TNT does not (and will not) broadcast games played locally in the local market because of advertising restrictions. So, if a game is IN Compaq Center AND on TNT, we won't be able to see it broadcast locally on television. Sounds like a logic equation... If the game is played in Compaq Center and The game is on TNT then No TV for you.
I think Smokey is correct. And the non competition clause thing works like this I believe: It's only considered competition if it's the same team that's on TBS. For instance if Atlanta and NJ are playing, a Rockets vs. Mavs game would not be considered competition and would be broadcast on fox/upn.
Basically David Stern is just doing his job...and that is puting as much money as possible in the owners pockets. Apparently the NBC offer wasn't that much less than the ABC/ESPN offer. However, like Jeff said above, the TNT=No TV is a way that Stern hopes to get more people to actually go to the games. Thats the only reason I can see for what they are doing with local blackouts. I would assume that League Pass won't be affected...at least I hope not.
See the details at the bottom of http://www.nba.com/news/tv_contract_020122.html AOL TIME WARNER TNT 52 regular season games on an exclusive basis (with no games being televised nationally or locally that night except for one backup game); 48 of the games will air as part of Thursday night doubleheaders in primetime and two Opening Night games Approximately 45 games in the first two rounds of the Playoffs Conference Semi-finals and one Conference Finals series on an exclusive basis NBA All-Star Game and NBA All-Star Saturday events NEW NBA NETWORK 96 regular season games Expected two Playoff games THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY ABC 15 regular season Games of the Week on Sunday afternoons Expected five Playoff games NBA Finals in primetime beginning at 8:30 pm ET NBA Inside Stuff Will air on Saturday mornings ESPN 75 regular season games with no local blackouts of ESPN game coverage (one game on Wednesday nights and a doubleheader on Friday nights in primetime) Holiday telecasts, e.g. Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, President’s Day Expected 22 games in the first two rounds of the Playoffs One Conference Finals series on an exclusive basis NBA Draft, Draft preview show and NBA Draft Lottery
Ok, I think I got this cleared up. Thank GOD for David Barron from the Chronicle. Basically, it works like this. As it stands, TNT is <b>NOT ALLOWED</b> to broadcast games in the local market when the game is at home. This is to protect Fox SSW or whomever is the local broadcaster from lost ad revenues. In essence, it protects them from losing money if a big chunk of their viewers prefer the national coverage to the local. The new deal would reverse that. TNT would be granted <b>EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST RIGHTS</b> for games shown on its own network meaning no local affiliate will be allowed to broadcast games (home OR away) at the same time as TNT. Essentially, the local stations will be blocked out meaning local and national viewers will only be able to watch the TNT broadcast. As for ESPN, it is pretty much anything goes. Games that appear on ESPN or the new channel being created will air on <b>BOTH ESPN and the local affiliate</b>. In that instance, no one will be blacked out. Now, here is the thing that I still wonder about. What about the playoff games? As it stands TNT seems to have an exclusive right to the first and second rounds of the playoffs. Could that mean no more pay-per-view??? It sounds that way. Anyway, just some more info.
Isn't that what I said all along?? We will NOT see a Rockets Thursday night game UNLESS it is on TNT. There will be NO...I REPEAT, NO local broadcast of any kind. The only solution is for the Rockets to schedule games on Wed or Fri...THURSDAY GAME WILL NOT BE SHOWN unless it is on TNT's broadcasts. TNT has the EXCLUSIVE rights to all NBA basketball that night. In other words: they paid out the ass to make sure you can only watch thier national broadcast whether you or I like it or not. They don't want you watching your local team when you should be watching their national broadcasts. os
That is not what you said. The new deal would reverse that. TNT would be granted EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST RIGHTS for games shown on its own network
ZRB, I think you better look at Jeff's post more closely. There ain't gonna be anymore Thursday Rockets games shown locally UNLESS TNT chooses to broadcast it. Old School
Ok, can someone (Jeff) please confirm whether Old School is right? It seems like he is right , but it just seems so damn stupid for TnT to do what Old School says they are doing. I just don't wanna believe it.
