriced, but...

    Also, you can get satellite for a 12 month introductory price for $25/mo, and then it goes up to about $40/mo, IIRC.
     
  10. DisembodiedOwlHead

    DisembodiedOwlHead Active Member

    Cable stations don't care as much about ratings because they charge satellite/cable providers per subscriber household. That's why ESPN can afford to waste so much money on 35 incidental bowl games that draw 1.0 or less -- they've already made their money for the month whether you watch or not. It's not an apples to apples comparison to put broadcast ratings against cable because the fee structure is too different.
     
  11. spnited

    spnited Active Member

    Where is basic cable $75? I'm in a high cost of living area and pay $79 for the so-called silver packagae that includes about 15 movie channels (HBO, Starz, Encore), 4 ESPNs, a whole tier of musci channels of every genre, and a boatload of other stuff...and HD is free.
     
  12. Killick

    Killick Well-Known Member

    Yeah, no way the basic is $75. That said, I'm one of those Luddites without cable. Had it long ago, ditched it because a) Insight Cable are douchebags with no idea of customer service, and 2) I was never home anyway. After a while, I just didn't miss it and never went back. Broadcast networks are enough for me.

    But missing the NCAA tournament? That might get me back on the cable chow line.
     
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