The NFL's blackout policy has been under extreme scrutiny as of late, and rightfully so. Teams from Florida, to Ohio, and all the way to Cali, could be blacked out most of the season, but there's news today that America's team might fall into the same category. The Cowboys will almost certainly set the attendance record with over 100K+ people at their new stadium, but if they don't sell all of their standing room only seats, Dallas-area fans might not be able to see the game on TV. Via CBS 11....

The senior vice presidents of public relations for the NFL, and the league's director of corporate communications told CBS 11 Wednesday night that there are seats that still need to be sold for Sunday's game against the Giants, and that the league has not officially ruled out a blackout.

Brett Daniels, The Dallas Cowboys director of corporate communications, confirmed to CBS 11 that a few hundred seats still needed to be sold, and must be purchased to avoid a blackout.

The Cowboys have not had a television blackout since December 1990.

The NFL deadline for the blackout is Thursday evening. The Cowboys say they have no doubt the tickets will be sold, giving fans at home the chance to watch the game.

As of 10:45 Wednesday evening tickets were still available through dallascowboys.com. The cheapest seats available cost $239. With taxes and fees, the total price for two tickets comes to just under $494. That cost does not include parking, food or drink.

The NFL black out policy is a joke, and this year will solidify that fact. Upwards of 30% of all games will be blacked out in local markets, and with the economy the way it is, it could be even higher. To expect someone to pay $494 to attend a game is just ridiculous.

Cowboys Officials Have No Doubt Game Will Be On TV (CBS 11)

Sad news for Hockey fans, that have DirecTV as their cable provider. Versus is available in about 75 million homes, but DirecTV is considering dropping the channel within the week, which could drop that number by almost one-third. From Multichannel via TSB....

"In our contract discussions, Comcast has demanded a deal for Versus that is not comparable to other providers and is pushing for a significant rate hike that does not reflect current market terms or the value of its programming," DirecTV said in a prepared statement. "We will continue to try and negotiate a fair deal, but we intend to hold the line on our programming costs and protect our customers against these unfair demands that are both discriminatory and wholly unrealistic given current market rates. If we do not reach an agreement, the network will come down on Sept. 1 following the expiration of our contract with Versus."

The dispute comes weeks before the college football season is expected to kick-off - Versus is scheduled to air its first game (Texas vs. Wyoming) on Sept. 12. Versus also airs its first NHL contest on Oct. 1.

In a statement, Versus said that it is negotiating in good faith with DirecTV and hopes a deal can be reached soon.

"Since our last deal with DirecTV, Versus has added many marquee properties and has become the fastest growing sports cable network in the country," the network said in a statement. "Despite this tremendous momentum, we are offering DirecTV the ability to carry Versus the same way it does today at the market price for the network. We continue to talk and are hopeful that we will reach an agreement."

Well that's not good news at all. Versus has made a ton of strides with their programming, and with Hockey back in the National spotlight, it seems like they have more to offer than ever. Hopefully they can come to an agreement soon.

DirecTV, Versus Could Split By Next Week (The Sporting Blog)
DirecTV Could Drop Versus (Multichannel)

Yesterday, I mentioned that ESPN was going to have a rough go of it with the fans of EPL in England, and today the network announced official plans to launch their new UK channel....

ESPN plan to launch a new channel in the UK on 3rd August called ‘ESPN,’ which will televise 46 Barclays Premier League matches this coming season, it was announced today by Lynne Frank, Managing Director, ESPN for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Frank also announced the channel will be made available in both standard definition (SD) and high-definition (HD), making the UK based premium sports channel the company’s first HD channel in Europe.

The new channel will offer live Barclays Premier League football, international sports and a wide-range of premium U.S. sports previously provided on ESPN America, which will be integrated in the UK into the new channel.

As part of the new arrangement, Sky will retail ESPN to both its residential and commercial customers. Sky will make ESPN available on a premium subscription basis to all Sky homes. This means that all live Barclays Premier League matches will be available in HD to Sky homes. ESPN will appear in the Sky Guide at channel number 417 in SD and channel 443 in HD.

