DIRECTV's Dan York: We will say no to high-priced RSNs

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 4:15 PM ET 

By Deborah Yao

DIRECTV is seriously considering not carrying the Pac-12 Network and Comcast SportsNet Houston if they cannot agree on a price during contract negotiations.

Dan York, chief content officer of the satellite TV operator, told SNL Kagan that he is willing to walk away if they cannot come to terms. "We can't say yes to everything. The price has to be fair. … If not, sometimes you just have to say no," he said.

The operator said fans of the Houston Astros can watch the games on FOX, TBS, MLB Network and ESPN as well as listen through several radio stations.

F.C.C. Shift May Thwart a Murdoch Media Deal

By AMY CHOZICK

Published: March 24, 2013

In weighing a bid for The Los Angeles Times, Rupert Murdoch finds himself in a familiar role: waiting for rule changes from the government. With the resignation last week of Julius Genachowski, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, he may have to wait a little longer.

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Rupert Murdoch of News Corporation is weighing whether a bid for The Los Angeles Times would be worth the headache.

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Mr. Murdoch, who has never shied away from a regulatory battle, has been beefing up News Corporation’s lobbying efforts in Washington in the last few months to urge regulators to revise a media ownership rule that would prevent the company from acquiring The Los Angeles Times and other newspapers in markets in which it already owns television stations. 

NHL clubs enjoy shortened-season ratings bump, led by Penguins

By John Ourand & David Broughton, Staff Writers

Published March 25, 2013

Just as the NBA’s ratings shot up during its shortened season last year, the NHL is seeing similar gains across its U.S. networks — both national and local.

Twenty-one of the 22 U.S.-based teams for which SportsBusiness Journal obtained ratings information have posted increases so far this season compared to the comparable number of games last year, not through the same point of the season. Nationally, NBC Sports Network is on pace to set its record-high viewership for its NHL games. It is averaging 448,000 viewers through 27 NHL games this season. Its previous high was two years ago when it averaged 348,000 viewers during the 2010-11 season.

Signals Weak for TV-Ad Market

March 24, 2013, 7:36 p.m. ET

Lower Broadcast Ratings, Fragile Economy and Web Rivals Mute 'Upfront' Outlook

By SUZANNE VRANICA And WILLIAM LAUNDER

Broadcast-television ratings have dropped sharply this season. And that, combined with the weak economy and competition from other media, augurs badly for the spring ad-sales market, ad buyers and analysts say.

Some of them are predicting that the broadcast networks' take will be steady to slightly lower in the so-called upfront, the annual bazaar in which TV executives pitch their new shows for the coming season. 

FOX Sports San Diego Lets the #BloggersTakeOver

Five Local Padres Bloggers "Take Over" FSSD's Spring Training Telecast

Last week, in an effort to further enhance viewers connection with the broadcast via social media, FOX Sports San Diego did something unthinkable. They handed over their Padres vs. Angels spring training telecast, one that just so happened to be selected for simulcast by MLB TV, to five guys who knew a lot about the San Diego Padres and absolutely nothing about being on live television. And then they all promoted it. The result? 

“The Bloggers Take Over” segments, initially scheduled to run in the fifth and seventh innings of the telecast, spanned the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and included even more coverage during the Padres Live postgame show.

Moderated by FOX Sports San Diego’s social media reporter, Megan Olivi, the panel of five consisted of local San Diego writers, four of whom recently combined efforts to create a collective blog called Padres Public, and a fifth who represented his personal sports and pop culture blog, LobShots.

A side stage was set near right field inside Peoria Sports Complex and while it's not clear whether it was the result of the 90 degree weather or the impending doom of live television, things got immediately sweaty. Regardless, the group came alive providing viewers with some pretty entertaining Padres baseball commentary and allowing broadcasters Mike Pomeranz and Mark Sweeney time for important other things.

Meanwhile, Twitter buzzed and from the production trucks, FOX Sports San Diego produced a stream of on-air tweets from viewers who chose to join in the conversation using the hashtag #BloggersTakeOver. In fact, Twitter buzzed so much that despite being a Wednesday afternoon spring training telecast, it seemed the only thing more important to San Diegans was the announcement of the Catholic Church's new pope. (While we're absolutely sure this statement is a complete stretch, the Twitter Trend list never lies.)

After a dismal start for the Padres, was it a coincidence that they started their comeback during the "Bloggers Take Over" segments and went on to win it, 7-6 over the Angels? We think not.

To read an entertaining review on their performance from another Padres Public contributing blogger, Bryant, click here.

