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It's not a huge surprise that the Breeders' Cup is going back to NBC Sports after several years at ESPN, but I don't think any us realized how imminent that move was. Now that I've had a few minutes to let the news of the broadcast deal between the Breeders' Cup and NBC Sports to sink in I've got some thoughts on the changes. In short, this move makes sense on so many levels and is really a win-win for both parties. In long... well, read below:
- For the new NBC Sports Network ("NBCSN"), they get a fantastic live sporting event to build around and it fits in with their current content. They began providing Saratoga and Keeneland coverage last summer/fall, which is a perfect lead towards the Breeders' Cup in November. (The network will also broadcast several Kentucky Derby prep races.)
- Ratings on the Versus/NBCSN are generally lower (overall) than on ESPN which, in some ways, is good for the Breeders' Cup. Instead of being viewed as a drag on the programming, as it seemed it was on ESPN, televising of the Breeders' Cup on NBCSN can be viewed as an opportunity to grow both the network and the event.
The year that the Breeders' Cup transitioned from NBC to ESPN ratings took a huge hit. Much of that is due to the disparity between broadcast and cable TV. But even when you compare broadcast-to-broadcast numbers from the ABC portion to the old NBC telecasts, the ESPN/ABC events just didn't measure up in terms of viewership.
- The Breeders' Cup gets to be on a network where they aren't being "fit in" around the college football schedule. Sure, NBC has Notre Dame, and NBC Sports Network will televise college football, but ESPN was wall-to-wall college football on fall Saturdays, so much so that the network split up its Breeders' Cup coverage between ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. That, to me, was a really bad deal for the Breeders' Cup and something that could only hurt viewership.
The Breeders' Cup will now be a centerpiece of NBC Sports Network's coverage. That's good for the Breeders' Cup in terms of marketing and promotion.
You knew ESPN was punting horse racing when they took the fantastic Chris Fowler off of their broadcasts and replaced him with Joe Tessatore. No offense to Joe Tessatore, who is probably a nice guy, but I just never took to him on their horse racing telecasts. Fowler is one of the best in the business and made, in my opinion, a big difference in the presentation of the program.
I don't have anything against ESPN, and not televising horse racing is a better business decision on their part considering that college football and the NFL are their bread-and-butter content, but I'm really glad I don't have to watch one of the sport's premier event's on their network(s) in the future.
Of all the ESPN on-air talent, I will be saddest to not see Jeannine Edwards anymore. She was one of the highlights of any ESPN horse racing telecast.