Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced a new TV deal with FOX and Turner that will change the baseball-watching habits of America. The big news? The first round Division Series will be broadcast exclusively on cable (except, I would imagine, in the local markets of the teams involved), starting next year.In 2007, TBS will broadcast that first-round exclusively, and will have a Sunday-night package starting in 2008. This means they will start cutting back on their broadcasts of Braves games, which they've been doing since it was over-the-air Atlanta station WTBS. FOX will retain the rights to the Saturday Games of the Week, the World Series, the All-Star Game, and one League Championship Series per year; the other LCS is now up for grabs. Both contracts run through 2013.
Additionally, TBS has the rights to any tie-breaking playoff games this year. So if, for example, the White Sox and the Tigers tie for the AL Central lead and need to play a one-game playoff, TBS will have the game.
So, where does this leave ESPN? The article here doesn't say, but it might just leave them in the lurch after 17 years of broadcasting Sunday night games, and, recently, first-round playoff games.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-12-2006 @ 4:50PM
NoLifeMcGee said...
Great! More generic FOX announcers whom the fans don't like, who don't know anything about the local teams, and whose cutaway interviews in the stands with FOX TV show stars have no relevance whatsoever to the game! Sounds like a great boon for baseball. Thanks, Mr. Selig!
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7-12-2006 @ 5:01PM
Lance Venta said...
ESPN will keep its Wednesday and Sunday night broadcasts. Normally there has been two cable packages during the past few baseball TV contracts, however the 2nd package has changed hands from ABC (Then Fox) Family to ESPN after the Disney purchase of Fox Family/Kids/Saban.
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7-12-2006 @ 5:24PM
Chris Rose said...
For the baseball viewer, this is a good deal.
We get more Saturday games on FOX and we get Sunday national games on TBS.
The only downside is that the divisional games will be on cable and not broadcast tv.
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7-12-2006 @ 5:45PM
ferley said...
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate fox sports, last night all star game and every saturday game I have to watch is complete bull. I want to watch a baseball game not listen to idoits tell us about there time spent on vacation.And when DAVID WRIGHT hits a homerun why do I have to watch a replay(oh ya they were interviewing someone, not showin the game)boo boo boo fox and everything it does
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