For those of you across the pond, turn to channel 417/443 for all of your ESPN Soccer action. They probably could have come up with a better name for it than "ESPN", but there you have it.

Saw this interesting tidbit in the NY Times today, and thought I'd share. As you know, ESPN is taking over one of the many EPL international packages, and are considering devoting an entire channel to the Soccer league. Well, EPL fans are some of the most, if not the most dedicated viewers in the world, and analysts are predicting a tough go of it for the "Leader"....

But ESPN will have to make its mark quickly, analysts say, because it will have fewer games after the coming season.

“If they haven’t established the coverage with the Premier League next season, then they are going to have a lot of ground to cover,” said Tim Westcott, an analyst at Screen Digest, a research company in London.

As Mr. Wolff [managing director of ESPN International] noted, ESPN has considerable experience with international sports. It used to own 33 percent of Eurosport, a pan-European channel controlled by the French broadcaster TF1, but sold that in 2002. It showed World Cup soccer matches in Brazil in 2006 and broadcasts top cricket events in India. It produces SportsCenter, a sports news show, in 14 versions for audiences around the world.

ESPN also owns Web sites with global appeal, like Cricinfo, which is about cricket; Scrum, which covers rugby; and Racing Live, about Formula 1 auto racing.

Still, few sports fans are as demanding, or as tribal in their passions, as followers of Premier League soccer. American involvement in the game has been a sore subject at clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool, where fans objected to takeovers by American owners.

With everything related to ESPN’s coverage of the Premier League, from camera angles to analyst comments, likely to be scrutinized for signs of a hidden agenda of Disneyfication, Mr. Chadwick had some advice for ESPN: “There is a strong sense of counterculture in English football. They can’t be too glitzy, they can’t be too showbiz, they can’t be too American.”

I can't imagine the amount of pressure ESPN feels right now, but if any network can handle the short turnaround time, it's them. Some sports completely speak for themselves, and Soccer is certainly one of them. Hopefully they can pull it off, get the right announcers in place, and not completely alienate the international Soccer fan.

ESPN’s British Soccer Deal Highlights Global Push (NY Times)

On the heels of Setanta Sports going bankrupt, and subsequently losing their EPL rights, ESPN has swooped in and acquired the forty-six matches to be aired this Summer. The deal is rumored to be in the range of 90 million pounds (a little over $140 million in the States)....

ESPN has been awarded the two packages of rights containing a total of 46 matches that were available for the 2009/10 season as well as a package of 23 matches per season from 2010/11 to 2012/13.

Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: "The Premier League is extremely pleased to have added ESPN as a UK rights holder. They have a formidable worldwide reputation and experience in sports and I am sure we will enjoy a long and fruitful relationship with them.

Russell Wolff, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, ESPN International, said: "Premier League football is one of the world's most sought after sports properties. We are very excited to be working with the Premier League and expanding our businesses in the UK.

"This move demonstrates our commitment to British sports fans and our ongoing commitment to delivering football to fans around the world across a variety of media."

Unless you're reading this site in Europe, this deal doesn't affect you at all. The 46 matches will be aired on ESPN overseas, as the American and European packages are sold separately. Still though, it's a huge get for the "Leader", and another step towards global domination, er....more coverage out of the U.S.

ESPN win Premier League rights (Premier League)

So the big story across the pond, is the fact that Irish cable channel Setanta Sports is in danger of going bankrupt. The rumor was that ESPN/Disney was interested in buying the channel, but according to Reuters, that's not the case. As of yet....

ESPN, the Walt Disney-owned sports network, has no current plans to buy the stricken Irish broadcaster Setanta, it said on Thursday, after days of speculation that it could make a bid.

The board of Setanta has spent the week in emergency refinancing talks to try to prevent the group from falling into administration. It has suspended signing up new customers and has said it is fighting to secure the business.

