Whether it is the Olympics, the NFL, MLB, the NBA, soccer (the other football), NASCAR, or other events, sports programming remains extremely popular for TV networks (both broadcast and cable networks). As a result, sports leagues receive billions of dollars in rights fees each year. Why? Sporting events tend to be live, unscripted, popular, and exclusive to the networks with the TV rights. That means sponsors will pay even more billions of dollars every year to place their commercials — even in a marketplace that is so fragmented. The Super Bowl is the highest rated single program annually in the United States; and many commercial slots have already been filled for February 2013’s game, at a price tag of around $3.8 million dollars per 30-second spot.
The networks of ESPN are the king of sports programming; and ESPN televises a huge range of events from the amateur to the professional ranks. Click on the photo of the LA Dodgers’ Jeff Kemp for a report on ESPN’s latest mega-deal, an extension with Major League Baseball. The deal is worth $5.6 billion to MLB over the 8 seasons from 2014 through 2021 — $700 million per year. This is double the annual fee now paid by ESPN!!!
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