Different contracts. And the NA one is much, much better.
ESPN/ABC pays the NBA billions of dollars in rights fee and they have a very strong negotiated contract with rights and responsabilities on both side, such as if a major news event happens and ABC News nees to cut in, then their events get bumped to cable.
SUM buys time for MLS and US National Team Games on ABC/ESPN in pretty much the same fashion as Jack LaLanne does for his informercial. That was the new deal they signed about two years ago. Thats why you don't see ESPN/ABC ever promo games anymore, it's not their product. All SUM does is produce their games in the ABC/ESPN style with their graphics.
As much as we hated to see MLS bumped -and I was just as upset at first- at least I understand that it's business.
Now that I think of it, the contract that they signed is just about identical to the one the PBA (bowling) signed.
The reason you see bowling promos is because the PBA produces them and pays to air them. Something SUM refuses to do outside their own broadcasts.
I'm the first one to tell everyone here, and my bosses (and anyone who wil listen to me) at the network that MLS and soccer get the shaft up in Bristol. This time, it wasn't really the case.
SUM has to spend more on marketing to improve ratings, get a little more national attention (ESPN polls show only 7% of the country follows MLS) and then we can get the snowball effect rolling.
Until then, things won't get better.
Cheers!
Robert.
In a message dated 6/6/04 5:14:41 AM, klindstr@flash.net writes:
Dude - what part of "the NBA paid money for the time on ABC, MLS didn't pay
nearly as much for espn2" do you not get?
This isn't like tennis running over - this was a game bumped from a major
network, for crying out loud.
And while I don't know for a fact that the NBA paid money for the WNBA time
slot, I think it is safe to say that the ABC folk appreciate their
relationship with the NBA a lot more than they do MLS.