NBA's TV Partners Seek Flexible Scheduling For National Games

[RealGM Wiretap]

ESPN and TNT want more assurances from the NBA that they won't be locked into bad national game matches as they open talks on new television deals.

The networks were stuck with far too many games involving the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers after their respective seasons had fallen apart.

NBC's "Sunday Night Football" package has had great success in the NFL due to flexible scheduling late int he season.

Unlike the NFL, where national TV revenue drives the financials, local TV deals are critical in the NBA, and sources say NBA team owners are firm in their resolve to preserve that lucrative revenue.

At present, ESPN and TNT can take a total of 12 games per team for exclusive telecasts, leaving RSNs to produce between 70 and 82 games per club.

“The national rights [fee] is going to be a big number, and the networks are going to try to grab as much as they possibly can,” said a source. “But teams have to protect the local markets because there is a lot of money there, too.”

Turner and ESPN/ABC have two years remaining on their eight-year, $7.5 billion deal, which expires at the end of the 2015-16 season.

Via John Ourand, John Lombardo/Sports Business Journal

[Kn1cksNation]

I want NBA showtime on NBC again.

[Knicks Universe]

I know the Knicks didn't make the playoffs but these networks should be happy that they are broadcasting the most profitable games nationwide. Any game with the Knicks in it will have the best viewership and thus revenue by virtue of being in the largest market.

[720]

I know the Knicks didn't make the playoffs but these networks should be happy that they are broadcasting the most profitable games nationwide. Any game with the Knicks in it will have the best viewership and thus revenue by virtue of being in the largest market.

No one wants to watch that strugglefest.

[smeagolheart]

I know the Knicks didn't make the playoffs but these networks should be happy that they are broadcasting the most profitable games nationwide. Any game with the Knicks in it will have the best viewership and thus revenue by virtue of being in the largest market.

Market Size
New York < United States

Also would most people rather watch a lousy team get killed or a game between two good teams?

[Knicks Universe]

I know the Knicks didn't make the playoffs but these networks should be happy that they are broadcasting the most profitable games nationwide. Any game with the Knicks in it will have the best viewership and thus revenue by virtue of being in the largest market.

Market Size
New York < United States

Also would most people rather watch a lousy team get killed or a game between two good teams?

People would rather watch a good team, yes. But ultimately if an area is populated with more fans, it will have more viewership. It's just the numbers man.

[Knicks Universe]

I know the Knicks didn't make the playoffs but these networks should be happy that they are broadcasting the most profitable games nationwide. Any game with the Knicks in it will have the best viewership and thus revenue by virtue of being in the largest market.

No one wants to watch that strugglefest.

The city of New York and its biggest market of fans wants to watch their team. Unlike fans of other teams like the Heat, Knicks fans are not bandwagoners. We love our team even during the bad times and support them all the way through. That is the mark of a true fanbase. So we will continue to watch games and cheer for our beloved team even when they are losing!

[SmoothKobra]

The city of New York and its biggest market of fans wants to watch their team. Unlike fans of other teams like the Heat, Knicks fans are not bandwagoners. We love our team even during the bad times and support them all the way through. That is the mark of a true fanbase. So we will continue to watch games and cheer for our beloved team even when they are losing!

If what you said was true then ESPN and TNT wouldn't be negotiating for a flex schedule where low performing teams in big markets, like NY, can be removed from the schedule. NYC is a large market, sure. But putting losing teams on time and time again is not a good financial decision. People get tired of watching horrible Lakers/Knicks games on national TV when they don't deserve it, and the TV execs know this.

[Knicks Universe]

The city of New York and its biggest market of fans wants to watch their team. Unlike fans of other teams like the Heat, Knicks fans are not bandwagoners. We love our team even during the bad times and support them all the way through. That is the mark of a true fanbase. So we will continue to watch games and cheer for our beloved team even when they are losing!

If what you said was true then ESPN and TNT wouldn't be negotiating for a flex schedule where low performing teams in big markets, like NY, can be removed from the schedule. NYC is a large market, sure. But putting losing teams on time and time again is not a good financial decision. People get tired of watching horrible Lakers/Knicks games on national TV when they don't deserve it, and the TV execs know this.

No. Die hard Lakers and Knicks, which are the two biggest markets in the NBA, will continue to watch. They are the biggest markets and will get the highest viewership. How hard is this to understand for people?!

[SmoothKobra]

The city of New York and its biggest market of fans wants to watch their team. Unlike fans of other teams like the Heat, Knicks fans are not bandwagoners. We love our team even during the bad times and support them all the way through. That is the mark of a true fanbase. So we will continue to watch games and cheer for our beloved team even when they are losing!

If what you said was true then ESPN and TNT wouldn't be negotiating for a flex schedule where low performing teams in big markets, like NY, can be removed from the schedule. NYC is a large market, sure. But putting losing teams on time and time again is not a good financial decision. People get tired of watching horrible Lakers/Knicks games on national TV when they don't deserve it, and the TV execs know this.

No. Die hard Lakers and Knicks, which are the two biggest markets in the NBA, will continue to watch. They are the biggest markets and will get the highest viewership. How hard is this to understand for people?!

