I just watched the Chicago White Sox win the 2005 World Series, sweeping the wild-card Houston Astros. As much as it pains me to say it, I don’t think even my beloved Cardinals could have beaten the White Sox this year. They were awesome.
Congratulations to an impressive team that has been long overdue for a World Series win.
And now, that being said . . . .
GO CARDINALS IN 2006!!!
Fox is negotiating its contract to broadcast Major League Baseball games (their contract is due to expire after the 2006 season, but they get until the end of December this year to negotiate an extension). As part of their negotiations,
http://www.mediaweek.com reports that Fox is seriously considering dumping the Divisional Series completely:
Sources said Fox may want to give up the entire Divisional series because it would give the network some relief for all of the advertising inventory it has to sell. One source close to the situation said, “first round playoff [ad] inventory is harder to sell, you don’t get a lot for it, and production costs are high.”
ESPN officials would not comment, but according to sources close to the network, ESPN would be interested in getting TV rights for the entire Divisional Series rights if they became available.
So, to recap, the Divisional Series doesn’t bring in enough ad revenue to make it worth Fox’s while to air it in prime time, so there’s a good chance it will be banished completely to cable. Less money. Smaller audience. Maybe it’s just me, but this doesn’t sound like a success story for Major League Baseball. Might it be time to consider jettisoning the Divisional Series?
News and Comment about Peoria, Illinois
