(04-06-2018 03:54 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(04-05-2018 10:03 PM)MissouriStateBears Wrote:  NBC is clearing room for the UFC. FOX goes after WWE and clears bunch of programming with UFC gone.

Yeah, I've read about that. Thought it was kind of a joke, or not very significant, but, NBC is chomping at the bit for it. UFC was going to sign with NBC, only to go to Fox. That "switcharoo" and the ratings dip...doesn't matter, apparently. UFC is going to keep making good money, and NBC is probably going to be the one giving it to them. While WWE is meeting with Fox; WWE and NBC having this very long relationship.

In a way, NBC is after this different kind of audience. It's more international, and eclectic. Their portfolio reflects it. Sure, there's some familiar things in there, but they chase different things. And quite aggressively, but still spotty on reason?

Like, I get it why they aren't fully in the college scene. With the emphasis on conference sports and this academic year-long commitment to airing all of their stuff just to get a sniff of football and marquee basketball, the winter and spring sports that come with those arrangements put NBC at odds with their holdings. The Olympics, for example, and all of those winter sports, and then golf...where would college hoops fit in?

There's soccer, too.

But, most of the time, when I'm flipping through stations, NBC and its sports stations come off pretty weirdly. A lot of it looks out of place; looks pre-recorded. Like, I'll be looking for hoops early Saturday afternoon, and while ESPN is good for some, and CBS...NBC-SN is pushing out...some skiing. God knows if it's live, I don't.

I can't fault them for not wanting the commitment thing. If NBC is going to have AAC sports, it's going to have to deal with all of its content, even the bad stuff. When you own the rights to air it, what are you supposed to do with it all? Up here in the northeast, with this very diverse population, just so you can have some good football on Saturdays in the Fall, what are you supposed to do in the winter/spring with bad basketball...in an Olympic year, or as soccer seasons ramp up? But even during the heart of football season, is UFC a better primetime piece for broadcast, or do you risk it with a college football game that might be a total wash?

An NBC-FOX flip of the WWE-UFC does makes sense when you look at the markets the networks target.

FOX is also going to want Network FOX to be in the live event business once the Disney Buyout goes through. WWE Monday Night Raw on Network Fox makes a whole lot of since through that lens.