I didn't say they wouldn't watch. You are misunderstanding. What I'm saying is even their fan bases alone won't hold up if those teams are bad for an entire season. Those fan bases don't watch in as big of numbers in nat'l tv matchups, and the casual fan won't watch espn/tnt games of bad knicks games over and over. The casual fan is the most lucrative NBA fan because there are so many of them, and their number is far larger than the number of "knick fans" out there. That's why the TV execs want flex games, so they can get rid of poor knicks team matchups for a more exciting team that will interest the casual fan.

[Knicks Universe]

If what you said was true then ESPN and TNT wouldn't be negotiating for a flex schedule where low performing teams in big markets, like NY, can be removed from the schedule. NYC is a large market, sure. But putting losing teams on time and time again is not a good financial decision. People get tired of watching horrible Lakers/Knicks games on national TV when they don't deserve it, and the TV execs know this.

No. Die hard Lakers and Knicks, which are the two biggest markets in the NBA, will continue to watch. They are the biggest markets and will get the highest viewership. How hard is this to understand for people?!

I didn't say they wouldn't watch. You are misunderstanding. What I'm saying is even their fan bases alone won't hold up if those teams are bad for an entire season. Those fan bases don't watch in as big of numbers in nat'l tv matchups, and the casual fan won't watch espn/tnt games of bad knicks games over and over. The casual fan is the most lucrative NBA fan because there are so many of them, and their number is far larger than the number of "knick fans" out there. That's why the TV execs want flex games, so they can get rid of poor knicks team matchups for a more exciting team that will interest the casual fan.

Ok fair. The thing is there is no point for this agreement. In general, big markets are the better teams and will have the key matchups to watch most of the time, even at a national level. This year was anomaly where the Knicks and Lakers, the biggest market teams, were terrible. Starting next year that won't be the case, at least for the Knicks.

[SmoothKobra]

No. Die hard Lakers and Knicks, which are the two biggest markets in the NBA, will continue to watch. They are the biggest markets and will get the highest viewership. How hard is this to understand for people?!

I didn't say they wouldn't watch. You are misunderstanding. What I'm saying is even their fan bases alone won't hold up if those teams are bad for an entire season. Those fan bases don't watch in as big of numbers in nat'l tv matchups, and the casual fan won't watch espn/tnt games of bad knicks games over and over. The casual fan is the most lucrative NBA fan because there are so many of them, and their number is far larger than the number of "knick fans" out there. That's why the TV execs want flex games, so they can get rid of poor knicks team matchups for a more exciting team that will interest the casual fan.

Ok fair. The thing is there is no point for this agreement. In general, big markets are the better teams and will have the key matchups to watch most of the time, even at a national level. This year was anomaly where the Knicks and Lakers, the biggest market teams, were terrible. Starting next year that won't be the case, at least for the Knicks.

The Knicks and Lakers could both be bad for the forseeable future. That's the next 2-3 years. The TV execs wouldn't want a flex if they thought those teams would be dominant again for the next decade. Large market teams can, and do deliver mediocre performances in the NBA. I think it's a myth that they don't actually.

[Knicks Universe]

I didn't say they wouldn't watch. You are misunderstanding. What I'm saying is even their fan bases alone won't hold up if those teams are bad for an entire season. Those fan bases don't watch in as big of numbers in nat'l tv matchups, and the casual fan won't watch espn/tnt games of bad knicks games over and over. The casual fan is the most lucrative NBA fan because there are so many of them, and their number is far larger than the number of "knick fans" out there. That's why the TV execs want flex games, so they can get rid of poor knicks team matchups for a more exciting team that will interest the casual fan.

Ok fair. The thing is there is no point for this agreement. In general, big markets are the better teams and will have the key matchups to watch most of the time, even at a national level. This year was anomaly where the Knicks and Lakers, the biggest market teams, were terrible. Starting next year that won't be the case, at least for the Knicks.

The Knicks and Lakers could both be bad for the forseeable future. That's the next 2-3 years. The TV execs wouldn't want a flex if they thought those teams would be dominant again for the next decade. Large market teams can, and do deliver mediocre performances in the NBA. I think it's a myth that they don't actually.

Well it's a short term anomaly. Big markets in the long-run are always better. It's just a fact if you look at stats.

[2Mas]

The Knicks and Lakers could both be bad for the forseeable future. That's the next 2-3 years. The TV execs wouldn't want a flex if they thought those teams would be dominant again for the next decade. Large market teams can, and do deliver mediocre performances in the NBA. I think it's a myth that they don't actually.

Lol why are you going back & forth with this kid? First he got a Rondo in a knicks uniform. His offer would be probably Shump for Rondo. That says enough about him.

Also, he's what's trying to prove a point that is going against what point of the article. These crappy games (because LAL & NYK suck) but being on tv a lot & loosing by 20+ & whatever makes for bad TV. They're gonna play that Miami Charlotte game tonight which is gonna be a crazy blowout w/ no Al jeff instead of a crazy intense Indy Atl game 5. It's just stupid.

