NBC Sports | The Boneyard

NBC Sports

Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
496
Reaction Score
1,005
NBC sports is shutting down and will be transferring their content to their sister channels. The main reason they cited was the continuing hemorrhaging of cord cutting customers and low ratings. I know we have a decent contract with CBS Sports. With ESPN taken over the SEC in a few years I’m concerned of the exposure and value of that contract that we have with CBS Sports.
 
Joined
Oct 8, 2012
Messages
110
Reaction Score
56
NBC sports is shutting down and will be transferring their content to their sister channels. The main reason they cited was the continuing hemorrhaging of cord cutting customers and low ratings. I know we have a decent contract with CBS Sports. With ESPN taken over the SEC in a few years I’m concerned of the exposure and value of that contract that we have with CBS Sports.
I agree, and decent does not equate to good. A lot will be in flux next year.
 

Dream Jobbed 2.0

“Most definitely”
Joined
May 3, 2016
Messages
14,827
Reaction Score
55,739
I wonder if NESN will pick up the Celtics. That’s my only concern with this news. I don’t watch much dirt bike racing, car auctions, or cornhole
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2011
Messages
942
Reaction Score
1,066
I wonder if NESN will pick up the Celtics. That’s my only concern with this news. I don’t watch much dirt bike racing, car auctions, or cornhole
Bruins are part owners of NESN. I am not sure the Celtics want to be second sister to the Bruins on NESN. Third sister if a conflict between the Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics.
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
8,125
Reaction Score
15,104
FoxSports sucking less and less.

I'm an auto racing fan from forever with family being involved in the sport. I have no idea what moving racing does, except for when they dump rain delays over to USA and my DVR is stuck on the wrong channel. NBCSN has always been a good production for hockey hopefully that is just shifted as well. I have no idea what kind of prime time audience USA has been getting.

What's gotten crazy is the way a sport like soccer had been diced up between multiple networks and platforms to the point where you have to spend 45 minutes investigating where this week's games are going to show up. Won't be spending nearly as much time on that when the weather turns.
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
496
Reaction Score
1,005
ESPN radio ratings are down 53% in 2020. Much of that probably can be attributed to the lack of people driving to and from work. Still, not a good sign for cable networks as it looks like the day of reckoning is arriving sooner than later. Read somewhere couple months ago that up to 27% of cable/satellite customers may cancel in 2021?

Hollywood keeps delaying blockbuster movies or move them over to their streaming services as it looks like theaters won‘t be opening anytime soon. Streaming is here to stay and probably take over market share.
 

Drew

Its a post, about nothing!
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
7,710
Reaction Score
27,138
To me- this isn’t all that surprising. USA is in something like 86 million homes and NBCSN was in 82 million IIRC. NBC obviously has a great piece in college football with Notre Dame, but the lack of any other major contractual tie-ins for CFB/CBB is killer. You can’t make a living as a sports only channel in the US broadcasting hockey and marginally interesting Olympic sports while totally ignoring MLB/NBA/CFB/CBB.

I don’t know if the contract with ND requires NBC to ”exclusively“ hold ND games and no other CFB on NBC, but the fact that NBC never even appeared to be a serious bidder for SEC, Big Ten, PAC12, AAC, MWC and any other FBS conference rights was bizarre to me. They had solidified contracts with the Ivy League and A10.. assuming that has something to do with a conflict of interest from the ND deal.

The main reason FOX has been able to make FS1 work (and the reason FS2 still flounders) is they’ve finally acquired enough assets to truly put live sports in CFB, CBB, MLB, NFL on daily in multiple windows. They’ve secured rights to B1G, Big 12, PAC12, MWC for both football and basketball, in addition to Big East in CBB and the NFL on Sundays and MLB throughout the Spring/Summer. In addition to all of that, they spent a ton of money to get Cowherd back in the beginning of the FS1 days and have regularly overpaid to get personalities away from ESPN (hello Skip Bayless). The investment in pregame and postgame shows is great- the Big Noon Kickoff team with Urban Meyer was fantastic and a great alternative to College Gameday.

