BCS: Coming to pay TV only
With ESPN today announcing a deal to wrap up the Bowl Championship Series games, including the national title game, starting in a couple of years, sports TV takes a big step, though one it has been inching toward for years.
As has been pointed out elsewhere, the BCS title game will become the first major American sports championship to be available only via cable or satellite or some other pay service -- the game apparently will be on ESPN, not on Disney's ABC.
Neil Best of Newsday -- who has an excellent sports media blog -- weighs in on the cost of such a deal to all consumers. Here's another thought: As of now, less than 15 percent -- maybe it's closer to 10 -- of the country doesn't receive ESPN and other non-broadcast channels. Different households have different reasons for not plugging in. But consider how some people have decided it's an expense they can't afford. And if the economy stays sluggish, could the number of ESPN-less households grow? That leaves more people without access to college football's biggest game.
Now, I'm not saying that viewing important sports events is a God-given right, but I don't think it's overstating the case to say that sports can serve as a uniting factor across ethnic, economic and regional lines. To the extent we might be losing that "Did you see the game?" conversation, I think we'll all be the poorer for it.
Comments
The BCS should have asked the National Hockey League what putting its product on pay TV can do to its popularity. During the go-go-Gretzky '80s -- arguably the most exciting era in the history of the league -- no U.S. TV market without an NHL team got to see the game because the NHL had shifted its TV contract from broadcast TV to the lure of cash from SportsChannel America, which had a penetration of about 30 percent of U.S. households. The NHL has never recovered. Granted, ESPN's penetration is greater than SportsChannel America. For now. But pay TV will be one of the first luxuries cash-strapped households will jettison if the economy doesn't recover with reasonable alacrity. I hope the BCS and ESPN feel lucky. American TV watchers sure don't.
Posted by: Ira | November 18, 2008 12:59 PM
And we all know ESPN will pass on the cost of the deal to the cable companies to carry it on "basic" cable. How long until ESPN costs so much that non-sports fans balk at paying? ESPN's future may be on a premium tier like the NFL Network.
Posted by: Mike | November 18, 2008 1:07 PM
First step on the way to pay-per-view BCS games.
Posted by: Bozman | November 18, 2008 8:29 PM
You guys aren't thinking straight. Over-the-air TV is dead. Cable, satellite and broadband are in almost every household that matters. If you do not have ESPN (i.e., basic cable) you probably don't watch sports as a serious sports fan. And if you are a serious sports fan that doesn't have cable, etc., then you can go to your local bar/restaurant and watch the game of your choice.
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Ray replies: I agree that the serious sports fan must have cable or satellite and that the vast majority of households subscribe. However, it could be that more people will be forced to give up cable to save money and some of those people might still like to be able to see college football's championship game at home.
Posted by: mdp | November 18, 2008 8:35 PM
Keep in mind this deal doesn't kick in until 2011. The recession could be over by then.
Posted by: Morgan Wick | November 20, 2008 3:52 AM
The BCS could be over by 2011.
Posted by: BMD | November 25, 2008 3:57 PM