ESPN had been seen as a potential buyer.

"We currently have no plans to buy Setanta," a spokesman said, in response to the speculation. "There are a lot of stories out there that link ESPN with a possible purchase. We wanted to set the record straight."

The biggest rub in all of this, is the fact that ESPN was outbid by Setanta Sports for International EPL rights. If ESPN doesn't buy Setanta, and the channel doesn't get refinancing, the channel's rights could go back on the market. It's a tough spot for ESPN to be in, but at least there's a chance for them to secure the rights they got outbid on a few months ago.

Disney's ESPN: no current plan to buy Setanta (Reuters)

The ratings for the NHL have been pretty solid throughout the Playoffs, and with the Finals now tied 2-2, they're only going to get better. On the heels of this great news, comes even more great news for NBC in that the NHL has decided to extend the contract with the network for another two years. Via Globe and Mail....

Now, NBC and the NHL are set to announce an extension to their relationship for another two years, past the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and Stanley Cup playoffs.

It will likely be a continuation of the no-money-down/split-revenues-after-costs arrangement that has existed since the two sides fell into each other's arms after the NHL lockout in 2004-05.

At that time, NBC got an inexpensive property to fill out its sports schedule, while the NHL got the perfume of network respectability after locking out its players and fans for a complete season.

Despite the hiccup of NBC switching away from a playoff overtime to a Kentucky Derby prep show in 2008, the relationship has worked reasonably well for both sides.

I still think NBC has to get their priorities straight when it comes to the use of Versus, but they've improved their broadcast over the last few years immensely. It also doesn't hurt that the star power is finally there for advertisers, and that the network is also airing the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

NBC, NHL set to extend broadcast deal (Globe and Mail)

It's truly amazing how much the NFL runs the world these days. So much so in fact, that CBS is moving the Emmy Awards up a full week due to a combination of NFL games on Sunday, September 20th. CBS has a double header that they're worried will run into the program, but the real reason is the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Giants and Cowboys on NBC. The 20th would also be the television debut of the new Cowboys' stadium, and a move a week up would put the Emmys up against the Bears and Packers, a much better matchup for the network. Via The Hollywood Reporter....

The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards will air a week earlier than previously scheduled.

Originally slated for Sept. 20, the awards show will take place Sept. 13.

The reason: CBS, which carries the Emmys this year, has an NFL doubleheader Sept. 20, which could bleed into primetime and delay the start of the show.

"This is better for the live event, the broadcast and our audience at home," said Jack Sussman, CBS' executive vp specials, music and live events.

The original date for the broadcast was set before the NFL released its 2009 TV schedule.

In addition to preventing a possible delay, the move to Sept. 13 also will pit the primetime Emmys against the lower-profile Bears-Packers NFL game on NBC. Had the Emmys aired Sept. 20, the show would've faced the marquee Giants-Cowboys showdown.

While the move obviously makes sense, there is one small negative. The Emmys usually are a perfect vehicle to promote the Fall season on CBS, which starts the next day. Going up against the Giants and Cowboys though would be ratings suicide, so the move is probably worth it.

Emmy ceremony pushed up a week (THR)

ESPN will be broadcasting their last Champions League final, before the rights move over to FOX Sports, and the "Leader" couldn't have hoped for a better matchup. Barcelona will take on Manchester United today at 2:25pm on ESPN and ESPN360 live from Rome, and ESPN can't hide its excitement. Via the NY Times....

“We’re going out with a bang,” Mike Walters, the vice president of programming for ESPN International, said in a telephone interview. “We’re not going to mistreat or somehow shortchange this property because we’re not televising it in the U.S. next year.”

The game will be shown in high-definition on ESPN in the United States and other countries (and in Spanish on ESPN Deportes, which will offer a 90-minute pregame show), while the network will also beam the game to more than 167.8 million households in 115 countries around the world, including in Latin American, Africa, the Pacific Rim, Asia and Canada. ESPN2 will carry a one-hour preview show on Tuesday, the day before Manchester United attempts to defend its title, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. The match will also be available on the broadband network ESPN360.com. ESPN will also present halftime and postgame in-studio analysis.