If NBC really wanted that channel to work, they would’ve needed to acquire at least 1 P5 league to put on NBC and NBCSN weekly and probably scooped the AAC last go round and maybe Sun Belt or CUSA type rights to split between Peacock/USA/NBCSN. It would require a billion (yes BILLION with a B) dollar effort to make that channel worth it in the long run. But they never really wanted to commit to it and quite frankly with the way things are headed, I can’t blame them.
 

Exit 4

This space for rent
Joined
Feb 3, 2012
Messages
10,396
Reaction Score
38,190
To me- this isn’t all that surprising. USA is in something like 86 million homes and NBCSN was in 82 million IIRC. NBC obviously has a great piece in college football with Notre Dame, but the lack of any other major contractual tie-ins for CFB/CBB is killer. You can’t make a living as a sports only channel in the US broadcasting hockey and marginally interesting Olympic sports while totally ignoring MLB/NBA/CFB/CBB.

I don’t know if the contract with ND requires NBC to ”exclusively“ hold ND games and no other CFB on NBC, but the fact that NBC never even appeared to be a serious bidder for SEC, Big Ten, PAC12, AAC, MWC and any other FBS conference rights was bizarre to me. They had solidified contracts with the Ivy League and A10.. assuming that has something to do with a conflict of interest from the ND deal.

The main reason FOX has been able to make FS1 work (and the reason FS2 still flounders) is they’ve finally acquired enough assets to truly put live sports in CFB, CBB, MLB, NFL on daily in multiple windows. They’ve secured rights to B1G, Big 12, PAC12, MWC for both football and basketball, in addition to Big East in CBB and the NFL on Sundays and MLB throughout the Spring/Summer. In addition to all of that, they spent a ton of money to get Cowherd back in the beginning of the FS1 days and have regularly overpaid to get personalities away from ESPN (hello Skip Bayless). The investment in pregame and postgame shows is great- the Big Noon Kickoff team with Urban Meyer was fantastic and a great alternative to College Gameday.

If NBC really wanted that channel to work, they would’ve needed to acquire at least 1 P5 league to put on NBC and NBCSN weekly and probably scooped the AAC last go round and maybe Sun Belt or CUSA type rights to split between Peacock/USA/NBCSN. It would require a billion (yes BILLION with a B) dollar effort to make that channel worth it in the long run. But they never really wanted to commit to it and quite frankly with the way things are headed, I can’t blame them.
We will see what happens - but I am skeptical having P5 college football and some other sports properties will insulate FOX and CBS from taking similar bold steps in the years ahead. The pressure is on to make skinny bundles, content be damned. There is also pressure in the ad world too.
 

Drew

Its a post, about nothing!
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
7,710
Reaction Score
27,138
We will see what happens - but I am skeptical having P5 college football and some other sports properties will insulate FOX and CBS from taking similar bold steps in the years ahead. The pressure is on to make skinny bundles, content be damned. There is also pressure in the ad world too.
FS2 will go away within the next 5 years as will ESPN Classic, News, and likely U. There’s no way FS1 and ESPN go away in the long run. I’ll be curious what happens to ESPN2.

CBSSN could (should?) be put to streaming. I do agree its where 95% of networks are headed in the future- whether they want to or not.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2013
Messages
241
Reaction Score
296
I wonder if NESN will pick up the Celtics. That’s my only concern with this news. I don’t watch much dirt bike racing, car auctions, or cornhole
Different network NBCSN is a national network. Celtics games are on NBC sports Boston which is an RSN
 

Online statistics

Members online
450
Guests online
3,033
Total visitors
3,483

Forum statistics

Threads
155,759
Messages
4,030,564
Members
9,864
Latest member
leepaul


Top Bottom