Heat’s Streak Delivering Record Ratings For Sun Sports RSN

Sun Sports drew a 12.2 local rating in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale for the Heat-Celtics game on Monday night, marking a record for any Heat game – regular-season or playoff – on the RSN. The game also aired on ESPN (no local blackout), drawing a 5.3 rating in the market. Last night’s Heat-Cavaliers game drew an 11.7 local rating on the net, with the game peaking at an 18.5 rating as the Heat came back from 27 points down in the third quarter. Both telecasts beat the net’s previous top game rating – an 11.1 for a game against the Pacers on March 10. Sun Sports has aired 20 of the 24 Heat games during the team’s win streak, averaging an 8.9 local rating during that period. For comparison, Sun Sports was averaging a 5.7 rating for Heat games heading into the All-Star break (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).

NHL realignment means earlier Red Wings games, expected boost for Fox Sports Detroit

The National Hockey League's realignment plan announced Thursday sends the Detroit Red Wingsinto the Eastern Conference starting next season, and is expected to mean earlier games for fans, less West Coast travel for the Wings and a revenue increase for Fox Sports Detroit, the Wings' broadcast partner.

The league announced Thursday that its board of governors approved the plan, which the National Hockey League Players' Association had already approved. The new format will feature two eight-team divisions in the Eastern Conference and two seven-team divisions in the West.

Southfield-based Fox Sports Detroit, already witnessing an advertising revenue influx in the form of double-digit rate hikes for its Detroit Tigerstelecasts, should see better ratings for Wings games because more will start at an earlier time. 

New GM of Fox Sports Ohio is a fast learner

Former Speed executive takes reins as regional power adds the Indians to its growing pro TV stable

Photo credit: JANET CENTURY Francois McGillicuddy, the new general manager of Fox Sports Ohio, takes over as the network gets set to broadcast Indians games for the first time.

By KEVIN KLEPS
4:30 am, March 18, 2013

Francois McGillicuddy has worked in the music industry and for a video game company.

For two years in the 1990s, Mr. McGillicuddy was managing director of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival. He also holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a master of fine arts in theatre management from the University of Alabama.

So you could say he has diverse interests.

As the new senior vice president and general manager of Fox Sports Ohio, he should fit right in.

Mr. McGillicuddy, 43, was hired Jan. 7, 10 days after Fox completed a purchase of SportsTime Ohio from the Cleveland Indians that is believed to have been worth at least $230 million.

MLB Net faces first round of carriage renewals

By John Ourand, Staff Writer

Published March 18, 2013,

Expect MLB Network executives to spend a lot of time in Philadelphia; El Segundo, Calif.; and Manhattan’s Time Warner Center during the next nine months.

That’s because the 4-year-old network’s affiliate deals with nearly every major distributor expire over the next two years. That includes deals with the industry’s biggest operators, including Philadelphia’s Comcast, El Segundo’s DirecTV and Time Warner Cable. When it launched on Jan. 1, 2009, MLB Network signed five-year carriage deals with distributors, sources said. 

Verizon Seeks to Shake Up Fees for TV Channels

Updated March 17, 2013, 7:51 p.m. ET

FiOS Operator Presses Smaller Media Firms for Deals Based on Audience Size

By SHALINI RAMACHANDRAN

Verizon Communications Inc. VZ -0.95% is proposing to shake up the pay-television business based on a simple premise: it wants to tie the fees it pays to carry TV channels to how many people actually watch them.

Verizon, whose FiOS TV is the nation's sixth-biggest pay-TV provider, with 4.7 million subscribers, has begun talks with several "midtier and smaller" media companies about paying for their channels based on audience size, according to Terry Denson, the phone company's chief programming negotiator. He declined to identify any of the media companies.

Prime Ticket and the LA Clippers Partner to Host Community Screening Event

In preparation for the "In My Own Words: Caron Butler" debut last week, Prime Ticket and the Los Angeles Clippers partnered to invite 200 at-risk youth to attend a community screening event, the first of its kind hosted by the SoCal Regional Sports Networks. Eager to tell his story, Caron Butler, jumped on-board for what would be an emotional and impactful appearance. 

March Madness: Turner/CBS Nix Fee Option, Add 4-Hour Free Trial

For the 3rd year in a row, Turner and CBS are airing all 67 games of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship simultaneously across 4 nets— TBS, TNT, truTV and CBS—and allowing pay TV subs to authenticate across a suite of streaming applications via their March Madness Live product. 

Launch of Cavs Fan Express A Slam Dunk

FOX Sports Ohio is now bringing fans to see the Cleveland Cavaliers in action at Quicken Loans Arena on the Cavs Fan Express.


