Neal Pilson
Neal Pilson
Neal Pilsonis founder and president of Pilson Communications, Inc., a consulting company specializing in sports television, media and marketing. PIC clients have included the Arena Football League, NASCAR, the Kentucky Derby, the Rose Bowl, the World Series of Poker as well as the IOC...
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It makes the channel a major factor in sports television. They are now the authoritative, 24/7, TV/video platform for golf.
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Women typically control the remote in prime time. Maybe men determine what is watched on a Sunday afternoon, but women generally pick what is viewed at night. 'American Idol' might be able to beat the Olympics for a night or two, but for the full run of the Olympics that (the popularity with women viewers) is what gives you the quality of the audience, and the value to the advertisers.
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There are more channels, more networks and frankly, the most important thing, NBC is in a different position with respect to competition. They don't have the top shows on television. They have to program against the top shows. The fact that 'American Idol' beats NBC isn't that surprising.
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I think historically, work stoppages do have a short-term impact on television ratings. We've experienced that with all of the sports, even the NFL. In the long term, the ratings eventually return to what we might characterize as normal levels.
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Some of the folks in pools tune in who wouldn't watch the tournament except they have a piece of the action. It helps generate additional casual viewers.
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I think arena football (revenue-sharing model) is a trend in regards to sports that don't have competitive leverage to get guaranteed rights fee,
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Weaker sports are going to have more problems in a weak economy. The big sports tend to take up most of the money. An advertiser with a limited budget is not going to buy women's soccer if the choice is that or college football.
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It's hard to measure. But a lot of viewers, when they gauge their satisfaction with coverage, include the announcing team as they look back to say if they enjoyed a broadcast.
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It's not an empty threat. This will have a ripple impact across all manner of pro and college sports. I think in this situation the professional leagues and major college associations have to line up with ESPN in Washington or wherever necessary.
across college empty espn impact leagues line major manner pro ripple situation washington wherever
It's not an empty threat, ... This will have a ripple impact across all manner of pro and college sports. I think in this situation the professional leagues and major college associations have to line up with ESPN in Washington or wherever necessary.
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The interest will allow them to maintain their viewer base to the extent Lance participates in the channel. They can't be the Lance Armstrong Channel once he leaves competitive cycling.
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It's an accepted strategy that has been widely used. You buy a premium product, and the increase in subscribers more than offsets the cost. Golf is a strong TV sport. I think you'll see the channel grow in subscriber base over the next two to five years.
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The principal thrust of advertising is reaching a specific audience. A sports audience is not necessarily a 'Friends' audience.
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ESPN has these avenues that can generate revenue and hence they've become a more potent rights bidder. It's going to force their competitors to develop the same type of distributions, or seek new partners, so they can match up to ESPN.