“It’s really a dream final,” Adrian Healey, one of ESPN’s studio analysts, said in a telephone interview. “These are the two best teams in Europe and it’s one game to determine the champion. But I think what really makes it intriguing, with all the focus on the managers, the players and the history, is that these two clubs really haven’t won that many European titles. ManU has been outshone by its domestic rival Liverpool and Barcelona by Real Madrid.”

“It’s no secret that we made a run to continue, we’ve been nurturing and growing the event here for 15 years,” Walters said. “We’re never happy to see something go elsewhere, but properties come and go. We’re all really in the rights rental business. We don’t have a divine right to air it year to year, unless it’s something you’ve created yourself, like the X-Games. But this certainly is a loss.”

The final should be a awesome (Manchester United is a -130 favorite), and ESPN couldn't have got a better final to go out on. In fact, it's so important that they actually sent Derek Rae, Tommy Smyth and Dave Roberts, to Rome to call the event in person. If anything exciting happens during the game, I'll be sure to have the video for you.

ESPN Gears Up for Final Final (NY Times)

Ask and you shall receive. Just as I was posting the Comcast/ESPNU news, I learned that the NFL and Comcast have also reached an agreement. And get this....it was announced via Twitter....

The details have yet to be released, but as I mentioned in previous posts, the deal is expected to include both on demand content as well as the "Red Zone Channel". This is obviously a great day for all the parties involved, and certainly for NFL fans.

NFL V.P. of corporate communications, Brian McCarthy (Twitter)

This has been a while in the making, but ESPNU and Comcast have finally reached an agreement to bring the network onto to the masses. The channel will not only be added to the channel, but you also won't need the sports package to get it. And there's more! As a Comcast subscriber, you'll even be able to access ESPN360 for free, right before the start of the Football season. Here's a little letter that the folks at ESPNU sent out this morning, detailing the move....

Dear Colleague ~

We are thrilled to share that ESPN has secured two new significant distribution agreements for ESPNU with Comcast and DIRECTV. Comcast will launch ESPNU in a majority of its cable systems in time for the start of the college football season on its Digital Classic level of service. ESPNU will widen its distribution to DIRECTV's CHOICE™ programming package beginning July 1. Through both agreements, ESPNU will now be available to more than 46 million college sports fans across the country. Attached are the press releases with more details about each deal. Please feel free to share with your respective constituencies.

In addition, Comcast will also make ESPN360.com, ESPN’s broadband network, available to its high-speed Internet customers for no additional charge through Comcast.net, which reaches 17 million unique users per month, also in time for this year’s college football season.

We would like to thank you and the entire sports information community for supporting ESPNU since its launch on 03-04-05. You have been instrumental in helping us educate college sports fans about the brand. We look forward to its continued growth and serving our audience with compelling content from your conference 365 days a year.

Sincerely,
The ESPN Communications College Sports Team

Now that's some good news to start the day. I've been begging for ESPNU for years, and the two sides have finally figured out a good deal for both parties. Now if Comcast and the NFL Network could follow suit, everything will be peachy.

(Thanks to reader JR for the tip)

Much talk has been made about the NHL going back to ESPN soon, and while it's still a possibility, Gary Bettman (on CSN Chicago's "Monsters in the Morning") said that the "Leader" wasn't the place for the league following the strike. The NHL Commish even explained that network television isn't all it's cracked up to be when it comes to Hockey. Via Sports Business Daily....

"There tends to be some criticism of them, probably initiated by some of their competitors. We felt coming out of the work stoppage and the year off, doing the traditional mode, going back to ESPN, where they have everything, wasn’t going to help us bring the game back as strong."

