"My" Shows vs. Sports on TV

[Tan Djarka]

Last saturday, after work I went out for dinner as I usually do, sat down in front of TV when I got home, and prepared for the usual TBS mini-marathon of "Big Bang Theory". But I was disappointed, as what I saw when I turned on the TV, was baseball. No disrespect to sports fans, but I don't like 'em, I won't watch 'em, and I can't understand why what I want to watch is so often pre-empted by sports.

I could understand it in the heyday of over-the-air broadcast, when the average household only received three good channels, but now, between cable, satellite, digital subchannels, and this interweb thingie, some have access to what may be as much as a thousand channels. Why can't sports be relegated to sports channels? I see ads for "sports packages" from content providers. Clearly there's a market for it. It would benefit me doubly as I could watch what I want instead of sports and I wouldn't be paying for what I don't want to watch either. (Clearly I can't watch EVERYTHING, but there things I don't ever watch.)

I have a fairly dim view of sports to begin with, and I know it's a petty concern, but it is bothersome. It's more than a case of "if you don't like it, don't watch it". Clearly I'm not going to watch it, but I can't watch what I want to because of it. Maybe I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but in the words of Mr Horse: "No sir, I don't like it!"

 

[EyeofSauron]

sports are viewed by about 10 times as many people as big bang theory. Ratings.

its actually really simple. why would they keep it off their network when the commercial slots for those events bring them a lot more income than sitcoms.
so, more sports = more money

 

[Kerr Avon]

Just use Netflix.

 

[crabra comander]

Baseball sucks....I find golf more interesting than baseball....


Come at me!

 

[NormanF]

That is nothing compared to PBS. It seems like once a month I go to turn on This Old House and instead it is Suze Orman telling women how to be financially secure with occasional breaks to ask you to support PBS by paying $75 for a $5 mug with their logo on it. Why don't they have the regular show and tell you "If you enjoy this show then consider a pledge of ...."?

 

[Dozer3677]

Baseball sucks....I find golf more interesting than baseball....


Come at me!

Before this year, if I was stuck w/the Nationals and O's, I would hate baseball too. :lol


No, but as EoS said, Sports is much more popular. As everyone knows, people cater to what is popular. Sports is SOOO MUCH MORE POPULAR than anything TBS has to offer, that TBS pays BIG MONEY to MLB to air games. They would never show Big Bang Theory EVER AGAIN if they could guarantee themselves more baseball, or sports in general.

That is why they air Big Bang Theory. Because it is cheap programming. They can buy full seasons of BBT and air it for about 1/100th of the cost of sports, but they also make about 1/100th of the money on BBT as they do for sports.

Why isn't sports on it's own network? Because it is expensive again. If it costs TBS $149 MILLION to just obtain the rights to playoff baseball and 1-2 games a week, imagine what a PPV channel or sports channel would charge customers for that network? It would be outrageous, and no one would buy it. So instead other networks pay that cost and pass the cost to advertisers who pay them back in 10 fold, because again more people will watch sports than the BBT hand over foot.

Not a knock on BBT, it just is what it is. Sports is much better money than reruns of 30 minute sitcoms you can just as easily watch on Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, DVD's, other networks.

 

[wannab]

I love baseball (I even coach it), but I do feel for ya.
Playoffs = increased viewership = increased ad revenue. It's always about the money.



Doug

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Purely a ratings game. The only sport I watch is hockey but when there's a baseball or football game on I just change the channel and get over it.

Also, a show like BBT or any other sitcom you can watch any time. A sporting event it's live or not at all.

 

[infymys]

As others have said, big ad revenue during playoff time. Also, the network is owned by the man who owns the Atlanta Braves. So yeah, baseball > regular programming.

 

[Tan Djarka]

Just use Netflix.

Hmmm..? I just complained about paying for something that I don't want to watch, and you're suggesting I pay MORE to not watch it? Unlike some of the poeple around here seem to be, I'm not made of money.

Oh, and regarding costs and advertising, etc. All the money pro sports take in, they should be forced to buy ther own frickin' networks!

 

[infymys]

Oh, and regarding costs and advertising, etc. All the money pro sports take in, they should be forced to buy ther own frickin' networks!

NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB actually do have their own respective network. But again, it's a lot more $$ when the major matchups and playoffs are aired on broadcast networks and the usual cable ones like FOX, TBS and ESPN since the viewership far outweighs the other.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Oh, and regarding costs and advertising, etc. All the money pro sports take in, they should be forced to buy ther own frickin' networks!

Why bother when all the other networks are fighting for the rights to air the games? This isn't about the sports organizations making money, it's about TV networks making money.

Your shows get bumped once, MAYBE twice a year sue to playoff schedules. Relax and move on...