LouGrant
02-28-2004, 12:11 PM
<center> <img src="http://www.billszone.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10011/dogsplayingpoker.jpg" border="2" > </center><p>The National Football League continually shows the rest of the sports world- and the business world for that matter- why they are the ultimate King of all they survey. The embarrassment of Janet Jackson’s boob aside, the NFL plans on feasting upon it’s next broadcast contract which will be the richest TV rights deal in history.
<P>
The hard part for the NFL? Trying to squeeze more blood from the network stone- and increasing their already gaudy 8 year, $17 .8 billion (yes- with a B) TV deal, which is set to expire at the end of the 2005 season. It’s a deal so complex and expensive for the participants that the League has decided to move negotiations up a full year.
<P>
To the NFL’s credit, all attempts will be made to “ease the pain” in extracting the most flesh from the networks in this deal. The willingness of the NFL to be flexible and “think outside the box” to push this through and consider the needs of the networks will result in a very creative and groundbreaking agreement.
<P>
To help broker the deal, which could push upwards of $20 Billion in total size, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has brought in former ESPN/ABC network exec Steve Bornstein (and gave him the cool title of NFL executive vice president) to create conditions in which the networks can afford such stratospheric costs without losing their shirts. Networks are barely surviving- even losing money on the current deal. Right now the TV networks don’t mind, as they see the NFL a s a “loss leader”- they take a bath on the NFL itself, but reap rewards with the prestige of having the NFL on their airwaves....READ MORE HERE... (http://205.134.177.140/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?state=news&action=YourSite_content&month=2&nid=9123)
<P>
The hard part for the NFL? Trying to squeeze more blood from the network stone- and increasing their already gaudy 8 year, $17 .8 billion (yes- with a B) TV deal, which is set to expire at the end of the 2005 season. It’s a deal so complex and expensive for the participants that the League has decided to move negotiations up a full year.
<P>
To the NFL’s credit, all attempts will be made to “ease the pain” in extracting the most flesh from the networks in this deal. The willingness of the NFL to be flexible and “think outside the box” to push this through and consider the needs of the networks will result in a very creative and groundbreaking agreement.
<P>
To help broker the deal, which could push upwards of $20 Billion in total size, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has brought in former ESPN/ABC network exec Steve Bornstein (and gave him the cool title of NFL executive vice president) to create conditions in which the networks can afford such stratospheric costs without losing their shirts. Networks are barely surviving- even losing money on the current deal. Right now the TV networks don’t mind, as they see the NFL a s a “loss leader”- they take a bath on the NFL itself, but reap rewards with the prestige of having the NFL on their airwaves....READ MORE HERE... (http://205.134.177.140/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?state=news&action=YourSite_content&month=2&nid=9123)