At the time that this post published, it was way past my bedtime. I promised some more sports media thoughts and I’ll do as I said in Friday’s post, but I’ll do them in quick hit style. Bullets, of course.
- With the Boston Bruins having punched their tickets to the Stanley Cup Final and Chicago on the verge of closing out the Western Conference Final, NBC has to be salivating at the prospect of having an all-Original Six Final as well as having two Top 10 markets bringing big ratings for hockey.
- ESPN went into the spin cycle for the overnight ratings for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on ABC, but Deadline quickly fact checked and noted the numbers were down 12% from last year’s Game 1 which involved Miami and Oklahoma City. While the Heat have returned, they face David Stern’s nemesis, the San Antonio Spurs. ESPN has to be hoping for a long series to hook casual viewers otherwise the numbers will end on a down note.
- I like the way the NBC Sports Group is handling Formula 1. It’s as if a network is actually embracing motorsports. Could it be a preview of how NBC would NASCAR? Remember, TNT’s and ESPN’s packages could very well be in play and the Peacock will be ready to swoop in and take one or even both packages. Fox has already renewed its portion of Sprint Cup races.
- Keep an eye on the continuing dispute between the Washington Nationals and MASN. Both Comcast and Fox are looking to obtain the rights to the Nats if MASN fails to come forward with what the Nats feel is fair market value for their games. Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos owns the rights to the Nationals as a result of him allowing Washington to enter the Mid-Atlantic region earlier in this century. The Nationals feel Angelos and MASN are low balling.
That will do it.