The Cavs Fan Express parked outside Quicken Loans Arena

Donning oversized images of Cavs mascot Moondog on the outside, the giant bus made its maiden voyage on Fri. March 1^st, bringing in a group from Columbus, Ohio (2 hours away). The liner pulled up in front of The Q for the first time where FOX Sports Ohio Girl Sara greeted the fans. Sara spoke with the group leader, which was featured in that evening’s Cavaliers Live post-game show.  

Financial Analysts Give “Thumbs Up” to FOX Sports 1, News Corp Stock Price

Financial analysts reacted favorably to the news about FOX Sports 1 on Tuesday, with many offering "buy" or "outperform" ratings on News Corps. stock (NWS).  Some highlights below:

Fox to Launch Sports Cable Network

By WILLIAM LAUNDER

News Corp NWSA +2.37% .'s Fox said it will launch its long-anticipated Fox Sports 1 network on Aug. 17, with content ranging from Nascar races to college basketball.

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Terry Bradshaw, left, and Regis Philbin at Tuesday's news conference announcing Fox's new sports network.

The launch of a national sports cable channel culminates a more than decade-long effort by Fox to establish itself as a destination for televised sports, a market that has long been dominated by Walt Disney Co.'sDIS +1.22% juggernaut ESPN network.

Fox has in recent years invested heavily in sports programming, such as current and future rights to Major League Baseball and World Cup Soccer, both of which will provide some of the content for the new network. 

Fox Also To Launch New Mobile App Similar To WatchESPN

By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer

Fox Sports as part of their announcement today around the forthcoming Fox Sports 1 cable channel said it plans in August to launch Fox Sports Go, a comprehensive mobile application streaming content from Fox Sports, Fox Sports 1 and the company's 22 RSNs. Also included in the app will be scores, highlights, news, stats, and other basic material. The product, similar to ESPN's WatchESPN, will allow for mobile viewing on an authenticated basis, with more than 1,000 live games and events planned for the first year. 

Kevin Love Tweets about FOX Sports North Girls

Minnesota Timberwolves player and avid Twitter-er, Kevin Love (@kevinlove) mentioned the FOX Sports North Girls (@fsnorth) in a tweet that went out to his 556,000+ follwers this week.

Prep Zone Contributes to Impressive February for FOXsportswisconsin.com

FOXSportswisconsin.com recorded an impressive February, largely due to the FOX Sports Prep Zone platform. FOX Sports Wisconsin teamed up with the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) and PlayOn! Sports to live stream a total of six high school state competitions: dance, boys swimming and diving, individual wrestling, cheerleading, hockey and team wrestling.

• Total Prep Zone Page Views: 544,522
• Top Viewed Live Stream: Individual wrestling, 378,500+ views

Clips from the live streams were also generated via the SnappyTV platform and shared across social media.

• Total Snappy Clips: 674
• Total Snappy Views: 490,912 views
• Top View Snappy Clip: 8,000+ views, watch: Wupaca D2 Dance, Jazz

Additionally, FOXsportswisconsin.com writer Jesse Temple landed a story on FOXsports.com and MSN, generating an additional 880,349 page views to February’s total views, read:

• Female kicker to break gender barrier

FOX Sports Wisconsin & FOX Sports North: Freezin’ for a Reason

In the heart of the Midwest winter, FOX Sports employees and supporters made a splash at this year’s Special Olympics Polar Plunge. 
The frigid waters didn’t stop the teams of FOX Sports Wisconsin and FOX Sports North from showing their avid support. They jumped into a frozen body of water, all to raise awareness and monetary support for a very important cause. 

As part of the“Supports” community platform, the regional networks created multi-media campaigns designed to raise awareness for Special Olympics, while also driving participation for their annual marquee fundraising event – the Polar Plunge.

The FOX Sports Wisconsin team took the plunge on February 23 in Green Bay and FOX Sports North followed on March 2 in Minneapolis. Both teams combined, raised nearly $6,000 in donations.

Media buyers cheer new national competition for ESPN

By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/4/2013 12:01:00 AM

When News Corp. this week finally announces its plans to launch a 24-hour sports cable network, media buyers will have more choice than ever about where to put their sports ad dollars. 

Following a series of private individual meetings with media buyers and clients, Fox Sports Group on March 5 hosts an upfront-style presentation where Fox Sports 1 will be unveiled. The rookie network—built on the foundation of Speed channel—is seen as a heavyweight challenger to ESPN, whose title as the worldwide leader in sports isn’t all hyperbole. And Fox Sports 1 is following NBC Sports Network and CBS Sports Network into the national cable sports net fray. 