"With the use of digital technology, we can really give our fans as close a connection to the game as they want in a whole variety of ways. We think having come back as strong as we have from the work stoppage, four years of record attendance and record revenues; our ratings are up just about everywhere on television. We’re probably as strong as we’ve ever been."

I guess that's a strong point in theory (when you consider Hockey ratings are never THAT good), but if you are trying to get people to see a Sport, wouldn't you go to where the most eyes were/are? Seems like it's only a matter of time before ESPN picks Hockey back up, and thank goodness, because Versus is just about the hardest channel to find on cable.

NHL Commissioner Discusses League's TV Presence (Sports Business Daily)

I forget the program I was listening to the other day, but an interesting point was raised about the Super Bowl. The radio host was talking Boxing and pay-per-view, and mentioned that he thought that within ten years the Super Bowl would be moved to that format. While that's certainly discerning, it's definitely years away. Unlike the reality that the Super Bowl could be played in London soon.

Roger Goodell has been denying stateside for months that the Super Bowl could be played overseas, but the BBC is saying something completely different....

The NFL has had "substantive talks" with officials in London about holding the Super Bowl in the city, a senior league official has told BBC Sport.

While commissioner Roger Goodell has previously admitted an interest in bringing the game to London, this is the first confirmation of discussions.

"We've spoken on what it would take to host and for us to bring it over," said events vice-president Frank Supovitz.

"The city has all the facilities needed, and in great quantity."

Supovitz was talking in New York City where the NFL Draft will take place this weekend.

"We have had very substantive conversations with the city of London. We've got to the point of exploring the bid document," he added.

Call me an "Ugly American", but I think the majority of the country would be really upset if the Super Bowl went to England. I certainly think it would be a success, and that the event would instantly sell out, but the Super Bowl is an American icon. The only good thing that could come about this, is that the game would be starting at 2 or 3pm here, instead of six something. The wait is the worst part.

NFL in talks on London Super Bowl (BBC)

I have no idea how this happened, or when it happened, but apparently Comcast and the NFL Network have struck a deal! Via Fang's Bites....

STATEMENT FROM COMCAST & NFL NETWORK SPOKESPERSONS:

“Comcast and the NFL are engaged in productive discussions toward a new agreement for NFL Network carriage on Comcast. NFL Network will continue to be carried on Comcast systems past tonight’s scheduled expiration of the current contract while both sides continue these productive discussions. We are both working to find a solution that works for NFL fans and Comcast’s customers.”

Wow. That could quite possibly be the biggest turnaround during a negotiation that I've ever seen. The two hated each other for months, and at the last minute they came together to keep the channel on the cable company. I'm certainly not complaining though.

BREAKING NEWS: NFL Network Will Remain on Comcast Systems ... For Now (Fang's Bites)

You would think that Stephen A. Smith would be a little bit more bitter after ESPN decided to not renew his contract, but he's surprisingly not. The outspoken one even penned a post on his blog to his soon-to-be former employer, and thanked them for the opportunity. Via StephenA.com....

My last day at ESPN is May 1. It’s been a wonderful, wonderful ride, filled with great accomplishments, great memories and, most importantly, great friendships. It’s difficult to express how appreciative I am to everyone at ESPN for all they’ve done for my career. But nothing lasts forever. It’s time to move on.

While my love for sports has never dissipated– of course, I’ll never let go of sports– my desire to venture beyond sports into the world of news, politics and entertainment has grown. Where that will take me? Who knows, but you can keep up with me right here on StephenA.com as well as on Twitter to find out! I’ll just be moving on with some degree of sadness, remembering all the friends I’ll leave behind.

Well that's big of him. To be honest, SAS had started to grow on me a bit. And while I can't stand some of his schtick, I can't say that he lacked the passion and know-how to cover Basketball for the "Leader". Godspeed Mr. Cheez Doodlez....your volume level will be missed.

