Also there is a type of revenue for the networks in the form of revenue not spent...All the networks fight every few years or so to pay huge fees to leagues for the "right" to broadcast them. MLS either has none or very low rights fees I would guess.
Chico; I am not arguing that there are not other/better ways to advertise than commercials, and yes, I have seen all the ads on uniforms, stadium walls etc. What I am saying is that the networks do not get revenue from these other forms of advertising. It is the team or the stadum or what have you that gets the advertising dollars in these instances. And the reason they get as much as they do is BECAUSE of the telvision exposure. If the networks are not getting any of the dollars they have no incentive to carry the event. Yes the producer of the product does not care WHO they pay as long as the word gets out, but the network certainly does care if they are not getting their money. As far as all of the new technology that you bring up CG HD TiVo and all of the rest, these have NO BEARING on whether or not the network will carry the event, only on whether or when or how often it will be viewed. In the case of TiVo, ad revenue will actually eventually go down, if a majority of viewers are watching a broadcast after the fact, which if I am not mistaken is the purpose of TiVo, then do you think they will sit through the commercials or skip over them? If no one watches them, they become less cost effective. My argument is two-fold, the first is what incentive does a network have to carry the event? Ad revenue. Soccer does not lend itself easily to generating the amount of revenue that would be required for the broadcast networks to carry it on a regular basis. Do you agree that getting the time to run commercials during the game would be difficult at best? The second part of the equation is getting people to watch if you can get it broadcast to begin with. The true soccer fan will become irate if the network continually is going away from the action to run a commercial, and they WILL need to do this if they are to carry more than just the World Cup. In fact during the 1990 Cup quarter final between Italy and Ireland, TNT cut away at about the 37 minute mark for a commercial, and missed Schillaci's goal, the only one of the game. The direct result of this was ABC/ESPN running the ads in the upper corner in 1994. This is one way to get around having to break away from the action, but as I discussed in an earlier post, it is intuitively a less effective means of advertising than a full screen commercial. As for the reasons people like/hate (your word, I prefer dislike or do not undersatnd) soccer. It is you who are now using the broad brush in saying that it is caused by Local Sports Talk Radio. The largest demographic, when it comes to discretionary income, and the target of advertisers, is still the Baby Boomers. They did not grow up with the sport, for the most part, I would venture they do not understand the nuances of the game. Even among the Gen X-ers and younger, even if they DID play as kids, do you think they truly understand the nuances of the game? My daughter has played for 5 years now, at the youth level, and to her it is still run, kick, score. It is getting better, and someday soon, I think that soccer telecasts will be viable in the States. At least as far as this second part of the equation goes, that of having a fan base that understands the game on more than just the surface. As I said in my original post in this thread, the lack of understanding and appreciation of the game, can and hopefully will be overcome. The incentive for the networks to carry it is the hard part. You have yet to show me how a company can make money from televising soccer, other than running the ads in the corners. Granted my numbers in the first post were not scientific in any way shape or form, they were meant to engender discussion, if you see specific holes in them I would love to hear what you have to say. But bringing up non-commercial ways of advertising (ads on uni's, stadia, etc.) that do not put money in the pockets of the network does not give the networks any reason to carry the event, just the opposite, it detracts from the reason to do so. Take an NBA broadcast as an example of what I mean by this. The big names, car companies, beer companies, advertise in commercials, paying large sums of money to the networks to have dedicated, full-screen exposure to the consumer. THe networks love these guys because it PAYS THEIR BILLS. Now, consider ING, Nokia, and others that pay to have their logos put on the rotating banners on the front of the scorer's table. First, these are less effective for several reason, they are static; there is no message, just the company name; they compete with the game action for the consumers attention. Now, because they are less effective, they are less expensive. But regardless of who much money the company spends on this, none of it goes to the network. Do you think NBC would even show it if it could find a way not to? Without incentive to carry an event, a network will not carry it. And the biggest incentive is the dollar... Find a way for networks to make a buck on soccer and they will be all over it.
My daughter has played for 5 years now, at the youth level, and to her it is still run, kick, score. So, is Bruce Arena her coach as well?
I seems to me that Tivo makes soccer more advertiser friendly because they get their ads across without commercials. Also, I think the two fold problem above is solved with the first problem (more people watching). This gives the network the incentive they need. Another solution (and I have no idea how the business end of all this works) is an advertiser gives money to the networks as well as to the league or team or stadium or whoever. Think about it this way. Advertisers can pay a small amount of money to have their product seen by the 5,000-15,000 who attend a match OR they can increase that money (with the increase going to the network) to have it seen by those same 5,000-15,000 plus whoever watches on TV. Since the network is directly responsible for any revenue generated from advertising seen on their medium they should (and probably already do) get a cut from any advertising that goes on.
Um....ok off topic but scoreing in NASCAR starts at the drop of the green flag, not at the end of the race.
And, in the infield, usually two or three days before the drop of the green flag, depending on the pre-race festivities.
