On Wed, 2 Aug 2000 15:22:22 +0100 , you wrote:
>NBC does not owe the sport anything. It is not up to NBC to promote the
>cause of T&F and it is not the responsibility of NBC to help drag the sport
>out of the commercial gutter it has found itself in. NBC has a duty to
>provide the maximum audience possible to its own shows. Full stop. That's
>it.
>
<snip>
>The haven for these events is cable, which makes money by selling
>subscriptions not airtime. It is in cable's interests to appeal to small,
>loyal, niche audiences.
So you agree that there are at least two possible models.
Our sport is under no obligation to pursue solely one single model.
Why not go BOTH ways (with all due respect to our Bay Area friends.!..:-)
Sell to the first model, but demand NON-exclusivity. Sure the rights
fees might drop some. But why would NBC care?- they claim that no audience
of significance will watch TV on any cable or internet outlet
anyway (except track junkies, which Nielsen doesn't care about) so
why should NBC care- they have nothing of significance to lose because
they claim we are insignificant to begin with.
So bid out the TV rights for
1) over-the-air broadcast market- any exclusivity only applies to that mode
2) satellite/cable niche broadcast market- any exclusivity only applies to
that mode. This mode could be allowed to be subscription-based or
advertising-based, whatever works.
where a satellite service now carries BOTH 1) and 2)- neither should be
allowed to cause a blackout of the other.
and...
3) webcast- again, any exclusivity only applies to webcast rights.
this mode could also be subcription-based or advertising-based,
whatever works. Since webcasts are international in nature, deals
for coverage of IAAF-sanctioned meets might have to be coordinated
through the IAAF's media agent- I think ISL or some acronym like that
in London?
One rule that I would make- one corporate parent cannot monopolize two or
more of the 'rights modes' as outlined above.
In other words, NBC can't buy the over-the-air broadcast rights AND the
webcast broadcast rights and then turn around and say they choose to pay
the webcast rights fee but not broadcast anything except over-the-air.
Things like guaranteed number of hours of air-time and percentage of
prime-time coverage should be negotiable, not just a giveaway to the network
to decide.
All of the above could be outlined in an 'invitation to bid' package sent
out to prospective networks.
RT
