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| TMC... |
 Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 1:51 pm |
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http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2009/09/espn-still-interested-in-olympics.html
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Awhile back, I mentioned that ESPN wasn't ruling out making a run at
the Olympics in the near future, and today there comes more word about
their intentions. According to USA Today, a run at the contract could
come as early as 2014, and the Olympic committee has promised ESPN a
seat at the discussion table....
After scoring big with its coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games in
Beijing, you'd think NBC would have the inside track on TV rights to
the 2014 and 2016 games. But ESPN/ABC will likely be a strong
competitor. Without blinking an eye, ESPN outbid Fox by more than $100
million for the rights to college football's Bowl Championship Series
(BCS) from January 2011 to January 2014.
As it celebrates its 30th anniversary, the once rinky-dink and now
incredibly deep-pocketed cable network seems hungrier for the
validation an Olympics would bring. "There's no question the Olympics
would continue the process of establishing ESPN as the home of
championship sports and great sports," Skipper said.
The International Olympics Committee has assured ESPN, said Skipper,
that it will have a seat at the table when bidding begins in earnest
for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 Summer Games
in a still-to-be-determined host city.
To show it has the chops to handle a global event, ESPN will give its
2010 FIFA World Cup coverage the Olympic treatment. ESPN is already
planning to send anchors Chris Fowler, Mike Tirico and Bob Ley to
South Africa for the entire event, said Norby Williamson, executive
vice president of remote/studio production.
"What we're hoping to bring to (the World Cup) is Olympic-quality
production," said Skipper. "Not just the cameras but the feel of it.
That it feels big. That it feels international. That it feels about
more than just competition. It's competition. But it's also culture.
And human drama."
I'm telling you, ESPN will have every major Sport under their
umbrella, sooner than you think. I still don't think the Olympics are
as much a money maker as they used to be, but a switch in network
could certainly change that. |
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