Goodbye ESPN!!! (StephenA.com)

The hatred between the NFL Network and Comcast is certainly not a secret, and the two company's bigwigs took an interesting angle in the battle recently. Last week, NFL Network's Steve Bornstein decided to submit an op-ed to the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the newspaper included it in their paper (and online). Well yesterday, Comcast VP David Cohen decided to rebut the NFL Network with one of his own. Here's a brief snippet from both pieces....

NFL Network: "Based on fan interest, NFL Network should be broadly available to cable subscribers. Comcast, however, wants to continue to limit access to the network by charging consumers extra for it. Comcast collects this extra charge to provide NFL Network as part of its sports package.

We strongly disagree with this policy. But Comcast refuses to reach a new agreement with NFL Network that would make it available to a larger number of subscribers without the extra monthly fee.

Comcast discriminates against networks such as ours because we are independent. Do you know why you get the Golf Channel and Versus as part of your basic cable service? It's because both are owned by Comcast, which makes the company's channels broadly available."

Comcast: "Comcast currently makes NFL Network available on the dedicated sports and entertainment tier. We view this as the best and fairest way to provide NFL Network's expensive programming, because viewers who want to watch the channel can do so, while those who prefer not to aren't forced to cover the network's high costs.

NFL Network provides only eight live, regular-season, out-of-market games a year. The vast majority of the network's programming is filler such as training-camp coverage and draft analysis, which may interest the super-fan, but not most cable customers. And yet the network wants to charge higher fees than virtually any other national cable network.

Since the NFL doesn't like the terms of the contract it signed, it has repeatedly asked the courts and government authorities to require that the terms be changed. Contrary to the NFL's recent claims, though, the Federal Communications Commission has made no final determinations as to whether the NFL's claims of discrimination by Comcast are valid or bogus."

Well that's nice, isn't it? One is claiming discrimination, and the other is claiming they are dedicated to the fans. Look, we all know that this relationship is going to end on May 8th, and there's nothing either party can do to change that. Let's just let bygones be bygones, and leave the trash talking out of it.

Comcast is locking football viewers out (Philadelphia Inquirer)

This news came down yesterday, and I chose to pass on it because the day was already pretty ESPN heavy, but today is a different day (and a slow one at that). ESPN is reportedly in discussion with cable carriers about offering an ESPNU for ESPN Classic trade. Via John Ourand at SBJ....

Executives in Bristol are set to allow cable and satellite distributors to swap ESPN’s classic sports channel for its college network, ESPNU, which they hope presents a newer, hipper alternative to Classic’s staid, dated programming.

As part of the offer, ESPN also is looking for added distribution for its Spanish-language channel, ESPN Deportes, and its broadband network, ESPN360.

An interesting wrinkle to ESPN’s proposal would allow operators to move ESPN Classic to a sports tier, where it would be ESPN’s first channel to reside on the traditionally low-penetrated mantle.

Right now, ESPN Classic is in more than 63 million homes, typically on analog and digital basic tiers.

By contrast, ESPNU is in about 25 million homes, mainly on digital basic tiers, and ESPN Deportes is in fewer than 5 million homes. ESPN360 has not yet been able to reach carriage deals with the top cable operators, though it has reached broadband agreements with Verizon and AT&T.

Though ESPN executives have spent the last several weeks pitching this plan to cable operators, talks are expected to heat up this week as the cable industry gathers for its annual trade show in Washington, D.C.

What a great idea. I'm one of the few people that probably buy the entire Sports package from Comcast (keep your boos to a minimum), and to this day, I've yet to receive ESPNU. At the present time, I get four different FOX Sports channels, Gol TV, The Tennis Channel and Horse Racing TV, but no ESPNU. I pray that my cable carrier takes them up on this deal, and post haste.

ESPN to offer Classic-for-ESPNU swap (Sports Business Journal)

There's not a television deal that bugs me more than the NFL Ticket. However, when it's been exclusively with one provider for 15 years, AND said provider pays $1 Billion to keep it, there's not much you can say. The NFL and DirecTV have once again thumbed their noses at the likes of Comcast and Time Warner, and the "Ticket" will be staying on the satellite platform through 2014. Via MCN....