asnowman, It's not stupid for TNT...it's very smart on their part. The idiots are the NBA. Go back and read the entire article I posted from David Barron. os
Oops, here it is: TV deal shifts emphasis to cable By DAVID BARRON Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle The NBA finalized a six-year, $4.5 billion contract with Disney and AOL Time Warner on Tuesday that embodies the power of cable networks to change how sports will be televised in the 21st century. Even though the NBA Finals will be broadcast on ABC beginning next year, the bulk of the 238 nationally televised regular-season games during each year of the six-year deal (up from 79 on Turner Sports and 33 NBC this year) will be on cable -- 75 on ESPN or ESPN2, 52 on TNT, and 96 on a new cable network to be owned by AOL Time Warner and the NBA. ABC will have 15 Sunday afternoon games plus the Finals, but the rest of the playoffs plus the All-Star Game will migrate to cable. The network also is expected to share WNBA rights with ESPN after NBC's deal expires following the 2002 season. Industry sources said Disney will pay $2.4 billion for games on the ESPN networks and ABC while AOL Time Warner pays $1.8 billion for games on TNT and $300 million to start the new joint venture, known for the moment as the All Sports Channel, with the NBA. The average annual rights fee of $750 million represents a 22 percent increase over the $615 million per year the NBA receives from NBC and Turner Sports. Not included in the deal is NBC, which bid $1.3 billion a year to continue a relationship that soared in Michael Jordan's heyday but has resulted in $300 million in losses the last two years. "If winning the rights to a property brings with it hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, what have you won?" said NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol. "When faced with the prospect of heavy financial losses, we have consistently walked away and have done so again." ESPN president George Bodenheimer said ESPN will not increase its subscriber fees to cable operators as a result of the NBA deal. But Ebersol said cable's dual revenue streams of advertising and subscriber fees means it "will become almost impossible for broadcast television sports to match the power" of cable networks to bid for sports properties. TNT will broadcast Thursday night doubleheaders, an opening-night doubleheader and a doubleheader on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, plus the All-Star Game, the All-Star Weekend activities, about 45 first- and second-round playoff games and one conference final series. All of those broadcast windows will be exclusive -- meaning Fox Sports Net, which holds local rights to most NBA teams, including the Rockets, or local stations, such as KTXH (Channel 20), cannot show games opposite TNT events. "This has tremendous value for viewers and fans, for our advertising partners and for cable operators as we move into a new television world," said Turner Sports president Mark Lazarus. AOL Time Warner also will launch the All-Sports Network, which will air NBA games four nights per week, in partnership with the NBA. ESPN, which becomes the first network to have simultaneous deals with baseball, football, basketball and hockey, will show one game on Wednesdays and a doubleheader on Fridays, plus holiday telecasts, 22 first- and second-round playoff games and one conference finals series, plus the NBA draft. Other broadcasters will be allowed to show games opposite ESPN, but ESPN will not have to black out games in home-team markets, as is the case with TNT under the current deal. ESPN2 will launch NBA Night in America, a Tuesday show that will feature live cut-ins to NBA games, and ESPN Classic will obtain the rights to air vintage NBA games. The company also extended agreements with ESPN.com, ESPN Radio and SportsTicker. ABC will show 15 Sunday afternoon regular-season games plus five playoff games, the NBA Finals and the NBA Inside Stuff series. ABC Family Channel will show Finals postgame shows plus NBA specials and Inside Stuff.
I AM WRONG !! At least I admit it! A friend of mine who is very much in the know tells me that local games will only be blacked out if TNT is carrying that game. He also said very few games will be scheduled against the TNT doubleheaders in the first place. In other words, the Rockets probably won't schedule as many Thursday games unless they are expected to be on TNT. Sorry for the confusion. os
Yeah, what Old School just said. That's what it sounded like to me. The wierd thing is that the NBA has never made any clarification of what would seem to be a pretty glaring issue. Anyway, my mistake too.
Thanks for clearing that up Jeff. I would be pissed if we lost our TV coverage. What would I do without the dynamic duo of Bill/Calvin?
