(04-14-2018 06:01 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  I really don't think there's any value added in replacing a locally produced pregame show specific to the Indiana PAcers (or whoever) with an NBA Today produced in Bristol. Yes you save some amount of money, (1 show instead of 22, 23 if you count the hour it fills for ESPN/2/U/News) but I don't think it amounts to much.

You probably don't save much money -- if you're comparing the cost of running an episode of "Baseball Tonight" before a Rangers or Angels game with the local pregame show, which is nothing more 30 minutes of air time before the game being filled by the announcers that you are already paying.

On the other hand, I doubt there are many fans who think the 30 minute filler of play by play announcers talking to each other is indispensable. Seems like a wash, and using "Baseball Tonight" reinforces the ESPN branding better than having Local Play-by-play Guy and Local Ex-Jock chatting for half an hour.

(04-14-2018 06:01 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  Having the ability to put MLB/NBA/NHL games on ESPN/2/U/News is significant, though. That's actually really bad for college sports, now that I'm absorbing the news.

If ESPN can fill timeslots with pro sports, it doesn't need college sports as much.

I'm skeptical that ESPN will be allowed to do much of that, especially for NBA and NHL games, which have competing national rights-holders. If it's the NHL, college hoops shouldn't have much to worry about; one reason ESPN gave way back when they gave up NHL TV rights was that NHL regular-season telecasts on ESPN consistently got poorer ratings than ESPN's college basketball telecasts.