I'm glad their doing this, let them have more flexible. I'd rather watch an amazing 3OT game between Tor & Wash than a 25pt blowout in Miami over NYK. TNT should have that right to flip that game. I wanna see competition not names.

[GameOver25]

Ok fair. The thing is there is no point for this agreement. In general, big markets are the better teams and will have the key matchups to watch most of the time, even at a national level. This year was anomaly where the Knicks and Lakers, the biggest market teams, were terrible. Starting next year that won't be the case, at least for the Knicks.

The Knicks and Lakers could both be bad for the forseeable future. That's the next 2-3 years. The TV execs wouldn't want a flex if they thought those teams would be dominant again for the next decade. Large market teams can, and do deliver mediocre performances in the NBA. I think it's a myth that they don't actually.

Well it's a short term anomaly. Big markets in the long-run are always better. It's just a fact if you look at stats.

Dude get over yourself. Ok we get it.

[SmoothKobra]

The Knicks and Lakers could both be bad for the forseeable future. That's the next 2-3 years. The TV execs wouldn't want a flex if they thought those teams would be dominant again for the next decade. Large market teams can, and do deliver mediocre performances in the NBA. I think it's a myth that they don't actually.

Lol why are you going back & forth with this kid? First he got a Rondo in a knicks uniform. His offer would be probably Shump for Rondo. That says enough about him.

Also, he's what's trying to prove a point that is going against what point of the article. These crappy games (because LAL & NYK suck) but being on tv a lot & loosing by 20+ & whatever makes for bad TV. They're gonna play that Miami Charlotte game tonight which is gonna be a crazy blowout w/ no Al jeff instead of a crazy intense Indy Atl game 5. It's just stupid.

I'm glad their doing this, let them have more flexible. I'd rather watch an amazing 3OT game between Tor & Wash than a 25pt blowout in Miami over NYK. TNT should have that right to flip that game. I wanna see competition not names.

Totally agree with everything you said.

[Rafael122]

I've always had this idea that TNT and ESPN have a 2 week time period in January where they can flex games in and out. By that point, you pretty much know who the good and bad teams are. They don't recognize the NBA season has started until December 25, so a week later, they can start subbing games in and out.

I think the big market teams, i.e. Knicks, Bulls, Lakers should be limited to 10 national TV games per team, as opposed to the 20+ they normally get.

[jlokine]

The Knicks and Lakers could both be bad for the forseeable future. That's the next 2-3 years. The TV execs wouldn't want a flex if they thought those teams would be dominant again for the next decade. Large market teams can, and do deliver mediocre performances in the NBA. I think it's a myth that they don't actually.

Lol why are you going back & forth with this kid? First he got a Rondo in a knicks uniform. His offer would be probably Shump for Rondo. That says enough about him.

Also, he's what's trying to prove a point that is going against what point of the article. These crappy games (because LAL & NYK suck) but being on tv a lot & loosing by 20+ & whatever makes for bad TV. They're gonna play that Miami Charlotte game tonight which is gonna be a crazy blowout w/ no Al jeff instead of a crazy intense Indy Atl game 5. It's just stupid.

I'm glad their doing this, let them have more flexible. I'd rather watch an amazing 3OT game between Tor & Wash than a 25pt blowout in Miami over NYK. TNT should have that right to flip that game. I wanna see competition not names.

Totally agree with everything you said.

i commend your efforts, smoothking... but knicks universe is literally in knicks universe..no point arguing with him..

[Knicks Universe]

The Knicks and Lakers could both be bad for the forseeable future. That's the next 2-3 years. The TV execs wouldn't want a flex if they thought those teams would be dominant again for the next decade. Large market teams can, and do deliver mediocre performances in the NBA. I think it's a myth that they don't actually.

Lol why are you going back & forth with this kid? First he got a Rondo in a knicks uniform. His offer would be probably Shump for Rondo. That says enough about him.

Also, he's what's trying to prove a point that is going against what point of the article. These crappy games (because LAL & NYK suck) but being on tv a lot & loosing by 20+ & whatever makes for bad TV. They're gonna play that Miami Charlotte game tonight which is gonna be a crazy blowout w/ no Al jeff instead of a crazy intense Indy Atl game 5. It's just stupid.

I'm glad their doing this, let them have more flexible. I'd rather watch an amazing 3OT game between Tor & Wash than a 25pt blowout in Miami over NYK. TNT should have that right to flip that game. I wanna see competition not names.

Lol youre just mad that Rondo will be leaving the Celtics pretty soon

[smeagolheart]

Ok fair. The thing is there is no point for this agreement. In general, big markets are the better teams and will have the key matchups to watch most of the time, even at a national level. This year was anomaly where the Knicks and Lakers, the biggest market teams, were terrible. Starting next year that won't be the case, at least for the Knicks.

The Knicks and Lakers could both be bad for the forseeable future. That's the next 2-3 years. The TV execs wouldn't want a flex if they thought those teams would be dominant again for the next decade. Large market teams can, and do deliver mediocre performances in the NBA. I think it's a myth that they don't actually.

Well it's a short term anomaly. Big markets in the long-run are always better. It's just a fact if you look at stats.

show us your stats where the big market Knicks have more championships than the Spurs and Heat in the long run. lol