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ABC Affils Angry ESPN Grabbing Key Sports Events

  • Mediaweek, Monday, February 8, 2010 11:21 PM
ABC's affiliates are angry that corporate sibling ESPN is being handed live sports events they were initially supposed to carry. The most recent move came in January when ESPN announced it planned to take eight Nascar races this fall from ABC for the coming season. Previously, ESPN got the Rose Bowl beginning in 2011 and golf's British Open in 2010 from ABC, too.

Station executives argued that losing live sports events will not only cost them significant ad revenue and take away a negotiating chip with media buyers, but will also hamper their ability to promote other programming to male audiences. Media buyers are not sympathetic: "The ratings on ESPN may be lower, but the pricing will be lower also," said Christine Merrifield, senior vice president, group client director at MediaVest.

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