CaribouJim
03-24-2014, 11:08 AM
..from SI.com's Richard Deitsch's weekly MEDIA CIRCUS:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/20140323/media-circus-ian-darke-world-cup-ncaa-tournament/?eref=sihp
Fox Sports 1 drew 702,000 viewers for the Big East Championship Game, the most-watched college basketball game on the network since launch. The Pac-12 men's basketball tournament final drew 680,000 viewers, the second-most watched college basketball game in Fox Sports 1 history.
Fox Sports 1 announced that the New York-based Mike Francesa radio show will air on Fox Sports 1 (1:00-4:00 p.m. ET) and Fox Sports 2 (4:00-6:30 p.m. ET) beginning Monday. The show will also be streamed live via Fox Sports Go. As an East Coast play, Francesa will draw audience and likely will top the non-live programming currently airing in that spot. But it will be interesting to see how many viewers in Boise and Dallas (and parts in between) will care about a very heavy New York-centric sports-talk show over the long haul. I personally can't see this working - FS1 seems to skew younger. Plus I think he stinks.
Fox Sports 1 is retooling its afternoon lineup. First, Fox Football Daily and Fox Soccer Daily have been removed from the schedule. Come April 7, America's Pregame, hosted by Mike Hill, will air daily from 6 to 7 p.m. In a press release, Fox Sports 1 said America's Pregame will "answer the questions sports fans have about the most compelling stories, games and events from across the country."
Last week Fox Sports Live aired a dedicated segment of its nightly news and highlight program from the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook, a bold, outside-the-box idea from coordinating producer Yaron Deskalo. Clearly, the conceit for the remote was to draw the interests of those who gamble on the NCAA tournament; the estimates on wagers run between $2.5 billion and $12 billion worldwide.
Appealing to gambling interests offers a potential path to the coveted male 18-45 television demo, though it's a delicate dance with rights holders (which Fox is not when it comes to the NCAA tournament). If nothing else, Fox Sports attempted something different in an attempt to convince even a small fraction of ESPN's audience to switch from SportsCenter to sample the goods.
The segments from Las Vegas were sharply produced -- credit to producers Royce Dickerson, Josh Parcell and assistant Ryan Brumley -- and the on-screen graphics popped for viewers. I could critique the on-air talent but talent has little impact on ratings for a one-off remote play unless Fox committed to A-list celebrities who they could build a marketing campaign around.
People already know my take on most Fox Sports Live talent at this point, anyway; I think Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole are terrific, Gabe Kapler should be the example for current and future FSL panelists; the show should hire a college football reporter with journalistic bona fides; FSL should invest in news and not some impossible to grasp concept as "fun"; and finally, FSL should be wary of the digital seduction of trolling Southern sports fan bases.
While the Vegas attempt was noteworthy and showed ingenuity, the show was crushed by live tournament games and ESPN's armada of college basketball evaluators. Last week SportsCenter aired on Tuesday and Thursday (with late NBA games on Monday and Wednesday) and averaged 531,000 viewers. Fox Sports Live's Monday to Thursday averaged 33,000 viewers. Here's hoping FSL keeps trying. The broadcasting business is better off if they succeed.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/20140323/media-circus-ian-darke-world-cup-ncaa-tournament/?eref=sihp
Fox Sports 1 drew 702,000 viewers for the Big East Championship Game, the most-watched college basketball game on the network since launch. The Pac-12 men's basketball tournament final drew 680,000 viewers, the second-most watched college basketball game in Fox Sports 1 history.
Fox Sports 1 announced that the New York-based Mike Francesa radio show will air on Fox Sports 1 (1:00-4:00 p.m. ET) and Fox Sports 2 (4:00-6:30 p.m. ET) beginning Monday. The show will also be streamed live via Fox Sports Go. As an East Coast play, Francesa will draw audience and likely will top the non-live programming currently airing in that spot. But it will be interesting to see how many viewers in Boise and Dallas (and parts in between) will care about a very heavy New York-centric sports-talk show over the long haul. I personally can't see this working - FS1 seems to skew younger. Plus I think he stinks.
Fox Sports 1 is retooling its afternoon lineup. First, Fox Football Daily and Fox Soccer Daily have been removed from the schedule. Come April 7, America's Pregame, hosted by Mike Hill, will air daily from 6 to 7 p.m. In a press release, Fox Sports 1 said America's Pregame will "answer the questions sports fans have about the most compelling stories, games and events from across the country."
Last week Fox Sports Live aired a dedicated segment of its nightly news and highlight program from the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook, a bold, outside-the-box idea from coordinating producer Yaron Deskalo. Clearly, the conceit for the remote was to draw the interests of those who gamble on the NCAA tournament; the estimates on wagers run between $2.5 billion and $12 billion worldwide.
Appealing to gambling interests offers a potential path to the coveted male 18-45 television demo, though it's a delicate dance with rights holders (which Fox is not when it comes to the NCAA tournament). If nothing else, Fox Sports attempted something different in an attempt to convince even a small fraction of ESPN's audience to switch from SportsCenter to sample the goods.
The segments from Las Vegas were sharply produced -- credit to producers Royce Dickerson, Josh Parcell and assistant Ryan Brumley -- and the on-screen graphics popped for viewers. I could critique the on-air talent but talent has little impact on ratings for a one-off remote play unless Fox committed to A-list celebrities who they could build a marketing campaign around.
People already know my take on most Fox Sports Live talent at this point, anyway; I think Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole are terrific, Gabe Kapler should be the example for current and future FSL panelists; the show should hire a college football reporter with journalistic bona fides; FSL should invest in news and not some impossible to grasp concept as "fun"; and finally, FSL should be wary of the digital seduction of trolling Southern sports fan bases.
While the Vegas attempt was noteworthy and showed ingenuity, the show was crushed by live tournament games and ESPN's armada of college basketball evaluators. Last week SportsCenter aired on Tuesday and Thursday (with late NBA games on Monday and Wednesday) and averaged 531,000 viewers. Fox Sports Live's Monday to Thursday averaged 33,000 viewers. Here's hoping FSL keeps trying. The broadcasting business is better off if they succeed.