Not me.
"NBA lockout costing broadcasters; Stations scramble to find substitute programming" November 11, 2011|By Johnny Diaz, Globe Staff
The NBA lockout could be a blowout loss for television and radio stations that carry the Boston Celtics, driving away hundreds of thousands of viewers and lucrative ad revenues.
For the regional cable channel Comcast SportsNet in Boston, the Celtics are a reliable ratings bonanza. But with a month’s worth of games canceled so far this season due to the lockout, SportsNet is scrambling to replace the live Celtics broadcasts - and to keep advertisers happy.
Every canceled game is a big loss....
A 30-second spot during a Celtics game on SportsNet can cost from $2,500 to $4,000. A spot on an off night will command only hundreds of dollars, according to a Boston advertising agency official who requested anonymity to avoid conflicts with clients....
I'm disgusted by the amount of money sucked up by sports while so many Americans suffer.
Stations are playing a high-stakes waiting game as the league and the players union fight over how to split billions in revenue. This early, there has not been much economic damage, since the high ratings and advertising dollars generated by NBA games tend to build through the season and peak during the playoffs, analysts said.
But if talks fail to produce an agreement, the entire season will be threatened, and stations could lose the lucrative ad revenue that comes with extra viewers who tune into live NBA broadcasts.
Like what newspapers have lost to the Web?
For the moment, broadcasters are doing their best to replace the canceled games. SportsNet is running old Celtics contests, but replacement programming is a poor substitute for the actual Celtics....
I'd rather watch hardwood classics than today's game.
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