ESPN acquires rights to all of British Open in 2010
ESPN just announced that the entire British Open will be shown on the network for at least eight years beginning in 2010. No more ABC (except for some taped highlights.) That's going to be weird.
It's going to be even weirder next week when ESPN likely announces it has acquired the BCS bowl games beginning in January of 2011, which will mark the first time a major American team sports championship will disappear from broadcast TV altogether.
ESPN charges in the neighborhood of $3.50 per subscriber per month to cable, satellite and phone company TV distributors. That figure will continue to rise as the network acquires more sports rights.
And non-sports fans will continue to pay for something they don't watch.
Strange system. But I digress.
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Comments (6)
i think i also read that they have the rights to the new space shuttle ping pong tournament
But Neil,
Why would they take the final 2 rounds off of ABC? Were their ratings now up to snuff? Is it a $$ deal because of the added $$ ESPN can make because of cable fees?
That part makes 0 sense to me.
ESPN has become a monopoly. They want to acquired every sport's TV deal. They are the Microsoft of TV.
BTW, I meant were ABC's ratings NOT up to snuff and thus ESPN is going to move the coverage onto the cable side.
I think we need to remember that ABC Sports doesn't exist anymore and those sports seen on ABC are ESPN programs. So, even if they say they will be on ESPN, they can still also be on ABC. Watch NCAA Football on ABC sometime and see what network is represented.
I'm not sure. I guess it's about further branding ESPN as the go-to place for big events, not ABC, and justifying ever-rising subscription fees.