Post by jk3000 on Apr 17, 2010 18:37:12 GMT -5
www.clarionledger.com/article/20100415/SPORTS/100415034/1287/Networks-enter-NCAA-tourney-bidding-war
NEW YORK — ESPN isn't the only network waving serious money at the NCAA. A partnership of CBS and Turner Sports has emerged as a formidable contender for rights to an expanded Division I men's basketball tournament, persons with knowledge of the discussions say.
A final determination — on expanding the tournament from 65 to as many as 96 teams and, with that, moving from a current television contract with CBS to a new, presumably more lucrative long-term agreement — looms in the next two weeks.
School presidents and chancellors on the Division I Board of Directors meet April 29 in Indianapolis.
One person familiar with the discussions said there is a good chance the future course of the tournament will be set by the end of that meeting. Interim NCAA President Jim Isch is empowered to make a final decision on the TV contract. The Division I board makes the call on whether to expand the bracket.
Isch has not given any internal indication of his position, said the person with knowledge of the proceedings.
The NCAA is weighing the large-scale expansion of its signature event at the same time it's considering whether to opt out of the final three years of an 11-year, $6 billion deal with CBS. The current deal is heavily back-loaded. After paying just $320 million for the deal's first year, it will pay about $700 million each of the next three years.
Bringing in Turner to help underwrite NCAA costs could save CBS from big financial losses in coming years.
Turner is led by TNT and its sister channel TBS, both largely entertainment-driven.
But they've used big-time sports — NBA and baseball playoffs and midsummer NASCAR races — to raise their profiles. And like TBS landing late-night host Conan O'Brien, for Turner to land NCAA games via a deal with CBS would be another attention-getter.
ESPN, with deep pockets and an array of platforms, is closely identified with college athletics, and one of the persons with knowledge of the negotiations said its current bid is competitive. Multifaceted ESPN also is pointing to its ability to promote the tournament and the sport, an important issue for the NCAA.
However, the person said the combined CBS-Turner bid might be higher than ESPN's, if only marginally. The person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the ongoing talks, stressed that the numbers from all bidders, including Fox Sports and its cable affiliates, could change in the coming days and weeks, and no network or combination of networks is seen as a favorite at this point. The NCAA has until July 31 to opt out of its current CBS contract.
Greg Shaheen, an NCAA senior vice president who oversees the tournament and is spearheading the negotiations, declined to characterize them beyond saying, "There are a number of scenarios and combination of scenarios that make it hard to predict exactly where it'll come out at this point."
Spokesman Mike Soltys said ESPN would not comment while Sal Petruzzi, senior vice president of Turner Broadcasting, said the network would not comment.
NEW YORK — ESPN isn't the only network waving serious money at the NCAA. A partnership of CBS and Turner Sports has emerged as a formidable contender for rights to an expanded Division I men's basketball tournament, persons with knowledge of the discussions say.
A final determination — on expanding the tournament from 65 to as many as 96 teams and, with that, moving from a current television contract with CBS to a new, presumably more lucrative long-term agreement — looms in the next two weeks.
School presidents and chancellors on the Division I Board of Directors meet April 29 in Indianapolis.
One person familiar with the discussions said there is a good chance the future course of the tournament will be set by the end of that meeting. Interim NCAA President Jim Isch is empowered to make a final decision on the TV contract. The Division I board makes the call on whether to expand the bracket.
Isch has not given any internal indication of his position, said the person with knowledge of the proceedings.
The NCAA is weighing the large-scale expansion of its signature event at the same time it's considering whether to opt out of the final three years of an 11-year, $6 billion deal with CBS. The current deal is heavily back-loaded. After paying just $320 million for the deal's first year, it will pay about $700 million each of the next three years.
Bringing in Turner to help underwrite NCAA costs could save CBS from big financial losses in coming years.
Turner is led by TNT and its sister channel TBS, both largely entertainment-driven.
But they've used big-time sports — NBA and baseball playoffs and midsummer NASCAR races — to raise their profiles. And like TBS landing late-night host Conan O'Brien, for Turner to land NCAA games via a deal with CBS would be another attention-getter.
ESPN, with deep pockets and an array of platforms, is closely identified with college athletics, and one of the persons with knowledge of the negotiations said its current bid is competitive. Multifaceted ESPN also is pointing to its ability to promote the tournament and the sport, an important issue for the NCAA.
However, the person said the combined CBS-Turner bid might be higher than ESPN's, if only marginally. The person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the ongoing talks, stressed that the numbers from all bidders, including Fox Sports and its cable affiliates, could change in the coming days and weeks, and no network or combination of networks is seen as a favorite at this point. The NCAA has until July 31 to opt out of its current CBS contract.
Greg Shaheen, an NCAA senior vice president who oversees the tournament and is spearheading the negotiations, declined to characterize them beyond saying, "There are a number of scenarios and combination of scenarios that make it hard to predict exactly where it'll come out at this point."
Spokesman Mike Soltys said ESPN would not comment while Sal Petruzzi, senior vice president of Turner Broadcasting, said the network would not comment.
