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jonsol: AM RT CBS could televise early-season SEC football starting in 2015 after losing U.S. Open. http://t.co/wjWZwDX95F
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ESPN's new ownership of the U.S. Open tennis tournament could mean CBS televises early-season SEC football games starting in 2015. CBS has carried the U.S. Open every year since 1968, meaning CBS doesn't begin airing SEC games until the third or fourth week of September. With the U.S. Open leaving for ESPN after 2014, CBS would have to decide whether it wants to use some of its allotted games in earlier weeks, SEC Executive Associate Commissioner Mark Womack said today.
ESPN will pay an average of $70 million annually for all U.S. Open rights over 11 years after CBS turned down a chance to keep the broadcast for more than $30 million per year, according to SportsBusiness Journal.
Last year's U.S. Open averaged a 1.4 rating for CBS, the lowest on record. Weather has forced the U.S. Open men's final to be moved from Sunday to Monday in each of the past five years. The tournament hasn't averaged better than a 2.0 since 2006.
The SEC's CBS ratings declined 7 percent last year with many blowouts, the lowest viewership since 2008. But the games still averaged a 3.9 rating for the season, far surpassing numbers CBS draws from tennis.
In years when college football's regular season has a typical 13-week calendar, CBS owns 14 regular-season games plus the SEC Championship Game. The regular-season games include one primetime game, an early 11 a.m. doubleheader game prior to its usual 2:30 p.m. time slot, and a game on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
When ESPN created the SEC Network, CBS retained the first pick of games and gave up its exclusive rights to the afternoon TV window. CBS restructured its existing 15-year SEC deal over the final 10 years and exchanged "reasonable value," CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said earlier this month. The financial terms of the SEC/CBS deal are expected to remain at $55 million per year until 2023-24, CBSSports.com reported.
CBS will likely start airing SEC games this year on Sept. 14. That's the day of the much-anticipated Alabama-Texas A&M showdown.
More...
ESPN's new ownership of the U.S. Open tennis tournament could mean CBS televises early-season SEC football games starting in 2015. CBS has carried the U.S. Open every year since 1968, meaning CBS doesn't begin airing SEC games until the third or fourth week of September. With the U.S. Open leaving for ESPN after 2014, CBS would have to decide whether it wants to use some of its allotted games in earlier weeks, SEC Executive Associate Commissioner Mark Womack said today.
ESPN will pay an average of $70 million annually for all U.S. Open rights over 11 years after CBS turned down a chance to keep the broadcast for more than $30 million per year, according to SportsBusiness Journal.
Last year's U.S. Open averaged a 1.4 rating for CBS, the lowest on record. Weather has forced the U.S. Open men's final to be moved from Sunday to Monday in each of the past five years. The tournament hasn't averaged better than a 2.0 since 2006.
The SEC's CBS ratings declined 7 percent last year with many blowouts, the lowest viewership since 2008. But the games still averaged a 3.9 rating for the season, far surpassing numbers CBS draws from tennis.
In years when college football's regular season has a typical 13-week calendar, CBS owns 14 regular-season games plus the SEC Championship Game. The regular-season games include one primetime game, an early 11 a.m. doubleheader game prior to its usual 2:30 p.m. time slot, and a game on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
When ESPN created the SEC Network, CBS retained the first pick of games and gave up its exclusive rights to the afternoon TV window. CBS restructured its existing 15-year SEC deal over the final 10 years and exchanged "reasonable value," CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said earlier this month. The financial terms of the SEC/CBS deal are expected to remain at $55 million per year until 2023-24, CBSSports.com reported.
CBS will likely start airing SEC games this year on Sept. 14. That's the day of the much-anticipated Alabama-Texas A&M showdown.
