DOLPHINS: more names than a phone book

[ldouglas]

ad-supported free tv seems to be a dying model - especially when it
comes to expensive content. It's no accident that reality TV dominates
OTA TV and scripted shows are moving more and more to cable and
premium channels that get a cut of everyone subscribed even if they
don't watch. I don't give a crap about the E! channel - but I'm paying
for it!

ESPN 360 is doing the same thing with broadband. They get something
like 5 cents for every customer from contracted ISPs - which is why
they can show out of market college basketball games and soccer and
cricket. Cheap broadband rights, and an avalanche of cash from ISP
customers who don't even know they're paying for it. well, at 5 cents
- who cares, right?

The NFL is too popular to need to do this - they're a ratings bonanza
for networks that use them to drive eyeballs to 60 minutes and 2 and a
half men etc. But something like the NHL can't do that so they
languish on cable and have a profit sharing agreement on NBC that sees
Ovechkin-Crosby playoff games pre-empted for TPC Sawgrass highlight
shows and Kentucky Derby pre-shows. Hell, with Comcast buying NBC it's
speculated that they'll be the first broadcast network to go all
Cable!

On 1/21/10, Mark S. Clark <clark.m.s at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 11:36 PM, ldouglas <ldouglas at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> 4. Commercials - did anyone see that WSJ study that said more than 60%
>> of NFL broadcasts are consumed by commercials.
>>
>
>
> Speaking of which. I sometimes wonder how long the networks are going to let
> us get away with fast-forwarding through commercials with our DVRs. I mean,
> it's going to come to a point where NOBODY is watching commercials, at which
> point advertising would be wasted cash.
> It seems to me that the day is not too far off where we will not be able to
> FF thru commercials on our DVR. Similar to what it's like when you watch a
> network show online. They have periodic 30 second ads that you cannot skip
> thru or over.
>
> If that day ever comes, they would have to limit the number of commercials
> in each break.
>
> Anyway, sorry to go off the subject, but it reminded me of that thought, and
> the fact that if that day ever came that the sports broadcasts would be the
> most valuable and most saturated advertising time (as lionel cited above),
> because it's probably the one type of viewing that's predominantly viewed
> live in real time.
> At least that's how it is for me. Except for sports, I don't watch
> *anything* when it's actually on.
> Sometimes I even give a football game a half hour or so head start. ;-)
>
>
> Mark
> --
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