Record-Setting Day for FOXSportsSouth.com

FOXSportsSouth.com opened the month of March with a bang. On Friday, March 1, the FOX Sports South website registered a record-breaking 6,501,993 views. The mark not only set a record for the most hits in a day, but also topped the website’s all-time monthly views. The site also totaled 1,073,727 unique views for just that one day.

The record-breaking start to March followed a pair of strong months for the website. The previous monthly record was 5,773,261 page views and 2,308,807 unique views in January 2013. This February also saw big numbers with 5,634,040 page views and 1,839,325 unique views.

Top Three Posts on March 1, 2013:

1. FOX Sports writer Jay Clemons put together a gallery on “The 20 Most Notorious NFL Free-Agent Contracts,” which resulted in 5,112,480 views.

2. Fox Sports Carolinas writer, Andrew Jones, posted a story from the Duke-Virginia game in which Coach K had a run-in with Virginia students that gave us 641,427 views.

3. Falcons’ writer John Manasso delivered 232,513 views on a story about the team's surprising cuts.

4. On March 1, the blog: “Fantasy Fox with Jay Clemons” made its debut, resulting in another surge of traffic for the website. The new blog features exclusive content from Clemons about various topics around fantasy baseball and football, with the purpose of informing and entertaining a passionate fan base.

FOXSportsOhio.com breaks monthly and daily traffic record in February

FOXSportsOhio.com owned the conversation around the NBA trade deadline, turning it into record traffic for the site.

Set new monthly record for both page views and unique visitors:

• February marked a new monthly high in page views, breaking the previous record by 104% (previous record from November, 2012)
• February marked a new monthly high in unique visitors, breaking the previous record by 24% (previous record from July, 2012)

Set new daily traffic records:

• Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 marked a new daily high in unique visitors, breaking the previous record on September 22, 2011 by 34%
• Two of the three highest page view days in site history were Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013 and Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013

Time Warner Cable's Weak Response to Demand for Hearings in Padres Blackout

Asked via email if the company would send a representative to Lightner's meeting, Time Warner Cable spokesman Dennis Johnson sidestepped that question but answered a couple others. "We maintain open lines of communication with all the elected officials in the areas we serve to make sure we’re hearing both their concerns and those of their constituents," he wrote. "We always welcome an open conversation, but this is a dispute between two private parties."

Johnson also acknowledged that the company had received a letter from Filner and said, without elaboration, "We have been in contact with the Mayor's Office."

Click for full article

FOX Sports West and LA Kings Team Up with Wells Fargo to Raise Funds for LA Schools

FOX Sports West, in conjunction with the LA Kings, Wells Fargo and the Partnership for LA Schools recently joined forces to donate $1000 for every goal the Kings score during the 2013 regular season. These funds will help bring new technologies to hundreds of high school, middle school and elementary students the Partnership helps service across Los Angeles.

Video: John Sotoodeh, Wells Fargo, Regional President, and Marshall Tuck, CEO, Partnership for LA Schools, recently joined Patrick O'Neal live on set to discus the new charitable campaign. 

• To date, the campaign has helped raise $46,000
• Donation amounts are updated on every Fox Sports West Kings telecast
• Player appearances and donations dollars in action will be documented following the regular season
• Why technology? One of the Partnership’s core strategies is to implement online learning to support teachers who have students on various learning levels and help improve state test scores. 

What are they saying:

Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa:

“Thanks to Wells Fargo and Fox Sports West, the excitement of Kings Hockey has been merged with improving education for some of Los Angeles' neediest students,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.  “This blend of philanthropy and sports will ultimately bring new technologies and online learning to the students at the Partnership for LA Schools. This is an exciting moment for LA’s kids and sports fans alike.”

Wells Fargo, Regional President, John Sotoodeh

“As the United States continues to compete in a global, 21^st century economy, we have to make sure our kids have access to the tools necessary to compete,” said John Sotoodeh, Wells Fargo’s Community Banking regional president.  “As Los Angeles’ top corporate philanthropist, we support education through both philanthropic giving and team member volunteerism, and this partnership is a great way to help build awareness for a worthy cause.”

About the Partnership for LA Schools and the FOX Sports West collaboration:

Founded in 2007 as the cornerstone of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s strategy to improve public education in Los Angeles, the Partnership is a unique relationship between the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District to turn around LA’s lowest performing schools and to create a model for doing so district wide. The Partnership today manages 22 schools with approximately 1,300 school-site employees. In 2009, FOX Sports West began working with the Partnership to help increase awareness for their mission and later that year adopted one of those 22 schools, Santee Education Complex. Over the past three years, the adoption efforts have included job shadowing, student of the month recognition and incentives for learning and much more.

For complete press release, click here.