The National Football League has reached a four-year contract extension with DirecTV to remain the TV home of the Sunday Ticket package through 2014.

Sunday TicketAnnounced Monday during the NFL owners meeting in Dana Point, Calif., the pay-per-view pact, according to sources familiar with the negotiations, is valued at about $1 billion annually from 2011-2014. DirecTV currently pays some $700 million annually on its Sunday Ticket contract that expires after the 2010 season.

However, the agreement opens the door to a wider reach for the out-of-home package, which will become available to broadband subscribers that can't receive DirecTV. The satellite leader will aim this broadband game service at those who reside in multi-unit dwellings or DirecTV customers with poor exposure to a satellite signal.

This broader broadband service, according to league officials, would kick off no later than 2012. Currently, broadband coverage of the games is limited to those who purchase Sunday Ticket, and then pay an additional $99 for the broadband Super Fan package.

While the Internet option sounds cool, don't get excited. You would have to be officially ruled out of receiving satellite television first, before getting that service. However, in the 2012 season, the NFL will be allowing some cable carriers to sell the "Red Zone" Channel. The live cut-in section of the "Ticket" would be available to almost all cable providers, as well as on the Internet.

With the money that's out there for the NFL, it still seems odd that they are giving an exclusive to DirecTV. But again....when there's a guaranteed billion dollars on the table, I'm sure that's hard to pass up.

NFL Scores With $4 Billion DirecTV Sunday Ticket Extension (Multichannel News)

FOX is out of the BCS game following next season's set of games, with the games moving to ESPN in 2010, and there are rumors circulating the Sports World that the network is interested in selling of its rights for 2009. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution....

Remember that back in 2007 FOX jumped into the BCS sweepstakes and took it away from ABC by paying $80 million a year. When the contract came up for bid last year, ESPN outbid FOX by putting up $125 million a year for 2010-13. FOX has one more season, 2009, on its current deal to televise the BCS games. But there are some rumblings that FOX could sell those 2009 rights to ESPN if the Worldwide Leader made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. Because the BCS championship game is being hosted by the Rose Bowl this season, it will be on ABC, of which ESPN is a part. Stay tuned on this one.

Any other year, this move would probably cost ESPN too much, but with the "Leader" airing the Championship game in the Rose Bowl....it actually might be too good a situation to pass up. Again, this is all just speculation, but not all that far-fetched given the timing of everything in 2009.

Speaking of the BCS: Will FOX Sports televise the final year of its contract? (AJC)

This isn't making that much news, but it's probably important to talk about given all of the deals ESPN has struck lately. The NCAA has the option of getting out of its 11-year deal with CBS, following the 2010 Tournament, and the "Leader" could be lurking in the shadows. CBS President, Sean McManus, thinks a move is unlikely though. Via the NY Times....

Sean McManus, the president of CBS News and CBS Sports, said that he had had informal talks with the N.C.A.A. about an extension. “We have a pretty good track record of renewing all our deals well before they expire,” he said by phone Monday.

CBS does not want to see the tournament leave. “It fits perfectly into our schedule, and it’s become one of the signature sports,” McManus said. “So I’d rather not anticipate life at CBS Sports without it.”

A CBS Sports without the tournament, he said, would mean less regular-season basketball. Why ladle out the soup if you can’t serve the entrees — and receive about $1 million for a 30-second ad in the championship game?

Greg Shaheen, the N.C.A.A. senior vice president for basketball and business strategies, praised the N.C.A.A.’s relationship with CBS and said that “our interests are how to best create a continuing long-term relationship that benefits our membership.” He said there was “not much to discuss” on the opt-out.

Sure it's a longshot, but that's what people were saying about the BCS a few years ago. These are crazy economic times, but ESPN is playing with Monopoly money and it wouldn't shock me if they put a little bit of pressure on CBS.

N.C.A.A. Can Opt Out of Deal With CBS After 2010 (NY Times)